As you watch the recording from this week’s session, you’re invited to share anything that resonated with you — an idea, question, observation, or personal reflection that arose while engaging with the material.
If you prefer a prompt to guide your reflection, you might consider one of the following:
• Sequencing Guide:
What questions, curiosities, or insights arose as you explored the Facilitator’s Guide to Sequencing, Cueing, and Adaptive Practices? How might this guide support you in thinking about structuring or facilitating a movement practice?
• Strength & Mobility:
Reflecting on the discussion and demonstration of strength and resilience, what stood out to you? Did anything shift in your understanding of how strength-based movement can support regulation, stability, or confidence in participants?
• Brahmacharya (Non-Excess):
How do you interpret the concept of Brahmacharya in the context of facilitation or personal practice? What might “non-excess” look like in how we move, teach, speak, or hold space?
As always, there is no right or wrong reflection. Share what feels meaningful or relevant to your learning.
I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Hi Jen - thanks for the recording. I really enjoyed the class you taught and value the options you offered - chair etc. Very useful to see it in practice. Is the speed of the class and ad hoc reference to the breath & less consistent holding in a posture how you would teach all your classes? Curious to know if you sped the class up for us or is this how you would normally teach?
Also, thanks for confirming we will have access to recordings after the course ends - this is something I keep meaning to ask.
Thanks Helen
Greetings, only made it though the first 30 minutes and am calling it a night. I will watch the remainder of the session and plan to share more, for now, sharing my gratitude for this space and for the Sequencing Guide. I am excited to use the guide to support my self practice. One thing I have noticed, is that I am drifting further away than I'd like from a daily/weekly practice. These classes/recordings and forum are my weekly anchor at the moment and I really appreciate it. I will circle back with reflections once I finish the recording.
Best,
Lizzy
I missed the first hour of this week's module so I am posting to make that up. I'm looking forward to what seems like will be a different phase of this training as represented by the sending out and going over of the "YTT Sequencing Guide". I have really enjoyed the philosophical discussions and I appreciate how much accessible movement, breathing, nervous system regulation, and philosophical foundations are prioritised in this programme, but I was starting to feel as if I might not finish the training with a basic grasp of how to facilitate the range of asana that are commonly found in most yoga classes. I voiced this in our breakout room later on in class, and most of the other students in the discussion said that they were feeling the same, so that was comforting. I've had a few conversation with some experienced yoga teachers and they have all said that most people don't graduate from a YTT feeling like an experienced instructor: because they are not. Just as with anything, one can learn and practice (and I know we will end this programme with a practice demo that we have to plan and execute and will get feedback on that I think) but it's not until one steps in front of another person to teach yoga that they will start gaining real life experience. I think for many of us it's a catch-22, wherein we feel like we don't, and won't, have enough knowledge (whatever "enough" is) to teach yoga in a safe and effective way, but most of us also don't have the means to test that out or gain real-life experience. I mysself am hoping to be able to go to some classes as an observer and sit in the corner and take notes. I suppose I'm trying to recreate the trajectory for normal teacher training (like to teach in schools): classes paired with observation in a classroom, then a pre-practicum and/or assistant teaching paired with a more experienced educator, then a practicum. In the meantime I'll just sit with the anticipation and uncertainty, with the knowledge that I have already got a lot from this course, and I signed up originally because I wanted to help bring yoga to people outside the normal yoga cohort($$$), and stick with that as my motivation.
Hi Jen, I just caught up on the last hour about Brahmacharya. An interesting interpretation of what is excess and how it shows up for us. On a personal note is has been showing up more for me recently, my Nan passed away recently who I was very close to. I have found myself filling the gap and patching over the numbness with excess - whether that be phone scrolling, shopping, wine and food. None of which have really helped (other than the instant gratification of dopamine) the negatives of not being present with my family, spending money I haven't got on things I don't need, feeling even lower the day after drinking and glutinous for over eating. This is hopefully the wake up I need to try and heal myself from the inside, if I was to ask how, i am guessing you would say yoga?!
I had to miss the final hour of last week's training, so I wanted to use this space for some reflection on the the concept of Brahmacharya. I really resonated with Jen's the explanation of this concept as a thing that is outside ourselves that feels required to make us whole, instead of the inner understanding/felt sense that we are already whole. I thought this was refreshing, as I've previously understood this concept more as it relates to sex and pleasure and it hasn't always resonated with my values. But when I think more broadly about it as a weariness of excess, I am reflecting on how struggled with moderation in the past and the different ways it can take shape. For me, when I'm able to have awareness around it, there's such a huge difference in how I feel in my body when I'm approaching something from a place of desperation or lack than when I'm approaching something from a place of abundance and wholeness or trying to fill a void. It really does feel like a certain "goblin mode" that I can enter where I'm just trying to fill a void.
I am reflecting on this as it relates to what the group shared about wanting to be the "perfect" facilitator. While there have been times when I do feel in touch with that inner wholeness, I've found myself struggling with the feeling of not-enough-ness lately as I'm really experimenting with being a teacher/group facilitator/leader. As I do this YTT training and in my other work, this is bringing up a feelings of lack and needing to do more/learn more/be more in order to be worthy of the space I take up here and in my professional life. This feeling of lack makes sense, because of not having a lot of resources when I was younger and having struggled to even imagine doing the work that I do or having the opportunities that I have now. It's challenging to feel in touch with that wholeness right now, but I think using my practice as a place to get curious about what that feeling could look like is a good start.
As always, thank you for a great recording! I really appreciated the thought provoking questions around addiction to privilege. I had never thought as privilege as an addiction, but it absolutely mirrors an addiction. Thank you for the new insight and again for the questions related to privilege!
Hello,
I´m still a couple of weeks behind and catching up...
Feeling like swimming in abundance of life 😀
Excess, yes it is.
