Kids can love yoga too

 Photo courtesy of Camp Aim.

I've been wanting to blog on my work teaching kids yoga for a long time now, but I felt I needed more personal experience doing it first. As you may know I work in the special needs sector, with either people having physical, cognitive, or both challenges. When starting my yoga immersion back in 2012 it was a personal journey, alongside a change in work responsibility which I knew would be harder to let go, when returning home each day. I never toyed with the idea of teaching, or even combining my skills of movement therapist with yoga. But on graduation there was demand and need for it.

I first tried in a private setting with individual children with ADD or autism, and wow did I see it work. I saw focus at the end of just a short practice. Particularly one girl who just needed a boost in confidence, I saw she needed something to make herself feel good, and when she learnt new poses she resonated a new confidence. She learnt to understand if you want something, you need to work for it, which she did, versus how she was often frustrated in school. Each day we played yoga games, we held asana's we did a breathing activity, and more importantly she was able to be still and focused at the end. It also promoted bonding moments for mother and daughter as she would show her mom, teach her mom, and they would congratulate one another.

I decided to try and create some classes of my own, to see the need for classes for children with physical disabilities. I had contacts to a yoga studio in North Toronto through the special needs community and a ran a small camp for girls with cerebral palsy. The girls seemed to love it, and I played around with themes and focuses each class. The camp was for an hour a day for one week. I was delighted with some of the feedback, and I had a physiotherapist email me, saying she could even see one of the girls she was also working with, looking stronger. I loved teaching the classes and I was hooked on wanting to teach more. Yoga is cool for any child to do, so why should these girls miss out.

 The biggest challenge as with all aspects of my life was trying to fit everything in, I am one of those people who just never has enough hours in the week to do everything I want to do. Proposing to a yoga studio you want to run a class which potentially, to begin with, has such a small audience, is hard. As people running a business they often want more numbers, so when I looked into setting up something alone, it was hard trying to fund the studio rental, ensuring I could cover the cost's if I was initially only going to be able to support a small clientele. I am also adamant that this should not be another expensive intervention my parents should invest in, but something that any typically developing child would pay too. I was sure to try to give myself at least one full day of rest a week, so logistics of when I ran class, was hard, plus I was affiliated with interested families from all over the GTA and realized people were tired of travelling for more programs for their child. They wanted it in their area, so finding the perfect spot for me was also hard to find.

 I was blessed to get acquainted with Camp Aim who ran an after school program, on Mondays. Perfect for me, a day not in my regular job, but a day I was often busy with appointments, so turning out was no problem at all.

I admitted to the program director, the yoga teaching side of special needs was new to me, although in the field for over 10 years, I was just thankful for the opportunity, the classes were short, often 20-30 minutes, and when working with a class of children with down syndrome , and on the autistic spectrum, some days were predictably harder than others. I again played around with the way I spoke to the kids, the firmness needed to find the right balance of choice and that of making them follow direction and instruction. I introduced new concepts and brought back what they knew so they could see progress, and I learnt when things needed to be changed (often after the harder classes) At times the program supervisors said they were amazed how long the children were able to stay on their own mat for such a long time, or were able to interpret abstract images or work with new people. Travelling to the location was long for me but I loved it, and felt most days the children got things out of it, even if just a short period of time.

I was able to work with Camp Aim over the summer months and opened up to teaching more students yoga and again things came with success, and every child made each staff member smile at least once which their engagement into the activity at hand, either a moment they understood better breath awareness, listening, sharing or gross motor balance. I saw why every parent is considering yoga for their kids now, and I see the market is needed and feel sad I couldn't bring more to families in Toronto, but will continue to explore options here in Calgary for one day being able to help others just experience, explore and try yoga and see how it can help in many more ways than they think.

