3/26/26 Live Session Recording (Module 9)

I wasn't able to attend the live session, but I watched the recording. I enjoyed the discussion of Santosha and how it asks us to consider what we can realistically do in this time in our lives. I've been nervous about the next steps and about the facilitation parts of training but after hearing people speak about how it eased their nerves to practice on screen, I am excited to try it out next week when I can start attending live again. These have been a very busy few weeks, so it's been hard to keep on top of everything. Santosha asks us to consider what we can contribute to ourselves and to community. The best thing I can do right now is focus on how to set boundaries on my time and not overbook or over-schedule myself which has happened often in these past few weeks. Academia as a profession takes and asks a lot out of people and for women, it is even worse. We are constantly asked to perform more and work harder than our male colleagues just for the same or lower pay. It is Santosha that has me considering a new career which will bring me more peace. I also have been working on saying no to things and to the overs-scheduling of my days. These reflections have helped me to slow down and to remember that because of how busy things get, I can and should also schedule time for myself to rest and to reflect and recover. 

I'm going to answer the second prompt, as I was unable to attend class live and am most concerned about the actaul facilitation and sequencing of it all when it comes to this training. The first thing that sticks out to me about this sequence is the use of tabletop pose, which I know is one of the more potentially triggering and vulnerable pose, if Im recalling correctly I think Jen said she almost never uses this in a carceral setting. I personally dont think I would be comfortable demonstrating this full expression, and I probably wouldnt offer it in a prison unless I knew the group really well and the participants where in a circle where no one was behind anyone else. Instead, a standing forward bend grasping the back of a chair could acheive similar centering and allow for the bending and flexion of a cat/cow series.

In this moment, finding Santosha takes a lot of conscious effort. Feeling as content as we possibly can with all that is weighing our minds with discontentment. The lines are often blurry and, luckily we have meditation practices to gain perspective and clarity. Much like creativity, there is a universal undercurrent of mindfulness that is accessible to all of us and, is the reason i am a Yoga teacher, this isn't taught in school or even at home most of the time. Sharing is caring. 

Creating an adaptive yoga sequence, to me, means that us teachers are the ones that need to be adaptive. Attaching to the expectation that a class we have come up with will work for everyone who joins will lead to disappointment on both ends. It's not for everyone, but through experience and trust in my intuition I don't plan, but teach what comes from observing the room, listening to students chat with each other and, feeling the energy presented to me. For example, yesterday I envisioned a downward dog flow for class and had two students come in and explain to me they had wrist injury or pains. I switched to a leg strengthening and balance flow because both were in pain from falling. We learn through our own practice how to tune in to others needs in theirs. 

Overall, contentment is something I really struggle with. Lately, self-compassion (and noticing/gently challenging my patterns of self-judgment) has been one of the most helpful ways I’ve been working toward it. Santosha, for me, connects a lot to both Asteya and Satya. I notice how often I compare myself to others, or to some artificial, culturally shaped standard that isn’t even grounded in reality. There’s also this layer where I judge myself for not feeling content (as if I “should” be) which just creates more discontent (discontent about being discontent lol). A small example: I went to a Friday morning community class recently, and I felt really anxious and restless, even afterward, when I’d usually feel calmer. When I reflected on it, I realized I was comparing myself to a past version of myself, which only intensified that sense of unease.

While watching the recording, I really loved Jen’s definition of the purpose of yoga so much that I replayed it just to write it down: “Let us not be an enemy within the confines of our meat suit.” It made me laugh out loud, but it also really landed for me. There’s already so much in the world to feel discontented about, so why add to that by being at odds with my own body and mind? Right now, I’m also in a pretty liminal space in life. My work hours have been cut due to working in LGBTQ+ health on a federal grant, my partner was recently injured and need surgery, I’m about to graduate after three years of working full time while in school, and I’m in the middle of job interviews. There’s a lot of tension, hope, despair, grief, uncertainty, and constant movement from one thing to the next. In that context, the idea of contentment can feel so out of reach, or even a little unrealistic/silly/absurd. But I’m starting to see how my thinking can become very all-or-nothing. Maybe “total” contentment (if that even exists?) isn’t always accessible, especially in moments like this. And maybe that’s exactly when it becomes most important to carve out space for myself, my practice, my community: to remind myself that, even in the midst of everything, I do really already have what I need within me.

@phernyogagmail-com One of my favourite teachers is one who always comes into class with a really curious almost mischevious look on her face, and then asks us what we want in the class and incorporates it. I don't think it always needs to be that explicit but I really like the idea of being able to switch things up based on, as you said, the energy in the room and what people are needing or craving.

Lately I have been thinking about how to facilitate yoga for people using a chair or wall because a few weeks ago I saw a picture of someone doing Warrior One with the support of a chair and it really sort of blew my mind. Also one of my neighbours recently told me that she started doing yoga at home but that it hurts sometimes when she does yoga so I was thinking of how to use the wall or the chair to make it more accessible because yoga shouldn't hurt. I think that most of the sequence on page 54 could be adapted for use in chairs either seated or with the chair as a support, although Pidgeon Pose would not work. Normally for an alternative to Pidgeon Pose instructors offer the pose where one lays on their back and makes a figure-four shape with their one leg over the other but I don't know if this same shape would provide much opening in the hips if someone was seated upright, I suppose I can experiment later (I'm laying down right now and don't want to move). I'm trying to think what other pose provides the same function as Pidgeon and Figure-Four in terms of hip-opening which would be appropriate for yoga in a chair- I'm wondering if maybe the pose where you sit upright on your mat and hold your own leg and move it side to side would be a good fit, as this would provide an opportunity to experience that hip opening and yogis could explore that stretch even while seated in a chair (instead of a mat). I'm also wondering for Goddess Pose if someone seated would be able to raise their legs in the chair and do the position that way, though I wonder about stability as all weight would be resting the chair through the pelvis. Hopefully at least some of that makes sense (it's hard to put into words some of this physical stuff). And yeah, lots to think about now that I've started considering it...

