7/13/23 Live Session Recording

Sorry, I had to leave a bit early from the session.  I just finished watching the remainder.  WOW, seeing and experiencing the poses while looking at the diagrams gave me the opportunity to experience my muscle engagement in a totally different way.  Thank you, Victoria, for asking the question about the tilt of the tailbone.  That has always been a question for my body as well.  Thank you, Jen, for demonstrating how (for this form of trauma/healing yoga) the optimum is for each participant to find their most comfortable "neutral" for their spine.  I look forward to learning more about demonstrating for participants how to find/feel/experience their body.  I see how this can assist in persons experiencing and getting in tune with the body as an alternative to dissociation (which is rampant with trauma issues). In union, Karen

Hello!  I was able to watch the live session for module #2 on Saturday the 15th.  On the skeleton postures video, I observed that during the standing tree pose, the bottom of the skeleton's foot was placed alongside the medial knee.  I understand how this posture is contraindicated for persons with knee/hip issues.  For individuals with the ability to do this posture, is it true that we are instructed to place the heal above or below and away from the medial knee?  Does the skeleton in the video do this posture correctly as the heal is below the medial knee?  Or should the foot stay clear from the medial knee while doing this posture?

It was interesting for me to see the posture images toward the end of the video that show certain muscles contracting and muscles relaxing during specific postures.  I observed Warrior II as an important posture to focus on for my personal practice and in the value of offering it to a class, while explaining the specific benefits of this posture.  Child's Pose is an amazing posture for me to see that all the muscle groups have the ability to relax in this asana.  I have had many experiences with savasana.  For instance, after a yoga class in prison, I was gifted with mental clarity and a certain intuition in February 2022, that served its purpose.

I enjoyed trying the breathing practices offered.  I see I am quite inhibited, usually I am not otherwise, but I find it difficult to let go of my inhibitions in my current space to attempt Lion's Breath.  I am surely working on stepping out of my own comfort zone daily.

When I first tried Alternate Nostril Breathing while studying module 2, I noticed it was a trigger for me.  I was able to acknowledge my thoughts and move forward to find therapeutic benefits of this breath.  Jen explained in the live session, how there can be individuals that find this breath triggering. I understand fully how this could be possible, because it happened to me.

I look forward to my continued study of breathing practices.  I see it as an important factor in yoga on and off the mat with overall health and wellness benefits.  As I grow with breathing practices, I will gain a knowledge and have experiences with this practice to share with participants who practice with me.

Hello Everyone!

It was great to be able to hop on the Zoom for even a little bit.

Learning about muscles and anatomy was always a very intriguing topic for me. I enjoyed it when in high school and really loved my dance kinesiology course in my undergraduate education. When studying anatomy previously, I really had no interest in learning about the activation of the muscles and it was not until I began studying to teach Pilates and studying in this course that I have taken the time to work with my struggles in learning this information. I found the images shared from The Key Poses of Yoga to be EXTREMELY helpful. I am a very visual learner so when I saw the differing colors about what is activated and what is stretching in the postures, I was able to bring my awareness to these areas. It allowed me to notice the activation or release and to notice I was not activating some muscles in postures that I should be and was overcompensating with others. Overcompensating due to muscular imbalances is something that has been very present in my life due to overtraining and only focusing on specific dance styles. It has caused many injuries including dislocating my sacrum and many others. It has been years of finding a new awareness of my own body to unlearn and try to work with this difficulty of mine and I believe yoga has been a factor in increasing my awareness and introspection.

An area that this course addresses that is new for me is the internal systems. I always make comments about how breath even when engaging in my own cross training/Olympic weight liftin g practices. Learning about how breathing in dance or other practices differs from yoga is fascinating. I appreciated going through all the different breaths. I can see how some of these could be difficult for those with trauma histories or other concerns and appreciate the demonstration on how to make these breathing practices more trauma informed. I have been thinking a lot recently on what else I can provide to my patients. It is a goal of mine to bring yoga to my unit where I would also utilize breath work and I think integrating these and other breathing practices would be beneficial for my current patients as to learn to cope with anxiety, anger, and distress.

I do not have any specific questions or requests for a deeper dialogue at this time.

-Kali

Good day!

I was unable to attend last weeks session and just watched the video today.

The video of the skeletal system and how it maneuvers in yoga poses provided some great insight as to what's actually going on internally during the practice. It prompted me to reflect on barriers people may face in doing the poses especially as it relates to physical limitations. 

A few points that resonated with me in particular are "Honouring our body's design" and that we are the "Guardians of our bodies." In the past year I've been on a journey of discovering the mind-body connection and these statements really reflect the importance of that journey and are a reminder of how difficult it can be to foster that relationship, especially in a society where we're not always taught the importance of it, and often taught to disconnect from it.

Learning about new breathing techniques was helpful. I've been practicing breath of fire, bee breathing and box breathing for some time and find these practices so beneficial. Laughter is also something I've incorporated into my daily ritual. I try to laugh first thing in the morning before I get out of bed, even if it's only for a minute. This practice has helped me to laugh more throughout the day, laugh at myself as opposed to judging myself when I do something silly and overall gets my day started on a positive note.

I found the key poses of yoga fascinating and telling of what our body systems are actually doing while we're in certain poses. I often think of yoga externally-basing what I know on what I can physically see, so seeing the functions internally was eye-opening and helpful. 

I look forward to tonight's class and learning more!  

Hello,

I was able to watch the recording for my missed session for 7/13 but forgot to log my response for it! 

For the Resources/discussion on the Skeleton, muscles and respiratory systems, I found myself thinking about how long I have gone through life not thinking about how my body actually works together. I appreciated the resources for explaining each system independently and allowing for further reflection on how things work together for daily functions. Since watching those videos, while doing some movement on my own it really helps to be aware of my skeleton and how my body aligns to feel more confident in the poses that I am doing, without questioning myself. 

The breath work offered was interesting. There are some that will take some time to be comfortable with even doing by myself (Lions Breath) let alone teaching others and being comfortable being able to share it with them. I really enjoyed Bee Breath, and it might be because I am always humming or have music in my head but slowing down and using that breath was really satisfying for me. 

@lcoulombe86gmail-com You are totally correct about the skeleton image of Tree pose! The placement of the foot on the knee is not at all recommended! Typically below or above the knee is safer for the knee joint! Thank you for brining it up!

One of my most memorable experiences in a yoga class was when an instructor broke down Tadasana from the ground up. At first it seems like a sleeper pose and as I was cued to tune into the muscles that were engaged, I quickly felt how the majority of my muscles were working - like we saw towards the end of the recording. This was one of many moments that my perception on the practice of yoga shifted and as discussed in this class, I began to rethink what was being asked of my body in each posture - particularly on a muscular level. However, it's interesting to think about what's really happening within our skeletal foundation as well. I agree with the observation from class that I was not expecting to see the "S" curve of the spine in so many postures. 

In terms of breath work, I have always found myself drawn to the integration of breath work within a yoga sequence. Brahmari is one I was introduced to during an Ayurveda lecture and one that I feel very soothed and nourished by. It is interesting to think about which breaths to offer at various times in the sequence and how breath work can be aligned with the energetic release portion of a trauma informed sequence. It was important to hear that as a facilitator, I can offer what I am most comfortable offering. This reminds me of the importance of honoring my truth as facilitator and expanding my practice and offerings as I expand knowledge, experience, understanding as opposed to rushing the process and potentially causing harm.