A weekend needed

Since leaving Toronto  I have again found myself feeling an array of confused emotions. The drive was long and work has been hard. I am in a different role and lost as to where to begin and a new life here has finally made me panic. I am glad we came here, and I wanted to be here, so it feels weird to be feeling stressed on something I wanted to do so much. It's a time when a good gossip with a friend is in need or a night out, but my friends are very very far away. One thing that is evident that I need to do is find a yoga studio to get me back to a regular practice. I have been suffering with trapped nerves in my legs since the journey and it's been over two weeks and the same issue hasn't gone away, I know because of my limited exercise schedule. I have tried my best to get to class, as there is no room for a self practice in my house, and I went to one studio not far from where we are living right now, but I came out feeling the same, fed up, lonely and with anxiety. The studio is Iyengar based, and although I love trying new styles and mixing things up, so I can learn new information, some classes really don't satisfy. I resonate with Ashtanga and I was missing Ashtanga. Lots of Ashtanga teachers I know, have admitted at some point in their life they have cheated on Ashtanga, but they always come back, and I have been feeling the same. I am now ready for direction, to surrender to the hard practice which at times kicks my butt, but does have me feeling great and attentive afterwards.

This brings me to tell you about my weekend, I was planned to be in Edmonton for work reasons on Sunday night. The same weekend as one of my teachers from Toronto,  David Robson. David is a big deal in the Ashtanga world and I am honoured to have practiced in his studio in Toronto. I used to attend Mysore classes early in the morning, which were jammed with people all hoping for guidance from David, and his time was always spread thin as everyone was there for him. I loved the studio as there were three authorized Ashtanga teachers teaching there. Also the assistants were consistent and all held the same respect for these teachers that the same theories were continued each day, so you were always getting the same information and knowledge. Everyone was strong and confident. There were some assistants, as with anything, that I resonated more with, but all were good and had a dedicated Ashtanga practice. The community in Toronto was amazing, and although I wasn't as strong as others, as regular as many and found it a little harder to fit in I was amazed at the way they all loved and supported one another.

 The moment I saw David was driving distance away I knew I had to be there, in Edmonton, and I made arrangements to travel up, two days earlier than the work commitment I had. Why you may think would I travel four hours away just to be with one teacher, I have already had. Sometimes when you are with a teacher doing the same class, or workshop again, you will always get a few new bits of knowledge or words of wisdom, and I was very much in need of this. Just the odd phrase and perspective he shared would make the decision to be there so worthwhile. David has a great way of teaching, he shares knowledge of tradition and uses theories and science important for our western culture. He shares stories of his practice, and experiences with his teacher to make it clear he too is a student, and any teacher continues to practice and learn for their own students, if not new knowledge can't be shared. He makes people laugh, he makes people think and he makes people question. More importantly he took time to be with everyone, at least once. I believe he can sense what people need emotionally in their practice and he changes the way he speaks to them in order to support them.

 I needed a weekend of yoga. I needed a weekend to submerge myself on the thoughts away from work, life in a new city and financial insecurities. I don't care to if I had to stay in a hostel to afford the trip which made me tired, and by Sunday my muscles were sore, because it's always a good sore that I know my body needed . Practicing Ashtanga was what I needed although I did clearly notice I have regressed and lost strength, but I could see with practice I can be back where I was weeks ago.

 I loved being pat of a yoga community again, even if just for a weekend, I could see what a lovely crowd was part of this studio environment. A kind a generous studio owner, genuine and pure, and I hope I do find something which fills this spot in my life in Calgary. I hope to be back to Edmonton to practice at this studio, around the people who share the passion of Ashtanga soon, and I hope this feeling stays with me a while. All in all, it's made me realize, yoga gives me hope, as it turns my thoughts around and changes the way I think as it is much more than a physical practice as it's works deep into my mind.

