[CindyHurst]

Our class with Anne was indispensable. Her correlation of the muscles and bones to yoga poses helped me to better understand the differences in everyone’s body. I also loved the exercise we did to respond to potential questions that students might ask about why they cannot do the “Yoga Journal version” of a pose or what to do when they have an injury. This helped me to understand my own limitations, and that offering modifications is definitely valuable to students (and to me in my own practice). If I can teach others to accept their anatomy as it is and make their yoga their own beautiful practice, then I will accomplish what I believe is one of the most important goals of my teaching journey.

I’ve been fascinated by the complex and miraculous human body most of my life. I’ve also had the privilege to practice with teachers that shared their incredible knowledge of anatomy with me as a student. As a yoga teacher, anatomy will be an area of study that I’m certain will continue until I retire from teaching. There is always more to learn.

[CindyHurst]

In March, I found a new yoga studio very close to my workplace. Although I have practiced yoga at all times of the day, I have never been so close to the office that I could attend a yoga class immediately after work. This is definitely a new dynamic for me. I quickly realized with the first class that the time I usually spend driving home is when I let go of my workday. Without that drive time, it was challenging for me to calm my Pitta-self for my yoga practice. My energy is pretty high in the early evening (which is good – the class is a strong practice) and my mind is still going 100 mph.

This really brought home to me the meaning of the quote, “Go from getting here to being here.” This is something I’ll keep in mind as a teacher. You won’t necessarily know what happened to a particular student just prior to coming to class. Were they running late, stuck in traffic? Did they just have a fight with a loved one? Was their workday horrible? What can I do to help them go from getting here to being here? With centering, can I help them to let go so they can be present with their practice? Can I teach them tools that they can use even when they don’t attend a yoga class?

I will be doing practice teaching at this studio, so I will have an opportunity to try to help some of my co-workers end their workday with a calming and peaceful practice.

[CindyHurst]

I’ve practiced long enough that I remember when assists were more common than not. I don’t believe that I was even asked if it was OK prior to a teacher putting her / his hands on me to provide adjustment. In the past five years, that has definitely changed. I’ve noticed that significantly less teachers offer assists in class.

Except for one teacher out of the many I’ve practiced with over the years, my experience has always been positive. Fortunately, I’ve never been hurt and have only benefitted from the assists I received. My negative experience was with a teacher who has very strong ego. Definitely not a dynamic that one expects in a yoga class. Overall, I made it into a good experience. I focused on her incredible knowledge and what I could learn from her. It was also a lesson to me about how to deal with my own ego.

Being a hands-on Reiki practitioner and using touch to do energy work makes me very positive about providing gentle assists to my yoga students. I do realize that doing one-on-one Reiki where the recipient expects to be touched is very different from hands-on assists in a yoga class with a broad base of students. I plan to provide assists in the future. I’ve been practicing assists with friends and classmates; I’m feeling more and more comfortable. As I progress in my teaching, I’ll get a better feel for when it’s right to provide assists.

[CindyHurst]

I love a variety of music and rarely do I find it distracting, regardless of the genre. I actually find it the opposite – music helps me focus. I don’t believe I’ve given the subject of music in a yoga class much thought over the years that I’ve practiced until recently when I’ve heard multiple people express their preference for no music, only “yoga music,” or instrumental (no distracting words). I honestly did not realize until recently that some students are very particular about music.

Now that I am opening my mind to the preferences of my future students, I want to make more conscious decisions as I chose my class playlists. The playlists I select will not be just about me and what I like. I love Kirtan, which I believe is a happy median – this genre mostly sung in Sanskrit so the words are less distracting to students. I also love classical music and opera (sung in Italian, of course). Who knows – there may be a few arias from my favorite operas that I chose to add to a classical playlist. Then there is the other end of my musical spectrum; rock music – everything from classic rock to some serious grunge rock (Nirvana, Alice in Chains…). Surely there is a class style that fits with some of the thought-provoking words sung by Kurt Cobain or Layne Staley. Not sure about this – probably won’t go this route. 😉

[CindyHurst]

Mystic – I was drawn to yoga by a desire to understand my spirituality.

