The Autistic Yogi Searchs for Litererature and Videos on Joint Mobilization

Joint Mobilization, what?
  Each of our joints should work within an average range of motion. Often we can be fixated on either stretching or strengthening and not pay attention to the mobility of the joint. Each joint will have a specific range of motion that is considered natural and age appropriate.
  Following is my attempt at getting together a list of artilces, books, and videos that discuss joint mobility and range of motion.

Articles

1. http://warriorfitness.org/tag/joint-mobility/
2. Dynamic Joint Mobility

Books

1. Super Joints: Russian Longevity Secrets for Pain-Free Movement
2. Free to Move: With the Intu-flow Longevity System
3. Move your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement
4. 
   

Videos & Dvds

1. INTU-FLOW: Moderate, Sustainable Exercise for Pain-Free Health and Longevity - Coach Scott Sonnon
2. Intu-Flow Beginner Program - Coach Scott Sonnon
3. Intu-Flow Intermediate Program - Coach Scott Sonnon
4. Ageless Mobility - Coach Scott Sonnon lecture

Principles

1. SAID - Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand
2. Wolff's Law - How bone adapts to imposed demands
3. Utah Paradigm of Bone physiology - Mechanostat - advancing Wolff's Law theory.
4. Functional Matrix Hypothesis
5. Davis' Law - How soft tissue adapts with imposed demand.
6. Mechanoreceptors - 
7. Classification and mechanisms of action

Individuals with (possible) Extensive Knowledge on Joint Mobility

1. Pavel Tsatsouline
2. Scott Sonnon
3. Steve Maxwell
4. David Russen

Manual Therapies that Utilize Joint Mobility

1. Osteopath
2. Chiropractor
3. Massage Therapy
4. Physical Therapist
5. Occupational Therapist

Martial Art Forms that have a Major Emphasis on Joint Mobility

1. Systema
2. Baguazhang
3. T'ai chi ch'uan

Joint Mobilization
  It appears that there is tons of information in the martial arts world about joint mobilization, which makes perfect sense seeing that hand to hand or hand held weapon combat is going to have a huge focus on how our joints work and how the take forces.

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on How Yoga Helped Me for those whom have children diagnosed with Autism.

Over the past few years I have been asked a few times by people who have children that were recently diagnosed on the Autism spectrum to share with them how yoga helped to transform me.

When I first came to practice yoga regularly I had hit rock bottom in my life so I can't say whether or not yoga would have influenced me as much as it has simply because of coming into it from rock bottom. What I can say though is that if I were to have learned some of the aspects of yoga then just maybe my meltdowns and my tantrums may have not been as severe. 

Getting to know my body helped me to get in touch with myself in a way I could not have imagined. 

Learning to breath in specific ways helped me to take the edge of anxiety or anger, and helped me to focus my attention some place other then what may have used to cause obsessive thinking.

Teaching yoga has helped me to further understand other people. I think its important for us to engage one another but it became apparent that I was not 'reading' other peoples body language and facial expressions properly. I read the book 'The Definitive Guide of Body Language', which helped me to intellectualize and slowly start to understand others expressions. I have heard that some parents have made games to help their children to recognize the different facial expressions. Another friend of mine who is an Asperger took a sign language course and said that helped her a lot.  I still have a lot of difficulty understanding peoples social cues, especially when it comes to sharing in language, often I have said things that I find out later are not your 'normal' social engagements, whether or not that has put a wedge between people and me, I am not sure.

Early in dedicating to a yoga practice I would go to the yoga studio if I were feeling anxious in anyway to take a class. I would sometimes go as much as 4 times a day. I would read as much as I could about it. And eventually became a teacher.

I don't think it was/is the yoga itself that truly helped me, rather it was the focusing on something that was healthy, and having my family and friends encourage me on the path.

