10/23/25 Live Session Recording (Facilitation Tips & Support)

Here is the additional slide presentation shared during this live session. 

1. Reflection on Integration
   Watching the previous cohort’s reflections was inspiring. It showed how deeply people embody the teachings in their own ways, whether through teaching, service, or personal healing. Seeing how they wove yoga philosophy and trauma-informed principles into real-life contexts helped me imagine more clearly how I want to show up as a facilitator, with empathy, grounding, and authenticity guiding everything I do.
2. Facilitation Awareness
   The biggest reminder for me was to stay adaptable and responsive rather than attached to a plan. Every group and every person carries a different story and nervous system state, so presence and flexibility are essential. I want to continue cultivating the skill of reading a room, meeting energy with awareness, and creating space for everyone to feel safe and seen.
3. Personal Practice Connection
   I’m recovering from surgery right now, so my personal practice is minimal, but I’ve been returning to teaching with deep intention and gratitude. Guiding others has become part of my healing process, reminding me to move with patience, presence, and care. I’m learning to honor rest as practice too, allowing healing itself to be a form of yoga.

As a former school teacher, I found it interesting how many of the Facilitation Awareness ideas correlated to effective teaching strategies. The first thing we do as school teachers is assess students' academic levels. It's essential to know where they are so we can meet them there. Additionally, we are constantly taking the class "pulse" on their understanding of a new concept. We have to know when to stop and re-teach something or reiterate an idea before we can continue on. We also need to recognize when they a need a quick "break" to they can come back to learning focused. Additionally, we need to be mindful of students who are going ahead and moving too quickly, potentially missing important concepts that will end up confusing them in the long run. As educators we are skilled at recognizing and providing accommodations or modifications to diverse learners. We do all of this while promoting a positive classroom culture and a community where safety and belonging are felt by all. These practices are not just done with academics, but also behavior needs and character development. At the end of the day, the closure of a unit or lesson, when a test is given, or the grades have been finalized, we reflect on the effectiveness of our teaching. We ask, how could I have delivered this information differently, in a way that more students would understand? How could I have engaged them more in the learning process? Which lessons, projects, assignments, or units will I change and improve for next year's students? How could I have challenged the high achieving student? How could I have prevented students from failing? It's the reflection that drives our growth as successful educators. The skills for effective teaching in a classroom and teaching in a yoga room are transferrable. My experience as a teacher has prepared me to be an effective yoga facilitator.  

Reflection on Integration:
I was a member of the previous cohort, so it was lovely to see their work, remember their names, and re-experience their energy. My vision for my future practice is one where I integrate what I have learned about myself and what I have learned about others—a wholeness in learning. I can apply this to my practice by observing the same process with yogis in the room. The integrated yoga philosophy, trauma-informed principles, and lived experience form a straightforward philosophy of love, kindness, and mindful practice, where I introduce the fantastic idea that yoga '...doesn't care...'. This means that yoga isn't attached to anything, and neither am I, yet I am connected to everything.

Facilitation Awareness:
Mindful awareness of diverse states of presence in the room. Being student-centred, and adapting to different needs that are physical, cognitive, and emotional. To be present with an open heart.

Personal Practice Connection:
I apply the principle that I am on a path and may occasionally fall off while being in the world and not of it. The important thing to remember is that falling off the path is inevitable and probably essential! Having yoga philosophy as a foundation for practice on the mat, and being a good human being as a work in progress off the mat, is what feels important. 

I love that I was able to join the June 2025 cohort. I overcame a self-judgment that I should 'get it' the first time around, and the very principle of yoga practice and philosophy showed me the underpinning of two things: my self-development and PYP's generous giving. That has value beyond everything. Gratitude follows.

Thank you to the power of n! 😎 

During this recording, you made three statements that really resonated with me. Your guiding statements were very much aligned with what I currently do in my therapy practice and what I will hopefully use as my anchors should I facilitate yoga in the future. 

1. "Teach to the most dysregulated": This is something I use during my therapy practice while I'm working with couples. I need to meet the partner that is experiencing the most intense feelings and guide my session accordingly. This allows them to feel safe, heard, and respected for what they are experiencing in the moment. 

2."Managing my own regulation": While working with clients, I must manage my own triggers to what my clients are presenting to me. Always being aware if I'm responding to them from a neutral place, or from a place which I have my own issues, and/or being tied to an outcome for them. Monitoring my client's body language gives me insight into how what said landed with them. Similar to being in the yoga room and guiding based on how my students are responding to my teaching. 

3."Focus on what is felt, not necessarily what it means": I encourage my clients to pay attention to shifts in their body temperature, heartrate, presence of a lump in the throat, stomach pains, etc.. I ask that they not chalk it up to a change in temp or something abstract. I then I ask them to write down the incident that preceded the shifts and bring it into therapy so we can flush through it during session. I have so many clients that can only identify with anger. It seems the safest emotion to attach all things upsetting. Once we start breaking it down, they can then begin to identify what different emotions feel like in the body and what to do with them. 

