Healing from Within

Frequently over the past little while it has come up about reflecting on my personal journey of healing.  The person I find in this moment, as I look inward, is a healthy man, capable of continuing in the health that I has become part of my day to day activity and thought process.

  Not one moment of my life prior can I say was I this mentally and physically healthy. From the age of 16 till nearly 32 I was on and off of medications frequently to try and cope with the stimulus of daily living, now I can boast 2 years completely medication free, other than the medicine of good food and good people and a good practice.  I am more capable today than at any point in time before. Thank all the powers that be.

  I don't think I needed to be 'fixed' rather I needed to 'be'. To have the allowance to be present and aware, to observe my state regardless of how it might present itself. Good or bad, what is in the moment is what that moment has. Nothing to learn, no where to be other than being in that moment, here right now, present and observing without an attachment to what is to come.

 A good amount of my person inner turmoil's came from dwelling on perceived outcomes, 'If I just did a and b than c should result' which so often was not the case.  Having non-attachment to me does not mean that I go about life in a detached manner, but rather a manner of awareness with an attitude of acceptance of what will be will be. Continue to pursue each moment.

  Each of us are part of an unfolding story. This life is a full spectrum of good and bad. Change is the only certainty in this life, practice handling those changes one breath at a time.

Teacher Training 2nd Weekend

Its now a few days after having taught my 2nd weekend of Sukham Yoga Teacher Training and I tell you that I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to help encourage a new group of teachers to bring more yoga to the community of this planet.

One lesson I definitely found this weekend was that what I want to teach in a 20 hour period is far more than what is humanly possible to fit into that time period. Its amazing how much thought process and knowledge is accumulated through time.

Watching these individuals teach one another takes me back to that moment when cuing a breath was a rather difficult task. It seams to be one of the hardest cues to have straight in the mind.

Starting each day with a personal practice that includes their preferred sitting posture, a basic pranayama and  a meditation exercise, than moving into some readings from the Yoga Sutras (Swami Satchidananda). We than do some team building exercises, which seamed to help reduce the barriers between the group fairly rapidly.

Be present, Love, Learn.

Further Reflections by an Autistic Yogi

Working much slower through Simon Borg-Olivier lectures then I had originally hoped. But it takes me back to what Lerrita sayed in my original teacher training 'Let this knowledge be like tea, don't rush it, let it steep and when its ready it will taste much better.'

I am struck with the simplicity of thought about stretching into the nerves especially after doing weight bearing into a particular joint complex (sun salutation and or arm balances that put a lot of weight into the wrist joint complex in an wrist extension then could strongly benefit from a wrist flexion exercise that helped to stretch into the radial nerve).  This sounds like a portable skill that could be used in any and all of the joint complexes of the body.

Yoga Thoughts

Ahimsa and Svadyaya


Don't overthink.
Don't expect to understand everything in one go.
Don't over breath, your natural breath is good to start with in the beginning.
Don't overdo your physical capacity.

Generally bend less, tense less and move slower.
Keep your body safe.

Move towards safety and building a foundation for a practice which reduces the risk of injury as you progress into more intense exercises and postures.

Yoga is no different from any other sport, start with simple, move towards mastering those basics so that the more complex postures are more likely to be explored.

Don't believe that you have to know everything in order to have a practice. Simply work with what does make sense and continue to attempt to make sense of what does not, but not over thinking and causing deep frustration.

Bending less is counter intuitive if your concept of yoga is all about stretching. Yoga is about unity with your authentic self, which allows us to deal with the comings and goings of life easier.

Tensing less does not mean that you don't activate your muscles, it just means that you do not need to overactivate in a muscle, learning how to create varying degrees of tension in particular muscles can really allow for some amazing physical expressions. Less can be more.

Moving slower allows us to really appreciate our uniqueness and to discover particular physical aspects of our physique, especially as our capacity changes from day to day. Smarter movement is created through slow movement and repetition. Don't expect to master a movement in one go.

Teacher Training 1st Weekend

I am so glad that I ran the free weekend of yoga that was 19 hours of teachings from Friday through Sunday, on the same schedule that I ran this first weekend of the Yoga Teacher Training.