I was there for part of this live class but had to jump off. Contentment is something I struggle with a lot. As a person with a history of substance use, my brain is rewiring in recovery and sometimes I find myself turning to other things like food or my phone to fill the void or distract from my feelings. Yesterday was my birthday but I was miserable most of the day. I couldn't enjoy it because I'm having some relationship issues and I let it consume my entire day. I went for a walk in the morning but spent most of the rest of the day in front of the TV numbing my mind. Not proud of how I spent my day yesterday. Honestly this week has been a hard one for me emotionally. I've felt depressed and unmotivated, because my brain is adjusting to not being on a certain medication. I'm having a hard time acclimating and have ended up in some dark places emotionally. Really hoping it starts getting better soon. I've not been consistent with my yoga practice and I'm sure that would help if I could get myself motivated to do it. I'm trying but this week has been a challenge!

Hi everyone - thank you as always for the openness of this group in their discussions. I am someone who struggles with contentment I think as I can often feel FOMO (fear of missing out) and this may be one of the concepts that is hardest for me. 

After getting diagnosed with ADHD in my late 30s I do realize that it is often connected to the restlessness and need for dopamine, so I have spent the last year, and still am actively working, on finding mindfulness and being present. I don't need to run out and get the latest thing everyone is talking about so I am actively working towards this. Certainly social media and our present culture does make this difficult because everything appears "limited edition" or "exclusive" and while it is marketing tactics, it does tend to work and suck me in! 

@abdulrahimborgesgmail-com Yessss! Thanks for responding 😊 I would love her as a teacher!

I really enjoyed the lesson on contentment. I often state that I struggle with “future tripping” and find it difficult to live in the present moment. In this lesson of contentment I realized by “future tripping” I am missing the present moment, I am missing the beauty of the right now that I will never have again because I am too consumed with thinking about the future and where I “should be.” This was an amazing reminder of the importance of practicing gratitude and as always Jen I am grateful for the lessons that you share! 

I have so much love and appreciation for the beautiful perspectives this training brings to the yogic philosophy and the way Jen shares it. It's so special to get to experience the yamas and niyamas through this lens of social justice and in such a compassionate lens, and through everyone's shares of how it reflects back through what they're experiencing; it's really powerful. Thank you all, so much love and gratitude for you all. I love what Jen pointed out about the trauma informed training allowing space firstly to allow for us to understand what's happening in our own bodies first and foremost to be able to integrate that and be facilitators that can have that understanding and hold that space💜and the quote "welcome! everyone's here from everywhere and now we are going to talk about harm and trauma" -I can relate in what many have shared in that it has brought up things emotionally in an unexpected way--revisiting traumas for me that have been challenging to reflect on again, that I've worked through in therapy and other healing modalities, but adding this layer of healing community has felt like another layer of grieving for me in validating so much that I didn't feel connection/support with in the past, and this community has been really helpful in that; even though i've not been able to participate in the live sessions due to limited capacity and life events that came up unexpectedly--I found out I needed to find a new living space ASAP and it has taken a lot of my energy and focus to find a place to live and care for myself, but I've been watching the recordings each week and learning with you all asynchronously and I love your beautiful souls so much. (and i'm rewatching everything again because=learning style, and am sort of working backwards to really absorb and integrate all this wonderful knowledge🙏)--thank you for holding space for these variety of learning experiences and paces, and thank you for being on this journey here, you all inspire me tremendously with your warm hearts.

These lessons on santosha feel resonant to me in my own experiences of things that have blocked me from feeling contentment in the past and have overcome, and I can see how it's so helpful to understand what these limitations can be listed here so we can hold space for it in others' journeys; thank you Jen for the clarity on applying santosha in practice: how to gently bring the considerations of how to guide these self-inquires for participants into a yoga practice through gently asking questions within our comfort, and also the physical aspect to allow strengthening of knowing one's own truth of contentment. So cool. I love the metaphor with the Gita and the moral dilemma. I often feel pulled in many directions of how to be of service, and really appreciate the highlighting of the experience of getting to know oneself and what feels like aligned action. I realize too, this can come about in more clarity and ease through tapas practice.

As I review page 54 of the facilitation guide with the prop-based practice, what comes to mind for me and what i've been learning about in my yoga journey is that as a facilitator, I intend to make it a priority to give students ample space and time to experiment within poses, especially when using props, and when potentially unfamiliar with doing so, to find what is most comfortable for them. I have experienced so many times in class as a student where suggestions are given, but there isn't enough time to experiment with the props and then settle into the pose before moving on to the next thing. I've recently been training in restorative nervous-system focused yoga practices as well, and something I am grateful to be integrating from those teachings as well as this one is the emphasis on facilitators giving verbal cues to give permission to students to know they have plenty of time, to not feel rushed, in order to really check in with the body and the props and find what feels best for that day. A verbal cue that my teachers give a lot in the restorative practice is "know that it's worth it to really take your time" because once you find that sweet spot, you can sink into presence even deeper. I think this is such a beautiful metaphor for the teachings we've been working through of being mindful and present in our bodies to get the most out of the practice. As a facilitator I would want to familiarize myself really well with the various options of using the props in each pose to be able to demo those options, as well as being sure to build in whatever time I feel will best benefit the pacing of allowing students to try out these different options, and then feel into the sensations once finding their choice, to allow for the deepest meditative experience.