Beginning where participants are deeply resonated for me. On reflection, through doing this for myself first I can then show up attuned to the energy of the room and facilitate from a place of wholehearted presence, regulation and connection. Through having the capacity to hold space for myself in this way, I can then model this through the facilitation process and pace each class to the unique needs of each participant. In relation to my own personal practice and connection, I am learning to show up imperfectly and to adapt the practice to how I am feeling on any particular day, sometimes this is through reflecting on the ethical principles of yoga (Yamas and Niyamas) and other days it it through asana, pranayama and meditation. Checking in with what my mind-body needs on any given day allows me to learn what self-care activities I need to implement. Going through some health challenges means that I choose not to practice asana on some days which then redirects me to the Yamas and Niyamas especially that of Ahimsa. When I am unable to practice asana I can often feel a sense of guilt for not being a "proper yogi" but then I remind myself of Ahimsa and try to have compassion and patience for when I am on my unique path of healing. My practice of Yoga looks different each day but by reorienting my focus to what I can do I reinforce the belief that I am and do enough. Conveying this sense of being enough just as you are is a message that I aspire to emulate within my classes and in my own personal practice. Lastly, I found previous cohorts reflections to be deeply inspiring and moving. The time, attention and heartfelt messages that were expressed in each modality reflects the profound impact that the PYP teacher training has on the hearts and minds of each individual on the course.

I really loved this session. It provided so many practical tips and I thoroughly got teary eyes when watching the past projects! I really liked Astrids, where it was just people shaking! I was like yes JOY! We need more joy! It really got me to a place where I was like wait, I can have fun with this and it doesn't need to be so serious. I take everything so morbidly serious, lol! So it kind of eased the pressure and made me realize I need to focus more on being authentic than being perfect. 

In terms of focusing on a community that often gets a bad rap, I really appreciate learning how to co-regulate with that population and focus on how we can be a team, and not a burden. I used to bring meetings into hospitals, and jails and there was always a heirarchy that felt icky. So I would never want to facilitate a yoga class in a rehab or incarcerated setting and make someone feel less than, or feel disempowered. I also, just love everything PYP does. Nervous- System healing for the misfits! 🙂 Can't wait to see everyone's projects. 

Watching the previous cohort’s reflections reminded me that yoga isn’t about performance but presence. What stood out most was how they embodied yoga philosophy through lived experience—each story felt like a practice in self-compassion and truth.

The phrase “regulate the room, not the person” really landed for me. It’s such a simple but powerful reminder that my own nervous system is the anchor. I want to carry that into my facilitation—slowing my speech, keeping transitions gentle, and letting movement stay accessible.

I’m also noticing how often I offer grace to others but forget to offer it to myself. This week reminded me that my personal practice needs that same gentleness and adaptability. Showing up as I am is enough—presence itself is seva.

The reminders that feel most important for me as I prepare to guide others in practice is to guide with the intention/expectation of guiding the one person in the room with the least experience or exposure to and with yoga practice. In doing so, it reminds me to facilitate with the intention of inviting in, without keeping out. As we have learned throughout these weeks, yoga has been commodified time and again for capitalistic, colonial, imperialist gains that seldom understand the weight of oppression and yoga's historical legacy in seeking liberation, both individual and collective. When I think about approaching how I guide participants through a sequence or practice of yoga, what feels most supportive is also maintaining language that upholds personal power, agency, autonomy, and consent. When I consider leading a trauma-informed practice, this is what matters most to me. 

My process of learning, self-care, and practice has been anchored through journaling, reading, and creating more art. It is no wonder that creating art, whether that has been through my doodles or coloring exercises reminds me of the importance of staying non-judgmental, allowing art to just be as what unfolds while remaining nonjudgmental about its perfection or flawlessness. Journaling has allowed me to deepen my study of yoga, and has enabled me to identify what is most important to me as I begin a new role as a facilitator. As for self-care, this is what nourishes me, reflection, meditation, movement, community, laughtor, art, joy, and I hope for my yoga practice and facilitation to feel just like these beautiful elements of life.

I am so excited to revisit these recordings and the guest lectures and to remain in an ever-evolving conversation about what healing-centered practice looks like and feels like for us, and the communities we are hoping to serve.

1. Reflection on Integration:
   How did watching the previous cohort’s final reflections influence your vision for your own facilitation or future practice? What stood out about the way they integrated yoga philosophy, trauma-informed principles, and lived experience?

I know that my personal practice and the practice I offer will be different but they inform each other. I feel my background in health science will help inform my final project as I hope to create a project proposal that I can use to introduce what I offer to different facilities. Whilst my personal practice is a personal exploration, bringing in creative projects, my Indian culture, philosophy and devotion, the number 1 purpose of my facilitation is to provide space to those who need it. To create the most accessible space possible is to provide an empty jug that participants can fill with their own experience, to do this I must bring none of my own ego to it. 

1. Facilitation Awareness:
   During our dialogue, we discussed adapting facilitation for individuals with diverse experiences and needs. What approaches or reminders feel most important for you as you prepare to guide others?

I found the slides looking at serving those who are highly dysregulated very useful, especially the points about working to reset the room rather than the person. This works to not single out anyone whilst promoting the community aspect. I also found it useful having a breakdown of general principals to follow in regards to the level of dysregulation and when it's appropriate to bring in certain aspects and what a 'baseline' practice might consist of.

1. Personal Practice Connection:
   How are you currently balancing learning, self-care, and practice? What does it look like to apply the same compassion and adaptability you offer to others in your own process of growth?

This is something I've been actively working on and slowing down and working through the PYP materials has been helpful with this. Although I don't feel 'ready' to step into this work yet, I've realised it is ultimately what I want to do and the hesitancy comes from a place of respect to the practice. I've also realised that to be 'ready' I have to tend to myself first and follow the exploratory process for myself so I know what it is I'm offering. I know I will never feel completely ready to do this but I'm prepared to start and take a leap of faith. I've set out a process for myself and will start incorporating this bit by bit.