This made me far more prepared for the balance between theory and movement, so that the teachers to be were not falling asleep or far too overloaded to continue into theory.

Having this opportunity to help bring more teachers into the world of teaching yoga is a huge honor and one that brings a very humbling feeling. I get to learn while teaching and this past weekend has been a milestone in my development as a yogi and a participant in the community.

What yoga has done for me in the context of my life is beyond the scope of being able to articulate within posts on a blog, I can only give mere reflections to the depth of transformation that have taken place within me.

I feel as though the Lotus flower is a great analogy...
I am a seed in the depths of the mud and I have germinated, through a struggle I break through the surface of this muddy depth and start to grow upwards through a dirty water to break the surface and reaching towards the light where I blossom, and as dirt tries to cling to the beauty of my petals it is repelled....

Not in all the years of my life have I imagined that this is where I would be at.

Yoga Adventures

In a more intense class this past Friday my main teacher Tracy Mann stated something along the lines of, "Take this opportunity to see how you react when faced with having to put in a lot of effort into your yoga. Yoga is a reflection of the way you deal with life, hard yoga is much easier than the hard moments of life."

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तपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः॥१॥
tapaHsvaadhyaayeshvarapraNidhaanaani kRuyaayogaH
Sutra II.1
Accepting pain as help for purification, study of spiritual books, and surrender to the Supreme Being constitute Yoga in practice.
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Sometimes we can forget that yoga is far more than just an action on the mat but it is something that should permeate the whole of our life and influence all our actions.

Yoga to me is about a state of being, a tuning into the authentic self. That untainted self that is beyond all the labels that we might attach to something. Yoga is not about removing the labels, it is all about being that true self.  By tuning into that portion of our being we are better able to handle the labels and all that comes with having those labels.

Clarity & inner calmness happens from having tuned in to the authentic and it should move beyond the mat into your life.

Yoga is often used as a retreat. There is a reason we call it a practice. Real yoga is the life we live, we practice yoga by doing asana, or meditating or the many other elements that are known as rungs/limbs/aspects of yoga.

Do what you need to in order to remind yourself that you have the knowledge and strength to journey through even the most difficult times in life.

Allow a strong and easy practice.

Know your authentic self

Namaskara & Namaste!
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Online Training in Anatomy & Physiology of Yoga

Started watching the lectures from the course I am taking online that is put together by Simon Borg-Olivier and Bianca Machliss from Yoga Synergy in Australlia.

Applied Anatomy & Physiology of Yoga

I am going to puzzle through some of the ansignment work here.

Explain the concepts of joint complexes and muscle groups.
Discuss how the practical study of the body can be made simpler by using the concepts of joint complexes and muscle groups rather than trying to work with indivudual muscles and individual joints.
Discuss the four states you can create with muscle activation and relaxation around each of the 9 main joint complexes.

A joint complex at its most basic description would simply be 'Neck, Shoulder, Chest, Lower Back, Pelvis, Knee, Ankle.' When we take a deeper look at each joint complex there is much more going on than just having a knee, the knee joint complex has many different movements and you can use the muscle groups that attach to the knee to produce different effects within those movements. A muscle group is a group of muscles that work together to make a joint move in a specific direction and/or to stabilize the joint(s) as the physical body engages with energy.

The study of the joint complexes and muscle groups makes understanding the body much simpler as it is easier to get the idea of the adductor muscle group brings the legs together or allows you to cross the knee through the midline of the body rather than breaking down each of the muscles. It would take some intense dedication to go through the whole body studying each and every muscle.

Taking a look at the 4 states that we can have our muscles in really brings clarity to the concept that Yoga is far more than stretching even when speaking on the level of the asana. It would be injurious and/or frustrating to only focus attention into one state and ignore the rest. Having each state through a practice is going to facilitate ideal conditions within the individuals body. Here are the four states;

State 1 = Relaxed agonist and antagonist muscle groups.

State 2 = Agonist muscle group activation.

State 3 = Antagonist muscle group activation.

State 4 = Co-activation of agonist and antagonist muscle groups.