As our training progresses, I’ve continued to wonder what kind of teacher I will be. I have a totally goofy side (I have the mentality of a 12 year old). I am also a very spiritual person. I love being with people. I love helping people. I love sharing the wisdom that I have gained over the years. I ask myself – Do I go one extreme or the other? Do I try to find somewhere in the middle? I don’t know the answer to these questions at this time. I’m still formulating the vision of myself as a teacher.

What I do know – in order to find my authentic voice as a teacher, I just have to be me.

[CindyHurst]

– Sequencing; following my instincts when planning the flow of my classes
– “Reading” the class; observing how students react to the content of the practice
– Finding my “voice” as a teacher
– Assists; some of the potential challenges of doing physical assists
– Realistic number of classes to teach while working full time

Tip: Remember to talk to your mentor about the reality of teaching; for instance, the time it takes to plan and prepare for your classes and how it will fit in with your busy life.

As a mentor, I hope that I can show my students the long-term benefits of the yoga lifestyle – by being a strong yogi in my 60s and following my dream to become a yoga teacher.
I’ve also ‘survived’ a long career in a high-pressure field; I want to share tools to help my students with stress and keeping everything in perspective.
I want to share quotes that I’ve collected over the years and readings from books that have special meaning to me.

[CindyHurst]

Yoga Sutra 2.42 samtosadanuttamah sukhalabhah
The result of contentment is total happiness.
The happiness we get from acquiring passions is only temporary. We need to find new ones and acquire them to sustain this sort of happiness. There is no end to it. But true contentment, leading to total happiness and bliss, is in a class by itself.
— From The Heart of Yoga

YS 2.42 is probably the most thought provoking thread in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. It is so applicable to our western culture. We are totally wrapped around what we can accumulate next that we’re so sure will make us happy.
In my life, I have experienced real joy; so many moments both big and small:
– the births of my children and grandchildren
– the noble beasts that gave me their unconditional love
– the peace that I find in my yoga practice on a regular basis
– just last Friday night, rocking my youngest grandson to sleep
– the simple memories of all of the above bring me great happiness
At my current stage of life, I have transitioned from driving to succeed to being very content with where I am in life and now wanting to share the wisdom I’ve gained with others.
How do I teach my students, my grandchildren, my friends that happiness does not come from all the stuff? As a career advisor and mentor, how do I help other women to define success in perhaps a different way so they too can find contentment and truly be happy.
How do I live by what I want to teach – walk my talk? How do I move away from my workaholic tendencies to a more balanced life?
The Universe keeps sending me messages – when will I learn to really listen, to surrender and be in the present moment? In the end, to know that mine was a life well-lived.
Very thought provoking and definitely a continual work in progress.

[CindyHurst]

To me, spirituality means focusing on my spirit, my soul, and the energy in the room during practice, rather than just the physical aspect of the practice. Repetition of vinyasa is very meditative – no thinking required, just the connection of breath to movement.

To incorporate more spirituality in my own practice, I need to be more disciplined about daily meditation as part of my morning ritual. I’d also like to add an end-of-day Yoga Nidra practice a couple times a week.

I really enjoy when there’s a poem or a reading at the beginning of class; it sets the theme and it’s something that I can go to after class to re-read. I’d like to share the same with my students – to entice them to be more curious about the history and philosophy of yoga. Express my gratitude for their presence in the class. Continuously help my students to connect the breath with the movement. At some point in time, they will discover the spiritual aspect of their own yoga practice.

[CindyHurst]

Rewrite the following cues in a more positive active voice.

o You are not doing this right

May I suggest a modification? Are you OK if I adjust you? Is that OK?