My strong suggestion is that if your child finds an interest in something that is healthy for them to do then encourage them with it, even if others may think its bizarre. And if your child loses interest in it then allow them to and don't attempt to force them back into it. 

 It can be tragically exhausting to deal with the fullness of any disorder/syndrome/disease, so as the primary caregivers to this child make sure that you get yourself some respite, that time for you to recharge and be able to settle your tensions.  

Learn empathy above sympathy. 

Find the ways that you can connect and encourage.

Learn how to use your breath.

Most of all love.

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Yogic Non-Breathing, Tapas and Ahimsa, Mudita and Comparing Ourselves to Others....

Review and Rebuttal on http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/yoga-moves-to-avoid-mistakes-fails_n_4137583.html

1. Yogic Non-Breathing.
  We often hear that it is not ok to hold your breath while we are moving through our asana. I am going to agree and disagree.
  I agree in so far as that it is very important to be breathing but one factor is that we tend to breath a lot more then we actually need to. And it is a part of yoga to train longer breaths and breath retention. To see that holding the breath is in fact not harmful, stand in your tadasana and take a breath in and hold for as long as is comfortable while paying attention to your posture. Release and try the same on exhale. If you stayed within your comfort of breath retention than you probably were able to maintain a strong posture and maybe even concentrate a little stronger then if you were to be focusing on your breathing pattern. If your a beginner I recommend to not get caught up in the breath and just allow yourself to breath as you naturally do.
  The breath has a purpose and reason and its very testable in when to do breath retention, as you will see in this video by Simon Borg-Olivier

  Be aware of when your holding your breath and why you are doing so. Work within the confines of your capacity without pushing the edge to far. There are many supporting evidences that training your breath holds can be an advantage.
  Yoga is very much about learning how to use the breath in different manners.

2. Tapas (determination, heat, austerity, dedication) and Ahimsa (non-harm, acceptance)
  As we navigate our personal practice through the many different styles of yoga we will all come to a rather differing realization of what is our current tapas and/or ahimsa. To one person tapas will be just getting to the mat and being there, to another tapas is going to be doing the simple variation of a posture, and yet to another its going to be getting through the most grueling yoga class that can be offered.
  Ahimsa is no different. And I firmly believe that if I impose my personal ahimsa upon you than I am not acting within the bounds of ahimsa. If pushing yourself to your edge constantly is what you find your focus in then so be it. I need to accept that and if injury results than I still need to accept that without going into a blaming attitude 'maybe you shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard', 'he is always taking everything right to the edge','she doesn't know when to quit'. How many people like to hear 'I told you so'. I sure don't.
  There is a thin line between tapas and harm if your the type who does push the edge, but when you play on the edge you are going to learn a lot about your personal ahimsa and tapas in a different way then a person who chooses to do the gentle variations of every posture. Life is living and living is loving.
  There is also a different between pain and intense feeling. It can be very beneficial for people to learn the difference between taking a posture or movement to intense feeling compared to pain. Pain we want to avoid, intense feeling can be very beneficial. Only the individual moving through their personal practice can make the judgement where that line is. (of course the obvious can be judged, they pressed so hard into the posture that they tore their ligament)

3. Mudita vs Comparing Yourself
  We all have looked at another person while they did something or obtained something and felt that tinge of jealousy or excitment. Some of those times we felt down on ourselves and sometimes we did not.
  The Buddhists have a mediation practice called Mudita.  This is to start cultivating the values of Mudita, which means to have joy for others in their health and accomplishments. Live vicariously through those others for that moment and feel happiness for them. You will have ample opportunity for someone to return that love.
  I don't think pushing down our feelings is beneficial in anyway, but I do think evolving our emotional states is of all benefit. Envy, jealousy, resentment can all evolved to become sympathetic, vicarious, joyous, accepting, and happy.

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on the S.a.i.d principle...