State 1 makes me think of savasana and most of the restorative postures that I have had in my practice. And even in many active poses when I have suddenly realized that I am holding muscular tension in a place that is not necessary for the posture I am in and by engaging state 1 I was able to be more present in that moment and my awareness seems to expand.

State 2 I really became aware of when I had injured myself in the area of my superior adductor muscle group and the superior hamstring muscle group.  When ever I went towards a forward fold it became necessary to be much more aware of my quadricep muscle group activation to help release the tension I was experiencing.
Reciprocal relaxation is becoming more and more a mantra that resonates within my mind when it comes to moving and relaxing the body.

State 3 Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Activation of the antagonist muscle while it is lengthened to aid in releasing tension and being able to move slowly into a deeper stretch. This seems to be utilized a lot in the hamstrings as many of the individuals I encounter enjoy running often so complain that their hamstrings are always tight. I had read once (Ray Long) that when utilizing this stretch method it should be only done once ever 48 hours, not sure if there is any conclusive proof on that?

State 4 The Bandhas of the body. Using the concept of the Bandhas in each of the joint complexes, especially when it comes to extreme movement ranges, can aid in either making a practice easier or allow for further expressions that would not otherwise safely be attained. Co-activation of muscle groups around a joint complex will be something resounding through my mind as often if not more than reciprocal relaxation.

Thoughts on Being the Primary Teacher at a Teacher Training

  Some thoughts on being the primary teacher at a 200 hour level of teacher training.
Taking a look at the basic requirement as established by the Yoga Alliance on being the primary teacher at a yoga teacher training - having taught for a minimum of 2 years with at least 1000 classes taught.
  And that is not to say that the individual would have to develop up a curriculum that puts into context all the necessary areas of study that are outlined by YA;
1. Techniques Training/Practice 100 hours,
2. Teaching Methodology 25 hours,
3. Anatomy and Physiology 20 hours,
4. Yoga Philosophy/Lifestyle and Ethics for Yoga Teachers 30 hours,
5. Practicum 10 hours,
6. Electives 15 hours (this points back to further defining the 5 areas of study listed above).

  Or if you prefer to look at the standards for curriculum with the International Yoga Federation then you would see the breakdown for curriculum as follows;
1. Techniques 130 hours
2. Teaching Methodology 20 hours
3. Anatomy and Physiology 10 hours
4. Practical Teaching 40 hours
*A cursory examination of the IYF site did not reveal to me if they have specific requirements as to the length of time a person is to be a qualified teacher at a 200 hour level and how many classes taught in their yoga career to be considered as a competent teacher at a 200 hour level)

There are numerous other areas around the internet that could be looked into and dissected but it seams to point towards the base competency of a primary teacher having had 2 years teaching experience with roughly 1000 classes taught.
Not all people are going to desire tackling the development of a curriculum, which is astoundingly fun and engaging.

In developing my curriculum because of passing the base standards and at the blessing of my main teacher, whom I have trained with in 3 teacher training's.

This brings me to that concept of how to navigate through the world of teachers of teachers of Yoga.
It is my belief that all-though it is wonderful to have the much more experienced Yogi/Yogini (for the sake of this article I will define the much more experienced Yogi/Yogini as someone who has taught for over 10 years, with well over 1000 hours of teaching experience) should have a greater emphasis at teaching the more in-depth programs; 300 hour bridges, 500 hour, advanced workshops, etc. Not to say that they should not teach 200 hour training but some of us that are on the path of Yoga looking for a more immersive experience could really benefit from some mentoring from these more trained Yogi/Yogini's.

Some of us that will teach at teacher training's will not have nearly the time committed as others and some of us will have a dramatic amount more before embarking on the path of teaching teachers.

Some people will appose the above criteria and think there should be a dramatically different standard and some will fully support those standards.

Part of me believes that this becomes a much more viable career to move into on a full time basis if those of us with the base criteria to have the chance to teach the base 200 hour level without havnig the perspective imposed on us that we are trying to fast track or fast food industry the world of yoga.

