What they Hear

"It's not what you tell them that's important, but what they hear"

I am currently taking the Lighten Up Yoga's 500 hour teacher training program and assisting in the 200 hour program.  This weekend we worked on building poses for beginners.  I still feel like a beginner, even though I've been teaching for four years now.  It never stops, this learning.  Even as the poses have started to feel like old familiar friends, there is always some level of depthness I haven't yet explored, or I've forgotten, or my body has changed from the last day (sometimes the day before) that I practiced the pose.  

It's always a good practice to return to the basic standing poses.  One of these is Utthita Trikonasana.  We explored Trikonasana in depth this weekend, practiced many variations, and then paired up with other 500 hour teachers to practice the poses together and explore the different ways of explaining the pose to students.  This is such a helpful practice, and for all you Asheville teachers out there, I am always willing to meet up and practice together in this way.  Finding the language to explain the poses has been the most challenging aspect of teaching for me so far.  Lillah Schwartz's program at Lighten Up seems to focus heavily on this aspect of teaching and I could not be more grateful.

  * The toes of my back foot should be turned in a little more.

* a variation to emphasize lengthening the sides of the torso.

*a variation to emphasize lengthening the front hamstring and engaging the quadricep of the front leg.

Yoga Unveiled

Just got news of what will be a great yoga event June 21st in downtown Asheville at the Fine Arts Theatre-- a showing of the film, Yoga Unveiled and a panel of some of Asheville's top teachers.  Here is the information from the Fine Arts Theatre website:

Yoga Unveiled

June 21

When:
June 21st. 7:00pm

Sponsored by Lighten Up Yoga and Asheville's prominent Yoga Teachers.

Harnessing the colorful commentary of the most prominent yoga scholars, teachers, and medical experts, Yoga Unveiled reveals how yoga began, tells the story of yoga's passage to the West, describes its numerous branches, recounts the fascinating biographies of the foremost yoga masters, and explores yoga's astonishing medical potential.

Stunning cinematography, ornate visual displays, and stirring music create a truly enchanting viewing experience. The great devotees of yoga grace the screen with their profound wisdom and delightful manner.

Yoga Unveiled also features commentary by Krishna Das, Dr. Herbert Benson, Edwin Bryant, Subhash Kak, Vasant Lad, Dr. Timothy McCall, Larry Payne, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Father Joe Pereira, Swami Sivananda, Dr. Martina Ziska, and Dharma Mittra.

A panel of local Yoga instructors will speak after the film.

Gita Desi - Film Director
Lillah Schwartz of Lighten Up Yoga
Cindy Dollar of One Center Yoga
Michael Johnson of Clear Light Yoga
Cat Matlock of West Asheville Yoga
Stephanie Keach of Asheville Yoga Center
Martia Rachman of Black Mountain Yoga
Sierra Hollister of Asheville Kundalini Yoga

Tickets are $10 - Advance tickets available at the Fine Arts Theatre box office

For more information on the film visit http://http://www.yogaunveiled.com/index.htm

Let it Be

 chakras

Buddha hand

shakti

Love from Max Patch

 coffee spills

pretty pic of Kristin 

Om

butts in the buttercups ;)

Mercy "Good down dog"

Eleni reaching for the sky!  xoxo

on our bellies for cobra.  I like this one, our heads look like flowers.

Lena loo

It's good to have friends!

Savasana

sigh.

See ya next time!

I am an Ally

Some pics from last night at Asheville's annual "We are Not Bashful" rally at Pack Square.  There was some great poetry and a lot of eloquently expressed strong sentiment by the many protesters.