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Goodbye 2020!

by JheniLeave a Comment on Goodbye 2020!

We did it!  We made it through this very interesting year of social distancing, sanitizing and face-mask wearing!  We started out the year “sort of” hearing about COVID-19 being an issue in other countries, but then by March, it was declared a global pandemic.  The last class that I taught in studio was on my birthday, March 18th.  When I got home after teaching that evening, I was notified by all the studios that I taught at that all fitness and yoga studios (and other “non-essential businesses”) will be shut down until further notice.  Just like it was for you, the rest of March and April were surreal.  We were no longer able to worship as a congregation inside the church building, everybody and their mothers created a Zoom account, everything went virtual.  Our lives, it seemed, were turned upside down.  I think a lot of us were waiting and hoping that things would “go back to normal” within a few months, but when that didn’t happen, we either went into panic-mode, got depressed or just accepted it for what it was and tried to make the best of it.

We all have now been living with this pandemic for 10 months.  I’ve seen many social media posts about how 2020 was horrible and that they’re eagerly waiting for 2021, but I think it’s important for us to check our hearts to make sure we don’t dismiss this year as a terrible year.  Personally, this year has been filled with many blessings and accomplishments even in the midst of hardships.

March – April:  I lost about 90% of my income (cancelled classes, workshops and book tour events)… but I started teaching classes virtually within days after the shut-down.  This is something I dreaded doing for a very long time (even though there have been requests for it by my students for several years) because I don’t like to see myself in videos.  It turns out that I’m pretty good at teaching virtually.  😃  Also, our dream of moving back to Texas happened sooner than expected because my husband received a job offer which allowed him to be based out of Texas OR North Carolina, and our house in Charlotte sold within days of putting it on the market!

May:  Moving halfway across the United States (again) was no easy task.  In an effort to live simpler, I said good-bye to many of my possessions… but we were able to buy a house in a great neighborhood right away!

June – August:  I was missing my best friends in Charlotte, and the pandemic didn’t make it easy for me to meet my neighbors  or make new friends… but I was able to reconnect with my besties here in Texas, and I was able to use my newly open schedule to enroll AND virtually complete a 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training which upgraded my title to a 500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance!  I also started teaching virtual classes through the studio that I used to teach at in North Carolina as well as the one I used to teach at in Texas years ago!

September – December:  My daughter didn’t get to have that big Sweet Sixteen party that she had been wanting for YEARS… but we got to go on an amazingly memorable family trip while still observing social distancing guidelines.  (According to her, this was her most favorite family trip!)

A handful of our friends got COVID this year, but thankfully, every single one of them made full recoveries!  I’ve heard of several friends’ family members that are still struggling with the virus or have sadly passed away.  This has put a sense of urgency in our hearts to hug our loved ones a little tighter, to speak kindly to strangers, and give everyone the benefit of the doubt because we don’t know what they might be going through.

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.”
Psalm 73:26

That brings me to today.  We now have just a few days left in this year.  As we reflect on God’s blessings in the midst of this pandemic, I pray that you’re able to say good-bye to 2020 with a sense of peace and surrender as we get ready to say hello to 2021!

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.
Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now;
rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.
For the things we see now will soon be gone,
but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18

 

With Gratitude,
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Christian Yogi’s Perspective on Yoga Philosophy: Dharana

by Jheni1 Comment on Christian Yogi’s Perspective on Yoga Philosophy: Dharana

Meditation.  I can’t recall the first time I heard this word, but nowadays, a day doesn’t go by when I don’t think or mention this word at least once.  According to CDC, the use of Yoga and Meditation tripled from 2014 to 2017.  With Yoga gaining popularity each year, it is common to find articles online and in magazines that instructs the reader on how to meditate.  I’m all for more people meditating, but the word meditation is actually misused more often than not.  Most people — when talking about meditation — are actually talking about concentration, which is called Dharana in Sanskrit.

Dharana is a single-pointed concentration on an object, place or a thought.  This is the precursory step before meditation (Dhyana) which will be next week’s blog.  Solomon is the son of King David who became king at age 12.  He was known for his wisdom (and wealth), and this is what he said in Proverbs:

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
Proverbs 4:20-27 (ESV)

In verse 25 (bolded and underlined above), King Solomon gives the advice to look directly forward, gazing straight ahead.  To carry out this instruction requires dharana.  Dharana weeds out the distractions that take us away from whatever we’re trying to accomplish.