At the base as I move into teaching teachers I want to see that by the end of me training up individual people that they can problem solve the world of yoga, to take others safely through a sequence of asana over numerous time frames (20, 30, 60, 75min+), have a basic understanding of the major areas that comprise yoga and were to look at deepening their understanding when they embark in learning on that portion of the wholesomeness of Yoga.

Reflections

Today I was reflecting back over some of the aspects of my journey; 1)Back in school I would have to fidget constantly (move about in my desk, tap, flap my hands, twist/crumple paper, or anything else that helped me to say present) otherwise I would find myself drifting off in thought, sometimes I would just read the text book because I found it next to impossible to focus on the teacher. In reflection it was like I was in a Charlie Brown cartoon hearing the teachers voice like 'Wah wah wah wah wah...' 2)How absolutely difficult it is to drive a motor-vehicle (maybe a motorbike would be easier) when I have to navigate a city from within the confines of a vehicle and pay attention to lights, pedestrians, signs, and all the other stimulus as well as be aware of what is in the blind spaces of a vehicle I become so over stimulated that my depth perception is destroyed and I can hardly take a corner appropriately or judge distance from the vehicle to anything else. I stay safest by not driving. 3)How far I have come through my adult hood in the past couple years compared to all the years prior. Yoga being the major reason for that, but the only reason that I have been able to focus on this amount of yoga has been because the government support that I have received as well as my Mother for covering my first teacher training. 4)One of the styles of learning that I have continually done in my life is to scan a document and read all the bold/italics and underlined text so that I can navigate as rapidly as I can to the major points of what I am reading about (that is if they have it in there writing). Learning to breath in a rhythmic manner has been such a help on my journey. I am both nervous and tremendously excited to start Teaching Teachers of Yoga.

More Randomness

The interview that Kimmy Luu did of me has now made it to elephantjournal... kind of exciting having my story move further out into the interwebs... http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/08/yoga-and-aspergers-an-interview-with-lyle-anderson-kimmi-luu/ And a note that I posted on facebook A Yogi Reflects on Authentic, Genuine and Unlearning by Lyle Anderson Authentic and genuine have been 2 words that I have been drawn to a lot in my practice these past couple months. The many times that I have heard something along the lines of don't make the body fit the pose but rather make the pose fit the body is one of the things that couples with this authentic movement. Lately at the end of my class when rousing the practice from Savasana I say 'at your own pace allow any authentic and genuine movement to come to the body' and after a minute I say 'roll to either side into your fetal position, which ever side is the most comfortable' ... I definitely have noticed that there are particular movements people take as a whole that seam to be the preffered rousing from savasana and 99% favor rolling out to the right. I think I want to add the authentic and genuine more often in my practice, really get into that state of being aware of what I feel and what is real and what is not resonating with me at that moment.. and the why.. ------------------------------- Unlearning.. I have never resonated with the saying that we are here on this earth to learn lessons or equating reincarnation/rebirth with having to come back to learn some lesson. What I do believe at this time is that we need to unlearn all those lessons and just be. It seams that a good portion of lessons we go through on this world are not all that great or even lessons that I would wish on my worst friend (I don't knowingly have any enemies and I don't really have a worst friend). I don't think love is lesson. I don't think hope is a lesson. So be filled with love and hope! Namaste.

Sukham Yoga

Sukham = Happy, happily, happiness comfortably, comfortable to his satisfaction sense gratification without difficulty in pleasure transcendental happiness happiness due to pious activities easily all right amenities all is well These are just some of the meanings of Sukham. And today I have the registered business name of Sukham Yoga. You can find my business page here http://www.facebook.com/AumMega Love!!

Exciting times!! After this summer I have succeeded in passing the standards to teach a 200 hour level Yoga Teacher Training, so that is what I am going to do! Going to run my first one over an 8 month period starting this October. 1 Weekend each of the months. I really look forward to embarking on this new quest and deepening my understanding of yoga through teaching others to teach it. From the get go of teaching yoga I was truly astounded how deeply teaching would resonate within my being and how it would also teach me in my teaching. Something about approaching knowledge and seeking for answers that teaching brings out in me. Namaste!

