For those of you who don’t know what MBSR is (and that included me, just a few hours ago), it stands for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, which is a program that was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in the late seventies, and has since become a bit of a phenomenon.

MBSR is, as the title indicates, a stress-reduction program based on the principles of mindfulness, and it is practiced all over the world with individuals in all kinds of settings. It is a program that is backed up by evidence from clinical trials and other scientific research (for the details on all of this, I suggest you check out the MBSR website on the University of Massachusetts Medical School homepage) and the model for the structure and implementation of the MBSR program is what Edi Pasalis was drawing on in her workshop to demonstrate the possibilities for right livelihood amongst yoga and other wellness professionals.

Basically, what Edi was presenting to us was the possibility, as teachers, for us to start to think about proven ways to generate more income per hour. The success of the MBSR program, she told us, comes down to four basic things:

1. It’s a packaged program. This means it’s standardized. This means it can be taught over and over, in many different scenarios, without the added drag of continual development (like the kind we have to do when we jump from workshop topic to workshop topic in our offerings as teachers).

2. It requires home practice. This was an interesting point, and one I hadn’t heard before – that encouraging students to do home practice as part of what we are teaching, changes and increases in value the relationship of teacher to student. Meaning, if a student’s practice is evolving outside of the classroom, as well as in, we as teachers begin to take on a deeper role in that student’s journey as a practitioner.

3. It is a professional program. Which means it is taught by professional and accredited people. Which means students might take it a bit more seriously. Which means, you guessed it…money in the bank.

4. It is an evidence-based program – it is proven. Do I even need to explain this one? People want to participate in things that have been proven to work. Period.

Okay, great…so, why do we care?

Well, we care (or should care) because this presents a pretty clear model for how to think about what it is we are offering, or not offering, as teachers. At the end of the workshop, Edi had us all do some meditation and journaling about this questions: how is it that we might start to implement parts of this model into our own work? How can we create something which is repeatable? Which encourages home practice? How can we truly become a yoga “professional”? How can we create more legitimacy from outside sources for the work we are doing?

And I’m not going to share my answers to these questions, but I will say I found them to be very thought-provoking. The whole workshop was so clear and focused, and these questions forced me to consider some things I had never considered before. And because of that, I also found some answers, which I never would have discovered had it not been for the clarity and simplicity of the questions.

If you’re a yoga teacher or any kind of wellness professional, I highly recommend checking out Edi’s workshop. She was clear and engaging and the information is really valuable, if for no other reason than to get you thinking about what it is you’re offering, professionally, how it’s working for you and, if it’s NOT working for you, how you might get it to start. (And make a few more dollars in the process…)

No, I didn’t realize when I sat down to listen to Mirka today that she is the wife of Gary Kraftsow (whom I wrote about yesterday), and all I have to say is way to GO, Gary! Man, I would love to be a fly on the wall in that marriage…I imagine lots of levitating and spoon-bending…

Mirka Kraftsow could be described, I think, as a yoga goddess. Not the flashy siren-type goddess, no; Mirka is of the velvet-voiced Italian soul-of-a-poet school of goddesses, and her workshop today, The Path of the Teacher, about nourishing your personal practice, was on a topic too juicy to pass up. And man, I’m glad I didn’t.

Interestingly, I’ve been speaking with other teachers recently about the idea of “living” one’s yoga – what that means and how it is achieved – and Mirka Kraftsow is such a shining example of a woman who embodies that principle. And I don’t just mean that she’s, um… sunny and upbeat (which she is); no, the embodiment I’m talking about is happening on a much deeper level. In words, in thought and in behavior, Mirka exemplifies the deepest principles of yoga – the edicts set forth in the eight-limb path and the ancient texts – and it is this practice of living the teachings that she encourages all of us to partake in as a path towards nourishment.

She spoke a lot about practice as remembrance…that the art of practicing, whether it’s yoga or pranayama or meditation, is less about perfecting some skill and more about this act of reminding ourselves what it is we know and have forgotten. And this makes so much sense to me, because we do forget – or, I forget, at least – over and over again, sometimes many times in a day. And so the asana and the breath-work and the mantra, it can really be, as Mirka described it, like the bells of her girlhood village in Italy, which used to ring out in the afternoons to bring the citizens in for their rest.

What a beautiful way to think about our work, especially we who are teachers…not just as one more thing to get accomplished, but as this whisper of a bell, which we ring ourselves, that reminds us to come back and come back and come back.

