[EmilyD]

Emily DeRee

I really like practicing around 9:30-10 am each day. I’ve never considered myself a morning person, so 6 am classes are a struggle for me, and getting to a class in the evening is hard with my kids schedules (it adds more stress than benefit). I did make myself get up for a few 6 am classes this month. It’s no surprise that it was hard to get out of bed, but I did like the way I felt starting my day with yoga. My head felt clearer as I was rushing around getting lunches packed and the kids out the door.

I took a few evening classes as well. What I’ve found is that I have to watch the time/style of class I take in the evening. Anything restorative of slow or gentle is fine. I took a vinyasa class at 6, however, and it really got me too energized for the end of the night. Even with a warm shower and cup of tea, I found it hard to unwind when it was time for bed. I ended up taking a melatonin before bed to compensate. It also added a little stress to my day trying to get an evening class in. I have to do a lot of carpools and schedule juggling, which is stressful. These may differ if I did my evening practice at home rather than the studio.

I can’t see myself successfully teaching a 6 am (or earlier, heaven forbid) class. It’s all I can do to get myself to a class half awake at that time of day. I would be really disappointed if when I showed up, the teacher’s energy level wa really low as well. I would feel cheated and it wouldn’t have that same energetic kick-start.

I’ve been paying closer attention to energy levels in the room when I arrive. It’s not always what I expect. For example, tonight I attended a 7 pm class. That’s really late for me, but the “regulars” there were laughing and joking and ready for what came. I liked how the teacher handled it – some joking and laughing during class, but an extra long restorative savasana at the end of class. It was a good mix.

I do love my music, so maybe I’ll have a few playlists in my back pocket and decide which to use based on the energy when I walk in the room. I’ll also have to be okay with slowing a class down and cutting some things if I need to match a slower energy in the room.

[EmilyD]

Emily

I haven’t attended many classes where assists were performed on my, so my opinion of them is still being formed. When I have received hands on assists, I have liked them. They help me feel where I should be and give me a reference point for the next time I am in the pose. I’ve been lucky – all of the assists I’ve experienced have been helpful and have not caused me discomfort or hartm.

I think it is going to take a while before I feel comfortable touching anyone during for an assist. Unless a student is potentially causing real harm, I think I will do verbal assists and allow the entire class to benefit from them.

My opinion on this may change after we complete our anatomy section or after we go through assists in class. I have not been to many classes where assists were performed, so I am still figuring out when they are appropriate and how to approach them with students.

[EmilyD]

Emily

I love, love, love music. I definitely plan to use it as I teach. It’s one of my favorite things about Kimberly’s classes. If find myself energized and happy after each of her classes – it’s a wonderful mix of the flow with the music. I get out of my head and sometimes find myself happily singing along. It puts me in a wonderful place.

The genre of music will really depend on the kind of class I end up teaching. If it is restorative, the music will need to be quieter and without words (think the sounds you hear during a massage) so that it isn’t disruptive. If it is a flow class, I feel like there is more room for music selection, and I lean toward familiar music so that people will recognize it. I will select music that makes me happy, because as I mentioned before, it puts me in a good place. Music has a way of calming me down and lifting my spirits. It will most likely help me calm my jitters as I teach.

I do like music for savasana that is quiet, without words, and with a very slow beat. Savasana is time for a quiet mind…not toe tapping and singing in your head. No distractions.

That being said, I may wait until I get all of my karma yoga under my belt before I add music. I think I will do best if I focus on one thing at a time as start planning classes and for me, the music is the ta-da.

[EmilyD]

Emily

When I started coming to yoga on a regular basis, I came as an athlete. I had started running, and I knew that yoga would help me stretch my muscles and balance the stress I was placing on my body. However, the more classes I attended, the more I realized I was getting other benefits from my practice. There was a shift to more of a scientific approach with a little mystic mixed in.