Check out the studio in Edmonton: http://www.trueashtangayoga.com/
Check out David's studio in Toronto:http://www.ashtangatoronto.com/

My own practice and its changes

Since returning from India my own yoga practice changed. Although I love Ashtanga yoga immensely I have questioned its philosophy lots., as does everyone who gets hooked. As a fairly active and highly strung person I can understand why I am so drawn to the practice, and when I teach I can see why certain students have made this their practice of choice. Before I went to India I did a 40 hour restorative yoga teaching training. I learned so much from my teacher here, she was extremely knowledgeable in the anatomy of the body and I love the theory of restorative. People in our western world need more rest, but the norm for some of us is to push ourselves to extremes. To feel we are achieving something. Yes its good for our body, but then there is the stress of not achieving something in your regular practice, or the guilt of not getting yourself to your mat. It’s a pure mind game, and yes I understand what Ashtanga is trying to teach, release the attachment to achieving a certain pose, it will come when ready, but you must practice. and make a dedication. This I do believe in, but living life so strictly in such a strict western world, I don’t think works for everyone. For me I like the structure and the measurability, and seeing what can be achieved. However doing restorative I learned to actually give my body what it needs. If it needs invigorating, give yourself a pose or practice which does that, if you need rest, take it, don’t feel bad. In restorative, if your body needs rest, it will absorb the benefits. Before India I had to incorporate a daily restorative practice, and I can’t believe how much I felt the benefits. I had to find about 20 minutes daily to do a practice.  I had to as I was documenting  a daily log , and I’m not perfect, there were some days I missed it, but it was the best thing I could have done. It’s not meditation, as you allow yourself to release any conscious mind, but rest as deeply as you need. I repeated my favorite poses, as they focused on key points. I learned deeper in Ayurveda and learnt more about pitta personalities. I knew I needed to be closed in, poses resembling deep hugs and compression, which funnily enough are things I rarely give. I have never been someone comfortable to hug strangers and when my mind is racing a hug even from a loved one is the last thing I desire.  So here I was taught a lot that these where the poses I desired and craved. I made mental note to absorb more touch from people should they want to give, but this is something I am working on still!

  Going to India and being on my retreat I learnt a lot about meditation. I learnt which styles suited me, and which ones promoted rest, or awakening etc. I fell in love with pranayama as I could really deepen my breath and loved the concentration it required and again even if not a direct meditation it calmed me and just required me to focus my mind on only that and be still for any length of time. Since returning from India I stopped my morning Ashtanga practice, for a few reasons: the summer months at work being busier and me needing to be in work earlier, saving some money in preparation to move I cancelled my membership at my studio, and I wanted to incorporate meditation and pranayama into my daily routine. I would wake, do some practice and then on days which would allow do some cardio such as running or swimming. If I could time it perfectly when the dog was out the house I did some sun salutations before she could jump over me. 

  What this also gave me was opportunity to spend more time with my partner in the morning. We often had a morning drink or breakfast together, or even a conversation was a big deal, as before we wouldn’t see each other until the late hours of the evenings. The mornings were often more relaxed and I felt less stressed in other areas of my life. Being at home in the morning, allowed me to sleep an extra hour, keep the house tidy and just spend some with my family. I moved my yoga practice to the evening. Although not ideal, I felt this was actually a better compliment to my already busy schedule. It was a wind down, and my body often felt good as it was naturally looser. That said I have missed my morning ashtanga routine, but something had to give somewhere. In India I did a practice both at sunrise and sunset, and I often felt more comfortable in the evening. I was actually able to calm my mind more and felt ready for dinner and evening schedule. I noticed in the morning smaller things would annoy me, or distract me. Usually you should keep your practice consistent and many readings say morning is best, but my teachers in India told that pranayama is best done in the morning when the morning is the most fresh, so I will make sure this is always done then. I love cardio work outs in the morning and couldn’t imagine it any other way, so providing my schedule allows I will not feel guilty if I can’t make class in the morning, but be ok that I got there in the evening. Whichever practice I take I will be thankful I got myself on the mat and this way I can practice more of what I preach, be happy with yourself, and congratulate just taking a moment for you.

New Adventures

It’s been a quick and busy summer and I’ve had many things on my mind that I have wanted to write about. But today I have chosen to just make note of the new change in my life. I am currently on route out of Toronto. The city I have loved for the past 4 and half years. It’s going to be a long week, with lots of driving. So while I take time to just rest on the road I thought I would use my week to reflect on my life since returning from India.

