This morning I taught my last class at The Mulberry Centre, where I teach volunteer yoga to people with/recovering from/caring for someone with cancer. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my schedule has spiralled out of control and I've had to cut back on a few classes. I've chosen this particular class less because it doesn't pay (that's really not a huge issue) and more because it involves a nearly 2hr round trip in the car which really depletes me of spoons!
Word had got around that it was my last class and nearly everyone I've ever taught there turned up! It's not a huge room so it was a bit of a squish, but we had a lot of fun and worked on pranayama and meditation. It was so incredibly moving and humbling to see so many amazing people coming to me for their yoga - and thanking me afterward for everything I had given them. Some of them had all sorts of advice/tips for living with fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue as well - although I'm not quite sure how that bit of information got out into the public domain!!
Speaking of the fibromyalgia, I had my follow up appointment with my GP today to get the prescription for the Lyrica (for reasons I cannot understand, you need 2 doctors say so before you can get it). I picked it up from the chemist today - although there were only 10 tablets in the whole of Surbiton and I was prescribed 84. I have to go back for the rest next week.
Because they can cause drowsiness at first I'm going to start taking them Saturday night as I'm teaching pregnancy yoga tomorrow morning. It seems somehow serendipitous that I have all of next week off in which to get used to the drowsy feeling!
So I think that's it for today - have a great weekend everyone!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Day 2
My Wednesday night class is usually an intermediates vinyasa flow class. I tend to get between 7 and 10 people (and believe me, the size of that room, 10 is pushing it!); last night due to holidays and sickness I only had 3. Three very exhausted students and one equally exhausted teacher! I always find the clocks going forward leaves everyone slightly jetlagged.
We decided to take a break from the norm and work on a more yin than yang practice. I started with some focussed breathing practices, letting go of the day with the breath and drawing in energy; and then followed with my current favourite - the Pawanmuktasana series. Moving on to postures on all fours, some gentle sun salutations and standing postures focussing around the Warrior series.
Returning to all fours and gentle backbends before coming into child's pose for complete release.
I finished the sequence with some seated postures (holding twists and forward bends for longer than usual to release both tensions and emotions), some supine hip openers and Nadi Sodana before coming into a Yoga Nidra.
My students' verdict?
"Oh I'll sleep well tonight" :-)
We decided to take a break from the norm and work on a more yin than yang practice. I started with some focussed breathing practices, letting go of the day with the breath and drawing in energy; and then followed with my current favourite - the Pawanmuktasana series. Moving on to postures on all fours, some gentle sun salutations and standing postures focussing around the Warrior series.
Returning to all fours and gentle backbends before coming into child's pose for complete release.
I finished the sequence with some seated postures (holding twists and forward bends for longer than usual to release both tensions and emotions), some supine hip openers and Nadi Sodana before coming into a Yoga Nidra.
My students' verdict?
"Oh I'll sleep well tonight" :-)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Blog every day of April
I am about half way through one of those 101 things in 1001 days goal lists.
One of my goals is to blog every day for a month. The point of this is not the random drivel and brain dumps that I do over on Live Journal but to actually blog about something with a point every day for a month. So I've decided to do it here and write about yoga.
I feel that since giving up work to teach yoga I've lost some of my perspective. I feel that writing about my practice, my teaching, my thoughts, my feelings both on and off the mat will help me to get back some of that perspective and also refresh me, inspire me in my practice and my lesson planning. I just want to find my yoga"ness" again. I feel tired and jaded and I don't want this to become just another job.
This is my last week of teaching before I have 10 days off - I'm hoping my time off will be conducive to finding my "ness" again as well.
_______________
On Tuesday nights I teach a small gentle yoga class from my home studio. It's mostly older people (a pretty equal balance of men and women), who are just looking to keep flexible and strong. I really love teaching this class; because of the nature of the clientele I tend to teach the most pranayama, meditation and chanting in this class and we always end with a full Yoga Nidra. That's if you can get them all to stop gossiping for long enough to get started in the first place! They are a really lovely group, full of life and adventure - they make me look forward to my 50s and 60s!
Last night was the last Tuesday night for a couple of weeks. We worked mostly around the various Pawanmuktasana series from the Bihar Yoga school along with some standing and seated poses to open up and bring energy into the whole body. I finished with Nadi Sodana, chanting and full Yoga Nidra. Hopefully that will keep them going for a couple of weeks!
One of my goals is to blog every day for a month. The point of this is not the random drivel and brain dumps that I do over on Live Journal but to actually blog about something with a point every day for a month. So I've decided to do it here and write about yoga.
I feel that since giving up work to teach yoga I've lost some of my perspective. I feel that writing about my practice, my teaching, my thoughts, my feelings both on and off the mat will help me to get back some of that perspective and also refresh me, inspire me in my practice and my lesson planning. I just want to find my yoga"ness" again. I feel tired and jaded and I don't want this to become just another job.
This is my last week of teaching before I have 10 days off - I'm hoping my time off will be conducive to finding my "ness" again as well.
_______________
On Tuesday nights I teach a small gentle yoga class from my home studio. It's mostly older people (a pretty equal balance of men and women), who are just looking to keep flexible and strong. I really love teaching this class; because of the nature of the clientele I tend to teach the most pranayama, meditation and chanting in this class and we always end with a full Yoga Nidra. That's if you can get them all to stop gossiping for long enough to get started in the first place! They are a really lovely group, full of life and adventure - they make me look forward to my 50s and 60s!