Mirka also presented several questions that a practitioner could ask as a way of beginning his or her personal practice, and my favorite of the bunch was, “What is my medicine today? What is it that I want to remember?”

Sigh, sigh, and double sigh.

The truth is that having and maintaining a personal practice can be difficult. The truth ALSO is that approaching practice as a means of nourishment…makes it seem a little less difficult. So often, I have come to my mat, or to my meditation pillow, or even to my journal with this sense of “I don’t know what this is but I’m going to explore it.” And there’s nothing wrong with that, but maybe it’s only scratching the surface of the kind of intimacy and transformation that’s possible in a personal practice. Maybe creating a ritual and asking ourselves what it is we have forgotten that we want to remember today, on this day, for this 20 minutes, or hour, or afternoon, is a much more powerful way to enter into the deepening of the relationship with ourselves.

But, don’t take my word for it. Check out Mirka Scalco Kraftsow, and get your own breath taken away…and then given beautifully back to you.

Well, I have just learned that I was W. R. O. N. G., wrong, wrong, wrong-o about what yoga therapy is, and what it has the potential to do. And my apologies to all yoga therapists out there for my secret suspicion that what they were doing wasn’t quite yoga. Turns out, it is actually more “yoga” than most of the “yoga” that one might find in a traditional western-style class. And how did I reach this stunning change of perspective? Well, by listening to the profound and awesome wise-ness of one Gary Kraftsow in his two-part talk today entitled “Yoga Therapy: Ancient Insights for Modern Healing.”

I’m going to say right away that this guy is a regular font of knowledge and, if you want to go deep (I mean real deep) into the yoga therapy medium, you should check out Gary Kraftsow in the YogaHub community (where there are links to his books and DVDs for sale) and his website, where you can find out about upcoming trainings with Gary.

So, here is the role of the yoga therapist, in a nutshell (as I can figure it). Drawing on many of the ancient teachings of yoga, in particular that what we ARE is not our body or our jobs or our relationships or, in the case of illness or depression, our diagnosis – but instead what we are is the unchanging, ever-present consciousness or atman – the yoga therapist works with patients in a clinical setting to either heal or manage dis-ease (in all its many forms). But, that’s not all!! In addition to the philosophical underpinnings of yoga, the yoga therapist also draws on the anatomical and physiological precepts of the practice – mainly that, through the breath and mantra and asana, we can change and improve our thoughts, mood and physical well-being – and he or she uses these tools to additionally support patients in coping with and treating illness.

Phew, that’s a mouthful! And I’m not even scratching the surface, I promise you, of the depth of knowledge Gary put forth today.

The description he gave of the work that a yoga therapist does really just blew open all of my preconceptions as to what this yoga therapy thing was. I can actually go to a yoga practitioner/teacher/therapist who can both “prescribe” a practice that can help to open me where I’m stuck and AND who can remind me that I am not my (fill in the blank)?! Sign. Me. Up.

It was an incredible thing to listen to Gary speak – having his words beamed into my living room via this incredible medium that is the Virtual World Yoga Conference – and realize that not only is our means of communicating the wisdom of yoga growing and changing, but yoga itself is taking on all of these new and modern forms. The work that Gary Kraftsow does, coined as Viniyoga, is on the cutting edge, not just of yoga science, but also of western science. He pointed out again and again that he and his colleagues are doing as much work as they can, using western medical models of clinical trial and evaluation to prove, in language that even strictly stethoscope and prescription ears can hear, that yoga is a powerful tool in the medical world.

It all felt very 2011.

So, if you’re a yoga teacher who wants to work more closely with people in need of healing, or you’re a healing professional who wants to add in a little bit of magic yoga juice to your work, definitely check out Gary Kraftsow and Viniyoga. From what I can tell from cruising around on his website, he does events, workshops and trainings all year round.

Well, alright, enlightenment might be a tall order for a single conference…but a girl can dream, can’t she? Sigh…

However, I’m not writing just to lament the long road to total god-realization…I’m writing because I happen to have an inside track on some of the serious wisdom that is going to be on display in just a few short days, and I wanted to share with you, oh chosen ones, a couple more reasons why you should be very excited for conference-time. So, sit back, take a look, and prepare to get your pre-event buzz on!

2 MORE REASONS TO GET (super) EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE-TIME:

1. Megan McDonough. That’s right, you’ve seen her name all over the YogaHub website. You knew she was one of the producers of the conference, but did you also know that she’s awesome?