S.a.i.d. principle
 Specific adaptation to imposed demand.
 When giving the body specific stressors its inherit behavior is going to be to adapt. The more often that the same stressor is imposed on the body than the more likely the body will adapt to it. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
  Adaptation in of itself does not necessarily mean better over all but implies something more specific.
  If I adapt to a sitting posture for 50% or more of my waking hours then my other activities may very well suffer as I adapt to being a sitting entity.
  I would figure that the more time that we spend doing something over a long period of time than the greater the adaptation our neural and musculoskeletal system will adapt to accommodate or strengthen the activity (yes I am saying the act of sitting is an activity). It would make sense for the hip flexors to become shorter so that the position can be maintained longer.
 To try and undo the results of 8 hours of activity in 1 hour (even if working harder in that 1 hour then in the 8) the biology of our being is going to favor the 8 hour activity for adaptation rather than the 1 hour.  This is one of the reasons that I feel that yoga doesn't just constitute what I do when I go to the studio and onto the mat and say move this foot here and this hand there, bend here and do this and that, but its about what I do throughout the whole of my day:

•   How do I choose to stand in lineups or at a counter? 
• Do I favor leaning to one leg and jutting my hip out? 
• Do I lean predominantly onto one side of my body?
• When I find myself standing straight do I chronicaly turn one leg out to the side further than the other?
• Do I have an easier time looking left or right?
• How do I lift objects that are on the floor?
• Do I attempt to be conscious of my thoughts?
• How am I breathing?
• Can I scan my whole body for sensations? or am I fairly numb to the sensations going on within my body?

Take a few moments to consider what demand your imposing on your body. Working harder in a shorter range of time will not make up for less effort over a greater amount of time. Explore balance. Try new things out. Find your edge and see if over time you can push the edge further away. Above all make sure that in all of this that you find fun!

Metta

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on the Path of Life.

Walking the path.

Imagine that you lived in a dense forest that was difficult to travel through because of how thick the growth was. You felt capable of surviving as the food here was sufficient for you to live. First you slowly made your way through the thickness and found shelter and then over the period of years you build paths from one section to another, depending on resources. The paths that were well travelled became easier and easier over time to travel as you carved your way through the thick and learned how to manage it. The unbeaten paths still could be quite difficult.

Our bodies are the same way.

Life is the thick forest and as we move through life we start to carve our trails. Our friends, family, work, hang out spots, shopping locations, vacation locations are the resources. Even the activities we engage in can be seen as resources, do you weight lift, jog or run, dance, yoga, swim, meditate? These all are resources and how much time we spend discovering more about our preferred activities or friends or working then the  easier it becomes to navigate that trail to that resource.Ultimately it is each of our responsibility to decide the paths we take to the resources that we claim.

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Acceptance, Teaching, Practicing, Alignment and Teacher Training

Today I really noticed that I have a lot of work on letting go as a teacher of yoga. Often my mind attempts to make judgments when students seam to be non-compliant, that is to say they are not doing the postures that I am asking, or they look frustrated or bored. Even though I know logically that for so very many reasons a person may choose to not do a posture and they might be dealing with some heavy issues that make them seam like they are unhappy, most likely it has nothing to do with me or with the posture.

Enforcing my vision of the Yamas and Niyamas on another goes against the very principles I am attempting to cultivate. I consider ahimsa to be acceptance, and I have to accept that others are going through crap that I am not privy to and if its about me than I am bound to find out without having to assume all about it.

More often than not as a practitioner I can just stay focused completely on my own mat, although aware of others around me I am intent on my own personal practice rather than observing others and their practice. But as a teacher you have to be aware of others in their practice. I don't for a moment believe that a posture must be done in a particular way for it to be correct other than that it feels correct to the practitioner over time. I support natural and authentic movement. When we start to get into refinements like the heel must intersect the arche of the foot in warrior 2 or the foot must be turned in 45 degrees in warrior 1. I can not find anything that holds up to peer reviewed scrutiny that actually supports these thought processes. They work for some and dont work for others.  There are 8.4 million possible combinations to put your body into and many are detrimental combinations for you but helpful to another.  Acceptance.

