Yoga Teacher Newsletter for Members of the Integral Yoga® Teachers Association
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February 2000 Vol. VI No. 1 THE INTEGRAL Yantra Yoga Teacher Newsletter For members of the Integral Yoga® Teachers Association Integral Yoga® Teacher's The World is Expecting You Association by Sri Swami Satchidananda Founder: Sri Swami Satchidananda The future of the globe depends upon you. You Director: are the torch bearers who show the light, love and Julian Gopala Pozzi science of Yoga to others. Newsletter: If you are truly practicing Yoga, then you are living it every minute of Kumari DeSachy Liz Lazar every day. And that is what you have been doing at the ashram these Ram Vignola past few weeks during your Teacher Training. In fact, your coming to the ashram and living together during this training is proof that you are Contact us at: good yogis. IYTA Yogaville, Part of being a good yogi is having the attitude that you are constantly Buckingham, VA 23921 learning. The entire universe is a university, and everyone and every- 804.969.3121 ext. 137 thing is our teacher: people, animals, plants, minerals, sun, wind, light, water. Everything exists to [email protected] teach us something. If you treat everyone and everything as your teacher, then you will never stop learning. But in order for everything to become a lesson, you really have to want to learn. If you do not have the sincere desire to learn from everyone and everything, the mind will tend to find things INSIDE wrong with others, as well as with events as they unfold in our lives. When this happens, we stop learning. Homelessness and Continued on p.4 Yoga—Page1 The World is Waiting— Page 1 Letter from the Presi- Homelessness & Yoga dent—Page 7 by Sharla Sandra Rozenblad Shoulder Stand Varia- tions—Page 8 Newsletter Index— When I first arrived at the homeless shelter, the doors Page 10 were locked and there were people sitting on the front Grace of the Mother— steps, passing the time drinking and smoking. Page 13 Yoga Alliance—Page 14 This was certainly a unique environment in which to teach Yoga. I already Rocks, Pebbles, and knew it was going to be a challenge, considering the preparatory interview I Gravel—Page 15 had with the staff. “Many of these people are on medication and classified as What our Teachers are mentally ill,” one staff member said when I initially applied to teach at the Doing!—Page 16 shelter. I was given a slew of warnings regarding the people I would encounter, including, “They are staying here because the hospitals are overcrowded.” Great Oke-Ekpe Mas- querade Dance—Page 17 A number of the staff members were cynical about and resistant to the idea of my teaching Yoga, Bulletin Board—Page 18 and they said things to discourage me. For example, I was told, “We will be sending the people to From the Director— your class who do not fit into group therapy. These people are very poor.” And they repeatedly Page 19 asked, “Why do you want to teach here?” All I remember thinking was, “Is there a clean room?” Teacher in the Light— As a matter of fact, as I began to teach the classes, I realized that the warnings were not altogether Page 19 irrelevant; all my students are, in fact, people who have experienced unusually difficult lives with multiple tragedies. Their lives have been stressful, painful, incredibly challenging, and full of abuse. Continued on p.2 Homelessness & Yoga—Continued from page 1 Many seem shell-shocked, and they’ve been living in extreme poverty for some time. What’s more, they are distrustful and can be very temperamental. They come from a broad range of cultural backgrounds, they are generally misunderstood and cut off from the rest of society, and, often, they are looked down upon. To teach in that kind of environment, you definitely have to be committed. It’s not easy. All kinds of disruptive circumstances can affect the class, including fights and breakdowns. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration that the shelter class is a transient one, so it is not wise to treat it as you would a conventional Yoga class, where people enroll on their own accord. These people are, first and foremost, in this environment to avail themselves of shelter and rest, and any other activity has the potential to overwhelm them, since they are often coming from exhausting situations. The most important thing that a teacher can do to better serve students under these types of life conditions is to let go of any prejudice or self- righteousness. Also, it is of utmost importance to make an effort not to underestimate these people. I learned early on The most important that it was not helpful for me to know who they were or how thing that a teacher they ended up in a shelter. I had to let go of all of my preconceived notions. Moreover, I received virtually no can do to better support from the staff and, consequently, was left to find my serve students own ways of meeting the needs of the students. under these types If you’re looking for a place to get overwhelmed, a homeless shelter is it! Any possible area you can think of will need of life conditions is improvement, from the space to the compromised clothing to let go of any of the students. On the other hand, the positive aspect of my seemingly disheartening beginning was that there were prejudice or self- countless opportunities to do Karma Yoga. The proverbial righteousness. yogi warning applies in this case: don’t take on too much! You can—and will—get overwhelmed if you’re not clear about your purpose. Keep in mind that you’re there to teach Yoga and not to “fix” these people. The experience requires lots of focus and patience. Above all, the challenge is to stay real and let the light shine. The students wanted to know that I was committed to their welfare before they put their trust in me. As to the Yoga classes, they have a lot of structure, yet they call for a broad range of methods and tools, since they’re always different, adapting to the particular needs of each situation and circumstance. Problems and changes are the norm. Although I suggest having a set format, it is important that the class can be modified at the last minute in order to accommodate the mood of the group or any disruption that may very well occur mid-class. For example, the lights may go out or the room temperature may change or people may be talking and laughing loudly in the next room or you may walk into the room and find that everyone has pneumonia. Needless to say, my behavior has to be more flexible than it would be in most teaching situations. I need to be able to tune in and establish a rapport with my students and their immediate circum- stances, which is essential for effecting the possibility of positive change. The structure brings focus and direction and creates a space for change in a chaotic environment. It is important to impart the teachings in the way that you feel would be best on any given day, while, at the same time, you must be receptive and responsive to the fluctuating moment. The classes, which are always different, are usually called Stress Reduction Workshops and are structured accordingly. The term Yoga is not used directly, although, eventually, the students will be introduced to yogic techniques and, ultimately, they’ll start using these techniques by themselves. Often, it’s the first time that the students have ever attended a Yoga class or even heard about Yoga. Another thing to consider is that this is not a traditional open class, where students have signed up. In this situation, you’re taking Yoga to the shelter; hence, you are walking into the living room of someone else’s home. With this point in mind, it is important to be respectful of the space and ease the information into your students’ lives. This is not to say that I would discourage imparting as much of the teachings as clearly and lovingly as you possibly can. On the contrary, I had to put my faith in the teachings. Remember, your students may appear confused, resistant or angry, but the seeds are being planted. 2 Homelessness & Yoga—Continued from page 2 Another aspect of teaching at the shelter is that it is especially important for me always to be on time or, preferably, to be early, which sets an example for the students and allows for setting up, evaluating the situation, and tuning in to what is going on. For it is important to establish a feeling of tranquillity. In the beginning, this responsibility fell solely on me. After the routine was established, however, the students knew why I was there, and they began to associate me with the calming effect they experienced in the class. As a result, they began to contribute in further establishing the mood. Regarding the format of the “workshop,” every workshop shares some common elements: they are all 70% experiential and 30% lecture. All contain “Positive Talk” and “Positive Attitude.” An average class will last 90 minutes (specifically, 6:30-8:00 pm). I open with a prayer circle, with all of us sitting on our knees, or sitting cross-legged, with our hands on our knees or holding hands. This is a very powerful beginning, with real prayer from the heart. Next, comes the body work.