Shasta Yoga Institute

Where am I at right now?
I love this aspect of yoga practice; that it asks us to inquire moment to moment and even breath by breath!
What is actually occurring in my body? What am I asking it to do exactly and is my mind present to it? Is my awareness able to expand to include all of what is present in any given moment?

This kind of inquiry might seem obvious or even unimportant however presence is the ground from which we can live our lives and from which our actions, speech and thoughts arise with integrity, from where we truly are.
Living from where we are, being authentic to ourselves- not from how we think we should be or others think we should be- yet from where we feel naturally creative and inspired. Living from where we are in any given moment, this not only strengthens our outer actions and relations, it also supports living connected to our true inner nature.
Our True Nature can also be known as awakened consciousness or higher Self. This is what Yoga teaches us- to connect to NOW in body, breath, mind and heart; then from here and now, to know, to act, to BE freely from our True Nature.

So, where are you at right now?

“Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” — Gautama Buddha

“Your yoga practice always has to be a little more clever than your habits.” ~T.K.V. Desikachar

How do you show up for your Yoga practice?

I love this quote by Desikachar because it asks me to question the importance of what one brings to the yoga practice and how that affects it’s real potency. It points the responsibility to the individual practitioner to fine tune their self awareness rather than to unconsciously follow a behavior within oneself or power play between teacher and student.

How do you show up for your practice? Do you find yourself repeatedly wanting the same results when coming to practice? Have you ever had an experience of complete freedom through your yoga practice? Does any of this inquiry relate to life ‘off the mat’?

How do you show up for life?

The yoga tradition offers us many self-care practices for well-being of body, mind and heart. However the main aim of yoga as a spiritual path offers insight into the human dilemma and how to skillfully navigate through the ups and downs with more inner awareness and ease.

Opening and unwinding physical and mental tension patterns, taking our guard down and being more fully present with oneself, opens up a space in which we can uplift our view and see ourselves more clearly. When we truly allow the yoga practices and the cultivation of an embodied presence to have it’s affect, the mental tapes, physical restrictions and emotional tendencies come to the surface and offer us the experience to simply Be. When we continually attune as well as surrender to awareness itself, freedom arises.

First, we must be motivated to be happy and second, we must be willing to take responsibility for our actions, including our thoughts and emotions and how they affect our inner and outer world. If we are not interested in being Self-aware, likely our habitual tendencies will drive our actions and the degree of our suffering. Our yoga practice and it’s affects might remain superficial and our human body, mind, heart might not see it’s full integration or potential.

Here and now, you are invited to show up fully for each practice and for Life!

Long-time Yoga Teacher, Mark Whitwell on the Teacher-Student Relationship:

“In the entire great tradition of human wisdom the universal method is the mutual affection between two real people, the teacher-student relationship. This is not a relationship of authority over another, it is not a parent child relationship. It is one of utter mutuality. The teacher is no more than a friend and no less than friend. In this friendship real bhakti arises, not manufactured feelings for an authority or public persona, trying to get somewhere, trying to get something that seems absent most of the time. The teacher has no interest but to empower the student, to give the tools that allows the student to stand in his or her own power. When this happens true devotion, very real life long gratitude arises between two people who are obviously standing in the same garden! the same reality.”

Offering myself as a yoga mentor has become a natural progression through over 3 decades of teaching yoga and training yoga teachers. It is an opportunity to foster the relationship between teacher and student as well as to share ways to support a Yoga practitioner to follow their own Svadharma in relationship to their yogic journey (See “Follow Your Bliss” : http://shastayogainstitute.com/blog/).

Honoring Yoga’s sacred teachings and the shared wisdom between teacher and student offers an in-depth support professionally, personally and spiritually for the student to integrate Yoga into daily living. Below is a glimpse into the mentorship content although each pathway is unique to the teacher-student relationship and experience.
For those on a Teachers Path, mentorship can facilitate the next level of confidence, understanding and skill refinement for teaching. On a Life-Long Learners Path, mentorship is an opportunity to receive the teachings directly from teacher to student, to deepen Yogic knowledge and personal as well as spiritual refinement.

