Level 1 vs Level 2

Tues nights starting Oct 10th I will be teaching a Level 1 and a Level 2. I want to explain the differences of the classes so you can see which class is best for you.

I teach both classes in progressive manner so each week builds on the previous week, linking what you are learning throughout the month. Allowing you to perfect new poses and really focus on certain aspects of your yoga practice.

In Level 1 each week the emphasis is on standing poses, as these are the foundation of all of our yoga practice for the rest of our lives. Later in the year we start to incorporate the same schedule as Level 2.

In Level 2 each week of the month has a focus
Week 1- Standing poses
Week 2- Forward bends/ abdominal
Week 3- Back bends/ abdominal
Week 4- Restorative

Level 1- Brand new beginners, those coming back, those with injuries

• basic standing poses, balancing, and forward extensions 
• seated poses
• introduction to forward bends
• introduction to backbends
• inversions
• shoulder stand sequence
• restorative inversions
• twists
• restorative
• learn how to relax your body at home, or on your cycle

Level 2- those who can hold shoulder stand for around 5 min

• more advanced standing poses
• twisted and balancing poses
• seated poses
• forward bends
• introduction to abdominals
• back bends- including
• camel pose
• back bend in the chair 
• inversions.
• headstand
• expanding shoulder stand sequence 
• more advanced twists
• restorative- continuation of level 1

Children's yoga and Katie's Karate Class

Once a month I get to teach a children's yoga class as part of an art cooperative program. The class is small, but fun to do. I have to be creative in how I teach and make sure I am presenting my material in almost a non yogic way, as I know some parents have concerns about yoga. So all poses are talked about in Animal, shapes, nature names. We count while we hold poses, and just as we do in my adult classes we have a focus for the class, but there is nothing to stop us from throwing in a few back bends to our standing pose class. :)

I want to teach more children yoga classes but they are hard to teach with my little ones in the way, hopefully as the kids get older I will be able to teach more of them.

I was approached this week about writing a review about a new children's yoga book. I LOVE children's yoga books. I think I have 4 or 5 in my house. I am very picky, I want the story to flow about yoga, and I want to see poses that make a good sequence that my family can practice. I also want pictures that show poses accurately.

I know, I am easy to please right? Well this book was very cute.

I was a little skeptical at first, ok very skeptical at how the Karate and yoga would work together. To me Yoga is yoga. Not pilates, not power yoga, not hot yoga. But the story was very well written and very cute. It tells of a little girl who is scared to start something new, and she uses the comfort of her yoga to give her the confidence to try it.

There are not many poses shown, so I would not buy this book for a sequencing book, but rather a book that shows how yoga can influence other aspects of our lives. The few poses that are included are basic, and the pictures are appropriate.

Overall I would not buy this book myself, as it is not what I am looking for in a yoga book, but it is a really cute book that fills other needs.

Where to go from here

I am now a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. As my husband asked me so nicely asked me, so what?

Well that is a great question. Becoming Certified means I can actually call myself an Iyengar Certified Teacher and use their Logo. It comes with great pride, and validates who I am as a teacher.

But where do I go from here?
What I really want to be able to do is teach Prenatal Yoga and ASL Yoga, with the understanding that I would become an ASL Interpreter, or work within the Deaf Community. I really like the idea of helping families know, understand and choose educational goals that will help their children succeed.

I would like to see Iyengar Yoga visible within in the Deaf community, make ASL yoga videos to put on YouTube, my website, and on my blog. Iyengar Yoga is such a powerful tool to heal the body and mind that it is not just a work out. Although I did lose all of my baby weight doing solely Iyengar Yoga, it is not an easy work out.

While the kids are young I would like to work for a virtual interpreting company, where you interpret over a camera. That way I can work remotely, that is such a huge pull for me. It is one reason why I love working for Inspire Charter School. The other being that the school empowers families, staff and businesses to help the students to succeed I could not resist handing in my resume and begging to work for this company.

Maybe after my children are all established at school I will go to more traditional  interpreting position, or find that job that will allow me to serve those vulnerable in the Deaf community, our children. Without a real grasp on a 1st language their ability to succeed lessens, I want families to know what resources are available to them. But finding this job, may take some creative searching.

In the next few years, after I have been able to focus on learning ASL my attention will be able to turn back to going up for my next assessment. I have to wait 2 years before I can go up. I will probably wait 3, to give my family some breathing room. Once becoming a Junior 1, I wait another year (or 2) to become a Junior 2 and then I can finally teach pre-natal Yoga. Bakersfield needs a good pre-natal yoga teacher, and I loved being pregnant and doing yoga, so why not me? This is my goal for yoga. I can teach pre-natal classes at Yoga Space and at Doctor offices around town.

My road is not yet finished, it has just started. For the next 5 years I will be studying, learning, and preparing to help those that live in and around Bakersfield CA.

The Red King

Introducing, "The Red King". by Great Aunt Mabel Hutchinson. The perfect size for my small house.

It is a carpentry sculpture made in 1963 that she created from scraps of wood, like the picture of her working on a piece below. She made all sorts of furniture and one of her Doors, done in this fashion was even in an International Door Exhibit in Europe. 

The last month my mom and dad emptied out my grandma Barbara's storage shed in Tehachapi. It was like a treasure chest. Furniture from the 50's-70's, artwork, books, and family heirlooms. This sculpture/ totem was hidden away and I was fortunate enough to receive it. 

