Coming into alignment, coming into breath

Having put my back out on Friday, I surely didn’t feel like particpating in Ally’s tremendously challenging and amazing classes. However, I did feel that attending her class would be an awesome opportunity to actually assist, in both adjustments of alignment and in facilitating proper technique demonstrations. In truth, a student will be my biggest teacher! I still feel so new and inexperienced in the realm of teaching …. and the yoga class substantiated the intimidation I felt just a few short months ago in taking the Trinity Yoga training. Trinity eloquently states: “Adjustments or enhancements assist students to move into deeper places, allowing them to surrender and experience the asana in its truth – effortless.” As a Teacher, I am constantly striving to cre8te a comfortable space of exploration for my yoga students within their own practice. I know that from my experience, especially when first starting yoga, I felt uncomfortable and uncertain in my movement and alignment, hesitant and unsure as to what was ‘proper’ and complete. What I didn’t quite get at the time was that the asanas returned to the breath and to the listening of my own body cues. That has come (and continues to reveal itself) with time.

The general principles / guidelines / rules of yoga technique and alignment, as stated in my educational manual from the training, are:

• Stack the joints.
• Engage the foundation / connect to the earth
• Thighbones back / upper arm bones back
  ( Roll the shoulders up, back and then shoulder blades soften down the back as the upper arm bones draw back )
• Sacrum / tail bone drops
• Head floats back
  ( draw jaw back ‘into the drawer’; fill out into the back of the back of skull until neck is completely neutral / stacked — floating )

What a tremendous learning experience Ally’s class was …. and my journey has only begun! Both scary and exciting; a kaleidoscope of emotion continues to reveal itself from the experience.

Namaste …