8/17/23 Live Session Recording

I'd like to say thank you Jen.  I appreciate your acknowledgement, thoughts, and compassion of my needs for the movement session on 8/16.  I realize how unprepared I was for the practice as a student.  It was a valuable learning experience to understand when people have limited mobility or who are injured join the practice and how it can affect someone.  Mindfulness, and awareness of these barriers and ways to be able to provide support to each person individually and as a whole was inspiring during the movement session on 8/16.  I realize the many feelings and thoughts that can process through the mind and body for individuals who are not in their optimal functionality or with a compromised today's body for any reason.  I feel a sense of understanding has broadened my scope for the ability to offer healing in my personal relationships, as well as on and off the mat.

Thank you, Andre, for your efforts in sharing the services you offer in South Africa.  I enjoyed viewing your slides.  The centering practice you offered to us was lovely.

The live session on 8/17 was eye opening for me with the discussion of Brahmacharya, the Yama of Non-Excess.  Slide 7 stuck out to me showing examples of consumerism.  It ties into the discussion on the enormous amount of material waste and the destruction it has on our planet.  It shows the effects of the actions of buying more instead of using what we have (appreciating what we do have) and repairing things that are broken instead of buying new and adding to the state of disgrace we are putting our world in and adding to the continued pain of trying to buy happiness.

I looked up my own hometown and found a superfund site down the street from where I lived.  I am continually outraged from the actions that industries make and at the cost of our environment.  I also see the lies that are told to the people living in these areas for them to turn a blind eye.  I also have certain strong feelings on topics that include resources that are hidden and information that is screened adding to the ignorance of truth.

I'd like to comment on the half-moon posture discussed.  I am one of the people who have fun in a class setting doing this posture.  When I first got into the pose, I thought to myself I could not do this posture and when I discovered I could do it in class, I demonstrated feelings of joy and of course laughter and celebration. 

The 2 postures I would offer in the strength and mobility section of the trauma-informed sequencing is Warrior II and Half-Moon.  I would offer energetic release as a sort of free style dance/boogie, to help participants in class to engage and be present on the mat.  I would then incorporate attention to the right/left brain stimulation using arm and leg movements together and alternately.  For the dynamic warm up I would offer breathing practices to focus on a certain breath pattern while offering movements of the spine, hips, and legs.  I would guide the breathing practices into the centering portion of the sequence, with shoulder and arm movements.  I would then offer exploratory movements to introduce the poses for the Half-Moon and Warrior II while offering variations to the movements to the participants with the use of various props.

I'm sorry I missed the live class, but I'm so glad everything is recorded and available to watch and still feel like I can participate somewhat.

I did the 8/16 movement practice yesterday and watched the class recording today, and appreciated the discussion in both on movement and accommodating for those in the class. Lisa being able to speak up about the challenges felt with trying to modify as a student was impactful, and Jen's willingness to want to discuss how that made both feel and impact the needs of the student helps to really see the impacts of modifications and teaching for the student and not the teacher. Thank you both.

I love the pictures and share from Andre on his trip to South Africa. It was moving. I also learned a lot participating in the centering practice Andre led. From the ease and ability to lead with no prep, through the sequence of moving down and feeling in various spaces. Andre mentioned something along the lines of noticing your feelings whether it's positive or tough, pleasant or not and I really loved the recognition that the feelings you bring into the space are acceptable. There's so much "think positive" vibe that's always thrown around that can be challenging to me and I felt the words used in this centering practice were of acceptance, which personally was centering for me. I'm going to rewatch for the centering practice.

The discussion on brachmacharya / exploring excess was heavy and thought-provoking. A few months ago I decided to focus on "no spend" (outside of consumables) for 6 months to pull myself out of buying to buy. I am pretty conscientious of my spending in general, but I was finding myself spending my discretionary money on useless items I didn't need, mainly excess perfume. It was becoming a ridiculous addiction with research and online forums and buying. I was able to stop easily and haven't had an issue with the no spending, but the conversation on excess made me realize some additional things I need to work through and journal. 