I am considering to make public each of my yoga teacher training notes as I complete each weekend of teaching. Will have to go through them and clean them up.

Metta!

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Friends, Social Networking and Life

Lately I have been considering how much effort it takes to maintain numerous quality friendships. In-depth friendship is a lot of work. It takes time and effort to build and maintain those friendships. If  a person takes on to many close friendships than certainly most if not all of them will lack in the depth of ability to really know and be vulnerable.  It would be great if we were not bound by the constraints of time and energy but in this present reality, that is the case.

In my experience social networking has not made it easier for me to not be around people. It has made it easier for me to stay in touch with people who I may never have otherwise seen again, except by 'coincidence' at some point in the future.  And we can't pretend to know what any other person commits in time to online activities unless we are constantly around that person and know there habits through and through.  I don't mind a friend checking their phone or messaging someone when we are in a face to face meeting but if they spend a majority of our time together on their device then I won't likely be seeking them out in the future. That experience though should not be the basis of judgment I use when considering how others utilize their devices. Like anything else, attempt at using items intelligently.

I can count on one hand those people in my life that I consider amazingly good friends. This does not cheapen the many other friendships that I have had in life, fore I am grateful for each and every person who has crossed my path and I wish them the best and would in a heart beat continue to work on our friendship if given the opportunity, time and energy to do so.

Those who are in our life are precious and greater than any earthly treasure.

Metta!

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Breath, Mind, Nidra and Yoga Teacher Training

'What compels my breath? where does it start from?' the words reverberated through my mind. Pausing at the bottom of the exhale, no tension present, fully relaxed, blanket folded under my neck and bolster supporting my legs. Tanis was taking us through a nidra meditation of sorts and I was in a state of awareness, the more I tried to intellectualize the question in my mind the more I was leaving the mediation and deep relaxation, unable to find in me that place where the breath is compelled, for the longer I went without the breath the more that my whole body yearned for the comfort of oxygen and what ever micro elements that give us life.  I allowed my body to fill to capacity on the inhale without forcing the breath, a pause at the top, there was no start or end that I could detect there either..... "Count 10 breaths, Start at 10 and count backwards"... exhale 10.... inhale 10.... exhale 9.... inhale 9..... exhale 8.... inhale 8, I counted down to 1 in this manner, breath deep and invigorating and as I got to 1 the narrative continued.... We progressed through the body. Observing without movement.  We got to the heart 'What is my hearts greatest desire?'.. As my mind posited this question I tried to go through the things in life that had brought me a sense of desire; was it others? Community? Affection? Intimacy? Food? or the many other countless things in life?  None of these really seamed to be the greatest desire of my heart.. Peace, Peace, Peace - This is my hearts greatest desire.

This was the end of the first day to the 7th Yoga Teacher Training that I have been involved in. This is also the largest group I have been involved in 34 students. It took 1.5 hours for us to go around the circle and share our names and story.
The amount of opinions that have been shared about Yoga Teacher Trainings I have heard now that I have been involved in this many trainings and had the opportunity to speak to many teachers and students is profound.  There is the distinct split down the centre - on the one hand there are those who think there are to many trainings and to many unqualified teachers teaching yoga and then the other side that thinks there is a tremendous need for yoga teachers and the world is in need of more trainings and more teachers of yoga.
Before I can be on either side I need more information and more insight.
I do believe that Trainings should follow a protocol of sorts (a curriculum) and be held accountable to that curriculum. We can't judge a book by its cover, but only by the contents that are written in it.
The Shiva Samhita goes into the varying degrees of pracitioners (Sadhaka/Sadhika) and gives them as feeble, average, superior and supreme, it goes so far as to give some detail what benefits each of these practitioners the most.
Most people who teach yoga are more student than teacher, especially when taken in the context of the old ways, where a person served/studied under his Guru/Teacher for a period of 12 years before going out on their own (I do question whether this is in all traditions historically passed down). I have seen all these levels and I think they can be utilized to see all people in. Most likely we have tendencies that ebb and flow between them, at least for me they do. The one that hits me the most, and in a way that encourages the deepest part of my being to seek liberation is the feeble practitioner; These individuals having heard your words, your practice, your being, go away and speak harsh things and criticize without regard, they are best served with using mantra work. I do not want to be this feeble practitioner and so do personal mantra work every day. Ganesha to remove the obstacles and Gayatri to keep me focused on the pure and divine.