This is one of my besties, Lisa Washington. She is a chef, yoga teacher, life coach, an entrepreneur. Check her out on https://setthetablewithlove.com/

When I was learning about meditation while going through my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, I would often go into my walk-in closet and practice meditation behind closed doors.  I was serious about my meditation practice:  I would close the master bedroom door, walk into the bathroom and close the bathroom door, walk into my closet and close the closet door, and then I would put earplugs in so that I wouldn’t be disrupted, disturbed or distracted.  I sat still and started practicing pranayama for about 10 minutes; during this time, I also practiced pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and dharana by counting my breaths (“Breathe in 54, breathe out 54.  Breathe in 53, breathe out 53…” all the way down to zero) which allowed me to experience true meditation.  Meditation is one of those things where the moment you’re aware that you’re meditating, you are now out of meditation.  During this time of COVID-19 quarantining and social distancing, it is so helpful to the mind, body and spirit to practice dharana.  Here’s a dharana practice you can try at home:

  1. Place a lit candle in front of you, ideally at eye level.
  2. Sit in a comfortable position.  If sitting/kneeling on the floor isn’t comfortable, feel free to sit on a chair with your feet flat on the ground without your back touching the back of the chair.
  3. As you softly gaze at the candle light, allow your breaths to become even (inhales are the same length as the exhales)
  4. Continue this practice as you allow your gaze to go through the candle light, passively looking through the candlelight.
  5. Increase the length of the practice by 30 seconds or a minute each time you practice.

By practicing dharana regularly, you will be well on your way to experiencing meditation!

 

With Gratitude,
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I did it!

by JheniLeave a Comment on I did it!

At 4:30pm on Friday, 8/7/2020, I clicked on the [SUBMIT] button for the very last video exam of my 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) program!  When this journey first began 10 weeks prior (on 6/1/2020), and it definitely has been full of self-discoveries and life lessons!  Of the countless amount of lessons I learned/re-learned, here are the Top 5 Lessons that will stay with me throughout my journey in life and self-realization:

1.  LIFE IS NOT A RACE.

I have a competitive spirit.  I didn’t play competitive sports growing up because I hated losing.  I think that’s why I loved the performing arts so much.  Of course, there is a competitive aspect in performing arts, but I’ve always felt that a performer expressing their art can not be objectively judged (which is also why I am not a big fan of awards shows for movies, music, television series, etc.).  When I was a dancer in Los Angeles, I did strive to be a “better dancer than everyone else,” but when it came down to it, I danced because it made my spirit feel alive.   In the beginning of the AYTT program, I found myself wanting to finish the program faster just because I saw others finishing the program in a month, a month and a half, etc.  But then somewhere along the way (I think in between week 2 and week 3), I reminded myself to enjoy the journey and learn for the pure love of learning and growing instead of trying to finish before someone that started at the same time as I did.

2.  DREAM BIG… AND THEN PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!

I knew I would eventually complete a 300-hour AYTT program, but I didn’t know how or when.  First of all, most AYTT programs cost anywhere from $2,300 to $5,000; secondly, there was an AYTT near me that I felt was a good fit for me.  While I was living in Charlotte, NC, I looked into a program in Asheville which was a little over 2 hours away as well as one in Winstom-Salem which was only slightly over an hour away.  When this pandemic hit the US earlier this year and everyone went into social distancing and quarantine mode, Yoga Alliance decided to temporarily allow Registered Yoga Schools (RYS) to offer their programs virtually.  So after a lot of research, I found a program that was affordable, flexible, and very unique… So I signed up on June 1st to complete my 300 hours with ULU Yoga in Thailand!  I planned out my study schedule for each week, and I made sure I stuck to it with some wiggle room in case of unexpected things happened (check out all 9 blogs from the previous weeks for those “unexpected events”).  I loved checking off each task and seeing myself getting closer and closer to achieving a dream of mine while learning and growing.