She. Is. Awesome.

Megan is going to be giving a workshop during the conference called Living with Ease – and if that title alone doesn’t get you revved up, if the promise of sweeter, deeper, more easeful day-to-day existence isn’t enough to sell you – then what if I told you that Megan is a totally grounded chick with a great belly laugh? Still not enough? How about if I told you that she is going to give a workshop that is truly interactive, and interactive in a way that will require you to use your intelligence and your wit – and maybe, just maybe, to totally surprise yourself with your own insights? Getting a little more curious?

Because I am super fancy and have super fancy press-access to the 2011 Virtual World Yoga Conference, I managed to get a sneak peek into Megan’s workshop. And let me tell you, she has some things to say that are going to make you feel both gooey with comfort (I am allowed to relax!) and also all a-quiver with inspiration (I did some of her exercises…and the ballpoint pen on my desk has never seemed so beautiful). She is a graceful teacher with insights to share that are immediate and applicable to actual life – yes, your actual day-to-day sitting/standing/doing things life. What she has to teach you is about finding ease right here, in the body and life and heart that you are currently living in.

Check out her session…you won’t regret it!

2. Jyotish Novak. Um…how do I…I sort of feel like I should just write OM, over and over again, in an attempt to convey the calm, insightful wonder that is Jyotish Novak.

But instead I will just say this…If you are either: A. meditating already but suspect you might be doing it wrong; B. meditating already (you hope correctly) but could use some inspiration to keep coming back to your seat; C. endlessly attempting (and failing) to keep a regular meditation practice; or D. not a meditator, but feel like you ought to be one…then this workshop is for YOU!

As a member of category “C” (above), I have been to oodles (and I mean oodles) of “how to meditate” classes, workshops and seminars, and while I have found many of them useful, I’ve always left feeling…well, just as confused about meditation as I was going in. Not so with Jyotish Novak.

I mean, seriously, where has this guy been all my life?! The techniques presented in his workshop How to Relax, Concentrate and Interiorize in Meditation are SO clear and still SO open…I learned things from this man in a single hour that are going to revolutionize my meditate-ing life. I have never been presented with such succinct and approachable instruction when it comes to developing and maintaining a meditation practice as I have from Jyotish. So, if you are looking to start or deepen your practice, or if you’re one of us guilty yogis who KNOWS you’re supposed to be meditating but can’t seem to find your groove with sitting still…you have got to check out Jyotish. He will make you excited to get your meditation on!

Check him out at the conference and see if he doesn’t just make you want to say OM, OM, and OM.

The most pleasant surprise has been the bonding of community. There’s a genuine concern for each other’s wellbeing. There have been many medical emergencies, such as hip or knee replacements. Just last week, we had a 92-year-old student leave via stretcher after a dizzy spell. But through illness, death, and celebrations, we’re here for each other.

No matter what you’re able to do physically, you are welcomed.

You may find a ride to class when your car breaks down. Or receive a card in the mail when you’ve been sick. Or get a phone call if you haven’t been to class.

This strong sense of connection and community has got me thinking. How can we foster this support in an online community such as this one right here at YogaHub?

Here are a few ideas I have…

• Be interested in other YogaHub members. Did you know you can search the membership for similar interests, or for people who live near you?
• Invite your other friends to join YogaHub.
• Write a blog post, and comment on another’s blog that you find interesting.
• Share a quick snippet from your day and send another well wishes in their comment section.
• Acknowledge milestones of your friends at YogaHub, such as an anniversary or other life events.
• Write a product review on ShopYogaHub, sharing your opinion.
• Stay connected with community learning by joining the annual virtual conference.

Do you have other ideas? Feel free to comment below and add to the discussion!

There are lessons to be learned and gifts to be received when we look upon this virtual space as a community. In community, we support one another. We challenge one another. We find laughter and lightheartedness with each other. Bottom line: it’s more fun to practice together than alone.

Tags: creating community, teaching senior yoga, yoga teacher, senior yoga class

I miss it so much, but I have had to forgo the physical during this time of healing. I have done very subtle poses, such as neck, shoulders, eyes and a little inversion, but other than that, the body has not wanted to flow. The coughing has become much too aggressive and I just have to accommodate its own pattern and direction.

Also, lack of sleep in the evenings does not help. Coughing fits every half hour, sleeping in a reclined position…ouch, the body aches from the angles and the force within each deep cough. I keep reminding myself that I still have to run a company during this time and cannot just rest in bed.

