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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY Interviews |
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Interview for the Avalon Yoga Center in Palo Alto What is your approach to yoga? I believe that yoga is an excellent way to explore what matters most to us. Yoga provides the tools to understand ourselves, act in line with our highest intentions, improve our relationships, and change the world. There is something very practical - and possible - about working with the physical body to connect to our emotional and spiritual selves. Many yoga teachers and yoga books will tell you this - but not many will tell you how. My approach to teaching yoga is to help students understand how yoga practice can change their lives. Every workshop I teach is designed to make the practice of yoga "self transformational". My training as a psychologist, and my study of humanistic medicine, have helped me understand the conditions that are necessary for self-understanding and self-healing to occur. I try to create those conditions in my workshops. What are your workshops like? All of my workshops begin with a short discussion of the workshop's theme, and how yoga practice can be used as way to explore different aspects of your life. The practice itself is designed to help participants reflect on their lives, and combines the yogic practices of active vinyasa, mudra (gesture), breathwork, inspiring music, and meditation. Although the vinyasa part of the practice is challenging, and designed to help students explore the edges of their personal practice, I encourage participants to adapt the physical aspects of the practice to suit their needs, experience, and energy. More important than "following the leader" is the participant's intention and internal experience. I want each student to have an inspiring and transformational experience - and that requires following your inner guidance. Can you give an example of how someone can use their yoga practice as an opportunity for self-reflection? A simple exercise is to choose a yoga pose that challenges you - a pose that you find physically difficult, uncomfortable, intimidating, or even just plain boring. Then, reflect on how you relate to that pose. Do you avoid it in your practice, to protect yourself from discomfort? Do you try to conquer it aggressively, until you end up frustrated or injured? Do you look for ways to support yourself as you explore the pose, by using props or asking for help? What are your emotions like as you approach - or avoid - the pose? How does the challenge of the pose influence your mind, your breath, and your body? One of my favorite meditation teachers, Cheri Huber, wrote a book called How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything. I feel that way about yoga practice - how we relate to our practice is a very clear and immediate mirror to how we approach challenges in our life. Once you are aware of how you relate to challenges, you can use challenges in your yoga practice as a way to cultivate the strength to approach challenges in the rest of your life.
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