Re: My Podcast: New comment on "Grace Yoga Podcast by Arlene Bjork"

Today, I received the following feedback from - Anonymous, [5:00 AM] on my podcast page:

"Overall, the routine is nice, but you fail to state which posture I'm supposed to be in, in particular in the standing section in the middle. There are some very vague instructions about having parallel feet, "spreading your wings" (in what direction?), and bending and unbending your knees. Somewhere between prayer twist (I think that's what it was) and triangle pose, I got very lost whereas I don't think I would have in a class with you. I felt this way a few times, so I wonder if this particular recording is good for remote instruction."

Arlene's reply: Perhaps my verbal cueing skills were not up to par that day. I need to listen to that podcast again. Due to the fact that I seldom demonstrate postures in class, I hope that students in class and those that practice remotely listen intently to the cues for what they should do exactly at that moment. Great feedback "Anonymous" that it would be helpful to name the pose before I cue the instructions. It is not my intention for anyone to get lost during class. But I am so grateful that "Anonymous" had the courage to give me this honest feedback.

"I don't know if you realized, but you were laughing at someone's having a metal rod in her back."

Arlene's comment: I was laughing at myself or alluding to the metal rod I have in my back. If I assumed that everyone knew about that, I apologize. At this time in my life, I could laugh about it because I cried a lot about it in 1985 when I had the surgery. Yoga opened a once impossible avenue for me. I laughed because it is amazing how life takes you to success through adversity.

"If we're supposed to put our issues away on a shelf for practice, I'm not sure why you needed to bring up your email rage, even if it's about how you successfully managed it. It's not helpful to highlight our negative tendencies and ask "How many of us have...?" It's distracting at best."

Arlene's reply: If these moments of "thinking out loud" distract you, I apologize but I won't say that it won't happen again. Just speaking for myself, when I practice a challenging Vinyasa it is comforting to hear my teacher drop in and say "have you ever felt?, have you ever experienced?, "well we can deal with that like we deal with our practice, using the breath, etc.". Knowing that I'm not the "only one" in whatever struggle I face is comforting. I have more negative tendencies than positive ones, so I try to work through the negative ones one at a time on the mat. Sharing the fact that I don't have the mind of a saint may help someone.

Thank you "Anonymous" for your feedback and taking the time to write to me. If you are a yoga teacher or hope to be one, these are great notes to keep to remind yourself of what you yourself will not want to do as a teacher. This is part of "finding your own voice" as a teacher. You gather what you like, what you dislike, and craft a way of teaching that is your very own. What matters most is that you create a beautiful connection for and with your students. If you are a student and my style doesn't appeal to you, now you know that a different podcast may be appropriate. It is becoming more apparent to me that I reach students, most of whom I don't see because they are remote, so it is important for me to be more sensitive to their needs.

Perhaps "Anonymous" you can reply back so we can continue this dialogue.

Arlene Bjork
Free class downloads and newsletter at http://mygraceyoga.com

abjork@mygraceyoga.com

Arlene's April Teaching Schedule (group classes)

American Family Fitness (Arboretum location)

Monday, April 7, 7:30pm Yogaflex

Monday, April 21, 7:30pm Power Yoga

American Family Fitness (Swift Creek location)

Sunday, April 13, 9:30am Gentle Yoga

Monday, April 14, 7:30pm Yogaflex

Sunday, April 20, 10:45am Yogaflex

Monday, April 28, 7:30pm Yogaflex

 

Spotlight Studio of Dance - Woodlake (All classes Beginner Vinyasa, 9:30am)

Saturday, April 5

Saturday, April 19

Saturday, April 26

I Love Anatomy Ezine: The Pelvic Floor Part 2

Anatomy and Asana:
I love Anatomy Ezine

Principles of anatomy for your yoga practice.
Easy to understand. Simple to apply.

By Susi Hately Aldous, Founder
Functional Synergy and Anatomy and Asana

feeling the flow of body, mind and soul
Sent to a global audience every month.
To leave list or change email address, scroll to bottom

www.functionalsynergy.com

www.anatomyandasana.com

The Pelvic Floor Part 2

In last month's ezine, I left you with exploring the pelvic floor with your breath. The exercise went like this:

1. Begin by just becoming aware of the pelvic floor. Bring your mind's eye to the muscles and orifices of the pelvic floor between the pubic bone, sitting bones, and coccyx. You may even feel a sense of subtle energy swirling or building as your attention rests here.

2. Breathe. As you breathe, can you feel the pelvic floor movement working with the respiratory diaphragm? Can you feel each orifice? Can you feel the natural spreading and release as you breathe?

Remember that the pelvic floor needs to provide both strength and openness. Quite literally, it is the floor of the pelvis, providing support for the organs above. The pelvic floor also needs to be open, as fluid needs to pass through its orifices. This is a great example of softness and strength, relaxed resilience, strong openness, and open strength.

Let's continue with the following exercises.

3. Come onto your hands and knees. Move into Cat and Cow, where you move your spine into flexion (Cat) and extension (Cow) in unison with your breath (exhaling with flexion, inhaling with extension). After a few repetitions, bring your mind's eye to your pelvic floor. Imagine the movement beginning there - imagine that both the flexion of Cat and the extension of Cow initiate from the pelvic floor. Can you feel the movement of the pelvic bones and the upper part of your femurs? Move slowly and mindfully. (Tip: As you practice this, you may want to move your spine only as much as you feel movement in your pelvic floor. Your range will be smaller, but your connection will be heightened. As you continue, you may find your range improving and discover a whole new experience of your pelvic floor.)

4. This next exercise was taught to me by the physiotherapists at the Pelvic Floor Clinic in Calgary. Do each in sitting, standing, and lying down. Become aware of your breath, and take a moment to settle. Next, begin to contract only your anal orifice. Contract and release. After several repetitions, move forward - women contract and release only your vaginal orifice; men contract and release only your urinary area. Then, women, move forward and contract and release only your urinary muscles. Keep in mind that the urinary orifice is much smaller, so the feeling won't be as great. Nonetheless, notice what it is that you feel. Then switch positions. Don't forget to breathe.

If you are having difficulty isolating each of the orifices, and you are thinking that this is impossible, don't worry. This is subtle movement. Find a time when you feel quiet and still, and try it then. There is much written about the orifices of the pelvic floor in Eastern texts and their relationship with the cultivation of energy in the pelvic floor and the first and second chakras.

As you continue to explore with these four exercises, I encourage you to apply them to the more traditional asanas and notice what you feel. From my experience - both as a teacher and student - the pelvic floor holds a very gentle power that impacts the hips, knees, and feet as well as the SI joints, back, neck, chest, shoulders, and arms. As you explore, please email me with your a-has!

In the May ezine, we'll explore how this relates to SI joint function. However, if you want to explore this topic more now, you can listen to two recent teleclass recordings: "Is Core Training Leading to Injuries" and "The Sacroiliac Joints." To purchase these recordings, you can visit the Functional Synergy e-store at http://www.functionalsynergy.com/qs/category/48/6174/0/0

Wishing you strength, stillness, support, and suppleness.

Happy exploring,
Susi

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Copyright 2008 Functional Synergy, inc and Anatomy and Asana. All rights reserved. You are free to post these articles on your website so long as you post Anatomy and Asana contact information. I do not sell, rent or share this list of subscribers to anyone. You have trusted me with your email address -- for the sole purpose of sending your "I Love Anatomy", workshop and occasional new service/product updates. This is the only use of your email address I make. To remove your name and email from this list, or to change your email address, please forward an email to iloveanatomy@functionalsynergy.com