1) I am totally going to fart at some point, possibly (probably) more than once. I will also get the giggles.
2) This is hitting me hard ... I had parents who allowed me to give up when things were hard, and so I tend not to push through. I guess it was my kiddos recent neurological illness (which will be a lifelong challenge) - and that reminds me that it's much easier to push through for others than for myself.
3) Deep Brain Reorienting! Trauma Processing from the standpoint of the mid-brain. It was AH-MAY-ZING!
Point number two very well taken. I am an older parent of two little ones and I make it a point to push them even when I feel a bit like a bit of a jerk as I get them up for soccer/futbol on the weekends or coax them up hills on our hikes when we have the time to get out to the mountains.
My daughter has broken two pairs of glasses walking across low-lying horizontal poles which line parking lots and parks in our area yet she persists in using them as balance beams. I can actually feel my muscles tightening any time we are near one yet I always tell her to get up and do her thing. A couple of days ago, during our Lunar New Year vacation, she walked across one that was nearly a hundred meters long in one go. I filmed most of it and she was very proud. One bit that I wish I could have captured on the video was her saying, "I feel like I can do anything." after diving up to give me a hug. I know from a being a teacher for more than twenty years that parents often think they are doing the right thing by letting kids pick and choose whether to challenge themselves or just quit when things get challenging. My folks were definitely of that ilk and the fact that I graduated from a UC and have a Master's is a bit of a minor miracle. Not to blow my own horn nor blame my folks but my dad died when I was sixteen and left me with little more than an addiction to art and the genetics and habits to be addicted to alcohol as well. I got very little in the way of encouragement from my mother who had only finished up to the eighth grade in her education and did not have any guidance on raising successful kids and little appreciation for higher education. I am still a quitter, but the recognition of this has had me pushing myself long past points where I want to quit. In my case, it may have been a bit of a blessing in disguise. And, my challenge now is to make certain that I have learned lessons from being a quitter and that these will make me overcome the challenge of being a great parent to two wonderful children.
If we were in a yoga class together, the one thing you should know is. No one is watching you. Just do it.
The thing I initially resisted was leaving my abusive marriage, but I eventually did it because the pain of leaving was less than the pain of staying.
The last class I attended was a retirement/financial planning workshop. I learned, the teacher knew about as much as I did and was there to get people to sign up for his financial agency he worked for by teaching a cheap class at a community college.
Such a great illustration of the importance of DELIBERATE practice. Getting better doesn’t happen randomly, you need to push yourself to the edge of your abilities to improve. And also the importance of coaching so you learn better, faster.
Inner work needs to feel the same way: hard, but not so hard you totally lose your mind. I love to use a scale from 1-10 to calibrate my inner working space. 0-4 is probably too easy. 5-7 is the sweet spot. 8-10, I’m in the red zone and too emotionally triggered and overwhelmed to be productive.
In a typical session of inner work, I might ask myself two or three times exactly where I am on the scale of 1-10. This helps me stay connected to my body, it helps me adjust how fast or slow I’m working, and it’s a very easy-to-use tool to get immediate, clear feedback about how triggered I am. It’s one of my favorite inner work tools for making sure I’m working smarter, not harder.
That would be the Project Management certification, but that wasn't because the subject matter was tough. I was throwing all sorts of obstacles in the way due to the trauma in my past and other things that I felt extreme shame for. I had to push through it to earn the certificate and have it now sadly collect dust as I don't use it in a professional manner (there are other obstacles of an abundant lack of trust and an abundant lack of understanding what a project is), but I will say that was my proudest moment to say I did something for me and not something to appease the ghosts of my past.
There are many different types of yoga which affect your energy and body in various ways. Like many people in the West, my first experience with yoga years ago was in a beginner level vinyasa style class where postures could be confusing if not instructed well. One of my favorite styles of yoga now, restorative, could not be more different. I just finished reading the book Yoga Life by Brett Larkin. I think that every single person interested in practicing yoga should read this book, especially beginners. Lots of background on what yoga is, why it's been practiced for as long as it has, and a framework to create a yoga practice for yourself that will support your personal needs in any given moment.
