In addition to Mysore practise 6 mornings a week, Louise guides us through afternoon Yin Yoga classes twice a week. Ashtanga and Yin Yoga are commonly practised together and I am beginning to understand, and feel first hand in my body, why.
Yin yoga is pretty much the opposite of Ashtanga's more Yang qualities. Rather than flowing through endless vinyasas and holding poses for only 5 ujjayi breaths, with Yin yoga we drop into restorative poses with very little concern for alignment and hold them for an infinatly long 5 minutes. While the Ashtanga system can offer flexibility, it is primarily a practise of inner and physical strength, whereas Yin yoga is all about getting into those tight areas and opening them up.
Wow. I have never experienced such wild and squirrly sensations in my nervous system as I have in the last week with such long holds in hip opening poses. The Yin postures focus alot on opening the hips and groins, which are two very tight areas in this body of mine. Getting into a restorative version of eka pada rajakapotasana (pidgeon) and staying there for 5 minutes certainly can bring up a lot. It's quite the feat to try to endure through the reactions of the nervous systems and move towards peace of mind in the pose. We store tensions throughout our bodies and yoga asanas are, in part, designed to purify our physical bodies by slowly releasing such blockages. Never before have I felt this so clearly as I have lately with Yin yoga.
I think it is the perfect compliment to the Ashtanga system because it teaches the body to completely disengage and simply drop into the pose allowing gravity to take over for long periods of time. There is no physical exertion. It feels like a true process of actively letting go in such a subtle way and yet the effects are profound. Already after a few classes I can see and feel the difference in my hips and more so in my mind. We can than take these openings into the more engaging and strength building Ashtanga practise.
Yin yoga teaches us how to go to the 'edge' in the pose - the very place where the sensations (not pain) are awakened - and then to just BE there. It's not often in our lives or in our practise that we sustain discomfort. Most often our response is to change something fast and make it 'better.' I find even in the Ashtanga practise it can be too easy to speed up the 5 ujjayi breaths when in an uncomfortable pose and quickly move on to the next. But in Yin yoga you are committed. There is no where to go for 5 whole minutes. I find sustaining this is precisely what some especially tight areas in this body of mine require.
It's also an excellent exercise for our minds. Louise talks to us about various insightful aspects of yoga and life during the 5 minutes and the other day she reminded us that not everything is supposed to be comfortable. So simple yet so true. She encouraged us to BE with the sensations arising, rather than trying to change them, and allow them to release. I seem to constantly be learning and re-learning this powerful message and Yin yoga is currently my teacher.
I feel Louise is the most fitting woman to guide me through such difficult and profound openings that appear to be deeply entrenched. There is a point when my nervous system is reacting so strongly and I just want to get out of the pose immediately. I find having Louise's gentle nature hold the space and remind us to just BE present is reassuring and calming. The practise feels like a reflection of her personality. It is the subtle power of Yin yoga that has strong effects, which is precisely the style that Louise teaches and eminates.
I look forward to seeing what else I can let go of through this subtle, yet profound practise.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Why I love to practise with Louise Ellis
Many of you have asked so here is my attempt at explaining why I love practising yoga in the presence of Louise Ellis as a teacher. There are several qualities I admire about her as a person and a teacher, but ultimatly it is a feeling of comfort and ease that I have when I am in her presence that makes me appreciate her most. She is very real, very kind and her overall gentle nature allows me to open and let go, moving deeper into my own practise. She is a very well established female ashtanga practitioner who is soft yet strong, which is beautiful to see in this system of yoga.
By real I mean genuine, down to earth and approachable. You can speak to her on nearly any topic and she welcomes you to do so. Rarely does this occur with such an advanced practitioner, which to me makes her very real. When I was here in March, another student and I went to lunch with her and talked about anything and everything with pure ease. It was like old friends reuniting and I am grateful for that experience. Louise is very honest in speech and eminates very little ego in her personality. This time, we haven't gone for lunch (yet) but in morning Mysore practise she is always happy to speak to you. She'll come to your mat and either give you the most powerfully gentle adjustment or talk to you about the pose you're working on, kindly offerring alternatives and suggestions. There hasn't been a morning yet when I haven't heard her laugh with either myself of another student. She's simply a joyous presence!
