Lizzie for Free : a yogi's blog
The Free State of LizArchive for May, 2011
A reason, a season, a lifetime
I’ve always been in awe of those yogis who have had their Gurus magically appear for them, showing up in all different forms at the right time to shine a light on the yogi’s practice. I spent many years seeking this type of relationship, but as much as I tried to present myself to my key teachers as a ready and able disciple, no force, human or other, appeared in quite the way I envisioned.
Don’t get me wrong; I have and have had some amazing teachers in my life and consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have studied with whom I consider some of the best yoga teachers of my time. Students constantly inspire and challenge me, and countless other extraordinary beings contribute to making my daily life mentally stimulating and enchanting. I’ve even had moments questioning whether or not those teachers are my Gurus…but somehow my lack of certainty has stifled the mere possibility. You see, my concept of Guru is bigger than my mental ability to second guess, or analyze the nature of the relationship. I always figured that if and when it happened, I would just know, kind of like falling in love, or meeting a soul mate.
Maybe I have had an idyllic picture in my head of how it would be to have a Guru. I’ve envisioned a special relationship, one that is tremendous effort but incredibly rewarding. A relationship based on trust and deep understanding, enriching one’s knowledge and acceptance of a larger self- one that is interconnected with all beings and limitless. In fact, what I’m describing sounds a lot like the relationship I have developed with myself by means of practicing yoga.
Teachers are fundamental in accepting one’s self unconditionally. To have the blind faith in another being needed to develop the surrendering fully of one’s energy and intention instills both humility and confidence, enabling a progression outside of one’s daily drama and into the interconnectedness of all beings.
My experience has been that teachers come in and out of our lives in waves. When we are open to it, the possibilities for learning are limitless. As we ebb and flow and continuously transform, our influences are also likely to change. It is only the teacher that accepts us unconditionally who can nurture us over a lifetime. Is the one guru, like the only true asana, the Self?
Vinyasa Krama and Mindfulness
vi- to order; nyasa – conscious placement; krama – sequence with a beginning, middle and end
Often when a yoga class is described as ‘dynamic’ or ‘flowing’, it is based on vinyasa krama. In sanskrit, vinyasa means an ordered, conscious placement; krama is a period of time or sequence with a beginning, middle and end. Along the way, there are specific points in time, called ksanas. In a vinyasa-based asana practice, the breath is the linking mechanism between the ordered, conscious placement of the body and its movement in and out of specific points in the sequence. These points are the moments when the practitioner has moved fully into an asana, or posture, and before they have begun to move out of it.
A full breath is considered as an inhale followed by an exhale. Moving through a vinyasa sequence, half breaths are used to move in and out of postures, while full breaths enable the practitioner to deepen into a posture. Using the breath to define the movement helps the yogi to focus the mind on the breath and the movement in the present moment rather than letting the mind go in its own direction, back to past events or moving into the future. In this way, the vinyasa practice is a moving mediation. The breath also helps to strengthen the yogi’s physicality and endurance, increasing the amount of oxygen to the lungs, brain and musculature, engaging the whole body in the practice.
Conscious placement means the mindful arrangement of the body in space. Rather than throwing a mat down onto the floor, one may observe the precision with which a yogi aligns their mat to lines on the floorboards. Equally, the practitioner takes time with the placement of the toes and heals on the mat, spreading the feet in a specific manner, placing weight into the ball of the big toe and little toe, centre of the heal and outer arch so that the inner arches can lift as the legs become engaged. In this way from the foundation up, the postures are consecrated with precision. The breath carries this conscious placement throughout the practice.
Over time, the vinyasa-based asana practice may enable the practitioner to take this mindfulness off the mat into other aspects of their life. Choosing a lifestyle that is kinder to the planet and all animate life, taking time not to rush throughout the day, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones – these are all ways we can be more mindful of our own behavior and its impact on the world around us.
The transition from on the mat and into the world doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, but the more one becomes aware of what is going on physically, mentally, emotionally on the mat, the less we need the mat to help us be observant of the attention to the small details, the subtleties, of our lives. Vinyasa krama, like mindfulness, is a practice; one that builds over time but is without perfection. The goal is being present; becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between our body, our breath, our thoughts and our connection with the world we live in. By living our lives more mindfully, those around us may experience a greater sense of peace and wellbeing. What could be better than that?
Yoga in the park
Starting Saturday, May 14th, I will be teaching yoga every week on the lawn of Kensington Palace Gardens. There is nothing like practicing outside to reconnect with the earth and oneself, and practicing in a group to benefit the lives of others both extends the connection from the earth to all beings, and from the mat into daily life.
The class is a donation-based class with all proceeds going to a London- based organization called The Kids Company.
The Kids Company helps at risk kids from 0-23 years old in a variety of ways. They provide everything from in-school therapy to full live-in care for children to young adults, and a variety of programs in-between such as after school programs and mealtime programs, depending on the needs of the individual.
One of the philosophical aspects of yoga is that life in the body is suffering. We suffer because we have a mind that constantly judges and perceives, interpreting experiences as good and bad, forming opinions and expectations which lead us to live a reaction-based life (life on the rollercoaster of the mind).
One way out of this cycle of suffering (samsara) is by offering your life and your practice towards helping other beings who are also suffering.
The yoga of action, karma yoga, tells us that by uplifting the lives around you through effort, dedication and intention, your life will automatically be uplifted as well.
