8 WAYS TO HONOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE IN SEATTLE

Seattle Yoga Events

Winter solstice marks the transition from the darkest time of the year back into the light. Below are a handful of opportunities to celebrate the transition:

Winter Solstice Walk
Take a candlelit walk on the darkest day/night of the year through the botanical gardens, enjoy complimentary cider and tea, participate in a “Phoenix Ceremony” and listen to Americana guitar music from Bryan Rust.
Date: Friday, December 21
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Location: Graham Washington Park Arboretum, Visitors Center, 2300 Arboretum Drive East, Seattle, Washington 98112
Cost: Suggested $10 cash donation to help support Arboretum
More details here.

Winter Solstice Circle
Learn about the significance of this seasonal cycle, create a winter solstice altar, cultivate reflection and set intentions for this season, ground in a group meditation and enjoy light snacks and tea.
Date: Wednesday, December 19
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location: Mind Body Sanctuary, 4204 Leary Way Northwest, Seattle, WA 98107
Cost: $25
More details here.

Full Moon in Winter Solstice Sound Bath
To Honor the Winter Solstice, immersed yourself in the luscious soundscapes and healing vibrations of crystal and Tibetan singing bowls.
Date: Friday, December 21
Time: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Location: Omni Bothell, 10123 Main Place, Bothell, WA 98011
Cost: $25
More details here.

Solstice Mandala Stones
Come celebrate the return of the light by creating a colorful mandala stone.
Date: Friday, December 21, 2018
Time: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Location: 25239 Southeast 244th Street, Maple Valley, WA 98038
Cost:$20
More details here.

Let There Be Light Closing Viewing Party
“Let There Be Light” is an artistic celebration of the Seattle waterfront, it’s history, it’s people, and it’s light shining the way into the future featuring large scale projected video art. The exhibit can be viewed from Centennial Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, as well as part of Downtown, SODO, West Seattle, Queen Anne and from the water.
Date: Friday, December 21, 2018
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Expedia Group, 645 Elliott Avenue West, #200, Seattle, WA 98119
Cost: FREE
More details here.

108 Winter Solstice
Honoring the shortest day of the year, we will together sweat, count, and flow through both meditative and empowering Sun A and Sun B repetitions, helping us all to shine brightly through the long winter months
Date: Saturday, December 22
Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: Bala Yoga, 9750 NE 119th Way, Kirkland, WA 98034
Cost: $22
More details here.

Winter Solstice and Full Moon Practice: Honoring the Deep Darkness, Welcoming the Luminous Light
The darkness of the solstice invites us to turn inward and tend our roots and still quiet places. The brightness of the full moon invites us to acknowledge the light and bright aspects of ourselves. The two together are a powerful reminder that light is known by the darkness that surrounds it and the darkness is a deep and profound place of incubation
Date: Friday, December 21
Time: 6:00-8:00pm
Location: Seattle Yoga Arts, 1540 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Cost: $40
More details here.

Iyengar Yoga and Qigong: Meditation on Winter Solstice
Activate your Qi energy, release what you need to let go of and with aligned yoga poses, bring in fresh new energy.
Date: Saturday, December 22
Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Tree House Iyengar Yoga, 20011 Ballinger Way NE, Shoreline, WA 98155
Cost: $30
More details here.

A Lesson in Humility with UnCruise Adventures Yoga Teacher Jo Zukovich

A Lesson in Humility with UnCruise Adventures Yoga Teacher Jo Zukovich
by Melissa Hagedorn

When I connect with yoga teacher Jo Zukovich on the phone, I quickly realize that I am in for a treat.  Though I am supposed to be focusing on learning more about Jo and her teaching methods, her humility guides her to share about her incredible teachers, including B.K.S. Iyengar.

IMG_0461Can you tell us about the beginning of your yoga practice and how you found your way to teaching yoga?
I sought out yoga in 1979 after a life of dance and ballet practice had led to shin splints.  I kept hearing great things about a local teacher, Mary Dunn.  Mary taught Iyengar yoga which is no surprise as her mother, Mary Palmer, was instrumental in bringing Mr. Iyengar to the United States for his first teaching tour in 1973.  Not unlike others, when I attended my first class, I realized how good the practice felt and started to attend classes with Mary as much as I could.  After a few years of dedicated study with Mary, I became an assistant at the yoga studio.  In 1984, I had the opportunity to study with Iyengar himself when he visited San Diego and it was the best class that I had ever taken.   Within the next year, Mary departed for New York City to start the Iyengar Association and I stepped into the role of teacher.  Because of my passion for the practice and sharing it with others, I opened several yoga studios, one by one, and started training yoga teachers in 1990.  It was not in the 200-hour format that is commonplace today but rather in a mentorship style.