Her qualities of gentleness and kindness I find are absolutly critical to be around at this stage of my own practise. Moving into Intermediate series, my work is presently with backbends, which can bring up a lot of emotions and sensations. When we are exposing our often vulnerable front bodies and our delicate hearts in backbending poses, a gentle presence guiding us is most appreciative. Primary series is well designed to open the back of the body with countless forward bends and naturally, we evolve into backbending. For me, I find my ability to open and be what at most times feels very vulnerable in poses like kapotasana and drop backs, is greatly affected by the teacher I am practising with. Being in Louise's compassionate presence feels like a comfortable fit, allowing me to let go and drop back into the unknown. I feel my body open with ease and trust in her guidance and I know this is precisely what I need to move more deeply into the next stages of my practise.
This past week, being sick with a nasty cold, Louise has reminded me not to overdo it but yet to still apply myself. I find it is this exact, oh-so-delicate, line that I am so curious about. How do we engage, in yoga and in life, with effortless effort? Most often I think we walk either side of centre, sometimes glimpsing the middle itself. To me, Louise is not only a good example of strength and ease, but she also allows me to experiment and come more closely to finding my own middle path.
It is often helpful to see admirable qualities in others in order to tap into the place they reside within ourselves. At this time in my life and in my practise, Louise is helping me develop inner and physical strength with softness in what can often be a physically demanding yoga practise. It is this same balance of strength and grace I am working on incorporating into my life.
I am greatful for this experience and look forward to the next 7 weeks to continue the journey of unfolding!
By real I mean genuine, down to earth and approachable. You can speak to her on nearly any topic and she welcomes you to do so. Rarely does this occur with such an advanced practitioner, which to me makes her very real. When I was here in March, another student and I went to lunch with her and talked about anything and everything with pure ease. It was like old friends reuniting and I am grateful for that experience. Louise is very honest in speech and eminates very little ego in her personality. This time, we haven't gone for lunch (yet) but in morning Mysore practise she is always happy to speak to you. She'll come to your mat and either give you the most powerfully gentle adjustment or talk to you about the pose you're working on, kindly offerring alternatives and suggestions. There hasn't been a morning yet when I haven't heard her laugh with either myself of another student. She's simply a joyous presence!
Her qualities of gentleness and kindness I find are absolutly critical to be around at this stage of my own practise. Moving into Intermediate series, my work is presently with backbends, which can bring up a lot of emotions and sensations. When we are exposing our often vulnerable front bodies and our delicate hearts in backbending poses, a gentle presence guiding us is most appreciative. Primary series is well designed to open the back of the body with countless forward bends and naturally, we evolve into backbending. For me, I find my ability to open and be what at most times feels very vulnerable in poses like kapotasana and drop backs, is greatly affected by the teacher I am practising with. Being in Louise's compassionate presence feels like a comfortable fit, allowing me to let go and drop back into the unknown. I feel my body open with ease and trust in her guidance and I know this is precisely what I need to move more deeply into the next stages of my practise.
This past week, being sick with a nasty cold, Louise has reminded me not to overdo it but yet to still apply myself. I find it is this exact, oh-so-delicate, line that I am so curious about. How do we engage, in yoga and in life, with effortless effort? Most often I think we walk either side of centre, sometimes glimpsing the middle itself. To me, Louise is not only a good example of strength and ease, but she also allows me to experiment and come more closely to finding my own middle path.
It is often helpful to see admirable qualities in others in order to tap into the place they reside within ourselves. At this time in my life and in my practise, Louise is helping me develop inner and physical strength with softness in what can often be a physically demanding yoga practise. It is this same balance of strength and grace I am working on incorporating into my life.
I am greatful for this experience and look forward to the next 7 weeks to continue the journey of unfolding!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Everywhere We Go, There We Are
Well, it's been 1 week since I arrived in India and it amazes me how quickly our surroundings and lifestyles can change. Yet with such changes I am also reminded that no matter where we go, there we are! No matter which continent we are on, we have ourselves and all of our light and all of our dark right there with us along the way!
It has been quite the week of adjustments and transitions but I am proud to say I am starting to find a routine and drop back into this yoga lifestyle.
After a lengthy journey from Lake Erie, southern Ontario, to Abu Dhabi, to Delhi, to Rishikesh and finally to Laxman Jhula, I am pleased to say I slept my first night in India at my final destination where I will spend the next 2 months!