3.  ONLY CONTROL THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO CONTROL, AND LET THE REST WORK ITSELF OUT.

Like I mentioned above,  there were things that happened during the last 10 weeks that I could not control.  In fact, there have always been things in my life that I could not control (can I get an amen?).  I used to get upset that I couldn’t control everything (like changing somebody’s mind, outcome of situations, etc.); but through this AYTT experience, I was reminded to focus on controlling myself and just leave alone the other things outside of my control.  There’s a sense of freedom that comes with surrender and just putting any desire for improvement to be placed on self-improvement.

4.  CHOOSE DELAYED GRATIFICATION OVER INSTANT PLEASURE.

Let’s face it, we live in a world where we expect results right away.  If our Google results don’t pop up within .01 second, we get impatient.  We try to find the quickest way to get things done.  I admit, I’m guilty of choosing the easier and faster way of accomplishing things (like using my sewing machine over hand-sewing my face masks), but it is so good for our hearts and our souls to work hard at something that doesn’t come quickly or easy to us.  James 1:4 reads, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  It takes perseverance to build character, and if we constantly choose the easy way out, we won’t grow in our authenticity.  There were days that I wanted to binge-watch Netflix or just sleep in until Noon (although I don’t think I can physically sleep until Noon); but I knew that in order to finish my AYTT by August, I needed to stay on task and enjoy each moment of the training — which leads us to #5:

5.  BE PRESENT.

Going through the AYTT program allowed me to be a better Yoga Teacher for the virtual classes that I’ve been teaching.  In my book, “Be Still: The Power of Biblical Meditation,” I talked about how in order to be a good teacher, you must be a good student.  I find that I’m a better teacher when I’m going through some type of learning, whether it be a certification course or reading a book on Christian discipleship, self-improvement, yoga, ayurveda, or energy science.  When I’m learning, I fully there physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Lately, I’ve been reminding my yoga students that because we are bound by this thing called “Time,” we can not live in the past or the future; So if we’re constantly focusing on the past or the future — and the only place we can live in is the present — we have to ask ourselves, “Are we truly living?”

Show up.  Every time.  Every moment.

 

With Gratitude,
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300-HOUR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING – WEEK NINE

by Jheni2 Comments on 300-HOUR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING – WEEK NINE

In the beginning of last week, I felt determined to finish the remainder of my 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) strong.  The way I had planned my schedule, I saw that I had 2 1/2 weeks worth of studying and submitting tests and homework, and I got excited!  I didn’t feel like I was losing steam or getting burned out, so I was determined more than ever to stay on task until I got to the finish line; but somehow, I was able to really focus and get some serious studying hours in last week, and now, I’m only about a week away from completing my AYTT!

On Monday and Tuesday, I was “in the zone” which helped me to stay focused and studying for hours and hours without feeling mentally drained!  so by the time Friday came around, I was able to give myself a little more breathing room and enjoy the day by spending an extended lunch time with one of my best friends.  Last week was full of happy moments, but it was had a moment that really tested my character… and I’m so grateful it did!

Early last week, a friend had posted a question on a group chat thread that we’ve had going for a long time.  I responded, with the intention to speaking my belief on a certain topic and didn’t think too much about it.  But apparently, this created a miscommunication between me and the friend that posted the original question, and the reply I got in that thread from that friend left me feeling accused and misunderstood.  I must admit, my initial reaction was to get really worked up and confront that person and throw my own accusations.  But instead, I took a step back from the situation to assess it, choosing to give the benefit of the doubt and to think the best of my friend who I felt hurt by.  I forced myself to choose humility because I knew that if I responded any way other than out of humility, it would be out of my desire to feel justified, understood, and validated.  This told me that a non-humble response would’ve been out of my insecurities and pride.  So yes, I chose humility and publicly apologized (in the message thread) because I had to remember that in the grad scheme of life and universe, it didn’t matter who was right.

It was really encouraging to my heart to see that because I had humility constantly in my mind lately because of my AYTT program.  A lot of the questions on the Yoga Philosophy quizzes were questions about how we relate to various yogic principles, and in order to answer authentically and honestly, I had to constantly draw deep within from a place of humility.  So here are some thoughts about humility that I would like to live by:

 

PICK AND CHOOSE THE BATTLES YOU FIGHT.

If I tried to fight every battle that comes my way, I will be too tired to fight the battles that really matter.  And the battles worth fighting will not come in the form of arguments.

 

CREATING PEACE TAKES A LOT OF WORK… BUT IT’S ALWAYS WORTH IT.

