Seniors with Soul

By: Shauna MacKay

Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching yoga to a spirited group of seniors in La Jolla, CA.  It was our first class together so I started with the foundation, our feet.

I teach my students that all postures and life in general, start with a wide and steady foundation. And after years of practice, my feet now a half size bigger, reflect that.

My students were not surprised when I told them that according to the NIH (National Institute of Health) falling is the leading cause of injury death for seniors over the age of 65. But they were surprised that a short yoga practice might reduce falls by helping them stay steady and connected to their feet.

Relaxing with tea after class, the students were excited about the “foot work” we did. One said, “I think you are on to something. I thought losing balance was all in my head but after that practice, I know keeping vitality and energy in my feet is important. Right now my feet feel happy.” She smiled. “And I can do this while watching TV.”

If you would like to increase the happiness in your feet here are six simple steps to practice at home:

1.  Imagine you could breath with your feet. Take a deep breathe in and bring attention to your feet, lift your toes, spread them wide, and as you exhale relax your feet. Repeat 4X

2.  Hold hands with your feet! Spread your toes wide and wiggle your fingers in between your toes. Gently side your fingers up to the webbing of your toes. Take a deep breathe in as you encourage your toes to gently stretch apart.  While holding hands with your feet, circle your ankle in one direction, then the other.

3.  Slide your fingers over the top of toes and moving with your breathe, gently curl your towards your heel. Take 3 deep breathes as you stretch the top of your feet.

4.  With your fingers under your toes, take a full breathe in as you curl your toes up and open the soles of your feet.

5.  Tap or slap the sole of your foot starting from the ball of your foot all the way down to the heel and back.

6.  Take a moment to notice any vitality or aliveness you may feel in that foot. Now bring the same love and attention to your other foot.

Join Shauna MacKay, BPE, RYT-500 every Thursday from 10:30am-11:30am at Home Care Assistance. This class is free and will get you moving and performing physical postures that stretch and strengthen with an emphasis on breath and balance.

Shauna also teaches regularly at Prana Yoga Center Monday's, Tuesday's and Thursday's at 8:30am. You may find our more information about Shauna on her website.

Next Generation Kids Yoga Teacher Training at Prana

By: Jessica Lamphere

When I first saw that Prana Yoga was hosting Jodi Komitor's Next Generation Yoga kids yoga teacher training, I knew it was something I had to attend!  I have a two year old daughter and am a yoga teacher, so it made sense to start a venture into kids yoga.  After completing a life changing 300-Hour yoga teacher training at Prana Yoga, I knew that they would offer me the best kid yoga training out there.  Next Generation Yoga teacher training (ages two to seven) was completely amazing.  I can definitely say that I learned how to share yoga with children from the best of the best and among an amazing group of women.

Jodi Komitor is a force of nature, spreading the benefits of yoga to kids around the globe.

Her passion for yoga and for children, and her vast experience, is beyond inspiring.  It was such a treat to be asked to transform myself into a five year old and connect with the simple things again.  Drawing the ocean, hopping like a frog, dancing for the sun, singing about butterflies... Going back to being creative, intuitive, and silly.

I quickly enjoyed the innocence and simplicity of it all.  We should all draw, hop, dance, and sing on a regular basis.

Seeing Jodi engage the children through yoga, creative themes, singing, and props was invaluable.  And seeing the children focus on thanking the sun and on sharing love was heart melting.

It was magical hearing a circle of children sing OM and smile-inducing to hear a circle of barks (just one each) during Down Dog.  I am dying to ask my adult students to bark, just to see what happens.

It was so inspiring to see children jump into something new, not afraid of barking, or singing, or sharing how they feel.  They tell you when they want help and when they don't.  Kids yoga is so honest.  Partly because kids are inherently honest - .i.e. they will leave if they want to leave - and because the teacher gets immediate feedback - either they are paying attention or they aren't.

Next Generation Yoga taught me the foundations for success as a kids yoga teacher and also brought me deeper into my own yoga practice.  Sharing yoga with children requires a commitment to staying present, an ability to go with the flow and adapt, and a creative and loving spirit.  I am so excited to go off into the world: connecting with my inner child, sharing yoga with and learning from my daughter, and experiencing all that kid yoga has to offer.  I believe from the bottom of my heart that yoga is a tool every child should have access to.  In a world where things can get too serious, it's essential to learn how to tune in and release tension, how to develop a sense of connectedness with ourselves and others, how to recognize the love and light inside everyone ... and the sooner the better!

Thank you to Alex and Gerhard at Prana Yoga, Jodi Komitor, and all of the amazing souls that I shared this long weekend with.  This was a just the start of a very exciting, new adventure!

YogaWorks 300hour Teacher Training: Reflections and Lessons Learned

By: Mandy Burstein

The opportunity to become a student again is such a wonderful gift in life. In the first few years following my 200 hour yoga certification, I jumped right into the world of teaching yoga. I taught and talked about yoga A LOT. I taught in a studio, at the beach, on the ocean, to kids, to people stuck in cubicles all day, to groups of girlfriends celebrating their bride-to-be and to just the average studio-go-er looking for a release after a long day.