Arriving into smog filled, filthy, chaotic Delhi at 5:30 am left me wanting nothing more than to keep moving through and beyond it. After lingering in the airport until I felt confident to step out into my new reality, I made my way directly to the New Delhi train station only to learn the earliest train I could catch was at 11 pm. Not soon enough for me! So I continued on to the next best thing, a local bus. Suddenly I was at the bus stand, away from other options, such as the possibility of splurging on a relatively more 'luxurious' air conditioned bus. At that point I was committed so I piled in the overly crowded, decrepit local bus headed for Rishikesh. I was happy to be moving, even though pathetically slowly, for my final destination. Turns out the 9 hour ride only cost $3 CDN but included a flat tire along the way, stops way too often for people getting off, crowding on or for the many guys trying to sell us everything from watches to water to coconut pieces. I went for some coconut to chew on and smiled, letting go of needing to be anywhere at any particular time, or even the need to feel completely comfortable in this new, yet familiar, chaotic reality that I chose to be part of at this time. Ah, India!
I decided to spend my first night in Laxman Jhula (10 mins from Rishikesh) at the same place I spent most of my time here during my last trip in March. Upon arriving, dirt covered and exhausted, I was amazed that the owners recognized me. Indians have incredible memories but it was over 6 months ago that I was here and they see so many tourists, that I didn't expect such a warm welcome. Already, after just moments of arriving, I was feeling like I had just left yesterday. So much is similar and yet there are the small things that are slightly different, such as the murky brown colour of the Ganga River post monsoon. Already I am constantly hearing myself say "Same, Same, but Different!" b/c it's so true.
It's interesting to return to a familiar place and yet feel so different within ourselves. This is how I felt returning to Canada in June of this year and it is once again how I feel dropping back into Laxman Jhula. I find it is as though I expect the level of changes within me to be reflected in my surroundings. Perhaps it's simply a matter of taking responsibility for the shift within ourselves and reflecting it, for example in our actions, to our surroundings. Who knows.
After a well deserved horizontal sleep, resting and reading, getting re-aquainted with this part of India and indulging in things I missed most from here like refreshing lemon nanas (fresh lime, mint and ice drink), I have settled into a lovely bachelorette suite with my very own kitchen, clean bathroom, bedroom and large porch. I have a beautiful view of the surrounding green hillsides and the Ganga River in the distance. And yes, I have started practising with Louise!
It is such a delight to be in her presence, learn from her and open up in my yoga practise. It's a small group at the moment practising each morning in a glass enclosed rooftop shala overlooking the Ganga River. We face east as we practise and each morning as I start the seated poses of Primary Series the sun rises over the hilltops right onto my mat. It is not nearly as hot here as Goa, which is wonderful. The temperature drops quite a bit here at night and the wind picks up making it cool and comfortable for sleeping. The days still reach the high 20's to 30 C by mid day but it feels very tolerable in this dry climate. Each day is getting a bit cooler as we move into winter and I must say, I love it.
I'm slowly getting into the flow, finding my post travel ashtanga practise and as my body adjusts, it is nice to remind myself that there is no rush. I have 9 weeks here with Louise, which is plenty of time to dive deeper into my practise. Once again, it is a matter of letting go and letting things unfold as they will b/c truly, that is the only way one can survive in this part of the world. Nothing ever goes according to how you envision it - ever- so you either drive yourself crazy wishing things were different, of just step back, breath and accept that for whatever reason, they are going as they are going. You can either fight the current or go with it and although sometimes I find myself still trying to swim upstream, more and more I am learning to go with the ease of the flow!
I find I have plenty of time on my hands, which I knew would be a struggle for me particularly this time around without Iain's grounding presence. I realize, this is my work right now, to drop into where I am, remembering that it's where I want to be at this time and not worry about what the future will bring. As many of you know, the unknown future has been a bit of a struggle for me lately and to be honest, on some level I thought I would arrive here and that would go away. Where to? I am not sure. But it turns out it is right here with me. Even on the other side of the planet, my internal struggles came along for the journey, which is just fine. As Rumi reminds me, this being human is a guest house, each day a new arrival. And also, it is clear to me that everywhere we go, there we are.
So here I am being with Theresa, dropping into my surroundings and finding my own rhythm, soaking in all that this same, same, yet new experience has to offer!
It has been quite the week of adjustments and transitions but I am proud to say I am starting to find a routine and drop back into this yoga lifestyle.
After a lengthy journey from Lake Erie, southern Ontario, to Abu Dhabi, to Delhi, to Rishikesh and finally to Laxman Jhula, I am pleased to say I slept my first night in India at my final destination where I will spend the next 2 months!