Peace doesn’t just happen.  It has never just “happened” in the history of man, so I can’t expect it to be any different in my situation. Things like LOVE and PEACE always comes at a cost.

 

YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE RIGHT.

It’s human nature to want to be right.  We somehow think that if we admit we’re wrong, people will know that we’re not always right… which means they will know we’re not perfect.  The thing is though, they already know that we’re not perfect.

 

DON’T REACT OUT OF INSECURITIES OR PRIDE.

Instead of reacting, try responding from a place of security and humility.  Whenever I know that my desire to defend or justify my words or actions is coming from a place of insecurities or pride, I force myself to be silent and go back to remembering who I am at the core of my authentic self.  At the core, I know who I am, so I don’t need to justify or defend myself.  This place of security brings about so much peace.

 

TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT.

Being respectful isn’t about the person you’re showing respect to; it’s about who you are in your character.  Whether you realize it or not, we’re all connected in one way shape or form, so being respect to everyone unconditionally ultimately brings that respect back to you.  With that said, our motivation to unconditionally respect everyone must not be based on whether or not we think they “deserve” our respect; but rather, it need to be based on the fact that we’re choosing to have a respectful heart which has little to do with them and a lot to do with your soul.

 

I’m so excited to start (hopefully) my final week of AYTT!  I’ve been at this since we moved into our new house in a new state, so I look forward to getting some R&R after this week!

 

With Gratitude,
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300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Eight

by JheniLeave a Comment on 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Eight

It’s amazing how eight weeks can seem like 4,838,400 seconds or just two months.  What I mean is that depending on one’s perspective, eight weeks can either drag on or it can come and go in what seems like a blink of an eye.  In these past eight weeks, I have been studying, taking multiple quizzes, recording video exams, and writing quite a lot for my Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT).  After the first few weeks, I fell into a great rhythm in my AYTT:  Studying Mondays through Fridays, averaging 5-7 hours per day, driving my daughter to and from work, teaching two virtual classes per week and meeting with my private clients via Zoom.

There even have been some days lately where I found myself getting ahead of the study schedule that I had planned out for myself.  Being that this AYTT is a self-paced program where you can take up to 12 months to complete, I knew I didn’t have to rush through it, but I also knew that I had to put myself on a schedule in order to finish the program.  I knew that without a committed structure, there was a possibility that I would be trying to cram the last 200 hours in month twelve.  My goal was to complete the entire 300-hour program by mid-August since I homeschool my daughter from September to May.  I am happy to say that as of today, I am about 2 1/2 weeks away from completing the program!

This week, I’ll be tackling five exams, or which three of them are video exams.  I’m not someone who likes to be recorded.  For a very long time, I’ve been asked by many students to create a YouTube channel and post online yoga classes.  I avoided being recorded for a long time partly because I wasn’t sure if I can be consistent with producing content on a regular basis (which is why I started blogging weekly to prove to myself that I can consistently post something).  I tend to be bit of a commitment-phobe.  All my life, I believed that my character will always be to jump ship if something feels too permanent… but something changed.

After being married to my wonderful husband for almost 19 years and being an active member of the same church for the past 26 years, I seem to be doing better with long-term commitments.  When it comes to big things, I feel like I’ve become more comfortable with making a commitment as I’ve gotten older.  With age, I’ve also become more introspective, which led me to wonder why I spent so many years of my young adult life running away from commitment… and the answer that came to me was this:

We self-sabotage.

Why do we sabotage ourselves?  I believe it’s because it feels safer for our hearts to set the bar low in case we fail.  There’s a part of us that struggles to not listen to negative self-talk.  We may base our decisions about the end results on past triggers or fears.  When we do this, we’re basically writing then last sentence of our own stories.  I have done this so many times in my life.  When I was a professional dancer in Los Angeles in the 90’s, one of my actress friends wanted to set me up with a very well-known actor that she worked on a TV show with where he was one of the main characters.  In fact, she showed him a picture of me, and he asked her to set us up.  You would think that I would have jumped at the chance to go on a date with him (especially since he was my celebrity crush at that time), but I told her I was not interested in going out with him.  The reason why I turn down the opportunity to go out with him is because when I was in 7th grade, my friend told me that my crush wanted to date me; but when I saw him by his locker that afternoon and smiled, he and his friends looked over at me and started laughing, saying things that were hurtful.  So six years later, when my celebrity crush wanted to go out with me, I decided to write the last sentence of that chapter in the book of my life.

