Just finished Dr. Haunani Chong Drakes recording. I thought it was very powerful, especially, the conversation language.  Great wrestling with," cultural wisdom," as it is complex and often painful to talk about cultural appropriation.  As an adoptee, I struggle with the ancestor stuff.  Also, "filial piety," is sometimes used against many of my Asian clients by their parents/grandparents as a way of shaming.  Overall, great lecture.

Diane Ambrosini's presentation was terrific..... just ordered her book.....

Just finished watching Emma Smallman's lecture and a question came up for me: she says she uses counting back during her classes or as a technique when people are not paying attention but I thought we weren't suppossed to use counting at all but rather let people follow "at their own pace". What would be the better approach then? Or when would one option make better sense than the other? 

@paulynnita Great question! Thank you so much for bringing this up for deeper discussion and clarification. What I believe Emma was speaking too, and what I will also continue to share with the YTT group is that counting with the expectation that others are expected to comply is what we are trying to avoid. I cases as Emma was sharing, she uses counting to connect the group and keep them informed- as in, let's see what we notice practicing this movement/breath three more times. When the facilitator is able to first share the disclaimer that the participant can "opt out" or limit repeating postures in the series, this provides opportunity for personal agency, but also unites the group to breath/move/co-regulate together.

Another aspect to avoid is counting the length of breath rather than encouraging participants to establish their own rhythm. But a countdown, again with the 'release when you're ready" disclaimer can often provide some context and security so people know when to expect the end of a particular portion of the sequence.

I hope this helps with some initial clarification- but I've added this topic to dive a bit deeper into!

I finished watching Bill Brown's talk about the Bhagavad Gita and it was very interesting to learn that we can actually read it from the lense of different authors or translators. I think I'll be going with Ghandi's. 

I love how she shares "we are trully connected" its a journey.

Amazing questions raised. Really good to seat with them and talk about them. About where are my roots? Where I do belong? That is the self inquiry- Who am I?

Just watched both Kim Peacock and Nicole Hellthaler's lecture recordings and found very useful tips on both of them when it comes to working with younger groups and when facing challenging behaviors in them since sharing yoga with youngsters is something I would love to do. Thank you!

Finally got through Bill Brown's lecture on the Bhagavad Gita.  Bill I know you won't take any of this personally. Your voice has been very important to me. I find myself curious about my reaction.  First of all, I was noticing I was frustrated that you had so many," hmm's ," which I am just noticing.  I think that these concepts are beyond the structure of language.

I think it challenges my internalized sexism, and my disappointment that your voice was not what we associate with, " masculinity," which is my fantasy of who I wanted you to be, and how detailed, how toxic, and hidden away our ideas of presentation of gender are. ( me talking to self) 

secondly: Although the lecture very much addresses my daily struggle in prison culture.  The idea that we can hold the suffering,  but that we can not bare it if we only think about humanity, is challenging to me.  It always disappointing to  me that the ANSWER OR TRUTH  needs to locate itself in some kind of idea of God, the idea that we have to transcend humanity for things to make sense. For things to be, " perfect." 

 Of course, the idea is there, these men, these castaways in this prison I work in.  I think they could be not just mine, but all of ours greatest teachers. The fact that people can create a life, within these walls for years on end, is beyond my greatest fantasies.  Of course, my struggle there is more about me. I often find myself noticing that I am talking about myself, not my clients. This is my counter transference. This is my work. 

But I do find it so disappointing this idea that we have to transcend our humanity to make sense of things. I don't like God. I don't like religion. I am a Marxist, I think at heart. It's just does not offer me any kind of comfort. 

"Boundaries of Separatness form at the form. awful beauty."  I just struggle with that. I struggle with the idea that the prisoners who accept 

Christ, Christianity, some form of religion or spiritual practice are better regarded not just in prison, but that spirituality is held so highly. 

 I also think I have a wound from many going to Nepal as a 23 year old woman, getting assaulted by my trecking guide, and people telling me that it was my karma. I was in an area where everyone had their meditation practice, going on these holy hikes, and on a mission for truth but they could not help me. This was before the internet. It was a disaster to get out of that country because he also robbed me. I could tell people were more invested in believing in something beautiful, a brown man in an orange rope than helping an emo young woman.  They could not even hear my story because it contradicted all the Naropa beliefs. lol, I lived in Boulder. I guess another trigger for me Bill!

I wish I could get on board. Nonetheless, I did get a lot out of the lecture, and it did help me to move forward in my journey at the prison I work in.  It helped me to resist splitting, and to re-frame many of my challenges.  I just wish we did not have to always return to the idea of God or the universe. 

I can't wait to meet you Bill, I am always so rushed to write these things because my life now is on a crunch time.  My life out of prison, where every moral idea is challenged, to me wanting to dissociate through pot exercise, alcohol, sleep etc. working on that.  thank you so much for this lecture. 

Please don't misinterpret my comments on masculinity, god, etc. In no way am I trying to be disrespectful. To be clear, I am noticing how judgmental I am, and the wounds that still haunt me..  I loved this talk, I guess, I think Bill, you have a sense of where I am coming from. Maybe this is an assumption, but I think your life's work or the work you do now, that I am aware of is inspiring.