Whether a being lives in forest that is being destroyed, lives on the streets without a roof overhead or fresh water to drink, or lives in London in an abusive family situation, there is always a being in need of physical and emotional nourishment. There is something you can do! Come to this class – thousands of kids may benefit from your Saturday morning practice!
Details: Saturday’s, 9:00am-10:30am
Kensington palace gardens, south or palace, west of broad walk ( opposite and south of pond)
Email Lizzie@freeliz.com for more information.
In the event of rain or cold and wet weather, class will be canceled.
Join the facebook group to keep informed
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Early Bird Helen Stylianou Catches the Worm…
For a couple of years I’ve practiced with Helen at Alaric’s house without knowing very much about her; only that she always arrives early looking like a million bucks, exuding friendliness and warmth from her glowing skin and big smile. Maybe she’ll let me in on her secret…
FL: Helen, tell me a little bit about your background.
HS: Well, I’m an ex headhunter – in fact, I headhunted headhunters. I did that job for many years, and was successful at it. Since I was raising a single daughter, I wanted to give her the best I could manage and I worked hard. Actually, I finished headhunting only a couple of years ago, it was something I could do when I started teaching yoga. Throughout most of that time I was also weight training and competing…I guess you could say I had a competitive nature, but the truth is I’ve always been in need of some kind of fitness regime.
I have one brother and sister. I am the middle one but was always the strong one of the three; taking care of the others and instinctively maternal. Exercise has kept me sane in many ways, but in the end of my bodybuilding career, it became unhealthy. I couldn’t go a day without training 2-3 hours. My body was contracted and I started to injure myself. I prolapsed two discs in my lower back.
I realized I was trying unsuccessfully to fill a void in my life. My daughter was getting older and I felt I needed to do something for me. Ironically my ex-boyfriend had a friend who had friend who was an Iyengar teacher. I went to the institute in Maida Vale to Alaric’s class. It was funny, I walked in, never having done a yoga class before to the intermediate class with my water bottle and gym outfit on and he said ‘Oh we’ve got a gym body here have we?’ I did the class and I never felt my body work in that way before. I got Alaric’s humor and his very individual and dynamic style of teaching, and I loved him from the start. He made me laugh and at the same time work hard.
I finished weight training as soon as I started yoga, but it took a while to get the weight trainer out of the yogi, so to speak. I really had to work to soften my body.
I didn’t go back to the Iyengar Institute for awhile, but instead I went on to Triyoga and found ashtanga. I fell in love with ashtanga, which appealed to my competitive side. At my first class the teacher said something evocative and I started to cry. When the teacher saw me crying she told me that normally it takes a long time for someone to get their emotions up to the surface like that – that I was ready to explore what was going on inside. I went home and I knew what I wanted to do. I did my teacher training at Triyoga and it was great. All during that time I kept my eye on Iyengar teachers and I thought to myself, my god, what do they know that I don’t? I kept going to the Iyengar classes and seeing Alaric and his students observing people’s practices in a way that I couldn’t – they were seeing things I wasn’t seeing. I got the sense I had only touched the tip of the iceberg with my yoga path.
Finally one day Alaric invited me to do teacher training with him. I was so humbled by his invitation. It was the best thing I have ever done. I had been teaching dynamic yoga teacher until then and it was very difficult for me to transition from teaching in this way to the Iyengar way. I asked myself what makes an Iyengar yoga teacher, and I felt myself questioning who I was. Alaric really got into my psyche at this time and helped me – I was always honest with him about my fears. He knew what I needed to do and helped me to see it too. Instead of saying I was teaching wrong, he was sincere in his belief in me and said, as long as your teaching rather than leading, you’re doing the right thing.
Since I’ve qualified I’ve felt more at home with myself. It is such an honor to be an Iyengar yoga teacher. I’m now an introductory level 2, qualitified Iyengar teacher and I finally feel at home with my teaching. The initial training takes nearly two years to complete.
My practice is about continuing to learn. To teach the yoga postures one must embody them in oneself. I am always hungry to see more, to understand more about the body and the psyche. I’m very interested longer term in learning more about remedial yoga and teaching people with injuries.
Where does the emotional and personal aspect come in to Iyengar yoga as a teacher?
I think it depends on the individual. For me, as a mom, and as a recruiter I am used to listening to people’s stories to help them make choices. I find it an honor to have people open up and cry in my class. I want them to feel safe to do that. I would love for my students to take one point away after each class, and in this way they build a yoga practice.
FL: Do you still do any dynamic yoga?
HS: I go to Iyengar classes 3 to 4 times a week. I go to Sheila Haswell, Patsy Sparksman (I assisted her for a year and a half and she helped get through my exams), and Alaric, as you know. I respect all three teachers immensely, they all have a real human quality about them, and that’s what attracts me to them. Additionally I do an hour and a half of my own practice daily. I don’t go to dynamic classes any longer.
FL: Any methods you didn’t like?
HS: Scaravelli was too slow, I didn’t try lots of other things because I kind of found my practice from the start.
FL: How many classes do you teach a week?
I teach 11 classes a week, and any more than that I think it’s too much.
FL: What is the book that’s inspired you the most?
HS: The Iyengar Way, by Mira Metta. I carry it with me everywhere I go. It’s a fantastic book. I’ve had it from just about day one and it’s helped me immensely. The other one is by Judith Lasiter, Living your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life.
I’m looking forward to practicing with Helen at Indaba Yoga, where she will be teaching two classes a week Tuesday 9.30 – 11am & Thursday 6.00 – 7.30pm. See more information about Helen’s retreats and workshops on my Recommended Retreats, Workshops and Events page.