It is so easy to write that last sentence of each chapter of our lives.  As an author, I usually consider the first sentence and the final sentence before writing because that keeps me focused and prevents me from going off on tangents.  Just like how one sentence can make or break a book, the narrative you tell yourself can determine the outcome of whatever you’re trying to accomplish.  So what do we do about this negative self-talk and self-sabotaging patterns?  Rewrite your story.  Rewrite that last sentence to affirm that you CAN accomplish your goals and dreams!  In the beginning of my AYTT journey, I told myself that I was going to finish it by August, and I did not give myself a way out.  I pushed myself to be disciplined and watch the Zoom lectures, do the Zoom yoga practices/meditations, read all the required books, answer all the questions, and record those exams… and now, I’m beginning to see the finish line!  All it takes is a daily decision to say “No” to sabotaging yourself and saying “Yes” to experiencing all the wonderful potential that God has built within you!

Today is full of endless possibilities!  Write yourself the best last sentence for today!

 

With Gratitude,
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300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Seven

by JheniLeave a Comment on 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Seven

Last week was the best week in studying that I’ve had since starting my 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) on June 1st.  I really felt like I’ve gotten in the zone and have been able to complete assignments and stay on track while learning a lot.  I’ve noticed that the way I teach my virtual classes is also improving.  I plan out my studying schedule for the upcoming week on Sunday nights; and since I had scheduled a fun mother-daughter outing with my friend and her daughter for Friday, I made sure I got a lot done in the first half of the week.  I was so excited when I was able to get a week’s worth of assignments and studying on Monday and Tuesday (I studied from morning until just before dinner time on both of those days).  On Tuesday night, I thought to myself, “Maybe I should really get ahead and do next week’s studying tomorrow.”  Well, that did not happen.

Early on Wednesday morning, my daughter said goodbye before she left for work.  She decided to ride her skateboard to work that morning, which she has done many times before.  She always texts me when she gets to work (which is only 10 minutes away on her skateboard), so I was waiting for her text message; but instead of a text message 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from her about 7-8 minutes after she left… and she was crying!  Of course, I shot up out of bed and immediately asked her what was wrong.  She had fallen off of her skateboard and badly sprained her ankle!  Since I track her location when she’s en route, I knew exactly where she was so I got in my car and got to her in less than 4 minutes.

Her ankle was very swollen, so I had her elevate her foot, put an ice-pack on it and made sure she stayed on the couch the rest of the day.  I was glad to take care of her that day, but I literally could not get anything else done (other than teaching my virtual yoga class mid-morning) because I was going up and down the stairs to get her what she needed.  It was the same thing on Thursday, where after I finished teaching my Thursday morning virtual yoga class, I was her caretaker and companion.  We did end up going out on our outing on Friday (thanks to a pair of crutches I was able to buy through the NextDoor app), and we had a great time.

Here are a few pics from our outing! I love flowers!

So here’s the lesson I learned last week:  Sometimes God frees up your schedule not so that you can fill it back up with stuff, but because He knows you will need to be available for an unforeseen event.  Obviously, taking care of my injured daughter is not something I would’ve ignored if I had a full schedule, but I know that if I had unfinished assignments for the remainder of the week, I would’ve felt overwhelmed or tempted to sacrifice sleep to get caught up.  I’m grateful that I didn’t have to lose sleep other than waking up in the middle of the night wondering if she was sleeping okay.

There’s something to be said about having pockets of “free time” planned into our schedules.  I hope that next time you find yourself all caught up with your to-do list, you take a moment (or longer) to sit back and practice some self-care.

Oh, and my daughter is doing much better; her ankle is still slightly swollen, but she is able to walk on it with no pain and  was able to go back to work today.  😊

With Gratitude,
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300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Six

by JheniLeave a Comment on 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Six

The sixth week of my 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) started without a hitch.  By this time, my “normal” has been established since I finally figured out how to manage my time for studying, teaching, spending time with my family, running errands, etc… all while maintaining social distance and wearing my mask outside of my home.  I felt great about the pace that I had set for myself and the progress I was making in the AYTT program.  I felt that I was taking steps forward… or was I?

