Welcome YTT Community!! Here you will find the link for the recording of the first live session of YTT. If you were unable to join live, please watch the recording as you are able to witness the introductions of your fellow cohort members. Please consider sharing any thoughts, reactions, or questions that you may have as you experience the introductions, shares from James Fox and/or questions for me or Vanessa!
If you have not done so already, please share your personal introduction in the previous thread on this forum, confirm access to the learning modules, and complete the introduction section. Next week, 1/23, we will dive in to new learning content and will be covering module 1 through January 30th.
Happy Saturday!
The cold weather has finally hit SLC (Utah) Although I am originally from Southern California I spent several years in the South (Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina) Nothing prepares you for Nature’s air conditioner. I am keeping an open mind and spirit. For
There is so much gratitude in my heart for being able to not only watch the replay but, being able to experience a few moments live with y’all. On Thursday I made it a MUST to take my lunch break to participate in a coming together. That micro session really restored my entire day and I am so happy to have been into that energy ripple with everyone.
My intention is to allow new experiences, to be guided into unexplored spaces, and go beyond my comfort zone.
To help support these intentions in this learning environment I will ask more questions, listen and relisten from other perspectives but, also ask how I can be of service.
I am so excited to learn about the 8 limbs of yoga. To be honest I didn’t even know there was 1 or more. That really has me motivated even more to maintain a passion and knowledge for this new found commitment.
Karma Yoga’s description really resonated with me. We are all here to learn from each other and learn about who we are and there is now right or wrong just an opportunity to grow and being in the same space and time is enough to just be.
I appreciate you Vanessa for sharing your dedication and inspirations. I laughed when you talked about your old Self looking at your new self saying yoga is weird. I totally get this. 10 years ago I would have laughed at my own self so it’s cool to revisit that and gain my own acceptance. I can also relate when you said no one saw you as a person. I get that too. I don’t think I even saw myself as person just the identity to these roles I had picked up in life but, I did have the courage to ask “Who am I?” “What am I giving up my life for?” “If I could do one thing for the rest of my life what would it be?” Like James said it’s a calling and I kept denying it though and fought it lol. It didn’t want it to want me as much as it did. I spent so much time doing what every else wanted it seemed and I wanted to be free but, yoga changed my heart in ways i could never have words for It allowed me to accept what I called giving as receiving. My mindset flipped and I had this health obsession to find people int he darkest places just to say I see you. So thank you Vanessa for your strength.
Restorative Justice, I love that Darnell! I love what you’re doing for L.A. I grew up in Los Angeles area and my runaway years in East LA or in the correction system or house arrest and no matter I always felt I had to be hard. Even though I am not a guy, you mentioning the masculinity is cool cause we can still be “soft” and have boundaries and not feel like we have to play defense all day.
Thank you Kay for sharing that saying “ Yoga is when you go to yourself, with yourself,for yourself” I think I wrote down right? That’s beautiful. I plan on sharing that with some of the incarcerated individuals I coach. And Stevie too, Yoga being able to connect with your true self. It made me think about how the experiences we have and the growth really bring these word home. They just are random words anymore.
I’ve still have quite a few more introductions to listen to and know I am in for a treat!
Thank you Jen for the movement. To align with my intentions I am going to take silly movements into my practices just to explore when I have overwhelming feelings and even happiness. I have never been a dancer, ZERO COORDINATION! Which is a reminder to the 500 reasons I convinced myself yoga is cool. What a great memory though, I used to be very high strung. Always feeling the more I accomplished the more accomplished I’d feel but, it brought on more anxiety and created more impulsive, controlling behavior. I remember how much I was annoyed that pose was so slow lol I couldn’t even clasp my hands behind my back. I used to wake up I stiff and have to shuffle my feet to the bathroom. The workouts I was doing I left my body doing all the hard work while I zoned out to music or whatever else I was thinking. I abandoned myself. Yoga brought awareness to these things and eventually I woke up feeling like I could just go for a run and because of the wholeness I felt emotions of love and gratitude more easily. I continue to affirm that to myself. I am strong, I am resilient, and I am happy. Its like my little badges I earned and I like to show them off to myself lol.
Even though I have no formal training or knowledge of yoga besides the responsive nature of my own experience I have already started jotting down sequencing ideas and so thankful to be in an environment to learn from and develop new insights.
Kari, I am so glad you asked about upshot. I too was looking for a confirmation and was thinking I was not going to look like I was participating lol
If anyone wants to do the book club, I have the book and would be willing to dedicate myself to this as well. Or any other interactions. Or even just to tell dad jokes and laugh.
Sending warm vibes to you all!!!
Hi there everyone, I was able to sign into the live session for about an hour, and then I was whisked away to led my Nature Therapy group. First I so appreciated everyone's introductions, I felt a lot listening to people and I am in awe of folks, inspired already, and grateful to be included in this community. I had a short intro in the chat, and will share again, CA, Carol-Anne, working at San Quentin as a social worker. I have a history of trauma, and have found healing through so many moments in my life, first through nature, and meditation practice. I have also explored dance, weightlifting, and running as ways to support healing within myself. Yoga has been there as well, and as many people have spoke to it's always felt like more of luxury and not as accessible as other things like going on a run can be. Working as a therapist, I know that most of my clients are survivors of trauma, and I want to expand my abilities to support others by offering movement and I am excited to do this through yoga practice. I had a great opportunity to connect with James and Annabelle, and Anna as teachers that offered training to clinicians at San Quentin and I am following the excitement to further engage. I am hoping to connect with others in the Bay Area that might want to meet up together to support each other on this journey.
Welcome YTT Community!! Here you will find the link for the recording of the first live session of YTT. If you were unable to join live, please watch the recording as you are able to witness the introductions of your fellow cohort members. Please consider sharing any thoughts, reactions, or questions that you may have as you experience the introductions, shares from James Fox and/or questions for me or Vanessa!
If you have not done so already, please share your personal introduction in the previous thread on this forum, confirm access to the learning modules, and complete the introduction section. Next week, 1/23, we will dive in to new learning content and will be covering module 1 through January 30th.
Hi everyone - My name is Jeffrey and I'm from San Francisco, on the unheeded ancestral homelands of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. This my second Cohort (my first was June 2024) as I did not fully complete my first one due to challenges from my second round of COVID, jury duty and family emergencies. Participating in this yoga training has been a calling for me for sure and not being able to finish the first course was honestly stressful, frustrating and disappointing. Jen was the lead Facilitator in the last cohort and when I reached out to her to let her know how far I had fallen behind in the course, she responded in full Spirit of this course. She let me know that now that I was part of the PYP community that the course was here for me and to continue the course as Life was presenting it to me....I felt SO fortunate for that gift of Grace, the kindest that Jen resonated and that this next cohort was starting now.
The PYP Yoga Community so strongly aligns with my Heart and, as James Foxx provided here, I simply want to bring this practice to those where it may not be readily available. I so agree that you of do not need a yoga studio to gain the benefits of this Practice......I have been practicing yoga now for 20+ years and it has been transformative for my Life. I am a Survivor of childhood trauma and, even without knowing it at the time, yoga provide this soft cushion for me to Live my Life with a gentleness and compassion that provided a space to reintroduce myself to me.
I am in catch-up mode during these first couple of weeks and I am so surprised by the recording....it's like I was in the live class and I am really enjoying listening to the introductions. Again and again I am reminded that there is just so much Love in this World as we look to support each other on our respective paths. SO grateful for ALL of you, THANK YOU!
Looking forward to working through this class with you all. Jeffrey