Arriving into smog filled, filthy, chaotic Delhi at 5:30 am left me wanting nothing more than to keep moving through and beyond it. After lingering in the airport until I felt confident to step out into my new reality, I made my way directly to the New Delhi train station only to learn the earliest train I could catch was at 11 pm. Not soon enough for me! So I continued on to the next best thing, a local bus. Suddenly I was at the bus stand, away from other options, such as the possibility of splurging on a relatively more 'luxurious' air conditioned bus. At that point I was committed so I piled in the overly crowded, decrepit local bus headed for Rishikesh. I was happy to be moving, even though pathetically slowly, for my final destination. Turns out the 9 hour ride only cost $3 CDN but included a flat tire along the way, stops way too often for people getting off, crowding on or for the many guys trying to sell us everything from watches to water to coconut pieces. I went for some coconut to chew on and smiled, letting go of needing to be anywhere at any particular time, or even the need to feel completely comfortable in this new, yet familiar, chaotic reality that I chose to be part of at this time. Ah, India!
I decided to spend my first night in Laxman Jhula (10 mins from Rishikesh) at the same place I spent most of my time here during my last trip in March. Upon arriving, dirt covered and exhausted, I was amazed that the owners recognized me. Indians have incredible memories but it was over 6 months ago that I was here and they see so many tourists, that I didn't expect such a warm welcome. Already, after just moments of arriving, I was feeling like I had just left yesterday. So much is similar and yet there are the small things that are slightly different, such as the murky brown colour of the Ganga River post monsoon. Already I am constantly hearing myself say "Same, Same, but Different!" b/c it's so true.
It's interesting to return to a familiar place and yet feel so different within ourselves. This is how I felt returning to Canada in June of this year and it is once again how I feel dropping back into Laxman Jhula. I find it is as though I expect the level of changes within me to be reflected in my surroundings. Perhaps it's simply a matter of taking responsibility for the shift within ourselves and reflecting it, for example in our actions, to our surroundings. Who knows.
After a well deserved horizontal sleep, resting and reading, getting re-aquainted with this part of India and indulging in things I missed most from here like refreshing lemon nanas (fresh lime, mint and ice drink), I have settled into a lovely bachelorette suite with my very own kitchen, clean bathroom, bedroom and large porch. I have a beautiful view of the surrounding green hillsides and the Ganga River in the distance. And yes, I have started practising with Louise!
It is such a delight to be in her presence, learn from her and open up in my yoga practise. It's a small group at the moment practising each morning in a glass enclosed rooftop shala overlooking the Ganga River. We face east as we practise and each morning as I start the seated poses of Primary Series the sun rises over the hilltops right onto my mat. It is not nearly as hot here as Goa, which is wonderful. The temperature drops quite a bit here at night and the wind picks up making it cool and comfortable for sleeping. The days still reach the high 20's to 30 C by mid day but it feels very tolerable in this dry climate. Each day is getting a bit cooler as we move into winter and I must say, I love it.
I'm slowly getting into the flow, finding my post travel ashtanga practise and as my body adjusts, it is nice to remind myself that there is no rush. I have 9 weeks here with Louise, which is plenty of time to dive deeper into my practise. Once again, it is a matter of letting go and letting things unfold as they will b/c truly, that is the only way one can survive in this part of the world. Nothing ever goes according to how you envision it - ever- so you either drive yourself crazy wishing things were different, of just step back, breath and accept that for whatever reason, they are going as they are going. You can either fight the current or go with it and although sometimes I find myself still trying to swim upstream, more and more I am learning to go with the ease of the flow!
I find I have plenty of time on my hands, which I knew would be a struggle for me particularly this time around without Iain's grounding presence. I realize, this is my work right now, to drop into where I am, remembering that it's where I want to be at this time and not worry about what the future will bring. As many of you know, the unknown future has been a bit of a struggle for me lately and to be honest, on some level I thought I would arrive here and that would go away. Where to? I am not sure. But it turns out it is right here with me. Even on the other side of the planet, my internal struggles came along for the journey, which is just fine. As Rumi reminds me, this being human is a guest house, each day a new arrival. And also, it is clear to me that everywhere we go, there we are.
So here I am being with Theresa, dropping into my surroundings and finding my own rhythm, soaking in all that this same, same, yet new experience has to offer!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