I have been dealing with chronic pain in my neck, right shoulder, and right wrist for almost 2 years.  I’ve been teaching yoga and fitness classes throughout those 2 years (and for many years prior to that).  I injured my right wrist in my 20’s from too many back handsprings.  Throughout the years, the pain would flare up, but after taking it easy, the pain would go away in a matter of days.  As I got older though, the pain from flareups took longer and longer to subside… until it decided to stay for the long-term in 2018.  I tried chiropractics, acupuncture, physical therapy, I even went to an osteopath who recommended that I stay off of it, ice it after activities, and take a high dosage of prescription Naproxen.  I temporarily stopped teaching for 2 months so that I can give my wrist a break, but the pain did not go away.  So instead of giving up teaching completely, I decided to start wearing a wrist wrap anytime I taught or took yoga classes.  I found that this helped a great deal, but I still could not place full weight on it.

During all of the required Yoga practices I was doing, I made sure I modified any poses that were weight-bearing on my right wrist.  This really challenged my ego (versus the higher self), but I knew it was good for me.  I gave myself permission not to go 100% into all of the poses because I know that my Type A personality wants to push my body to the limit.  But during one of the yoga practices last week, I decided to do an arm-balancing pose (Bakasana, also known as Crow pose) only to feel that terrible wrist pain!  I don’t know what I was thinking when I attempted to do that pose.  Actually, I do know what I was thinking; I was thinking, “My body has gotten even stronger than before in the past month and a half; perhaps my wrist is much better.”  WRONG!  So here’s the lesson I learned last week:

ONE CAN NOT CREATE BALANCE WITH IMBALANCE.

Meaning, I was trying to attempt an arm-balancing pose with an imbalanced arm.  There are obvious imbalances in the muscles of my right arm (starting from the shoulder all the way down to my fingertips).  I have a chronic knot in my right shoulder blade and my right forearm gets tight with overuse of my wrist.  Arm-balancing poses are less about strength and more about BALANCE.  You do need adequate strength in the core and the upper body, but balancing on your hands and arms is mainly about learning balanced weight distribution of the body.  I can’t create that kind of balance with an injured wrist, at least not right now.  I let my ego get the best of me that day.  I spent the next couple of days regretting my action and fighting off feeling sorry for myself; but this is a new week, and I am back to being fully committed to listening to my body and giving myself permission to modify or even completely opt out of poses that will further aggravate my wrist.  My search for healing of my wrist continues, but I’m looking forward to letting each yoga practice be healing and not harmful because Ahimsa, non-violence, applies not only toward others but also to my own self.

With Gratitude,
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300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Five

by JheniLeave a Comment on 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Five

I can’t believe it.  I finally finished the first module of the 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) on Saturday, 7/4!  While most Americans were celebrating 4th of July with family cookouts and mini-vacations, I was at home recording my video exam and writing a self-evaluation on it.  Normally, I would’ve skipped any studying on a holiday, but my husband wasn’t flying back home from being out of town until later that evening and my daughter was working as a lifeguard most of the day, so it was the perfect time for me to record the video and study.

I spent most of last week (Week Five of AYTT) taking the required 75-minute virtual Vinyasa Yoga classes everyday as well as watching hours and hours of Asanas Analytics lectures breaking down each yoga pose and going through the variations, modifications, and proper alignment.  There were a few differences in the way I was trained in my 200-Hr YTT and this 300-Hr AYTT, but more than anything, the differences were more about the different approaches due to different lineages:  My 200-Hour lineage is Tantra Hatha through the Himalayan Institute, and this 300-Hour program takes a multi-style approach (all the teachers have their backgrounds in different branches of yoga such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Alignment-based, Yin, etc.).  Taking this multi-style AYTT program is helping me to be more open to other yogic lineages, but I think I will always consider myself a Tantra Hatha Yogi, just because that’s where my yoga teaching journey began.  Just like Week Four and the weeks before that, there have been several nuggets of wisdom or statements that would grab my attention and would stay for a while… so last week, the phrase that one of the teachers said that stayed with me is this:

“DEPRIVATION LEADS TO DEPRESSION.”