Recognizing this change, as well as how this shift occured, will help me as I begin teaching. I will be able to use each of the perspectives as I draft class plans, and maybe be able to shed light on the ways that yoga practice can change as we continue with our journey. I find that when teachers share their life experiences, it really resonates with me. I want to try to do this as I begin teaching. Knowing this about myself will also help me narrow down the kinds of classes I want to teach. I know it won’t be fully focused on scientist, mystic or athlete, rather instead a mix of all. A good example of this kind of class is Laruie’s Yin/Yang class on Wednesday mornings. There is a good balance of centering/meditation, stretch (for the athlete in me), and scientist as she explains the benefits of poses for our bodies.

[EmilyD]

Emily DeRee

This is one of my favorite quotes of all time!!!

My mentor and I are very much is the same stage of life right now – married, three young kids, working on our place in the family as the kids get older and are in school full time. Our conversations often end up focusing on two things.

1. Balance: how do we balance the role of mom/wife/daughter/friend with our role as a yoga teacher. She has shared her experience of finding ways to carve quiet time for herself, finding time to build a class, and ways that she maintains her own practice. I value her insight. I will need to find a way to do all of those things in the near future, and some days I really worry about it because it’s already a challenge to balance my study, my practice, and my home life.

2. How to get past the worry: I am a constant worrier. My mentor has done a wonderful job of reminding me that I am not alone in the worry. She is encouraging, and keeps me focused on what’s important right now – finding my voice and trusting that I can do it. We’ve discussed how she always has a plan laid out for the class. She often doesn’t use it, but it is there and keeps her calm and centered as she walks in to teach. This will be very helpful to me as I start teaching. I need to see it not as a crutch, but as a “just in case my memory blanks and I need a little nudge.”

I have also gotten some great advice from Kelly S. and Laurie. I find that no matter what I’m thinking about that day, I can ask and get good feedback after class. Sometimes the questions lead to discussions, other times it’s a “have you seen/tried this yet?” and I walk away with a new tool. Two recent examples – Yoga 108 is an app that helps with the Sanskrit pronunciation of each pose and that there is a deck of cards that accompanies the Mark Stephens book that has a pose per card with prompts and other information about the pose. Both are going to be quite useful as I try to layout my flows.

My best tip for getting more out of your mentor is be honest with how you’re feeling at the moment and ask. No question is too small.

I think the best way to be a mentor when I start teaching is to just be me. I need to smile and be honest. I need to listen and observe. I need to be available before and after class. These are the things that have had the most impact on me as I interact with other yoga teachers.

[EmilyD]

Emily DeRee

Sutra 1.42 Initially, becase of our past experiences and ideas our understanding of the object is distorted. Everything that has been heard, read, of felt may interfere with our perceptions.

Wow. This sutra is powerful for me. As I age, I have started to become aware of how I hold onto things. Whether it is something someone said or did. It affects how I interact with them on a daily basis. When I have an adverse reaction to something, I do not let it go.

I started taking yoga classes on a regular basis about a year ago, and there were many mediation exercises over the course of my practice that brought this habit to my attention. I have begun to realize just how much my tendancy to hold on to things impacts my interactions with others on a daily basis. And as I examine this about myself, I realize that the things I hold onto are the negative, not the positive.

I have many examples with friends and family, but the one with the most impact on my life is the relationship with my mother-in-law. The first eight years or so that I was married, things were said and done that really hurt me. I felt like she was making Henk, my husband, chose between her and me. I held a lot of resentment, and I felt like she was constantly trying to undermind my role as his wife. After we had kids, it got worse. She said some very hurtful things about me to another family member, and I found out. When I tried to talk to her about it, it lead to a whole list of things she thought I was doing wrong, including not staying home with my kids (even though Henk did not have an income at the time) and that I wasn’t warm and fuzzy with her (I didn’t call her mom or hug her all the time). I am not a fast thinker, so I did not have time to respond in a way that I felt like I was standing up for myself or giving her my side of the story.