I look forward to exploring with you! –Amy

~Teachers Path (TP)
This path is a specialized one-on-one mentoring program designed for 200-hour or 500-hour YTT graduates. It is an opportunity for teachers or teachers in training to expand their skills while deepening their knowledge of the practice. This mentorship is specifically designed to support educational development and personal interests.
Based on interests topics may include:
Class sequencing, alignment for different body types, hands-on assisting, appropriate cueing, crafting special series and/or workshops, and finding one’s voice.

~Life-Long Learners Path (LLLP)
This is a specialized one-on-one mentorship pathway designed for dedicated and experienced yoga students looking for an in-depth study of personal development and refinement.
Based on needs topics may include:
Personal practice development including posture, breathing and meditation, healthy life style choices, and opening the heart for peace of mind and healthy relationships.
For more information and what each pathway includes go to: http://shastayogainstitute.com/amycooper/mentorship-pathways/

Yoga’s alchemy offers a deepening within oneself, a movement from the periphery towards the core nature of being human. 

Take a moment to consider your state of being when you first came to yoga. What was your experience of yourself in that first practice? How has your experience of yourself changed over the course of your yoga practice? How does yoga support your inner life and your current growth?

Yoga teaches us to be present and to source from within. Thus it is important to tune in to the awakened heart, aka. bodhichitta… The practice of yoga, including meditation and self-inquiry are a means to attune more with one’s own inner experience and with being awake. Amidst more challenging emotions and dynamics, Yoga can provide a reliable accessibility to wisdom and compassion and in addition, loving kindness.

Our hearts and minds open and become more vibrant as well as peaceful when we feel into ourself and others with loving kindness, aka. metta… An amazing and surprising spaciousness can also be felt in the body through the offering of metta. This can be a true healing and renewing experience which I invite each of you to do on your own (see resource below) or please join me Saturdays at 10 AM for Meditation and metta…

Amy

Metta practice resource: https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditation-metta-lovingkindness/

What Effects the Breath? Everything!

Depending on many factors, our breathing is either functional or dysfunctional (or somewhere in between). This has a direct affect on ones health and well-being. Factors such as, stress levels, lifestyle, diet, exercise, thought patterns and emotional states, health, medication use, habits & even the amount of talking!
Interestingly, the ancient yogis starting point for Pranayama (yogic breathing to extend the Life force) was a simple lifestyle, organic diet and quiet social life. In contrast, modern American yogis are coming from a varied diet, often laced with sugar and chemicals, and are primarily subject to a more complex lifestyle which includes more stress and an external focus.

As contemporary yogis, we can contemplate the roots of yoga practice, the closeness to nature and environmental elements in which yoga is integrated. From this we may be inspired to look more deeply at our life and perhaps fine-tune our life style choices so as to reap more benefits from our yoga practices… as well as from our breath on and off the mat!

You are invited to join me for a Pranayama and Health, Solstice workshop on Sunday, December 17 from 3 to 5 PM at the Shasta Yoga Institute ~
The Healing Power of Pranayama ~ Breath, Mind and Body Balance with Amy Cooper
Cost: $20 pre-reg by 12/9, $25 after
In the view of yoga the body is a combination of two important elements. One is the life force- Prana Shakti and the other is the mental force- Chitta Shakti. Since we are a composition of prana and chitta, when these two inner forces are balanced, life is more peaceful. In this spacious, extended class you will come to explore the breath and how it influences and supports your physical and mental well-being. Learn breathing techniques (Pranayama) to move the life energy in your body to flow more beneficially as well as contemplative practices for mental freedom and equanimity. REGISTER: email shastayogacenter@gmail.com or call (530)859-5433. Pre registration appreciated!