I admit, I don’t remember which lecture I was listening to and which teacher made that statement.  I did know at that point, but when I wrote that statement down, I didn’t think to write down who said it and which lecture it was.  Anyway, this statement got me thinking about the concept of deprivation.  Merriam-Webster defines deprivation as, “The state of being kept from possessing, enjoying, or using something.”  So based on this definition, is the sense of deprivation all about perspective?  Rubicon Bakers Cake, Chocolate Blackout LayerFor example, I’ve been craving this vegan chocolate cake by Rubicon.  The last time I had it was sometime last month.  It’s rich, moist, and absolutely delicious.  Even though I could very easily drive over to the nearest Sprouts to buy one, I don’t feel like I MUST have it.  But what if I wanted this cake so bad but I didn’t have the money to buy it or I had no access to transportation or delivery service?  What if I couldn’t have chocolate cakes even if it was vegan?  What if everyone around me was having this delicious cake but no one was willing to give me any?  Would I feel so deprived that I would become depressed?  But then let’s say I got really sick last time I had a piece of chocolate cake.  I may no longer desire chocolate cakes because I would remember how it made me feel the last time I had some.  So next time I’m at a party where everyone is eating this chocolate cake, I won’t feel deprived; in fact, I may even experience a sense of aversion from even being around chocolate cakes.  I know all this probably sounds ridiculous since we’re just talking about a chocolate cake, but this could be applied to anything that we once experienced or dreamed of.

So going back to that statement, “deprivation leads to depression,” I wonder if this feeling of deprivation can be altered through changing our perspective?  I’m by no means saying that all depression is curable or that it’s just a matter of choice.  I would never say this because I have experienced depression in the past and they could not be “cured” simply by deciding to have a different perspective.  I could not choose to “have a different perspective” when I was struggling with severe depression after my dad passed away from lung cancer almost 15 years ago.  But I do believe there is some truth to that statement, “deprivation leads to depression.”  I think there are certain material things that we put so much of our focus on, that if it were to be taken away from us, we would feel deprived and fall into depression.  So the question I ask myself (and I invite you to consider) is this: “What material things am I putting my focus on that would cause a feeling of deprivation if it were taken away from me?”

Leave me a comment with your response!

With Gratitude,
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300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Four

by Jheni1 Comment on 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Four

Initially when I started on May 1st, I had plans to be finished with the 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) by the end of July.  I thought I could put in 7.5 hours of studying from Monday to Friday every week so that I can finish in two months.  The goal was quite ambitious, and by the end of week one, it became very clear that I would not be able to study from 7AM to 3:30PM (with two 30 minute breaks in between).  The second week, I let go of the rigid schedule a little too much and barely got anything done.  I started to doubt whether or not I could stay disciplined to finish the program.  I also started to feel insecure about the video exams that I would have to submit (two 75-minute videos each module as well as a video recording of me lecturing on a Yoga-related topic).  By week three, I found a good balance of planning but expecting disruptions which really helped me to approach this AYTT with discipline and grace.  Last week was a great week of progress even though I had more distractions and disruptions than the first three weeks.

My daughter started her summer job as a life guard last week.  Being that she gets scheduled at various locations, I’ve had to schedule my yoga practices and studying around when I had to drive her.  So when I wasn’t chauffeuring her around or teaching virtual classes/private sessions and an hour-long hangout with a friend, I was in my home office/yoga studio studying, listening and watching lectures on Anatomy and Asanas (yoga poses), I found it challenging to stay engaged through all the lectures, but I committed to listening, watching and paying attention for some potential nuggets of information/wisdom that would spark a “Wow” moment within me… and it happened with this quote:

“STRESS IS THE ABSENCE OF AWARENESS”

This quote really got me thinking.  I started to think about how when we are not mentally/emotionally/spiritually in our bodies, we begin to experience regrets (thinking about the past) and fears (thinking about the future) which cause us to experience a neurochemical imbalance, which then leads to the body experiencing stress.  How often do you find yourself not living in the moment?  How many moments do you remember from each day?  Do you find that your Monday bleeds into your Tuesday… and then before you know it, it’s Sunday evening and you don’t know where the week went?  I ask these questions because I have personally experienced all those scenarios.  I do find myself not being aware when I’m worrying or stressing out about the what-ifs of the future.  When I catch myself letting my mind drift this way, I immediately bring myself back to my body and mind by doing the following pranayama (breath control) practice:

  1. Stand or sit still, with both feel firmly planted into the ground.
  2. Either close your eyes or allow your gaze to become fixed on one non-moving object (do not try this while driving).
  3. If you’re standing, become aware of the ground underneath your feet.  Notice how the ground feels on your feet.
  4. Become aware of your breath going in and out through your nostrils.
  5. Feel the belly rise and fall with each breath.
  6. Notice any sounds that you hear.
  7. Notice the scenery that you see.
  8. Take a moment to smile and give thanks to God for that very moment.