So why have a just up’d my life and chosen to move? Since I was young I knew I wanted to live away from England. I had a thirst to be somewhere beautiful. I knew I wanted to go against the norm of finishing school, getting a job and buying a house before starting a family.  As I get older I wonder if this was a bad idea, I’m 29 with nothing material that I really posses of any worth, but in honesty that doesn’t bother me yet. I am a career person and know should I continue to work as I do I will be able to bring those things into my life one day. When I was 15 my dad and step-mom took me on a trip through Australia and New Zealand, and although they saw me as a teenager not appreciating the beauty, they were wrong. Don’t believe that the youth is wasted on the young. I think this trip stimulated my thirst to travel. Since that trip I knew I wanted to go back and see more. I knew that new experiences in new cultures help you learn and develop. Since then I’ve travelled and worked abroad. I’ve been sensible with my travels with a good budget and ensured I have met locals and respected their culture.  I chose Canada to move to for only a short term, we planned for a year or two. Here we are with permanent residency and starting in another province and city, Calgary.      Since moving to Canada, I have travelled East and West, and had many experiences; backcountry camping, kayaking with whales and staying in the ice hotel are to name a few. I have crossed many paths with some amazing people and formed close friendships with a particular few.  I’ve been overwhelmed this past week with the realization that I am moving so far away from these people. Again I go to no friends, a new role and a new environment.

  For while we have been thinking of moving west in Canada. As much as we love Ontario we are drawn to be closer to the Rockies.  It was always the image of Canada we had planned to move to, before we realized how every part of this country is so different. We visited Banff a few years ago, and it was a place we really connected as we explored. We are not big skiers so took our time just taking in the sights, admiring the beauty, going for walks and gave a go to cross country skiing. We fell in love with the crystal clear waters, the awesome back drops, the wildlife and the fresh air. It was an important part of our life as we realized how much of a similar life we did want such as to have opportunities to be outdoors.  People see me as a city girl, and yes I like civilization and making friends, with a good dancing night out. But give me a mountain to climb, and a moment of silence at the top to take a deep breath and appreciate the natural beauty of our world, I would take that any day.  I’m not an adrenaline seeker, but I never want to take our world for granted. I never want to take my life for granted. I value how lucky I am to be even given these opportunities, even if it involves hard work to get them.

  When residency came we talked of changing province, but my field is so rare it would mean setting up a business on my own. My partner has been unhappy for a while in his job for a long time now, and I was feeling down also as he has huge amount of potential and it was killing me that his job opportunities have been limited over the past few years as he literally has up and rooted everywhere to follow my career and he has found whatever he could. As soon as residency came I knew we had to invest in sending him to school to do what he wanted. Being together nine years he has only ever kept going back to the idea of being a paramedic. So we looked into it in Toronto, but we got nervous as it was expensive, so we started to forget about our dreams of being out west. For a while we planned, talked about it with others, had a deadline to get there, but it just fizzled out. I knew to send him to school. I have an organization offering me stable work and benefits which is important, plus I have my other yoga teaching projects taking off so it made sense to stay. For a while I started to cling to disappointment we would have to wait to get out there, but he was my priority.

  When I was India I was doing a lot of reflecting, letting go of attachment and literally have an amazing time, that it was a while that it never crossed my mind. I was proud of myself as I checked my work emails only twice. The second time with news there was potential to move my job role to Calgary. It was fate, things comes to those when ready. I don’t know if this sounds silly but I now believe that things happen when they should. Do I believe our paths are already planned, I’m not sure, but how can something fall into place like that, when I literally stopped the worry and lusting over it.

  In Calgary we can afford to send my partner to school as its a province rich of work opportunities for him. and I get to still do something I love while he builds up his own career. We’ll soon be living in a city driving distance of the mountains, and it’s like I can feel the crisp , fresh air already.

 Goodbye Toronto and those I care for and know, I miss you and thank you for making my last few years AMAZING, but let the new adventure begin!