Last night was the last Tuesday night for a couple of weeks. We worked mostly around the various Pawanmuktasana series from the Bihar Yoga school along with some standing and seated poses to open up and bring energy into the whole body. I finished with Nadi Sodana, chanting and full Yoga Nidra. Hopefully that will keep them going for a couple of weeks!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
On health and decisions....
My health has not been great recently. My fibromyalgia has been flaring up badly (for which I am mercifully and finally about to start some new treatment) and I've been having very bad stress related migraines (the last one lasted 5 days). Consequently I have felt unable to get on my mat every single day as I would like, and then I become more stressed and the cycle continues. It has taken every ounce of strength I have to teach my classes.
Whilst I feel I cannot let my clients and students down, if I am making myself ill then I am going to end up letting them down eventually. So I have decided, much to my regret (but also to slight relief), to give up the Yoga for Cancer class I teach on Fridays on a voluntary basis at the Mulberry Centre. Much as teaching this class has brought me great joy and I have learned much, I feel that right now I have to put my own health and my treatment first.
Besides as Andy and I have decided that 2010 will be the year we move back to Cambridge to be near my family, I will gradually have to start letting my classes go -- and find somebody who is interested enough to buy my business. That's going to be a hard thing to let go of. Not quite ready yet.....
_______________________
In other news, a colleague and I (a colleague incidentally who would be perfect to take my business over from me, she just doesn't know it yet) are trying to get the local Council to release funding to allow Yoga for Pregnancy classes for pregnant teenagers in the area. We propose working with trained psychologists who are already employed by the Council and hope to get £1000 for a pilot project.....
Fingers crossed.
And finally I must update the other blog. I've been working on some lovely modifications for people with back pain and scoliosis. I'll get on to that tomorrow!
Whilst I feel I cannot let my clients and students down, if I am making myself ill then I am going to end up letting them down eventually. So I have decided, much to my regret (but also to slight relief), to give up the Yoga for Cancer class I teach on Fridays on a voluntary basis at the Mulberry Centre. Much as teaching this class has brought me great joy and I have learned much, I feel that right now I have to put my own health and my treatment first.
Besides as Andy and I have decided that 2010 will be the year we move back to Cambridge to be near my family, I will gradually have to start letting my classes go -- and find somebody who is interested enough to buy my business. That's going to be a hard thing to let go of. Not quite ready yet.....
_______________________
In other news, a colleague and I (a colleague incidentally who would be perfect to take my business over from me, she just doesn't know it yet) are trying to get the local Council to release funding to allow Yoga for Pregnancy classes for pregnant teenagers in the area. We propose working with trained psychologists who are already employed by the Council and hope to get £1000 for a pilot project.....
Fingers crossed.
And finally I must update the other blog. I've been working on some lovely modifications for people with back pain and scoliosis. I'll get on to that tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The light is filtering through
I have been feeling kind of numb lately. I guess that's why I've not been updating that much. Since Christmas I have felt stuck in a rut, uneffected by anything, emotionless. Both my yoga practice and my teachign have felt rather jaded. I read quite a few blogs of people who are just starting out on their yoga teacher training and are filled with such excitement and anticipation and I remember that feeling and I envy them. Because somewhere along the line yoga teaching becomes a job like any other and like any job, some days I'm afraid you just don't want to do it. But it doesn't have to be this way. I just have to remember where to find my inspiration.
Partly it's the fibromyalgia fog, which has been particularly bad, and partly it's the pain, which has also been particularly bad and partly I suspect it is the time of year. January and February always seem so bleak, with so little to look forward to.
But now March is here and the crocus and daffodils are in bloom and there is hope of summer.
My epiphany happened this morning during my early morning yoga practice. The sun was filtering in through the gap in the curtains lighting up a ray of dust motes (and the ubiquitous cat hair) in the air and suddenly I realised "life isn't so bad". Life is not a rollercoaster of excitement, there are things I have wanted to achieve that I have been unable to do, but I do run my own yoga business and I do make a difference to my students. I need to focus much more on the simple things, the little things. And then life is sweeter.
So today I take my inspiration from the sunshine and the fresh air. From a cup of Earl Gray and a piece of fruitcake. From the simple pleasures of the world around me.
Partly it's the fibromyalgia fog, which has been particularly bad, and partly it's the pain, which has also been particularly bad and partly I suspect it is the time of year. January and February always seem so bleak, with so little to look forward to.
But now March is here and the crocus and daffodils are in bloom and there is hope of summer.
My epiphany happened this morning during my early morning yoga practice. The sun was filtering in through the gap in the curtains lighting up a ray of dust motes (and the ubiquitous cat hair) in the air and suddenly I realised "life isn't so bad". Life is not a rollercoaster of excitement, there are things I have wanted to achieve that I have been unable to do, but I do run my own yoga business and I do make a difference to my students. I need to focus much more on the simple things, the little things. And then life is sweeter.
So today I take my inspiration from the sunshine and the fresh air. From a cup of Earl Gray and a piece of fruitcake. From the simple pleasures of the world around me.
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