Our minds are immense and can lead us to so very many different perceptions and thoughts. The mind is such a blessing as we get to experience love, laughter and all the beauty of life. I love this moment.

Metta

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Dealing with Hard Times and Owning Our Crap

These past years I have found that the best way for me to get through tough times is to focus on my practice. My practice to me is obviously yoga. A have a renewed energy to explore my personal practice that is away from prying eyes that allows me to comfortably explore movement patterns that are new.  
Also refusing to withdraw from people has been a major major help for me in not succumbing to the darker sides of repression and depression. Sometimes though we have moments that slap us in the face and show us that our behaviours are not acceptable, these are harsh lessons, but can add a tremendous amount of value if we find those aspects that lead to positive change.

Recently I had a falling out with a most wonderful friend. It was all my fault, in an act of self assuming indignation I said things that were far less than what consitutes indignation and was actually unrighteous anger. This drove a huge wedge between us and made this person unwilling to share in depth with me any more at this time. Instead of letting this take me down and out I will have my moment of grief and I will take a look at that aspect of me that holds onto attempting to control and manipulate to get what I want and accept that state that I am a mere participant in a divine and evolving play.

Metta

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Yoga Teacher Training #5

This is the 4th time that I have participated in the Yoga Passage's Yoga Teacher Training.  This year is the smallest of the 4 times that I have been involved. There were 25 to 33 students in the previous trainings and now there is 14.

The major difference I feel this time around is that when I am asked to teach the group I have soo very much more surety and confidence.  I really do love sharing about yoga and anything related to the topic.

Over these 5 trainings I have developed up a curriculum for a basic 200 hour training and have considered what I would love to see in a 300 hour bridge to become a 500 hour certified teacher.

Every single training is so vastly different as the differing experiences, emotions, presentations of each person mix into the whole of the training. So much knowledge in one space.

Participating really allows me to study myself. The reactions I have with each person or each teaching.

One of the majors that I keep coming back to is - keep it in the scope of a 200 hour training. Its so easy to go off into the depths of knowledge in one topic and then invariably other topics suffer. I would much prefer to give a base foundation for a 200 hour training so that each of my students/peers is able to go beyond the basics with any other person.

Always remembering that even though I think that all I know is true, in fact I know that at least half of that is wrong. My problem is that I don't know what half. Continuously while life is present I am a student, regardless how much I teach.

Loving kindness is my daily meditation.

Metta!

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on the Flood in Calgary 2013

Today was another full day of work helping out the community of Mission in Calgary, Alberta. This is where I stayed the past couple months in Calgary up to the day of the flood.  

Seeing all the selfless people coming and taking part warms my heart and reinforces my belief that we will have a bright future.

If all that you can do is take a case of water or make sandwiches and take them to the men and woman that are hauling the refuse out then you are contributing something good.  When those of us who are capable of being on a worksite have others that bring us food and water that means that we can stay focused as a crew.
If all that you can do is open your house to a person or an animal then you have taken part in making this better.
If all that you can do is send love to those who are busy working then you too have taken part.
If you happened to take pictures and posted them you have done your part by allowing others to be aware of what is happening.

Awareness is a huge part.

If you are going to enter a community that is being cleared please be aware of where you park so that construction and emergency vehicles have a clear pass if and as they need.

Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

And please don't spread hate for any reason and speak in the language of love.

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on a Cadaver Lab

"It is crucial to be mindful of death - to contemplate that you will not remain long in this life" ~Dalai Lama

Today I took part in a Cadaver Lab that was hosted at the University of Calgary and conducted by Seminars For Health. This was my 2nd lab.

Having the opportunity to work with prosections (already dissected and prepared for viewing) has been very helpful for me to gain greater insight into the inner workings of the body and discover that there is far more going on then I could have previously imagined as direct others and myself through movement.

So many people attribute yoga as stretching and I am not sure why these 2 have become synonymous with each other. Looking through the surface of our being shows that so much more goes on when moving or holding a posture, like how the nerves, veins, arteries, organs are moved, stretched, flossed.
I have not been to a yoga class yet that the teacher mentions how a particular movement affects or is effected by a movement or position other then online ( Simon Borg-Olivier ). There is tons of online information about how a particular position of the body and activation of muscles or movement directs tension into a nerve.

Seeing the one cadaver that was cut down the centre was truly an astounding site. Seeing the pituitary within the brain, the septum of the nose, the sinuses, the spinal cord, spinal column, etc, etc on one side and the other.. just WOW

I wonder if orthopaedic assessment techniques for each joint complex would be useful for Yoga Teachers to learn?

Loving life!

Namaste,
~Lyle

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Adjustmens, Assists, Modifications, Human Touch and Props in Yoga

Since getting much more indepth into the acro/partner yoga I have become far more interested in adjusting and modifying in yoga. It definitely always held an intrigue through the years of doing yoga but it was only in the least 3 years that I feel that I was comfortable other people touching me, or at least not being totally side lined by someone else touch because I have a tremendously poor ability in understanding other peoples body language.

So far adjustments have been involved in the 4-200 hour teacher trainings I have been involved in and the smatters of Workshops that I have taken over the last few years. Progressively becoming more and more refined as I discover the essence of the individual and how comfortable I am with others as I approach an adjustment/assist.


Book & DVD Resources for Adjusting, Modifications and Human Touch

1. Yoga Posture Adjustments and Assisting: An Insightful Guide for Yoga Teachers and Students also available in Kindle.
2. Hands-on Adjustments: Techniques for Adjusting Yoga Postures by David Keil
3. Yoga Assists by Sharon Gannon & David Life
4. 
   

Online Resources - Videos & Articles

1. 
   

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Yoga and Business, Yoga as Business

  If only I could figure out how to get a 'Manager' to do all my banking and business aspects of my yoga career.

  The hardest part of all this yoga business is the business aspect of it all. Running a teacher training, teaching at multiple studios, taxes, insurance, etc, etc.. It can all seam rather overwhelming, I am sure that someone business minded could make a living just managing us free lance yoga teachers.

  Where do I look and whom do I ask?

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Restorative and Therapeutic Yoga

  A distinction should be made between Restorative Yoga & Yoga Therapy.
  Restorative yoga is when 3 or more points of contact have been made between the body and external supports (floor, wall, props, etc), that allow the musculoskeletal system to relax, while this can be therapeutic it does not constitute and neither should be synonymous with Therapeutic Yoga.
  Therapeutic Yoga is yoga geared towards recovery from physical and/or mental injury/deficit. Yoga Therapy classes most likely will have each practitioner doing a particular pre-planned practice that accommodates there particular needs. The instructor is there to give aid in setting them up in their postures and usually have a restriction on the number of participants (usually no more then 8 unless the teacher is exceptional at being able to calmly move from one person to another and keep track of everyone with ease).
  There is a huge surge in both types of yoga and it will be increasing important for a distinction to be made between the two.

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on 10 minutes

What can happen in 10 minutes?
How many thoughts can be considered in 10 minutes?
Can immense accomplishment result in 10 minutes?

