Showing posts with label RYT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RYT. Show all posts

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Things I Love Sunday

Jackie on the left, Marie on the right.
This is a tribute to my dear friend Jacqueline Saxby, who has SO much courage and drive that she is on her way to China for 18 months, no doubt to make the world a better place. I've not been in touch with her very often as of late, but I think of her a lot, and send her lots of good energy and love. (Same with many other Kripalu loves, actually!!)

Jackie sends emails every Thursday to a group of people listing things she loves. It's really a nice snapshot of what is going on in her life every week, and even though I don't respond very often, I do read and appreciate them. She calls it TILT: Things I Love Thursday. Maybe it's a thing? Maybe lots of people do this? I might be behind on the "things" these days. I've not been keeping up with Whole Living magazine and Yoga Journal, I suppose. =)

Om, shanti, anyway. Right?

Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training, August 2010.
In any event, in honor of Jackie, I dedicate my (Kripalu Yoga Teacher Danny Arguetty audio) practice to her safe travels and exciting next chapter. And I am going to spend five full minutes before I practice writing my own Things I Love Sunday, or more like "things that are on my mind and making me feel really excited and happy!" (Yes. Sparkling water IS often on my mind and it does make me happy. Six times a day.)

water. weight watchers points giving me a sense of control. the inquiry of optimal living. the results of consistent and disciplined PRACTICE. roasting vegetables. sunshine in january. thumb hooks. la croix. letting go and creating space. space heaters. mala beads. routine. potential. feeling. being alive. considering impulsive decisions because you supposedly regret what you don't more than what you DO do. safe space. holding space for other people to step into their fullness six days a week, whether they are there for that reason or not. savasana. getting more sleep. eating healthier. facing demons. making peace with me. trying to re-open my heart to other people after a series of disappointments. setting goals. cleansing. releasing. sisters. nieces. family. friends. feeling happy. knowing that sacred, silent space you find in your head during an intense vinyasa practice. the sacred feeling of kripalu yoga. connections near and far. starting to think about 500 hour training at kripalu.memories of kripalu ytt.

Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training, August 2010

Oops! That was more like seven minutes! I'm off to practice, and I send the energy of my practice straight to you, Jackie! Love you and miss you! Hope you read this someday!! ;)

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Aim True - Day 16

Yoga Postures to Remain Calm
Vinyasa Flow
Level 2
Kathryn Budig

Explore postures that teach us how to find comfort in the uncomfortable on and off of the mat. Venture into expansive postures such as Bird of Paradise, Visvamitrasana prep, Upavishta Konasana and Ustrasana variations. Step into the fire of transformation expanding your edge and ability to remain calm. 

I think this may have been the class that made me fall in love with Kathryn about a year ago. I had always admired her beautiful photos in the ToeSox advertisements in Yoga Journal, but to be honest, I sort of thought she was the actress from All My Children who played Greenlee and later married (and divorced, I think?) that dude from the Bachelor. Her name is Rebecca Budig, I think. I don't remember exactly how I discovered YogaGlo - I had graduated from Kripalu in August, 2010 and was doing a lot of Kripalu practices and my own practices September - November of that year, and I was teaching one or two classes a week at the  YMCA. There may have been something in an issue of Yoga Journal about online classes, podcasts, etc. that led me to YogaGlo, and I immediately recognized Kathryn Budig's name, both from the ToeSox ads, and also because I used to be a big AMC fan. ;)

In any event, I very specifically remember this class (and a few other classes) having a big impact on me. I really liked the idea of using yoga postures to remain calm - especially yoga postures that could be REALLY challenging and require a lot of focus and strength. 


I had a good practice today. I'm excited to write a more lengthy week wrap-up after I practice tomorrow. I'll be three classes behind my goal for the Aim True Challenge, but one class ahead in my overall practice goal, and this week I have started to see and feel a lot of transformation stemming from my commitment to showing up on my mat, both personally and in my career as a yoga teacher. It's all very exciting.

In other news, I posted about this as a Facebook status, but I want to get the message out there, so I'll post it here, too, in case any of my students or potential students read my blog but aren't on Facebook:

Please make sure you take yoga classes with a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) - this means that your teacher graduated from a (minimum) 200 hour training program that is certified by the Yoga Alliance and has the proper training in anatomy & physiology, techniques and practice, yoga philosophy, and teaching methodology to keep you SAFE as you practice yoga. As the Yoga Alliance explains: "Training as a yoga teacher takes time and effort. Find out how your teacher obtained his or her training. Ask about training schools or programs completed and who their primary teachers have been. A Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT®) designation is a symbol of experience, dedication and commitment on the part of your yoga teacher."


As a professional yoga teacher and a Kripalu-certified RYT, it really disturbs and insults me that people with absolutely no training, education or certification in yoga will teach yoga classes. Yoga is not the same as Pilates. Yoga is not the same as Zumba. Yoga is not spinning, step aerobics or jazzercise. My dad is Dr. Lowbridge because he has a Ph.D - but that doesn't mean he can deliver babies or prescribe meditation. In the same way, the 5000 year old science of yoga shouldn't be taught by someone who has another type of fitness training. After all the drama about the NYT article at the beginning of the year, it's horrifying to me to hear about yoga classes being taught by people with absolutely no training or certification. Don't trust the health and well-being of your body to someone who doesn't have the proper training to teach you.


Om, shanti, shanti, shanti!!!!