Look, there's me back in 2010! Teaching my lil heart out.

For many years, the focus was my students and helping to deepen their yogic experience. My studentship of yoga took a back seat to my desire to share the yoga love far and wide. Thankfully, the opportunity to pause and re-calibrate my intention on being, first and foremost, a student of yoga arose in the late summer of 2012. A 300 hour-long Professional Teacher Training by YogaWorks and hosted at one of my most beloved local studios, Prana Yoga Center in La Jolla came into my life and I had a choice to make. Continue on the path of enthusiastically sharing yoga in all shapes and sizes without a clear direction as to where I wanted my long-term career to go.... OR ....commit to an almost 7 month long program designed to shape the future of the yoga industry with professional, articulate teachers who instruct safe, intelligent classes and have a clear direction of their long-term career path molded by a concerned and attentive mentor. My answer became quite clear. Despite having to "give up" a few classes and my weekends for the next 7 months, I knew that this was the right next step for me.

I love this photo. The wide-eyed expression on my face as the talented Rachel Krentzman instructs the anatomical accuracy of Utkatasana perfectly depicts my feeling towards the entire training. Captivated, mesmerized, enthralled - 300 hours of pure yoga bliss.  

In reflection of my time spent in the YogaWorks 300 hour Professional Teacher Training, I compiled a list of my most profound lessons learned. The following are my biggest take-aways and what will stay with me as I travel forward on my journey:

1) Meditation is not meant to be boring! We spent three wonderful days with Lorin Roche, an esteemed meditation teacher with over 40 years of study and teaching behind him. He single-handedly reworked the definition I had in my head about what the word, OM means. He explained that OM is truly a celebration of Life. Instead of drawing from outside sources of inspiration, learn to sit still, breathe a little slower and start the process of getting to know yourself from the inside out. When we travel within, there is so much beauty and joy to be discovered. Mediation is not meant to be this solemn experience. It can be a celebration of life from the inside out!

*Side note: Lorin also translated the ancient text, Vijnana Bhairava Tantra into what he so eloquently named the Radiance Sutras, which is now my favorite ancient text. A must read for yoga teachers!

Lorin doing his thing, so eloquently schooling us on the beauty to be
found in meditation. Once again, I'm mesmerized. We all are.

2) Stop Stressing Out! Master Iyengar yoga teacher Lisa Walford spoke to us at length about the mind-body connection and what a profound impact it has on one's overall well being. The most profound point she made, to me, was that our bodies do not know the difference between real versus perceived stress. So, if you think the world is caving in on you, your body will respond accordingly. To me, this means I need to stop sweating the small stuff. It's not worth it in the long run.



3) Your voice is beautiful and necessary - Express Yourself! This lesson came out of a long and very memorable weekend with the radiant Suzanne Sterling. According to her bio, Suzanne is "an ecstatic vocalist, innovative composer, teacher and invoker of the sacred." And invoke the sacred she most certainly did! Over the course of many hours of being serenaded by her enchanting voice and her majestic harmonium, she slowly but surely coaxed all 20 of us into chanting at the top of our lungs. It was a powerful experience, especially for those like myself who don't sing. Suzanne made an important point that will stick with me forever: Most cultures encourage singing and dancing, which is our natural state. Our culture tends to discourage this by judging and belittling those that do. (Exhibit A: She asked us to raise our hands if we had ever been told that we had a bad voice. Most everyone did.) Flash forward to today, 8 months since this experience: I have confidently led my students in chanting in almost every class I've taught since then. A big Namaste to you, Ms. Sterling!

4) How to be a Business Savvy Yogi - The ability to streamline and specialize will determine your level of success as a yoga teacher. Put simply, there are a TON of yoga teachers out there, with that number probably tripling in the next few years. Everyone needs something to make themselves stand out from the pack. This is not a new concept. Pattabhi Jois did it when he branched out from his guru, Krishnamacharya to create the powerful style known as Ashtanga Yoga. BKS Iyengar did the same when he got into a terrible accident realized that a new style of yoga was needed to heal his body and that others would benefit from it as well. The modern adaptation of this is that maybe in your first few years of teaching you dabble in lots of different things. But then, eventually, you learn to streamline and focus on one or two areas and become really knowledgeable in them. The ability to specialize is not only necessary in today's saturated yoga market, but will also provide you with a true focus and dedication to your specialty. It's a win/win for every body!

One of my favorite parts of the training is creating a Final Project to present at the end, which represents where you want your yoga career to go. Here I am presenting my concept for a yoga event planning company. Utilizing my background in marketing and logistics, I will provide travel and coordinating services for retreats, teacher trainings and more!

  Here are two of my dear yogini friends, Shawnee and Jessica presenting their Final Projects. Shawnee works in schools with special needs children and is developing a full curriculum for working with autistic children through yoga. So inspiring!