May I get you a block? It might help you feel more aligned and comfortable in this pose.

o Don’t forget to breathe

Connect with the breath. Link the breath to the movement.

o Don’t let your knee extend past your toe

I like that you’ve gotten so deep into the pose. See what it feels like to lengthen your stance and align your knee over your ankle.

o Don’t worry about everyone else.

The poses are going to look different in everyone’s body. Make this your own yoga practice; do what feels good for your body today.

Then, please share how you plan to create an environment that is supportive to all in the room using verbal and body language, atmosphere and connection.

By being friendly and welcoming. By connecting with students in the class. By providing clear cues so students know and understand the poses. By creating a warm, safe environment so students can feel comfortable making the practice their own. By promoting an environment where, as long as the student is not in danger of getting hurt, as Mary Coleman says, all poses are legal. Encouraging students to focus and honor what their body needs today. And helping students with the transition of their physical practice to include the spiritual aspect of their yoga practice.

[CindyHurst]

As a student:
Yoga has taught me acceptance and to trust in the Universe. By accepting, I am stronger and able to go with the flow of life’s ups and downs. I can only control my reactions. How or if I suffer is my choice.

As a teacher:
I want to help my students to find clarity and contentment, not just the physical benefits of Yoga. The translation of this Sutra states that “the practice of Yoga has as its purpose the reduction of effects that are painful to us by increasing our clarity.” Further in the chapter, Asana and Pranayama are described as methods to help reduce the obstacles to clarity. By teaching the postures in combination with the breath, I hope to help my students to start their journey; to find their Yoga practice.

As a human being:
I have to accept rather than obsess about what is going on in the world. Finding trust in the Universe and providing an example to others of what I believe to be right living.

[CindyHurst]

Cindy Hurst:
1- Brahmacharya: Non-excess
I love the quote in the book by Howard Thurman, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
I think this may be the heart of my YTT journey – sharing Yoga with others makes me come alive.
2- Saucha: Purify
Purify the body and the mind.
In the Spring, I’ll do my seasonal cleanse. For me, this is the ultimate in self-care. I focus on what I put in and on my body. I also focus on cleansing my space. I practice mindfulness as I prepare my cleanse foods. And I do lots of Yoga and self-Reiki.
3- Santosha: Contentment
Live, rather than preparing to live my life.
Develop an abiding calm.
Find joy in everything I do.
Write daily in my gratitude journal.
In my yoga practice, accept myself as I am; accept my body’s limitations.

[CindyHurst]

Yoga has been a part of my life and my lifestyle for a long time. Some ask why I waited so long to do teacher training. I believe it’s because my journey as a yogi has helped me to gain the wisdom that I want to share with others. Beneath this, it has taught me about myself. My spirituality has always been the main draw to yoga. Learning to trust the universe and try not to control everything. Learning about what is truly important. Learning to share positive energy. Learning to gracefully deal with life’s ups and downs.

[CindyHurst]

Cindy Hurst: Hatha was the first style of yoga I practiced – one pose then another then another with lots of focus on alignment. I have always loved inversions, so I probably spent more time in headstand than any other pose. I consider Lilias Folan to be my first instructor (she’s mentioned in our training manual on page 14). This was not a live class – Lilias taught a yoga class on our local PBS station.
In more recent years, as more and more yoga studios opened, I discovered how much I love to practice with others. No matter what the style, I love the community energy. I’ve been exposed to many styles of yoga. Hatha / Vinyasa, Kripalu, Power, Hot Power, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Restorative, and Fusion (Pilates and Barre).
I’m very curious about Bhakti Yoga and would love to learn more.

[CindyHurst]

A good teacher is learning all the time, embraces what they’ve learned, and is passionate about sharing her/his wisdom with students.
A good teacher sees the uniqueness of each student and supports their strengths rather than just encouraging change.
A good teacher is comfortable with their knowledge as well as being open to new ideas or ways of doing things.
A good teacher is comfortable in their own skin.
A good teacher is approachable and willing to assist.
A good teacher is able to “read” the energy in the room and adjust as required.

[Author]

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