Student Feedback and Kriya Practice

My Salt Lake Community College students presented their final exams Thursday evening.  It was team presentations on any subject related to yoga they chose. One team presented on Ayuerveda, one on Mudra, one on Mantra, and one on Karma Yoga.  Everyone did a marvelous job, and I am very proud of them.  They have come a long way since the first of the semester, they've learned a lot about yoga theory and parallel practices (as well as many, many asanas).   

What I wanted to shout about is that two of my students quit smoking after starting class and the home practice (which is required, not optional).  A young man named Trevor said he put away his cigs about two weeks after starting, and credits his ability to go cold turkey on yoga practice, and how good it makes him feel when he does it.  

The other young lady is named Christa, and she said she stopped about 3 weeks after the start of class.  She also said that she quit because it made her sick when she practiced, and that she felt so much better after she quit.  Yoga made her feel much better and helped her stay away from the nicotine!  She said it was clearly because of yoga that she stopped and has been able to stick with it (3) months so far!

I also heard from an older lady named Diana, (I'm guessing she is about mid to late 30's), who has MS.  She explained that yoga and mantra in particular has helped her tremendously.  She said it helps her get through the bad times and the times when she gets blue or discouraged, and turns her attitude around for the better.  She also said the nutritional information we discussed in class has helped her feel so much better now that she is trying to eat in a more healthy manner! 

What great feedback!  I am so excited.  It makes me feel so good as a teacher to see that I'm truly making a difference in a positive way in their lives.  I am so proud of my students.  More reason to keep on keeping on and doing my best to be an excellent teacher!

After calling my Guru and asking him about a symbol I saw in a recent meditation, he said it meant my vibration was getting much higher.  I knew he would know what the symbol meant, since I didn't.  Anyway, he told me I was getting older (ya think?) and that I need to get my act together NOW.  He didn't really tell me what exactly I need to do to get it together, I guess that is part of the process.  I'm waiting for inspiration to know exactly what I have to do.....

Anyway, I resolved to do Kriya practice every day no matter what. I can't imagine a better use of my time, and I always feel so much better after.  I often do asana afterwards, as I feel really mellow, and just fall into a practice.  I try not to set a time limit, and just practice till I'm done.  Sometimes after savasana (corpse pose) I see the most beautiful mandalas on the chitti akasha (inside of the forehead).  The chitti akasha is the "movie screen" of the third eye, where one can actually see visuals (if the third eye is active).  It's worth doing the practice just to see them. 

Steve T. and I (we were formally initiated into Kriya Yoga practice at the same time) called Baba Gonesh, and luckily we got to talk to him for about 45 minutes.  We had prepared a list of questions.  

An interesting and valuable instruction he gave us is that if you have an Ishta Mantra the vocal recitation is lowest form, mental repetition is a higher form, and the highest form of practice of your mantra is when you hear it within the universal sound of creation (re: OM, the sound of the universe).   You should eventually begin to hear it when you do kriya practice. Just a helpful hint for those of you practicing kriya.

Senior Yoga Class

 Beginning Senior Yoga Class

 Senior Yoga Class

In a couple of hours I'm off to teach the Seniors.  We have two classes, a "Beginner" and a "Regular" yoga class.  We had to split them up because the beginners were much less able to do the more formal yoga poses, as their ability is so limited.  What they need at this stage is strength building, a lot of balance, and gentle work that improves their flexibility and stamina.  A few of them are anxious to go into the more challenging group, but in due time.  I found it is hard to teach the more advanced students when the very beginners are in the same group. The students that are more capable get frustrated because they don't get the workout, and the beginner's couldn't keep up.  There was just too big of a divide.  

The beginners class has really exploded in size, and we often have a challenge with having enough equipment and room for everyone.  We may have to limit class size.  The media and now thankfully, Doctor's are finally starting to suggest yoga as therapy for people with various physical issues and limitations. A lot of what I teach in beginners is what I learned to do after major surgery as a way to get back the faculties I lost from being on my back and going through chemo after cancer surgery.  You start where you are, and build on that.  No expectations, just do it!

The Aging Yogi - Prologue

   I'm beginning to admit (and it's hard) that I'm an aging yogi.  A little about myself to begin.  I started yoga about 30 years ago, at that time it was VERY hard to find yoga classes.  The only one was up at University of Utah.  I loved it, but it was a long long trip up there for me, and I couldn't keep up the commute after the class was over.  I kept practicing and picked up a couple of books to help.  

   A year or two later, I found a class that was a little closer, in a basement in central Salt Lake City.  I began there with a meditation class, which I had read helped a lot with stress.  It was phenomenal!  I felt peaceful for the first time in my whole life, and was immediately hooked.  I began meditating regularly.  My whole soul's response was "Where has this been all my life?"

I have always been a complete yoga nerd, studying everything I could get my hands on about anything yoga.

 I began practicing asana again, taking all the classes the basement center had to offer, not missing a class in something like 8 years.  I was up to 3 or 4 classes a week, and practicing faithfully 2 hrs. a day, with a half hour meditation afterwards. One day my teacher threw me out of classes, and told me to never come back.  She said "It's time YOU go teach.  I don't have the time to focus on you anymore, I have too many students that need me".  It was a bitch, it about killed me psychologically, but I went through a huge transformation because of it, and my Guru and I found each other after that.  I doubt if I ever would have had the opportunity to find a genuine Guru if I hadn't been thrown out.  

 A few people started asking me to teach them around that time. There still weren't many classes around then, and I began teaching private lessons. About 1995 I began to teach hatha yoga classes for Salt Lake Community College, and later several fitness centers and Community Education.   I also was asked to teach the seniors at Kearns Senior Center.  These classes  I have enjoyed immensely, the students are so grateful for small improvements!  Some of the students have made huge strides improving their strength, balance, and flexibility.  They are some of the most dedicated and enthusiastic students out there!   

  

 Eventually I requested and was granted initiation to become a Sanyasi from Osho's group, and took my vows as a Zen Buddhist.  I took courses from The Kriya Yoga Institute, was initiated, studied, and practiced Tantra under my Acharyajji and Guru.  I take all the yoga seminars I can afford, and go to many yoga retreats with world famous teachers.  I also became a Kriya Yoga Initiate early this year through Baba Gonesh, after many years of personal kriya yoga practice.  

  

Yoga practice has gradually become my life.  I currently teach eight classes a week and go to my teacher's classes when I have time off from teaching.  I practice Kriya, Kundalini, Hatha, and Tantra yoga. There is no conflict in practicing different disciplines that I can see.

  

  I am noticing in the last few months that it has been harder for me to do certain asanas, it takes more effort, and my bones seem to ache where they didn't before.  (Could this be aging)?  I have to be more careful not to push myself into the more difficult poses, and I've become softer about my approach to my own practice. I have been kinder to my Hatha Yoga students and more responsive to their needs as well.  I use yoga props a lot, both for myself and my students, because the props help us get the greatest benefit from whatever we're working on.

   The object of this blog is to document the process, changes, feelings, and insights of my personal aging process as a fully committed and practicing yogi and yoga instructor who is involved in several related yoga disciplines.