The fatigue is such a reminder of a childhood of ill health that I thought I would never have to encounter again. It’s been years, but this time I stupidly allowed myself to plow forward to the point where my body finally refused to tolerate my disrespect. This disrespect included going to an amusement park for my child’s birthday when I had a fever of 101.5 degrees.

Of course I have not consumed any medication, except for items such as Nasal Cleansing with “Neti Wash Plus” – which has a light level of Zinc – Umka Syrup, Colloidal Silver (extra strength), Bioron Homeopathics, and my old-time favorite Chinese herbal syrup, Pai Pa Kao. And I cannot forget about changes in diet, lots of water and electrolytes with supplements. So even though it’s been a slow recovery, it’s been a wonderful one. A recovery from the core.

Now I am longing to get back to my routine of daily Yoga. I am hoping that by next week I will be able to begin with 30 minutes and work my way back to a comfortable routine. That is when I know the aching will stop. The Yoga will begin to unwind my body from the stresses that have accumulated.

Tags: coughing, fever, recovery process, western medicine, eastern medicine, chinese herbal, neti cleansing, neti wash plus, daily yoga practice

You see, I am not a yoga instructor of any sort. I am a student. A student of yoga who had a vision of creating YogaHub because I knew only a little about yoga and wanted to learn and explore more with a community of like minds. This being said, I don’t feel I know much more at this point because I have just spent so much time working on the foundation of the site.

Our YogaHub Site has kept me so busy that I have not had time to actually physically go to classes. It’s been months and I ache to be back in class again. My priorities these days are my child, YogaHub, and my team’s well being.

Months ago, my partner asked if I would lead the team through a class. “Of course not,” I replied, “that is so dangerous! What if I misguide or mislead them? I am not qualified.”

Well, the team has been under some stress in the past few months. There have been a lot of deadlines that need to be met. The energy in the group was beginning to get stagnant. So what could we do about that? The holidays are creeping upon us and you know what happens then – everything work-related begins to slow down because people are busy shopping for gifts, preparing for all the festivities, and cooking up a storm, which in turn means food consumption starts to go up, etc., etc.

It made me realize that we had to initiate a shift – not in the New Year but NOW. So a few weeks ago, I began with one simple yoga session. My entire team showed up. Well, okay, it was part of their job to do so. My intent was to just get through a few Sun Salutations, which we did. We took it nice and easy, doing four sets in 45 minutes. It felt good to finally get the body flowing again, but I still didn’t feel adequate or comfortable leading this class.

The following week we did two days, and now this week we’re doing it every day – yes, that’s right – every day.

Am I feeling better about it? No. I continually place the “not qualified” judgment label upon myself. After class today, I mentioned to my team that I think I should go and take a few courses just so I feel better about what I am doing.

I recently read Tadishima’s blog (in MyYogaHub) about his first time teaching and how scared he was, even though he had just become qualified. Well, I totally empathize with him – and I am not even qualified. Thank goodness my team is not a paying group!

I guess I have to just get over it. The feedback has been good. They seem to be enjoying it. The cool part about all this is that the team’s energy has shifted. The energy in the office has shifted. This change I love! I just need to get over my own insecurities and learn to accept having to take the lead. One day I intend to take a certified course, just for my own journey and fulfillment, but until then I’ll just keep doing what I can and do my best.

Tags: yoga class, teaching yoga, yoga teacher, first class of teaching yoga, first time teaching

However, whenever I try a new form of yoga, I like to experience it several times before I really know if it will benefit me at this time of my life. Each one of us is unique and the journeys we take as individuals inspire us to grow in different directions that in turn enable us to have the greatest effect on how we share or teach others.

With Yin Yoga, I knew in my heart that I would need to experience it through other instructors before making a decision. So I signed up for a Yin Yoga class at YYoga in North Vancouver, BC. The class was taught by Nico Luce, the co-owner of the studio.

Whenever I take a class, I like to be further up front so that I can hear and see the instructor, especially when it is a form that I am not familiar with. There were at least 25 people in the class and we spent the entire time on our mats.

Nico began the class with meditation and then went into asanas that were held for approximately five minutes. It was very much a learning experience on how to use our breath and trust our bodies to release the tensions in every area.

Nico was very, very clear on ensuring that the positioning of our bodies was correct to prevent any chance of strain or injury. He was also specific on what one might be feeling or the sensations that one may feel during a particular pose. During the class, as our bodies melted into each asana, he would speak of global balance and the sharing of peace and compassion.