I encourage you to try the awareness exercise and comment below about your experience!  🙏

With Gratitude,
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300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Three

by JheniLeave a Comment on 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week Three

The saying, “Third time’s a charm” definitely fits how last week went with the Virtual 300-Hr Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) that I started on June 1st.  I was extremely rigid and strict with my study schedule the first week which led to some unnecessary stress, so I decided to go the totally opposite direction on the second week with being unstructured which resulted in barely getting anything done.  I knew I needed to find a balance between the two extreme approaches.  So last week (Week Three), I decided to somehow marry both approaches and here is what happened:

“Sadhana” is the Yoga Practice and Meditation required for this AYTT.

I started the week by creating a schedule but working around some social appointments that I decided to add in (FaceTiming with one of my best friends in North Carolina, having lunch with another best friend here in Texas, etc.).  I made sure that I was getting an average of 5 hours of studying per day, so on the days that I was teaching a class or meeting with clients (all virtually), I did not schedule any social appointments.  I made a checklist on my dry erase board and checked off the tasks as I finished them.  I decided to take Monday off from studying so that I can spend the day with my daughter since I knew she would be gone all day from Tuesday-Friday due to Lifeguard Training and Testing.

My schedule felt more balanced, but I still found myself having to protect my study times; a friend of mine wanted me to meet her and some other friends at the pool on Friday, and part of me felt bad saying no two weeks in a row.  I tried to compromise and agreed to stop by for 30 minutes which ended up not happening anyway because one of my private clients had to reschedule her appointment to Friday morning.  Speaking of clients, I’m always encouraging my private clients to not be apologetic about protecting their schedules, whether it be due to family, school, home business, etc.  Most of us who are homeschool moms, stay-at-home moms, small business owner or working from home can relate with each other on having to protect their schedules.  But the reason why I decided to compromise initially is because it’s also important to know when you’re being too strict or rigid with your schedule (which was my case the first week of my AYTT studies).

LESSON LEARNED DURING WEEK THREE: FAITH & GUNAS

One of the topics from Yoga Philosophy was about gunas.  Gunas are three basic qualities of nature and energy that are present in all things under God’s universe. They are the original elements which are behind all existing beings with life in them.

Tamas represents the element of heaviness and rigidness, Rajas represents hyperactive energy, and Sattva represents harmony and equilibrium.

These elements are available for anyone to harness, although tamas and rajas are not the qualities one would benefit from having.  There are many articles and books that explain the gunas in detail (you can find a great 5-minute read on Yoga International), but for today, I’m going to focus only on how it’s related to one’s faith.

A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:4-9

Having a tamasic faith causes one to struggle in keeping their faith when obstacles come.  In Matthew 13:20-21 reads, “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”

One with a rajasic faith uses their faith for selfish gains and is motivated by recognition and/or rewards.  In the next verse in Matthew (13:22) it reads, “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”

Sattvic faith, which causes one to use their faith selflessly by sharing their faith, hope and contentment with others, is the kind of faith that will last.  In Matthew 13:23, Jesus says, “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

There are various factors that play into raising your sattva element, but one way to create a sattvic state is in your food choices.  If you eat foods that tend to be heavy such as fast foods and processed foods, you will experience more tamasic qualities (stubborness and unwillingness to compromise).  If you eat foods that cause spikes in energy such as caffeine and sugar (even smoking is in this category), you will notice that you struggle more with staying still mentally and physically, and you will find yourself becoming hyperactive and get distracted easily.  In order to experience the sattvic state, it will be beneficial to eat healthy foods that cause lightness such as fresh organic fruits and vegetables as well as non-processed foods.  So grab that organic apple and take a nice bite and smile, knowing that you just did your body, mind and faith a lot of good!  🍏❤️

With Gratitude,
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