I found this a terrific reflection for me personally! As a coach I have struggled so much with the whole teaching and leading role because I experienced such intense spiritual abuse from a leader for years quite some years ago. You really helped me reinforce something important - genuine authority and leadership has a lot of value. It can be tough when we have missed seeing this modeled enough with balance and compassion. And nobody can get it just right either I suppose because we are having a human experience. Thank you
Nice work. I have been a lifelong gym rat and I ended up doing yoga, including Bikram Yoga in a gym in Sendai, Japan when I was in my late forties. I probably went a total of fifteen or twenty classes, a tiny number considering that I lifted at that gym for two years. a minimum of five days per week. Most weeks I worked out six and sometimes seven days. (I add this to let folks know the context...I was not a big fan!) I hardly speak or understand any Japanese and every class was taught in Japanese but I made a serious effort to mimic the positions and movements. Perhaps the lack of language was actually helpful for me as I was locking into the physical communication without distraction. A huge take away was that I learned to improve my posture, both standing and sitting. I am now 63 and have had many an ache and pain disappear simply by going for a walk while I deliberately maintain a proper posture, keeping my back straight, stomach flat, knee raises from time to time and I lift my arms above my head periodically to maintain and extend.
At the end of the day, I know that my short journey into the world of yoga taught me more than I probably deserve. I know it still pays dividends in my artwork, which is mostly abstract. There were bits of me that came alive in the miserable heat of those Bikram sessions, where I rarely completed a class without a sit down break and the torturous stretches in the non-heated classes where I would usually survive the entire session. I still lift regularly and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle but yoga is a fond and distant memory. I suppose those memories are kept somewhere near the part of my brain where the last vestiges of memories of wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, and some of the other sports in which I have trained and competed are kept. I have no desire to take up any of them again yet there are elements of all of them that will always be with me. And I am pleased to be able to write that.
I'm 73yr and learning Turkish online so I can talk to my neighbor's Turkish mom this summer.
My first goal was to do one short lesson (ten min), and learn to say Four Turkish Words!
Three months later my goal is to finish Beginner A1/A2 Course, and review. So now I can start the Intermediate B1 Course March 1. I'll be ready.
It's Hard, (I spend 1-2 hrs daily), and I have to Stay Focused on my Goal, (to talk with the sweet lady next door who can't speak English), It's Fun...
Now, too, I am now hopelessly addicted to Netflix Turkish Series/Films (with subtitles). They are such strong, romantic, fun loving people. I love this big world we live in...
Great work! I know this sounds terrible but have resisted learning languages every since I moved to Asia. It can be a painful process but...I speak Spanish quite well and I do ok in French so I know I am able and... I need to get back on the learning horse! We were at a Chinese restaurant here in Lao Cai, Vietnam yesterday evening and I was playing with the Google Translate app on my phone with my kids, 6 and 9, who are fluent in English and Vietnamese! We were having a ball and I was feeling the joy of learning again. It is wonderful to see your comment and I wish you the best in your learning!
Your story reminds me of the one time I went to a drum lesson. I'd been tinkering at home, knew I could become really good at it, just needed a little instructive guidance. What did the guy do? After telling me what each drum was (something I already knew,) he told me to play something. I said I didn't know what to play, he said, "just play a song that you like, whatever feels right..." while in a deadly quiet room with no music. I ended up changing the subject to some books I was given as part of the class, then left and canceled my membership lol. I wanted to be instructed, didn't really know what I was doing at all.
Haven't taken a class since as I'm afraid of a similar experience and waste of money.
For me this idea of learning something new always comes with the notion that with time I will certainly get better and that I must just stick with it no matter how uncomfortable I feel. I experienced this with learning ceramics, with learning how to ride a horse and improving my skills at riding a motorcycle.
I am currently receiving instructions for riding a horse from a woman who can be tough. I am learning listening to, take instructions and accept feeling a little inadequate.
Was just at a yoga and meditation retreat last weekend! While you’re in NYC, if you need a studio/teacher recommendation - Urban Power with Jyll at Urban Asanas in Crown Heights (actually anything with Jyll) or a Flow class with Victoria Greene at The Yoga Room (she might teach other places too). I thought of both while reading this. They’re” Tiger Moms.”