My Great Aunt Mabel was an artist, apparently skipped me, as much as I would love to be an artist I did not get that talent. but I have hope for my children. Mabel worked in  watercolors and carpentry. I grew up with one of her tables, large, heavy and ornate. It was something I loved to look at. And marveled at her talent, I had no idea how much she made or how well known she was until recently. I feel honored to have her work in my house.  

My oils in my Life

So I have resulted in carrying oils in my purse, and this weekend could have used more. We went to the BYU football game, beautiful day, but a bit more sunny than I was prepared for. I was thinking it would be cold, so I did not think of sunblock. My whole family got a bit burned. I wanted my lavender oil. The one major oil that I usually keep with me I did not have.

Lavender helps heal burns, it would have kept the sting off of the sun burn for the kids. So that is the next oil to go in my bag.

I also got nausea on the drive back from Utah, happily I had peppermint in my bag- which was my saving grace during my assessment.

Before my Utah trip I got a cold, so I used my thieves spray and my RC to get rid of my cold ASAP. It always amazes me how quickly I can get over a cold when I pair the two up. Thieves cuts through the mucus in my throat, and RC clears up the sinuses.

Those are my essentials. I keep them close to me and make sure my husband has a set with him as well. I also joked and teased my husband as we drove by Mona Utah that we needed to stop by and get some Lavender for the kids and take a tour of their distillery. Maybe if we were not on such a time crunch.... next Utah trip we will visit the Young Living Farm.

I passed my Assessment!!!

After 5 years of teaching and studying I had my assessment this weekend. Brandon and I dropped Daniel off at school at the other kids at my sister's house for part at the day and then they spend the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Happily I got to the LA Iyengar Institute early and was able to relax and have time to stretch a little before everything started. That was when I noticed I was getting a headache. Happily I had some peppermint on me.

Our assessors arrived, and the assessor in training, was a teacher I met when I was in Ohio. It was such a wonderful experience to see a friendly face, even though I knew she was not assessing me. We went over what the next 5 hours would be and how the next day teaching would go, 6 hours total.

By now my headache still had not gone away, so in pranayama I added a headwrap to help with the headache, it helped but my head was getting worse. Then the written portion of the exam, I only needed to get 70% to pass. Not much to report other than more peppermint went on my head, I am sure the room smelled WONDERFUL by now.

In between each portion we had a break and I kept praying that the headache would take a turn for the better. Then we came to the final portion of the evening, the demonstration, about 15 mintues into it my headache turned into a full blown migraine. After every pose I am praying and trying to not throw up. But I was able to complete every pose. Until the end when I had to leave to attempt to throw up. Happily I made it back in time to finish that pose and just about die in Savasana as I prayed my thanks that I survived. I struggled downstairs to the car and prayed I would make it to the hotel.... I almost did. And that was my night.

The next day I taught nice and early, the 1st one, 9am. Surprisingly, and happily one of my fellow Yoga Space teachers came to help out. It was wonderful to have a friendly face. I was not too worried about this portion of the assessment, as Carolyn Belko has been teaching us how to do this for the last 3 years. However, in my nerves I did forget to teach a pose to the left- so I taught the pose 3 times to make up for that and teach to the left, mention how pregnant women sit in a pose, and had to constantly slow down and speed up the class to make sure that I could end on my 40 minute mark. During my class the assessor interrupted me at one point to say I was at 20 minutes, I was actually annoyed because I was doing such a decent job of ignoring them. I enjoyed my little class and I think they did too. Outside my little mishaps I felt I taught a good class.

Then the waiting game started. We were told we would get an email after everyone taught, the last person taught at 6pm. So I was thinking maybe 7-8ish???? So we rested- Brandon was really sick. We went to the Getty Museum, and I decided to make my living room blanket inspired by Van Gogh's Irises. Then we went to dinner, as I still really had not had much to each since I threw everything up the day before, and finally back to the hotel to watch the BYU game. Which... we will not mention. I finally gave up on an email and went to bed.

At 1:15 Brandon woke me, he couldn't sleep due to being sick, and told me to look at my phone. At 11:15, I received an email from my Lead Assessor, congratualating me on becoming a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. So we celebrated the next day with Tres Leches on Temple grounds.

I am finally a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher! I am so excited to be able to put Iyengar next to my name. I guess I can laugh about that migraine and my teaching faux pas now.

Power house- Top Center Thigh

There are so many important points in poses that must be learned for a pose to be done correctly. But once a person is aligned in a pose and can focus on the actions of the asana, there is one that has brought more strength and has improved my practice that I have found carries to a large portion of other asanas in the first years learning yoga.

The top center thigh. The meatiest, centeriest, part of your thigh- typically right where your middle finger hits. When you learn to press that part of your thigh back to the bone you gain power in your legs that carries into other poses.

First learn the action in these poses, that we covered earlier in the blog

• Tadasana
• Utthita Trikonasana
• Utthita Parsvakonasana
• Virabhadrasana 2
• Parvottantasana
• Prasarita Padottanasana

By learning this action in the standing poses and doing them daily, for at least 4 months you will have the strength to do

• Adho Mukha Svanasana- Downward dog pose
• Urdhva Prasarita Padasana- upward extended foot pose
• Dandasana- staff pose
• Paripurna Navasana- complete boat pose
• Upavistha Konasana- seated angle pose
• Salamba Sarvangasana- Supported whole body pose
• Halasana- plow pose

Daily practice builds stability in the poses. The knowledge can be transferred from one pose to another and when it is combined with essential points of each individual pose it will help provide alignment and strength in the structure in the asana.