Years ago when I crafted jewelery and armor (chainmaille) I was struck that in a years time if I spent 10 minutes daily crafting, it would amount to quite a bit over a year. It was nice to approach crafting so casually, and certainly there were many moments that I spent far more then 10 minutes, none the less it proved to me that a lot can be accomplished when setting aside 10 minutes.

I think 10 minutes a day spent on the self and only for the self is wise. This might come in the form of meditation, concentration, reading funny things, looking in the mirror and giving positive motivation. Now and again we will definitely surpass the 10 minutes but even 10 minutes  a day will accumulate to 360 minutes (6 hours) in a year.

If you spend 10 minutes a day working on a posture then that is quite and accumulation of posture work over the period of a year.

How many amazing correspondences I have had that lasted no longer then 10 minutes I can not say.

So for today just take 10 minutes to focus on something that you find to be fun or something that you have as a goal and take a small baby step towards it.

So there is te possibility to go to mars on a permanent colonization mission. This is a deep dream of mine.

http://applicants.mars-one.com/

Except that chances are because of my diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome I may not even be considered a viable candidate.

While I do not want to be of the first groups to go to Mars I would love to go once there is a small established colonization. None the less I would love for people like me to have the opportunity to go.

On choosing someone to go to mars.

It says that a person should not have a psychiatric disorder and I have to question this as I think it's archaic and perpetrates the myth that something is truly wrong with everyone that has a diagnosis of a mental state.
This especially holds true for those individuals that, through self motivation and community help were able to overcome severe odds.
These individuals could be ideal candidates for a permanent space mission if they show the aptitude to utilize the skills that helped them to overcome those odds.
It will not be an if for problems to arise aboard a mission of such magnitude, that's a certainty and I think with some people present who have overcome some deep mental struggles could truly benefit the mission. Especially in colonizing another planet.
Individuals regardless of psychiatric diagnosis should be given the opportunity to compete through all the tests that any other prospective candidate would be taken through.

A couple factors tht I think would make me a good candidate to participate in this life mission:
1. I am a team player. I can both take direction or lead.
2. I am a good problem solver.
3. Self motivated.
4. A deep willingness to learn.
5. Ability to discuss matters on most subjects and keep myself composed.
6. A growing understanding of stree in the body and different methods that help to alleviate this stress.
7. Goo capacity to look at a body and have base understanding of its patterns.
8. Physically fit.
9. Willingness to step forward and take action and willingness to cease the action when presented with knowledge that how's that action to be of negative value.
10. Ability to adapt to situations.

Reflections on Yoga

  Even though a person does not need to learn about anatomy and physiology formally in order to master the asana that has popularized yoga in the west, it sure can help to increase understanding of what is happening as the individual moves through their day to day life.
  In some moments an individual can practice a technique in a manner that is unsafe which than can exacerbate existing problems or create new ones all together. This is when having an understanding of form and function in an anatomical and physiological stand point is very useful.
  Individuals that have not delved into the anatomy and physiology of our being can become very adept at understanding their own body but it can be quite difficult for them to develop a true empathy for another persons unique differences in anatomy and physiology.

  Hatha Yoga is the physical practice of moving in particular ways and holding particular postures. Hatha itself denotes 'force' so any of the physical asana practices fall under the term of Hatha Yoga.
  Yoga is most widely termed as 'Union'.
  Hatha yoga is the physical exercise that has evolved mainly through the history of India and has recently moved across the globe. It is an attempt at unifying the body, brain and spirit by encouraging and increasing the movement of prana (energy) and citta (mind, information, mental processes as a whole) through the nadis (channels) of the body. In turn the individuals health and vital life force is increased and there is an easier time recovering from setbacks.