The last "real" class I attended was one that I taught, actually. I used to work as a ELA teacher for middle school, and it wasn't the teaching that got me, it was the paperwork.
I learned that while I'm good at using words, I don't have the skill to juggle a metric ton of paperwork and still be imaginative.
Yes...I have been a teacher for quite some time and I used to refer to a lot of the paperwork and "motivational murder" if that makes sense to you. I still teach and though the school where I teach may not be a top school, it does allow for creativity! And this is of the utmost importance to me as I have my second occupation doing artwork. (And, for me, selling artwork that I create is the ultimate reward. Just as the paperwork in education, the process that I go through to advertise and market my work is similarly murderous to my inspiration. But...when a piece sells...the passion that drives me to discipline myself to create regularly is revived. Ain't that a peach?)
1. It all starts with your feet. If the feet are in the right position, it’s easier (and safer) for the body to follow. Thinking this applies to more than just yoga.
2. Orthopedist said I had to start riding a bike 5-6 days per week due to arthritis in the knees. It was a shock. But I do it and love it now, actually look forward to it.
3. Last class was with Ally Love and I learned that she was the first Black instructor for peloton. She was also the first to implement Black History Month rides. Representation matters. Because she was at the table, she changed the company for the better!
If you and I were going to yoga, you should know that this is my space where I come alive. I laugh while also focus on alignment and feeling the pose in my body. It’s one of the few spaces that keeps me going when I want to quit. So I would encourage the same of you 😜.
The beauty of yoga is you push yourself (in mindful ways) throughout the practice and then you get to rest at the end. We say in yoga that savasanna is one of the most challenging postures because most people avoid stillness. It’s the most rewarding though, because you worked your mind and body to get there. And the same is with other challenges. We can be in the challenge and know that rest is coming.
You have to have have a lot under your belt to
Teach Beginner yoga well, safely & with integrity. It is also a very low paying labor of love 🦩please don't ask me how I know this.🦩
1) I am totally going to fart at some point, possibly (probably) more than once. I will also get the giggles.
2) This is hitting me hard ... I had parents who allowed me to give up when things were hard, and so I tend not to push through. I guess it was my kiddos recent neurological illness (which will be a lifelong challenge) - and that reminds me that it's much easier to push through for others than for myself.
3) Deep Brain Reorienting! Trauma Processing from the standpoint of the mid-brain. It was AH-MAY-ZING!
Point number two very well taken. I am an older parent of two little ones and I make it a point to push them even when I feel a bit like a bit of a jerk as I get them up for soccer/futbol on the weekends or coax them up hills on our hikes when we have the time to get out to the mountains.
My daughter has broken two pairs of glasses walking across low-lying horizontal poles which line parking lots and parks in our area yet she persists in using them as balance beams. I can actually feel my muscles tightening any time we are near one yet I always tell her to get up and do her thing. A couple of days ago, during our Lunar New Year vacation, she walked across one that was nearly a hundred meters long in one go. I filmed most of it and she was very proud. One bit that I wish I could have captured on the video was her saying, "I feel like I can do anything." after diving up to give me a hug. I know from a being a teacher for more than twenty years that parents often think they are doing the right thing by letting kids pick and choose whether to challenge themselves or just quit when things get challenging. My folks were definitely of that ilk and the fact that I graduated from a UC and have a Master's is a bit of a minor miracle. Not to blow my own horn nor blame my folks but my dad died when I was sixteen and left me with little more than an addiction to art and the genetics and habits to be addicted to alcohol as well. I got very little in the way of encouragement from my mother who had only finished up to the eighth grade in her education and did not have any guidance on raising successful kids and little appreciation for higher education. I am still a quitter, but the recognition of this has had me pushing myself long past points where I want to quit. In my case, it may have been a bit of a blessing in disguise. And, my challenge now is to make certain that I have learned lessons from being a quitter and that these will make me overcome the challenge of being a great parent to two wonderful children.
If we were in a yoga class together, the one thing you should know is. No one is watching you. Just do it.
The thing I initially resisted was leaving my abusive marriage, but I eventually did it because the pain of leaving was less than the pain of staying.
