Friday
July 26, 2019
Summer · 9 entries
Working inside of different federal agencies, corporations, and NGOs for the last 10+ years as a yoga teacher has been illuminating in the ways mindfulness practice can be co-opted for both the forces of good and some far more nefarious.
As a young teacher, i felt as though i was sharing something very useful with people who could affect change on a much larger scale than I ever couldâ i felt subversive to be doing it right in the heart of the corporate/capitalistic machine.
Practice worksâ and it works across a broad spectrum of therapeutic modalities each with individual metrics. Spiritual health, physical well being, interpersonal relational skills, emotional balanceâ each can be touched on. When instructed well, each can be elevated. So too, Iâm sad to say, can the shadow side: further anesthetization, good old spiritual bypassing, and duration of a culture that punches down and goes to sleep.
Having seen this in local yoga studios, international finance organizations, and local community sports non-profits, its very much on my radar. But, it doesnât mean to stop. It means to care more and share better.
Teachers have a responsibility: pick your platform, and to pick it well. Keep your ethics high, and they will trickle down.
https://www.thenation.com/article/ron-parser-mcmindfulness-mindfulness-meditation-book-interview/
As a young teacher, i felt as though i was sharing something very useful with people who could affect change on a much larger scale than I ever couldâ i felt subversive to be doing it right in the heart of the corporate/capitalistic machine.
Practice worksâ and it works across a broad spectrum of therapeutic modalities each with individual metrics. Spiritual health, physical well being, interpersonal relational skills, emotional balanceâ each can be touched on. When instructed well, each can be elevated. So too, Iâm sad to say, can the shadow side: further anesthetization, good old spiritual bypassing, and duration of a culture that punches down and goes to sleep.
Having seen this in local yoga studios, international finance organizations, and local community sports non-profits, its very much on my radar. But, it doesnât mean to stop. It means to care more and share better.
Teachers have a responsibility: pick your platform, and to pick it well. Keep your ethics high, and they will trickle down.
https://www.thenation.com/article/ron-parser-mcmindfulness-mindfulness-meditation-book-interview/
A member of the greater DC/NOVA yoga community, @andreharrisyoga came in to visit today at @dcashtanga . He lives in Washington (state, not DC) now, and only gets back to visit about once a year. I love seeing him!
Lately, he has been struggling with injury. Life is like that, ya know? @livelyogini And he went over a bunch of great tactics including #FRC over at @ashtanganation to help him get stronger.
I recognized the work they had done (Maggie and I have worked together a lot over the years), and was able to facilitate further. The truth is, André wanted to work on his tick-tok (and so did I!) but we had some more pressing issues to resolve.
Together, we explored upstream and downstream to find compensatory movement patterns that have perhaps been leading to some of the injury, and examined how to remove the pattern by introducing a new one.
If it came automatically, we’d all move perfectly. We don’t. Andre’s patience with the developmental drills and upstream/downstream modifications left him able to practice the ashtanga yoga syllabus — elegantly into the primary series.
Same-same, intermediate.
Pretty cool.
After all the slow and steady and elegant; and then transition-y, we finally got to work on the tik-tok!!
I wanted André to share with me some of his progress while he works on these things, and so i got the ball rolling with video.
Here’s one way we work to develop motor skills somewhat autonomously in the Mysore room. We went from being totally assisted, to using a chair, to using pads.
Teamwork, patience, and persistence. They go a long way.
Lately, he has been struggling with injury. Life is like that, ya know? @livelyogini And he went over a bunch of great tactics including #FRC over at @ashtanganation to help him get stronger.
I recognized the work they had done (Maggie and I have worked together a lot over the years), and was able to facilitate further. The truth is, André wanted to work on his tick-tok (and so did I!) but we had some more pressing issues to resolve.
Together, we explored upstream and downstream to find compensatory movement patterns that have perhaps been leading to some of the injury, and examined how to remove the pattern by introducing a new one.
If it came automatically, we’d all move perfectly. We don’t. Andre’s patience with the developmental drills and upstream/downstream modifications left him able to practice the ashtanga yoga syllabus — elegantly into the primary series.
Same-same, intermediate.
Pretty cool.
After all the slow and steady and elegant; and then transition-y, we finally got to work on the tik-tok!!
I wanted André to share with me some of his progress while he works on these things, and so i got the ball rolling with video.
Here’s one way we work to develop motor skills somewhat autonomously in the Mysore room. We went from being totally assisted, to using a chair, to using pads.
Teamwork, patience, and persistence. They go a long way.
A day at the office.
Foundations
never ever
get boring
Guuuuuys!! Iâm teaching a VinyÄsa class at Eaton tonightâ 6pm!
Stolen, and presented without comment.
in imageDO MOLE
CCALLE
Conor Michael Casey
2 hours ago
Heres
your
so called
fitness journey
Stolen, and presented
without comment.
CCALLE
Conor Michael Casey
2 hours ago
Heres
your
so called
fitness journey
Stolen, and presented
without comment.
FLOW class
@eaton.dc
Friday
7/26
6pm
@eaton.dc
Friday
7/26
6pm
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