A couple photo sessions with one of the best friends from my walk in this lifetime. And considering he is legally blind makes the photo series that much more spectacular. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152002854650013.883811.562605012&type=3 http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152003805010013.883988.562605012&type=3 It was a lot of fun. We will most likely be doing photo series like this here and there calling them 'The Adventures of the Autistic Yogi and the Blind Photographer' just wait till I start sharing the wisdom of the Blind Photographer through the view of the Autistic Yogi.. most of it though I would have to considerably alter or make my blog into adult only. Namaste

The Quickening of Time and General Thoughts from a Yogi

This past July seamed to pass in a matter of days rather then a full month. This could be in part to it being a tremendously content month. I took part in a 3rd Yoga Teacher Training through Yoga Passage in Calgary. This time I got to participate in a teaching capacity a lot more. I also had the opportunity to take some restorative training with Judith Lasater and I feel so grateful for having had that opportunity. Also had my first official interview from a person interested in my perceptions as a Yogi having a form of Autism (Asperger's Syndrome) *read the article here http://theflowchannel.com/2012/08/02/yoga-with-aspergers-an-interview-with-lyle-anderson/ I am in the midst of doing some research so that I can start a teacher training program of my own. The thought keeps passing through my mind 'don't seek enlightenment merely cease to attach to your belief.'

A Yogi Reflects on Yoga as a method of Self-Healing

Self-Healing...
Saying these words in my head takes me back to the reason I practice yoga which was the same as the first moment I stepped onto the mat, Liberation... I needed to be liberated from myself because I was on a path of self-destruction, self-hatred, etc and I needed to change and had no clue how until I stepped on the mat and did a yoga practice. I have not looked back because the self-healing that has resulted by reason of practicing some form of yoga daily changed me at the deepest levels.

I define yoga as the 'resolving the unchecked/chaotic fluctuations of the mind'. It is unhealthy when our minds run rampant unchecked and unresolved, we deteriate in our capacity to handle stresses and chances are we are highly likely to cry over spilled milk. I refuse to see yoga as a set of postures that we move through in a specified amount of time. Certainly the asana's (physical postures) play a vital role in achieving yoga. The asana's are a method of practicing yoga and needs to include an honest examination of the way we practice it, for the way we approach the physical postures is often how we approach life on a daily basis.
My healing is about being mindful, becoming more aware, increasing my ability to perceive and infer correct knowledge when presented with it.
My healing is about using tapas to take me to another level but never at the expense of ahimsa, and when I have harmed myself or others then I need to come back to examining myself truthfully and accepting the consequences of those actions without attaching myself to them.
Today my yoga might just be taking a moment to stare at a candle till my eyes water so that I can learn how to clean another aspect of my being. Or it might be reading an article or writing something related to my healing or yoga in general.

What do you do for Self-Healing?

Reflections of a Yogi...

With the increase of practitioners and teachers of yoga there is certainly an increase to injuries encountered in yoga.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/908

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668470,00.html

There have been many many articles written about the dangers of doing yoga and they will continue to increase as more and more individuals come to the mat.

I have definitely injured myself in my practice.. the worst of them was when I became excited about my progress in upavistha konasana A (Wide-angle seated forward fold)and was showing numerous people throughout the period of a day my progress.. The last time I did the pose that day I grabbed my toes and took my torso forward and felt something like ripping in the back of my right thigh. Now a year later I still feel the damage that was caused and every time I go into a forward fold I am reminded of what pride and excitement can lead to when done carelessly. I truly do believe that through a modified practice, smart movements and increased awareness that I can completely be healed in the area.

One of the fun areas of practicing and teaching yoga for me is in the area of discovery. With the knowledge that is increasing about safe yoga I am excited to learn and to put into practical application that knowledge.

Its no small reason that the first rung of yoga is the Yama's and the first of the Yama's is Ahimsa (Do no harm, tolerance, non-violence) so tolerate a slow practice that cultivates true awareness and brings relaxation to the mind and body and build strength slowly but certainly, progress at a rate that is intelligent and wise. Have fun while doing it and enjoy life. Breath easy!