The last class I attended was a retirement/financial planning workshop. I learned, the teacher knew about as much as I did and was there to get people to sign up for his financial agency he worked for by teaching a cheap class at a community college.
Such a great illustration of the importance of DELIBERATE practice. Getting better doesn’t happen randomly, you need to push yourself to the edge of your abilities to improve. And also the importance of coaching so you learn better, faster.
Inner work needs to feel the same way: hard, but not so hard you totally lose your mind. I love to use a scale from 1-10 to calibrate my inner working space. 0-4 is probably too easy. 5-7 is the sweet spot. 8-10, I’m in the red zone and too emotionally triggered and overwhelmed to be productive.
In a typical session of inner work, I might ask myself two or three times exactly where I am on the scale of 1-10. This helps me stay connected to my body, it helps me adjust how fast or slow I’m working, and it’s a very easy-to-use tool to get immediate, clear feedback about how triggered I am. It’s one of my favorite inner work tools for making sure I’m working smarter, not harder.
That would be the Project Management certification, but that wasn't because the subject matter was tough. I was throwing all sorts of obstacles in the way due to the trauma in my past and other things that I felt extreme shame for. I had to push through it to earn the certificate and have it now sadly collect dust as I don't use it in a professional manner (there are other obstacles of an abundant lack of trust and an abundant lack of understanding what a project is), but I will say that was my proudest moment to say I did something for me and not something to appease the ghosts of my past.
Congratulations! I hope the pride you gained will be revived as you continue to face and overcome the obstacles in your life. Peace.
There are many different types of yoga which affect your energy and body in various ways. Like many people in the West, my first experience with yoga years ago was in a beginner level vinyasa style class where postures could be confusing if not instructed well. One of my favorite styles of yoga now, restorative, could not be more different. I just finished reading the book Yoga Life by Brett Larkin. I think that every single person interested in practicing yoga should read this book, especially beginners. Lots of background on what yoga is, why it's been practiced for as long as it has, and a framework to create a yoga practice for yourself that will support your personal needs in any given moment.
I found this a terrific reflection for me personally! As a coach I have struggled so much with the whole teaching and leading role because I experienced such intense spiritual abuse from a leader for years quite some years ago. You really helped me reinforce something important - genuine authority and leadership has a lot of value. It can be tough when we have missed seeing this modeled enough with balance and compassion. And nobody can get it just right either I suppose because we are having a human experience. Thank you
Nice work. I have been a lifelong gym rat and I ended up doing yoga, including Bikram Yoga in a gym in Sendai, Japan when I was in my late forties. I probably went a total of fifteen or twenty classes, a tiny number considering that I lifted at that gym for two years. a minimum of five days per week. Most weeks I worked out six and sometimes seven days. (I add this to let folks know the context...I was not a big fan!) I hardly speak or understand any Japanese and every class was taught in Japanese but I made a serious effort to mimic the positions and movements. Perhaps the lack of language was actually helpful for me as I was locking into the physical communication without distraction. A huge take away was that I learned to improve my posture, both standing and sitting. I am now 63 and have had many an ache and pain disappear simply by going for a walk while I deliberately maintain a proper posture, keeping my back straight, stomach flat, knee raises from time to time and I lift my arms above my head periodically to maintain and extend.
At the end of the day, I know that my short journey into the world of yoga taught me more than I probably deserve. I know it still pays dividends in my artwork, which is mostly abstract. There were bits of me that came alive in the miserable heat of those Bikram sessions, where I rarely completed a class without a sit down break and the torturous stretches in the non-heated classes where I would usually survive the entire session. I still lift regularly and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle but yoga is a fond and distant memory. I suppose those memories are kept somewhere near the part of my brain where the last vestiges of memories of wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, and some of the other sports in which I have trained and competed are kept. I have no desire to take up any of them again yet there are elements of all of them that will always be with me. And I am pleased to be able to write that.
I'm 73yr and learning Turkish online so I can talk to my neighbor's Turkish mom this summer.
My first goal was to do one short lesson (ten min), and learn to say Four Turkish Words!
Three months later my goal is to finish Beginner A1/A2 Course, and review. So now I can start the Intermediate B1 Course March 1. I'll be ready.