For ten years, I stewed over it. Henk asked me not to bring it up with her again. It clouded my interpretation of every email, text, and interaction that I had with her. Even as I learned about things from her past that shaped the person she is today, I couldn’t let it go. I pulled away, I was angry, and more than once fought with Henk about how she was treating me.

I think this sutra is trying to tell me:
1. to let it go and face each interaction with fresh eyes
2. that my mother-in-law has most likely changed her opinion of me over the last ten years, so I should do the same
3. my mother-in-law is the object that has been distorted for me

I need to approach her with fresh eyes and realize that one conversation does not affect every iteraction with her. Sometime, a text is a text – no hidden meaning or agenda to it.

[EmilyD]

Emily

I still don’t know if I consider my practice spiritual. I have always thought of spirituality in the sense of religion. I don’t see my yoga practice in the same way I view my religious practice. However, I just searched for the definition of spirituality, and the Google dicitonary gave me this, “the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.” In that respect, I believe that my practice is becoming more and more spiritual as I dig deeper. I am on a journey to better myself as a human, to dig deeper into what makes me the person I am, and to worry less about material things as a measure for happiness.

Since I don’t have a definite answer on if my own practice is spiritual in nature, I will most likely keep my classes focused on asanas and breath until I get my feet under me. I know myself well enough to say that if I’m not comfortable with how I feel about it, I won’t be confident/comfortable/at-ease being the guide for someone else.

[EmilyD]

Emily DeRee

• Instead of “You are not doing this right”, “It might feel better if…”
• “Don’t forget to breathe.” I don’t think I’ll cue it this way, rather remind people to inhale/exhale as we move through poses. If you say it enough, it starts to stick. I also like when teachers say the breath sounds beautiful.
• Instead of “Don’t let your knee extend past your toe,” I think it sounds better to cue to bend the front leg, keeping the the knee over the ankle.
• Instead of “Don’t worry about everyone else,” I like “if it’s in your practice…” or remind students that balance can be off from day to day, one side of the body might be more flexible than the other (or whatever is appropriate for the pose).

I think the best way to create an environment that is supportive to everyone in the room is to teach to the lowest level and cue modifications/suggestions to meet the needs of those more advanced. I always feel like I’ve improved when I’m in a class that is lead that way, even I’m doing the same level of work that I did the day before. If it’s the other way around (starting with a difficult pose and dumbing it down), I don’t leave with the same positive feeling.

For atmosphere, I think music selection, as well as volume, is very important. Music sets the tone for the class and really helps with the energy. I want to keep the music at a level where people realize it’s there, but aren’t straining to hear cues over it.

To create connection, I plan to just be myself. I’ve had people tell me for years that I am easy to talk to. I think if I try to be anything else, it will come of as fake and not sincere.

[EmilyD]

Emily

From a Western medicine perspective, I think this means that if you follow health guidelines, you are less likely to become sick in the future. An example is how we eat. If you eat the wrong foods and quantities for an extended period of time, there is a long list of health issues that can follow: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, heart issues, etc. If we want to prevent these issues, we have a greater chance if we eat healthy and exercise.

From an Eastern approach, it is more than just “eat healthy and exercise.” Eastern medicine gives us guidelines for keeping our mind, body, and spirit aligned.
1. Ayurveda, while I’ve just dipped my toes into it, gives us a more body specific plan of how to eat and schedule our daily lives for optimum health. What I’ve read makes sense for my dosha, and I’m looking forward to digging deeper into this topic.
2. And personally, I know if attend yoga and do massages on a regular basis, I reduce my frequency of muscle, head, and back aches. I think this is because it helps with my stress level, as well as keeping the muscles loose. I like that I am taking less Advil and seeing the chiropractor less often.
3. And finally, I have a Reiki story that fits this sutra perfectly. I had a reiki session scheduled, and when I arrived, I was asked what I want to work on. This was only my third or fourth session, so I’m still figuring out how it all works for me. I shared some physical ailments I’d been dealing with for about two weeks – headaches, dizzy/foggy brain, digestion to name a few – and then we started the session. By the end, I was told that only my heart and crown chakras were open. This is new for me. Usually, only my solar plexus chakra is blocked. So I came home and did some research on what blocked affects blocked chakras have on the body. Guess what…it was everything I had listed. Within a day and a half, I was feeling back to normal. After this, I believe that if we keep our chakras open, we can avoid some of the aches and pains that are “normal” for our society.