For strength and mobility postures, I would choose to offer staff pose and Warrior II. To prepare for these I would propose sequences that include the following:

• Energetic release: (standing) shaking limbs, shoulder rolls, arm circles 
• Dynamic warm-up: (standing) leg across & in front body, swinging arms and getting into obliques, (move to seated) sitting cat/cow
• Centering: comfortable seated, hands to heart and belly, bring awareness to breath and feel where grounded

I look forward to beginning to put this together further over the coming sessions.

Hi Everyone,

I want to first apologize for the late reply as I have been busy with a lot of changes at work and a move. I am catching up now.

I noticed I had a lot of sadness viewing the pictures of consumerism and its relationship to Brahmacharya, the Yama of non-excess. It reminded me of how detrimental our actions can be to the world unknowingly. When viewing pictures like this and watching nature documentaries, I am reminded of my impact and how my small actions can have a positive or negative impact.

I was very interested in the superfund site discussion and decided to look up my own hometown. For context, I grew up in rural Michigan. I lived in Oscoda where I had a graduating class of 88 and there were only three stoplights in my town. However, this was not always true for Oscoda as there is a retired air force base in the town. I know my mom has done a lot of work about water pollution and invasive species in our neighborhood and I have been hearing a lot about other contamination concerns in Oscoda. I found out that my little hometown Is home to a 10-acre superfund site where the waste disposal operations had contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Everyone comes to my hometown as a vacation spot to see its beauty, kayak down the river, and sit on the shore of Lake Huron, but in all this beauty is a lot of excess. The cleanup site is even within miles of the Huron National Forest. While I was not expecting to see Oscoda on the superfund site initially, I am unfortunately not surprised.

I am sitting with some frustration that we turn away from the excess we use and harm we cause and forget those impacted. In Oscoda, this was not something I ever learned. In Michigan we take pride in our fresh water and natural beauty, but through consumerism we harm the people in this area (generally low-income families as well) and the nature around us. I know I am not perfect, and I love things. Looking further into Brahmacharya I find myself motivated to make changes where I can. Maybe not buy the clothes from fast fashion store or find alternatives to plastic Tupperware that are piling up in my kitchen. I see a lot of cover ups and deception when looking at excess, but this drives me to live more truly to Brahmacharya.

As I progress in this course, I find it easier to sequence a class, but know I still have a way to go. Strength and mobility are some of my favorite poses when doing yoga as it really allows me to find my own strength and focus while having fun.

For strength and mobility postures, I may offer Warrior II and Half-Moon. To accompany these poses I would offer the following:

• Energetic release: Shake out parts of the body, inviting circles into parts of body like shoulders, knees, neck, ankles.
• Dynamic Warm-Up: Walking through toes/feet, calf rases, small lunges to begin engaging thighs, bending spines in different planes to notice engagement.
• Centering: Standing feel ground underneath feet and were we feel the support from the earth. Bringing hand to heart and stomach allowing to connect to breath for a moment.

@kaliskodack 

Thank you so much for sharing your research on superfund sites. I agree so strongly with your frustrations and also lack of surprise of what you learned. 

Thank you Andre!!! I am so interested in environmental justice and the parallels between elements of our Earth and the elements that create human beings and I'm always thinking about the ways to bring in Earth into my yoga practice. It's interesting to think about the concept that "anything external to ourselves that becomes more vital to our existence than our own self is ultimately harmful," in relation to how disconnected we have become from solutions that stem from connecting back to our planet. Ah, so many layers to Brahmacharya! 

Extended Triangle Pose usually feels nice in my own body so for today I'll offer this one. This can be done using a chair as a side body stretch with the arms as well. I will also choose Extended Side Angle because in my own body I am really working with my side bodies. 

To prepare for these postures, I would shake out arms in particular, maybe some arm circles. I'd also invite individuals to explore different variations within their stance, wider legs, feet together since both strength postures can be done with a variety of leg angles. Hip circles might be nice to add as well. 

I would then offer an exploration of twisting the arms, titling L/R arm up and down almost like a tea pot. 

Centering, a check in with body to see how body is feeling. Feeling into the body from the ground up, recognizing how the feet feel on the earth, how the stance feels in a wider or more narrow stance, how the arms feel either at hips, or on a different plane.