Grateful of all good that has come across my path. Grateful of this training. Even if I´m behind, it´s still with me every day, shaping my relation to the practice of yoga.
Looking forward of studying the facilitating guide more deeply. It seems very deep and practical, both good things 🙂
I´m happy of the amount of choice in sequencing with the guide. I haven´t looked in it yet by myself (yet), but it seems like there´s freedom of creating the sequence in my own style. This will give better chances to develop one´s own style of guiding trauma-informed yoga.
It´s also helpful to have all the suitable practices introduced, making it easier to choose the safe poses and to make a bvalances class.
Strength...
I haven´t always believed I had any of it. Been more of a shadow than a real human. But that has changed: I am more able to stand on my own two legs now than some years ago. I feel the connection with the earth through those legs, and she now is a strong support. I used to cry and mourn over the terrible stuff people (me included) do to her. And it made me hate myself and become more distant with the good stuff in humanity, and myself.
Becoming aware of trauma has made me stronger. In the light of that knowledge, all pieces fit. The puzzle isn´t a beauty, but it makes a hell of a story!
To trust people is strength. And the ability to decide, which individuals are good to you.
To believe in the inner voice is strength. To let the little sound be heard with awareness. I´ve been learning so many lessons, and still struggling! But the cosmos seems to be forgiving, giving new possibilities to try. And of course, again, it´s not meant to be only easy.
In yoga practice... it´s important to focus in finding the inner strength. To know oneself. Knowing what´s good and healthy for oneself.
And mobility. How is my body mobile - and how is it not? What is the range of movement that I´m able to reach, and what is naturally out of reach?
Brahmacharya, non-excess...
It is excess to guide a 75 minute yin yoga class with 18 asanas. (I´ve done that. X-D )
A yoga class should be simple: moments of silence / stillness. Moments of emptiness. Even in a dynamic class.
One might be practising too much of asana and too little yamas and niyamas. Is there usually space in a regular yoga class to reflect on yoga philosophy? Do people actuallly study it?
I have been suffering of non-excess all my life, because I was raised up to eat more than enough and had so many toys that I felt guilty: I didn´t have a possibility to play with all of them... I really believed they suffered from it. And of course my children have also excess of toys, sweets, telly. But they are not (hopefully) as lonely as I was, so they don´t have to imagine their toys are actually alive. (Of course it´s a fascinating idea.)
In this era of excess one needs a strong moral support. Yoga offers one of the best.
After reading through the sequencing guide, I am inclined to teach a safe and nervous system restorative yoga classes. I do create intuitive and adaptive yoga classes already with the intent on adjusting postures and movements at any time. Breathwork and prioritizing relaxing and restoring.
What stood out for me is that even though I mostly teach for stability and endurance since helping mom heal after a bad fall. She had three surgeries on her dominate arm/wrist because the seemingly simple fall did so much damage. Since last year and with this training I have been more encouraged to keep going with strength and safety based movements. When we are able to create more balance and stability in others, it comes back to us.
After my children moved out and I was left with an apartment of "stuff" I realized it didn't fulfill me as much as the humans that were no longer there to enjoy it with me. I have since become a minimalist and it allows me to feel lighter internally. Only having what I need has improved my life as a travelling yoga teacher and student.
Hey all, popping in with more reflections. I am a few weeks behind and slowly catching up. I watched about 2/3 of the recording and here are some additional reflections. This may be a little jumbled, apologies, it is first thing in the morning and the coffee is slowly kicking in.
Looking at page 66 of the facilitators guide I notice words and cues from past instructors coming to mind, to explain / guide through the practice and transition from each posture. Jen’s cues were nurturing, encouraging and permissive, allowing me to be in my body and to move slowly and gently with myself. I can say I truly felt my muscles activate or release. For example, I cannot say I have ever paid attention or felt mind muscle connection in warrior two. I may have felt my quad activate (burn) but that was it and today’s practice allowed me the chance to feel all the muscles activating in warrior two. Today’s practice allowed me the chance to feel the true strength in my body. It allowed me to feel accessible ways to my strength (despite my mind judging) I can access strength in simpler, more accessible forms. After this session, I now think to be strong, means to find balance between the simpler more accessible forms and the full expression/more challenging forms. To know my limits of challenging myself because its good for me, versus when I am simply challenging myself and pushing myself because its what I have always done. The latter feels rooted in harm (stealing from myself, not speaking my truth, the opposite of ahimsa).
I really appreciate everyone's reflections and honesty around the conversation what strength means to them. This conversation unraveled me quite a bit. In hindsight, it actually just allowed me to soften and let go. Thank you all, I look forward to sharing space later today.
Best, Lizzy
I'm thankful for the time to come back to some of these sessions; it has been a month of sickness for my kids at home, so I am taking my time through these March recordings and reading through the forum thoughts! Brahmacharya embodies many practices, but I really resonate in my own practice and an instructor with the idea of moderation. I love exercise dearly and was trained as a high school/college athlete runner to push through the pain and exercise in excess. When I started teaching exercise at a women's transitional correctional facility, my supervisor said "often the biggest struggle is teaching consistency over excess, even with enrichment and exercise." A lot of the women I work with what do get the practice "perfectly" or struggle that the class is only 2x a week. Exploring the role of brahmacharya as a form of yogic moderation, helped me give voice to something I see a need for in myself and in my yogis. I think just knowing it as a piece of yoga can help me share it with others (and myself) better!
I am so far behind but thank you for the sequencing guide! It is so helpful and interesting to me.
Bramacharya to me is moderation and using my energy right. I have a very addictive, obsessive compulsive personality and learning about Bramacharya in my former YTT was so eye opening to me and helped me a ton stop obsessing over things I can't control and learning how to curve my mind when it wants to obsess.