What challenges me is chronic pain. I was diagnosed with a condition about 5 years ago. There is no cure. Their are recommended treatments to help lessen the pain associated with the condition, but none of them will reduce the pain completely. I followed the guidelines – an anti-inflammatory diet, manual lymphatic drainage daily, a supplement regiment, exercise, and wearing compression garments – but the pain was still present. The only way to decrease the pain was to have a specialized surgery. Today, I feel good, but I worry that as time passes the effects of the surgery will lessen and I will be right back where I started. Based on the knowledge we have of the condition to date, I don’t know that I can avoid it returning, bringing with it the pain and discomfort.

[EmilyD]

Emily DeRee

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on this question, and actually spent a little time discussing it with my mentor. After reading this book, there are bits and pieces to each yama and niyama that I want to work on. Not just for the sake of being a teacher, but to make me a better human in general. I struggle with bringing these practices into a class unless I understand them and have at least reconized the ways in which I need to improve upon them in my daily life.

That being said, there are two that I’d like to focus on first – brahmacharya (non-excess) and saucha (purity).

Non-excess really struck a cord with me for many reason. The main one is my relationship with food. All of my life, I have struggled with food and weight…excess of both. It has been by comfort, a trusty side kick, a source of pleasure and then anxiety. I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I started in my 20s and lost 50 pounds, then gained and lost weight with each kid, and then was diagnosed with lipedema and started a whole new battle with weight and food. On page 77, it reads, “…it reminds us to enter each day and each action with a sense of holiness rather than indulgence, so that our days may be lived in the wonder of sacredness rather than the misery of excess.” Eating is something we need to do. Somewhere along the way, food became something more for me and I have to unlearn the habits that I’ve picked up over the years. After reading this book, I have begun slowing down when I eat. I am focused on tasting bites, feeling the textures of the food, and making the plate I put before me look beautiful. I am trying to really examine my level of hungriness before I eat. I am trying to find a balance that allows me to taste things that like, while not overindulging. And I am trying to focus less on what’s healthy (almost everything I eat IS healthy), rather the amount of the healthy foods I’m eating. I know that if I can be successful in this exporation, I will find my stress and anxiety becoming less and less. I need to do this for me. I want to learn to enjoy food without worry.

Purity is the second area that I want to focus on. This has so many layers for me as an individual, and as I peel back layer by layer, I have felt lighter. Here are the things within this niyama that I would like to work on:
1. Purfying the body. After my lipedema diagnosis about five years ago, I started removing toxins from our lives. I spent a lot of time revamping our food sources and the ratio of fresh vs. processed foods we were consuming as a family. I have worked very hard to make food for the family that is lower in processed sugar and pre-packaged ingredients.
2. Purity as relational. As I age, I realize more and more that I cannot control situations, only my responses to them. I want to take time during our teacher training to make myself aware of times when I become judgemental, disappointed, or critical of others.
3. Being present. One cannot change the past or the future, so I want to work on being present. Sometimes it’s something small, like turing off the notifications on my phone. I want to work on really focusing on the task at hand. I’ve always prided myself on my ability to multi-task, and I’d like to change that about myself. I am more aware of my distractions when the kids are talking to me, I am making a space when I am sending an email or reading that is quiet and free from distractions, I am being more consistent with my mediations and allowing my mind to just be.