His beautiful, nurturing spirit filled the room, touching all who were present. This is the type of instructor that a beginner – or someone who has hesitations about yoga – should come to for a solid introduction to yoga. For those of us who are experienced yogis, we can also benefit from a teacher like Nico, whose knowledgeable instructions remind us how a few simple adjustments can make a huge impact on our personal practice.

My experience with this class has convinced me to delve further into the benefits of Yin Yoga. By keeping an open mind, I was able to find a great instructor whose passion and commitment will continue to resonate with me as I continue on my life journey.

Thank you, Nico, for sharing your beauty with us.

Tags: good yoga instructor, patience, yin yoga, meditation, open mind

Well, yesterday evening I dragged myself to the recreation centre for my next class with her. I really wasn’t in the mood to go as I’d been so put off the last time, but I decided to give her another try. Maybe she’d been having an “off” day – we all have them sometimes.

When I arrived at class, the first thing I noticed was that it was only half full, compared to the week before when we’d had a good turnout. Oops – not a good sign for the instructor. Where was she, by the way? While waiting for her to show up, the few of us who were there rolled out our mats, settled ourselves down and started to do some breathing exercises to cleanse our minds. I’d had a particularly stressful week, so it was good to have a few minutes to regain my equilibrium and composure.

That equilibrium was sorely tested when the instructor breezed in, threw down her mat and shattered the peace by proclaiming loudly “Hey, I’m a few minutes’ late (ten minutes, actually, but who’s counting) but you know how it is”! And that was it by way of apology.

She watched us for a couple of minutes and then said “Right, you had a few minutes to get yourselves together; now, let’s get on with it!” So, exchanging glances of trepidation, we dutifully stood up, prepared for the worst.

But she surprised us. She lowered her voice to a soothing tone and started taking us through some poses, explaining them as we went along. She also walked around the class, correcting a pose here and there.  She didn’t push us but instead offered encouragement, which perked us all up. When she gave one of the women a high-five for mastering the tree pose, which the woman had been unable to do the week before, I decided then and there that the instructor had sent her “good” twin to teach us this week!

By the end of the class, we all felt relaxed and energized at the same time. I was curious to find out what had caused this sudden (and welcome) change in the instructor’s attitude, so I stayed behind to have a chat with her. I wasn’t quite sure how to start the conversation, though, so I was pleasantly surprised when she approached me with a smile and said “Big difference, huh”? She then went on to say that initially she’d felt hurt last week, feeling that we’d “ganged up” on her. But after a day or so, she started thinking about what we’d said and decided to put aside her ego and take our words as constructive criticism. I told her I was really impressed that she’d been able to do so and had really enjoyed her class this time.

As I was leaving, she called out “See you next week” – and you know, I think I will.

Tags: new yoga instructor, second chance, encouragement from teacher, egos, change of attitude

Charging their clients a sales tax is the dilemma that yoga studios and teachers in the state of Washington are currently facing. Recently, the Department of Revenue in that state notified the owners of yoga studios that they would have to start charging a sales tax. Why? Because it was decided that yoga is considered a form of exercise and therefore, under the law, it is subject to sales tax.

Just think how you’d feel if that happened in your state!

Owners and teachers of yoga studios in Washington have not taken this unpopular decision lightly and the policy is currently under fierce debate. Some teachers have tried to enlighten officials by explaining that although physical fitness is taught, the focus of yoga is on meditation and the calming of mind and spirit. There is also a discrepancy between yoga classes being taught in fitness centers that tend to concentrate on yoga as a fitness regime and independent yoga studios that focus on meditation and spiritual awareness.

Some yoga studios have already reluctantly begun to implement this new 9% sales tax. However, this has opened another can of worms because the owners and teachers of the studios are concerned that they may be subject to paying back taxes, which could end up being thousands of dollars. To add to the frustration, some studios have already been required to pay back taxes, while other studios have received a tax refund. In order to come to find a common ground resolution to this debate, Washington’s Department of Revenue is planning to meet with local yoga representatives on November 19th.

Let’s hope they find a solution before the idea catches on in other states!

So what would you do if you were suddenly told that you had to charge a sales tax under the law?

You can read the full article here to find out more about this ongoing debate: www.king5.com.

Tags: yoga exercise, yoga studio and tax, sales tax on yoga, yoga in Washington state