9/12/24 Live Session Recording

I enjoyed this session of, "discipline," and all the different triggers that this word brings to folks.  I appreciated Jen's words about breath work, as it is often emphasized in studio yoga, but I am never quite sure why.  I have been wondering this alot as far as trauma-informed means. I know that when people experience trauma, breath is often held. When people are scared sometimes they are afraid to breathe or to hear themselves breathing.  Also many survivors of sexual assault talk about the sound of their predator breathing.  As Jen pointed out there is alot to consider when telling or instructing people how to breathe or when not to... I also felt aligned to the questions about the final project, as I in no way feel ready to instruct any kind of yoga class.  I appreciated that Jen said it is evolving, we can copy her, ect.  I am feeling sad that I cannot be there during the live recordings. I understand this is the nature of a busy life and it's great we have this technology to be able to create this community.  I am just experiencing the difference of being alive to listening later in a rushed state. I am looking forward to hearing Bill's talk.  

Very much enjoyed the chair yoga demonstration. Good discussion about breath exercises- I admit I am a big coherent and box breath fan and tend to lock in on a specific count - I’m going to work on ways of being more open in discussing timing. The tapas discussion was interesting but I felt like we left something out - discipline includes the ability to not react, to be still, to be mindful when our hungry ghost appears. I think that is one of the most important things that many justice-involved people can benefit from learning. Discipline as a learned strength is that thing that will stop someone from being violent or greedy in the face of temptation. I get that this topic feels judgmental but, beyond the problems of shame and judgment there is an upside to the traditional idea if discipline - strength, integrity, stillness.

@danhealy Yes! Thank you so very much for bringing the discipline of not reacting, saying no, cultivating the skills to not engage when activated can be an enormously beneficial tool cultivated from the niyama of tapas!

I loved in this lesson when you said "It's not about the poses, its about acknowledging activation and encouraging self-soothing". For me this summed up what trauma infored yoga is in ONE SENTENCE! Those of us with trauma (CPTSD specifically) were not taught how to feel safe or safely soothe our nervous systems back to rest from fight or flight. And learning first what it feels like to be in body, but then to practice feeling and soothing sensations. Who we are on the other side of the discomfort. This is what I believe it is all about. In my work as a nervous system guide doing ice baths and breathwork. It is all about individual exploration. And realizing that we already have everything we need. 

Tapas is another difficuly topic for me. Similar to bramacharya, this rubs up against my love of excess or addiction. Consistent discipline is difficult for me with my black and white thinking. I am either doing all the things or none of the things. And this is very evident in my self care. I think that because I was not made to feel like I mattered or shown to take care of myself, it has never been important. I am learning at 36 that I am important. And that I deserve care. Especially from self. 

@laurenpocoproject-com Yes to all of this Lauren, it's either all of the things or none of the things for me as well!

I really enjoyed the Chair Yoga session, thank you for sharing and the guidance you offered after. I do a Chair Chi movement group in my current setting and it is always enjoyable when a new participant shares their experience of what they thought it was going to be vs. their actual experience. For me, chair practices are really beneficial because our day halls are very small and don't allow for more than a few mats. With chairs, we can fit a lot more folks in the room who want to move their bodies. Looking forward to having more tools to share with folks! 

Personal discipline is difficult for me. Like Lauren shared, I'm either all in or doing absolutely nothing. But for me, I think it's part of the burn out cycle. From personal experience trying to heal trauma, I tried to build my toolbox full of so many different coping strategies and tried all of them, then get frustrated when nothing seems to be working, then get exhausted and annoyed and stop engaging. But as you shared, maybe things I have tried just don't truly align with who I am? Maybe I haven't been able to "stick with them" because I was engaging as a result of trauma and not because I actually found enjoyment in them. It's difficult to discern who you actually are as a person when stuck in a trauma response. 

I appreciate the shoutout to chair yoga and more information about it

I also appreciated the exploration of the word discipline, which brings out mixed thoughts from my end. I think it's great to explore and offer other wording and framings for people and really liked the one of "sustainable self care and self forgiveness." It makes me think how if we learn to be able to evaluate ourselves in a holistic, long term, sustainable lens, we can do so for others, thus tying to a sustainable collective self care and collective forgiveness. 

I also think how while discipline is often understood as an active mode in relation to "productivity" for example. I think with the Phoenix analogy, it also involves the ability to effectively prioritize given short and long term goals aligned with the yamas and niyamas, including being able to let go.