Further reflections to come

Random Reflections of an Autistic Yogi

The previous weekend I had organized a friend who has been teaching meditation for sometime to come and each a meditation workshop on the Friday for my 5th weekend of Yoga Workshops in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and she brought the focus to a simple meditation prospect, which I will attempt to describe:

Just as an experiment imagine that there was no past, the past dissolves away, it no longer exists.....
There is no future, the future dissolves away, it no longer exists....
There is no identity, the ego dissolves away, it no longer exists....
What is left? Go deeper into that.....

On the Saturday Angela Ditch, a friend who has delved deeply into the 3Ho Kundalini lineage ( http://www.3ho.org/ ) taught a few workshops. This really inspired me into some different thought processes one of which is looking at Kundlini rising within us. That at any given moment there may be a rising of a kundlini energy but it ends, almost like a faucet that is turned on and off. Kundalini awakening is when this facet is opened and an endless amount of energy rises. Wether this is truth or not I have yet to discern.
This being my 3rd Kundalini class goes to show that the intense patterns of moving, especially the transverse movements, cause my vestibular system to activate intensely causing a nauseating feeling within me.
I was always the child who would get ill when being spun on the tire swing at school. I will seek more answeres for certain.

Everything is as it aught to be in this moment :)

The Autistic Yogi Reflects on Teaching in New Spaces

Class sizes ahve dramatically changed for me. Going from teaching 10-20 classes a week to an average of 2-4 students to a class size of 15 or more on average has had a tremendous effect on my pre-class nervousness.
To navigate feedback from the student body from class sizes that large is a rather hard endeavor.  Most if not all feedback so far goes through a funnel, going up to the Manager or studio owner and then is delivered to the practitioner.
The questions that hit me are: 

Is all criticism/feedback reflective of the larger % of the group?

How much conformity needs to be had in order to appease holding a class structure?

Are there any hard rules that make transitioning experimental classes easier?

Will there ever be a chance to appease all practitioners?

Having Aspergers and communication in large groups has always been a slight difficulty, where I am more likely to have the Um's Ah's and other go to words that have little to no place in the dialogue of teaching.. What is a best way to get over those without going to toastmasters?

Going into new spaces has a very peculiar feeling, So many aspects of our being that take on a new light when we observe them as a non-partial observer.

A little scattered today, and it feels great :)

Namaste!

Reflections of the Autistic Yogi

  The move to Calgary has been super. It is definitely a city of motivation, so many areas that can be explored and there is always something to do, but one must be motivated to spend a lot of time in transit to enjoy all those aspects. One of the difficulties for me has been in how to navigate my time in all these activities.
  Thankfully yoga has been my major path and my old behaviour of complete withdrawal when I get overwhelmed. Often in the past it was like my brain would just shut off and stop making decisions, which I think is rooted in the freeze response portion of the flight or flight. Now I have moments where I exhibit this behaviour but it does not have as deep of a hold on me as it once did.

  I taught 4 karma classes through the holidays, all at the Yoga Passage in Calgary.
1)Christmas day I had over 40 people show up, I do believe that this will be my new tradition, teaching or practising yoga on Christmas day. Had Surya DancingBuddha adjusting the students of the class.
2)Regular Karma class - It continues to hit me that there are over 50 people coming to this class and when I was teaching at Love Life Hot Yoga maybe 10 or 15 people came to the class.
3)New Years Eve - Co-taught this class with Dr. Carolyn Hutchinson (Orthopedic Surgeon,B.Sc.Kinesiology, MD., LMCC, FRCS(C), YTC) which was a super blessing to experience. I would reformat it though and spend a little more time one on one with another teacher and really plan out some ideas as to what to do and when. Again about 50 people and Surya DancingBuddha adjusted the students of the class.
4)New Years Day - This was the busiest of all the classes yet, I am sure that 60 people showed up. It was such a blessing to participate with so many people on the first day of the year.


The beginning of the year has had a lot of focus on practicing partner yoga.
Signed up for another anatomy and physiology course. This one through Yogadotcalm which so far is review but now and again a tidbit of info makes its way through and adds to my collection of memes.