It's Hard, (I spend 1-2 hrs daily), and I have to Stay Focused on my Goal, (to talk with the sweet lady next door who can't speak English), It's Fun...
Now, too, I am now hopelessly addicted to Netflix Turkish Series/Films (with subtitles). They are such strong, romantic, fun loving people. I love this big world we live in...
Great work! I know this sounds terrible but have resisted learning languages every since I moved to Asia. It can be a painful process but...I speak Spanish quite well and I do ok in French so I know I am able and... I need to get back on the learning horse! We were at a Chinese restaurant here in Lao Cai, Vietnam yesterday evening and I was playing with the Google Translate app on my phone with my kids, 6 and 9, who are fluent in English and Vietnamese! We were having a ball and I was feeling the joy of learning again. It is wonderful to see your comment and I wish you the best in your learning!
Your story reminds me of the one time I went to a drum lesson. I'd been tinkering at home, knew I could become really good at it, just needed a little instructive guidance. What did the guy do? After telling me what each drum was (something I already knew,) he told me to play something. I said I didn't know what to play, he said, "just play a song that you like, whatever feels right..." while in a deadly quiet room with no music. I ended up changing the subject to some books I was given as part of the class, then left and canceled my membership lol. I wanted to be instructed, didn't really know what I was doing at all.
Haven't taken a class since as I'm afraid of a similar experience and waste of money.
If we were in yoga class together, I would tell you to just breathe. Relax.
Last class I took - and completed - was Cal Newport's Life of Focus. It was great! It broke me of my social media habit and I couldn't be happier!
Where do you rank your participation in forums such as this among social media habits?
For me this idea of learning something new always comes with the notion that with time I will certainly get better and that I must just stick with it no matter how uncomfortable I feel. I experienced this with learning ceramics, with learning how to ride a horse and improving my skills at riding a motorcycle.
I am currently receiving instructions for riding a horse from a woman who can be tough. I am learning listening to, take instructions and accept feeling a little inadequate.
Was just at a yoga and meditation retreat last weekend! While you’re in NYC, if you need a studio/teacher recommendation - Urban Power with Jyll at Urban Asanas in Crown Heights (actually anything with Jyll) or a Flow class with Victoria Greene at The Yoga Room (she might teach other places too). I thought of both while reading this. They’re” Tiger Moms.”
The last "real" class I attended was one that I taught, actually. I used to work as a ELA teacher for middle school, and it wasn't the teaching that got me, it was the paperwork.
I learned that while I'm good at using words, I don't have the skill to juggle a metric ton of paperwork and still be imaginative.
Yes...I have been a teacher for quite some time and I used to refer to a lot of the paperwork and "motivational murder" if that makes sense to you. I still teach and though the school where I teach may not be a top school, it does allow for creativity! And this is of the utmost importance to me as I have my second occupation doing artwork. (And, for me, selling artwork that I create is the ultimate reward. Just as the paperwork in education, the process that I go through to advertise and market my work is similarly murderous to my inspiration. But...when a piece sells...the passion that drives me to discipline myself to create regularly is revived. Ain't that a peach?)
1. It all starts with your feet. If the feet are in the right position, it’s easier (and safer) for the body to follow. Thinking this applies to more than just yoga.
2. Orthopedist said I had to start riding a bike 5-6 days per week due to arthritis in the knees. It was a shock. But I do it and love it now, actually look forward to it.
3. Last class was with Ally Love and I learned that she was the first Black instructor for peloton. She was also the first to implement Black History Month rides. Representation matters. Because she was at the table, she changed the company for the better!
If you and I were going to yoga, you should know that this is my space where I come alive. I laugh while also focus on alignment and feeling the pose in my body. It’s one of the few spaces that keeps me going when I want to quit. So I would encourage the same of you 😜.
The beauty of yoga is you push yourself (in mindful ways) throughout the practice and then you get to rest at the end. We say in yoga that savasanna is one of the most challenging postures because most people avoid stillness. It’s the most rewarding though, because you worked your mind and body to get there. And the same is with other challenges. We can be in the challenge and know that rest is coming.