For me, the two tie together. To live in non-excess, one must be present. I want to work on these areas to better myself, and to be a good example to my daughters.

[EmilyD]

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”

For me, this translates to listening to my body and mind, being aware of how I feel both physically and mentally, so I can learn what makes me feel good/happy/content/at ease vs. anxious/stressed/angry/out of control. By being aware of those emotions, and what triggers them within me, I can work towards becoming a a truer version of myself. A version of myself that is more in control, more present, and more honest about who I really am.

Without really looking within, I cannot become the person I want others to see on the outside. I must take my journey within.

~Emily

[EmilyD]

KHutsell mentioned hiking. I’ve never done yoga outside, but this triggered a thought for me. I use an app called Insight Timer when I meditate. It has fabulous guided meditations – many topics and lengths. There are walking meditations in there too. Could be intereesting to meditate on your way to an outside asana practie.

[EmilyD]

My yoga journey started about twenty years ago using videos in the privacy of my own home. I don’t remember a yoga studio in the area where we were living at the time, and I’m not even sure what drew me to it in the first place. My first “instructors” were Denise Austin, and then years later, Bob Harper and Jillian Michels. Denise Austin, in retrospect, had a pilates flair, but I loved it at the time. She would show a pose and then build movement off of that particular pose. Bob Harper and Jillian Michels were both more focused on building strength and getting a good sweat on. Their videos were post-Biggest Loser, so it makes sense. The one constant for me between then and now is that it’s the only form of exercise that helps me rest my mind. I am so focused on holding poses and getting to the next place that I don’t have time to sort through my to-do list at the same.

I find myself drawn to classes that move and help build strength at the same time. I like the way I feel after I’ve stretched, elevated my heart rate a little, and pushed myself to focus for a period of time. As I try new classes, I find that I need some Yin and restorative classes in my life. Both challenge me mentally, and I like how calm I feel after.

I recently attend a power flow class at Harbor with my sister-in-law. I thought I was going to die. It was cardio on steriods and heat gagging me. I had to take a break in the middle, which was a little embarassing. I’m not ruling hot classes out entirely, but this definitely wasn’t for me. The music was so loud I couldn’t hear the cues, and I felt like everyone else had done it a thousand times and knew what was going on before it happened. I couldn’t keep up. I remember telling my sister-in-law that it wasn’t yoga. It was a good workout, but definitely not yoga. I didn’t walk away feeling like I had a good stretch or any relaxation to my mind. I believe that for it to be yoga, there needs to be more focus on the breath with the movement, as well as more attention to the asanas.

As far as what I want to explore, I am totally open. After reading the Yamas and Niyamas, I made a commitment to myself to try things outside of my comfort zone. This class is providing a perfect platform for that. I already know I want to try classes in the following categories: hot, paddle board, ariel, yin, and ashtanga. Who knows, maybe I’ll find my next obsession.

[EmilyD]

I’m answering before I read everyone’s comments.

Over the last six months, I have taken classes with a lot of yoga teachers. The ones I enjoy the most are the teachers who make me feel welcome, capable, and comfortable. There is something very powerful about a teacher that puts a person at ease. It’s not that the teacher knows the poses or how to prompt them, although it goes without saying that that is a requirement. For me, a good teacher is someone who:

1. Smiles and starts a converstation before class. It helps me relax and get in a good space.
2. Shares the thought or work (a song, poem, dream, holiday, etc.) that prompted what we are doing in class that day.
3. Can read the room, be flexible, and make changes on the fly. I’ve been in classes where a teacher realized there were people who need modificaitons to make it harder or easier. I’ve also been in classes where the teacher slowed it way down to keep everyone on task. It’s really nice to be in a class with a flexible teacher versus one that will only stick to “the plan.”
4. That is willing to make manual adjustments.
5. Is willing to laugh at his/herself and isn’t serious all of the time.
6. Makes me leave a class thinking of ways to make myself better.

[Author]

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