A little inspiration…

Photo: by David Twerdun

A silverback mountain gorilla gazes out over his home in the lush volanoes of Rwanda.

I have acquired a few new yoga books. Now that I am teaching I am hungry for some additional reference material to draw from.

The latest gems are:

Relax and Renew: Restful yoga for stressful times by Judith Lasiter
The bible on Restorative yoga practice

Bringing Yoga to Life: The everyday practice of enlightened living by Donna Farhi
An intelligent down to earth discussion of how yoga can shape your daily life.

Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Student/Teacher Relationship by Donna Farhi
A book that dispassionately discusses the ethics inherent in being a Yoga teacher in a modern Western context. It dares to ask us hard questions about living a spiritual life, so that we can teach with clarity and compassion.

A slice from Bringing Yoga to life…
(bolding is my emphasis)

“Over two decades of teaching I have witnessed again and again the power that Yoga has to shift seemingly intransigent negative patterns and to awaken the body, mind and heart to other possibilities. No matter who we are or how long we have been entrenched in self defeating behaviours, through daily Yoga practice we can become present to our own fundamental goodness and the goodness of others. Rediscovering who we are at our core opens the way to experiencing our most basic level of connection with others. This connection lies at the heart of the practice called Yoga. Living in a unitive state is not an esoteric concept, and it is not an elusive higher realm that only very clever people can aspire to. It is the opening of the heart so that we have the capacity to feel tenderness, joy and sorrow without shutting down. It is the opening of the mind to an awareness that encompasses rather than excludes. It is the startling and immediate recognition of our basic sameness. It is the practice of observing clearly, listening acutely, and skillfully responding to the moment with all the compassion we can muster. And it is a homecoming with and in the body for it is only here that we can do all these things.”

I love yoga.

I taught my first ever yoga class this beautiful Vancouver evening just a few blocks from home and work. I am teaching every second week at Covenant House.

Covenant House Vancouver exists for those young people for whom there is often no one else — young people aged 16 - 24 who have either willingly fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or those who have been forced from their homes.

We bandage their cut-up feet from days and nights walking the streets; we give them hot food and a warm bed and we support them in their choice to change their present circumstances while helping them heal from past traumas.

There was one person in my class tonight. It was great. Really sweet.

With the full moon out, I taught a restorative “chill” class. We focused on breath and we were either seated on a chair, leaning on the table, or lying on the ground legs up on a chair. Lots of time in each posture. Places and positions we may or could find ourselves in daily. My intention… to demonstrate yoga and that peaceful place we all share in the context of our daily living.

I was a little scared. Not sure if the yoga teacher role would be a fit. In this context, it really worked. I loved it! Phew!

Blessed be.