5) The Importance of Mentorship - In our modern Western world, the concept of mentorship does not exist in a very meaningful way. Possibly my favorite aspect of the YogaWorks 300hour training is that you are paired with a local master teacher who mentors you through the process and you are expected to complete a formal Apprenticeship with them. The guidance that I was provided by my mentor, Stacy McCarthy will stick with my for the rest of my life. Not only was she able to help me streamline my many projects into one tangible career path, but she was also a great personal role model for me as well. Stacy represents a hard-working, ambitious woman who is committed to spreading the importance of yoga and healthy living, while maintaining a beautiful family life with her husband and two kids.

Our mentor group. We love you, NamaStacy! 

It's all about teamwork. The more we collaborate,
 support and uplift each other, the easier life will be.

6) We gotta take care of the Mamas! The training included an immersion in teaching Prenatal Yoga and I'm so grateful I was able to experience that. Vicki Abrams is a pregnancy and childbirth expert who co-authored a book called "Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives" with Deepak Chopra. She impressed upon us the importance of working with pregnant women in a delicate yet empowering way, as the emotional state of the baby is reflected by the emotional state of the mother.  

Having fun learning how to teach to pregnant women using balloons :)

7) Sthira Sukham Asanam - This line appears in Chapter 2.46 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and will  stay with me forever. It loosely translates as, "The yoga posture is firm yet happy." On the surface, it sounds like such an obvious goal, but this one line proved to have such a deeper meaning in my practice on my mat and also in my life as a whole. The idea of Sthira/Sukha can also be thought of as the balance between effort and surrender, or strength and softness. In our yoga postures, but also in our lives, we must strive to find the balance between those equally-important forces. If we are too strong, we overpower others and lack compassion. If we are too soft, we get walked all over don't stand up for ourselves. Herein lies one of life's greatest challenges. And the journey towards finding the balance continues....

The beautiful Erika Burkhalter demonstrating advanced asanas and,
to me, perfectly embodying the concept of Sthira Sukha Asanam. Firm yet happy :) 

To my fellow Teacher Trainees, thank you for your support,
love, compassion and presence throughout our time together. Namaste!

*Out-Takes*

While it was a serious journey for all of us in taking our yoga teaching careers to the next level, there were also lots of great laughs over the course of the 7 months.....

Lesson learned: Never take anything too seriously. Even yoga!

      

Right: Erika adjusting Abby. "Your leg WILL get behind your head! It will be firm AND happy."
Left: Paul embracing his inner preggo yoga mama.

  Lazy Sundays in training while everyone else is at the beach.....

 

Loving on our mentor, NamaStacy!

  Jesse demo-ing ancient breath retention technique, Bhyantara Kumbhaka and trying not to laugh :)

Mandy Burstein is a yoga instructor and writer based in La Jolla, California. She began her journey into yoga on the beaches of Costa Rica and has been captivated ever since. Through yoga and writing, she passionately empowers people to become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the mat.

Mandy teaches at Prana on Monday's at 7:15pm for a Vinyasa 1-2 classs

Don't Forget to Dream

By: Missy Jeannette Shaw

What I thought would be a normal night out with friends turned magical.

On a visit to my hometown, I stumbled upon a show at a new music venue in town. Little did I know, musical talent Xavier Rudd was going to blow me away.

The music began to flow, the freedom was in the dance and the mystical, mythical words spoken resonated with everything I believed in. I felt inspired in ways I didn’t think imaginable and suddenly, I had a new sense of belief in the power of the Universe.

Upon arrival back in San Diego, I immediately got together with a friend and decided to create a video I hoped would touch people’s souls the way mine was touched that night. I wanted to remind people of their roots in light and the power of their dreams. The mystery in manifesting.

Now-a-days it’s so easy to compare our lives to others, to step back and decide why we can’t do something or to simply give up on what truly makes us happy.

With this video and with Xavier Rudd’s inspiring message, I hope to bring awareness to what I believe to be one of the most important messages of yoga:

To view every day as a blessing, to believe in the goodness of this world, to find light in the dark and the magic in the mundane.

To constantly remember the union that is.

To breathe.

To stand up for what you believe in and never give up! Imperfection is part of the perfection process.

A dream is a dream and if you learn to find a rhythm your heart can truly sing.

Missy Jeannette Shaw has practiced yoga since high school, but it wasn’t until her senior year of college when her yoga world as she knew it was transformed. She went to the Saturday morning class she usually attended, however this time there was  tiny, fairy-like substitute who had a very ancient, wise energy about her. After a great practice, the teacher had the intuition to chase her down, race her with a hug and say, “You will be teaching yoga one day”. From that moment on she forever knew she would become completely devoted to the path of yoga, and that this was what she was put here to do. In a leap of faith she finished college, packed her bags and immediately moved to San Diego, CA with the intention to study and practice yoga. Working for nine months at Prana Yoga Center, she completed the YogaWorks professional teacher training and became a certified 500 RYT. Once she actually began teaching, the joy she felt became her new addiction. 

Visit her: @sparkleomyoga on Instagram, Facebook or her Website.