It's the first week of Bliss-in 90! If you missed the explanation of this project, you can check it out here.
Bliss-in 90 is not just meant to be a documentation of private sessions in the spirit of sharing experience and knowledge. It's a call to action to get curious, be creative, and be your own teacher; look inward instead of reaching out for external sources of happiness; explore and educate yourself; seek actions you can take right now to invite more bliss into your life--and we want you to participate!
So, don't forget to check out the Question of the Week at the end so you can share your photos with us @missbernklau on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. (and tag your pictures with #blissin90 so we can all share the inspiration and positivity!)
Let's jump right in, shall we?
To get to know students better before our first session, I created a little "New Student Kit" with a basic health questionnaire and dosha quiz (which I adapted from David Frawley's Yoga & Ayurveda: Self-Healing and Self-Realization) and a little bit of information about Yoga practices and other Yoga-inspired movement systems (Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Budokon® etc) students can choose to try during our sessions together. Laurin filled it out before our meeting and we spent our first session discussing Laurin's history with Yoga and her goals in starting a regular practice.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Part of the "New Student Kit" includes a few questions I always ask new students. Here were Laurin's answers:
DO YOU HAVE ANY INJURIES/CHRONIC PAIN OR HEALTH CONCERNS AND/OR DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY YOUR DOCTOR? No doctor restrictions -- Chronic hip pain (left side) and back pain (lumbar, cervical)
HAVE YOU PRACTICED YOGA BEFORE? IF SO, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING/HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRACTICE? I've been to maybe 3 beginner classes about a decade ago.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS OR WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO ACHIEVE, IF ANYTHING, BY ATTENDING PRIVATE YOGA CLASSES? Strength, concentration, endurance, flexibility.
HOW WERE YOU INTRODUCED TO YOGA AND WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO KEEP PRACTICING? Don't know yet [love the use of "yet" it implies Laurin is open to possibility!]
LIST A FEW OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR THE TYPES OF MUSIC YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR (WE CAN PRACTICE IN SILENCE AS WELL) WHILE PRACTICING.
Surprise me. I trust you. [Music to my ears!]
DOSHA QUIZ RESULTS
Laurin's Ayurvedic constitution, according to the questionnaire in David Frawley's book, is Pitta 23, Kapha 15 and Vata 12. So there's a Pitta dominance with a slight Kapha imbalance as well. (Disclaimer: I'm not "certified" as an Ayurvedic doctor, I do not purport to heal or cure any illness, injury or disease, the results are just used as a guide to help make a more personalized practice. However, I will be a Certified Health Coach within the year and will be studying over 100 dietary theories, including Ayurveda, so, that'll be cool to share what I learn!)
I asked Laurin what type of exercise she preferred, and in keeping with her Pitta nature, she likes running, despite knowing it wreaks havoc on her joints. Good thing she likes to sweat, because that's what movement systems like Asthanga and Vinyasa Yoga and Budokon will make you do! Since she has a slight Kapha imbalance, having a heated practice can help balance Kapha energy. But, too much of a heated practice can aggravate Pitta (Pitta imbalances can manifest emotionally as feeling agitated, and quick-to-anger).
Ultimately, after we cover the basics of Asana and alignment, we'll have put together a practice catered specifically to Laurin's physical needs and her Pitta/Kapha dosha (this personalized practice will be shared when completed, of course!) Using cooling Pranayama (breath work) exercises and poses to keep Pitta in check, we'll also include some heating twists, core work and some Budokon-inspired movements to keep things interesting for Laurin since we know she likes to move and sweat.
If you'd like to read more on Ayurveda, I recommend checking out Frawley's book to start, as well as simply going down the Google and Wikipedia wormhole on Ayurveda. Since it's an extremely old practice, just like Yoga, there are a ton of resources and approaches on the practice, it's up to you to explore and find what works and makes sense to you.
WEEK 1 HOMEWORK
When Laurin described her first Yoga experience a little more in-depth, she said had taken a few classes with a former classmate that "probably had no formal training" and she said she "didn't feel anything and we laid there for 10 or 20 minutes at the end." Hahaha, well, I'm glad Laurin is open to trying again despite her less-than-stellar introduction to Yoga.
Considering Laurin's minimal experience with Asana, we're going to go back to basics when we start next week and practice Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation A). Just really spend time feeling what it feels like to be in or out of alignment in each pose. I gave her a little handout I made with some stick figure guys and alignment/breath cues to study for the week. Since we were in a soup and sandwich shop for our consultation, we couldn't practice Surya Namaskar A together, but it still helps to study on paper! Laurin said she would prefer to practice with me the first time so she doesn't hurt herself instead of attempting it and doing it wrong to the point of injuring herself (good call--already adept at practicing Ahimsa toward herself!)
Since the breath is the most important part of practicing Asana with integrity, I thought it'd be great for Laurin to practice some basic Pranayama her own this week to prepare for Surya Namaskar.
To help soothe Pitta energy, I taught Laurin the basic 2:1 breath (exhales are twice as long as inhales, breathing from the diaphragm.) as well as Ujjayi (oo-jah-ee) Breath. You may have heard your Yoga teacher explain it this way: closing off the back of your throat on the exhale, as if making the sound to fog up a window but your mouth is closed and you exhale out the nose. I've heard teachers liken the sound to Darth Vader--that's a little too intense to me, maybe it should sound like Darth Vader on morphine, that seems more accurate to me. As Wailana explains in the video, "like a soft sleeping baby, almost a soft snoring sound"...I like to think of Darth Vader on morphine, too, just 'cause why not?
In any case, Ujjayi is great to practice focusing on the breath, staying present and linking breath to movement on the mat. In addition, practicing Ujjayi helps increase oxygenation throughout the body, balances blood pressure and calms the nerves. It's also a warming breath that helps keep you energized throughout the physical practice.
LAURIN'S HOMEWORK:
1 - Pick up The Yoga Sutras as translated by Swami Satchidananda and read Sutras 1-16 in Book 1.
2 - Practice 2:1 and Ujjayi breath 10-30 mins at least 3x/week
3 - Study Surya Namaskar printout
MY HOMEWORK:
1 - Read up on Laurin's hip and back issues and be prepared to adjust for injuries/pain in those areas.
2 - Find poses to open up her hip and lower back that she can practice safely at home.
***
That's all for now, check out our Sun Salutation adventures next week! But before you go...
QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
What are you reading, studying, practicing, writing, drawing, eating, drinking, or doing to invite bliss into your life every day? Please share your pictures with us @missbernklau on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget to tag 'em with #blissin90 and share the love.
Peace, Love, & Positivity,
Heather