IMG_0409Did you travel to India to study with Iyengar and if so, what was that experience like?  
In 1988, I traveled to India to study with Iyengar and completed the pilgrimage three more times in the 1990’s as well as studying with him when he traveled to the US.    Studying with Iyengar was different every time.  We would have class time with Iyengar in the mornings and practice time in the afternoon.  Iyengar would do his own personal practice alongside the students in the afternoons.  It was one of the most valuable learning opportunities for me with my practice.  Though Iyengar’s presence was notable during class time, it was subtle during practice time.  In fact, you might not even notice him.  While students were huffing and puffing their way through their practice, Iyengar moved silently with grace from one pose to the next without strain.  His practice was a moving meditation and it was a beautiful thing to watch.  Occasionally, he would come and adjust a student during the practice time.

I knew, and could feel that others knew too, that we were in the presence of somebody who knew what they were doing and what they were about.  Yes, there was a physical aspect to the yoga practice but ultimately, the practice was a tool to help you evolve as a human being.

Practicing with Iyengar lasted well beyond the time spent in India.  Once I returned home from India and started to apply all that I had learned, I had the realization that yoga was not only about the physical postures.  My understanding of the practice started to deepen, leading to new insights that were ultimately connected to this great yoga lineage.

You studied with Iyengar several times in the US.  Was that experience different than studying with him in India?
I remember attending a San Diego yoga conference in 1990 where Iyengar was present.  He wasn’t really teaching any workshops.  He was engaging and speaking with yogis and helping out.  On the last day of the conference, I was told there was going to be an impromptu yoga class.  My husband and I showed up and discovered that Iyengar was teaching the class.  It was the first class I had seen Iyengar teach where there were hundreds of yogis.  In India, there were typically about 50 yogis in class.  What I remember the most about this class with Iyengar in San Diego was his keen sense of awareness and ability to provide a verbal cue to one specific individual in a room of hundreds.

file (2)How did Iyengar come up with yoga props?
In 1937, Krishnamacharya sent Iyengar to Pune at the age of eighteen to spread the teaching of yoga.  Iyengar started by teaching strong and capable military soldiers but it wasn’t long before he was teaching people that had a wide-range of health conditions.  Iyengar felt that students needed to stay in poses for a certain duration of time to reap the benefits yet often times a student would be dealing with a health issue that would limit the students ability to do so.  It was during these early years that Iyengar first started to develop props to use during the yoga practice to extend the time a post could be held.  In class, he would provide the student with a piece of furniture or a rack to use as an aid.  Then Iyengar started experimenting at home and eventually came up with the block.  It was a statue that inspired him to create the yoga strap.  Iyengar saw a statue of someone sitting in Siddhasana with a belt around their knees and back and realized that a strap would help students stay in the poses longer.

What about the yoga practice has led to your life long dedication to the practice?
The first difference I noticed in my life from the yoga practice was in how I walked but it didn’t take long for me to discover that the changes would extend far beyond the physical.  The practice changes you physically and emotionally.  I feel strongly that each yogi should have their own personal practice.  I know that many people are intimidated by the idea of creating their own practice but it really can be something as simple as 10 minutes of practice.  A personal practice allows you to take what you learned in class and apply it to your life.  This is where transformation can happen.

I love teaching yoga and couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  My favorite piece of advice is to go slowly on the path.

IMG_0480You have been practicing for a while.  Have you had to deal with injuries?
About 8 years ago, I had physical setback with my yoga practice.  All of a sudden, much of the physical asana was no longer available to me.  Honestly, I was initially devastated but I kept practicing and slowly I regained many of the postures that had been lost to me.  Now, when I reflect back on the experience, I feel blessed because I learned much about myself during that challenging time.

Speaking of physical setbacks, you have been acknowledged by paraplegic Matthew Sanford as his first teacher and helping him to cultivate a presence within his body through awareness, breath and attention.  What was it like working with Matthew and do you have any advice for yoga teachers in working with disabilities?
Matthew had been going to school in Santa Barbara, where I used to teach once a month, and someone referred him to me.  I would give him a few poses to try and he would practice them throughout the month and we would reconnect the next time I was in Santa Barbara.  He was an exceptional student and applied himself to the practice.  It didn’t take long for Matthew to feel inner body changes from the practice and soon we started to practice together intensively for many hours at a time.   I learned a lot from working with Matthew.  He has now gone on to found Mind Body Solutions and offers training on working with people with disabilities.  If you are interested in working with disabilities, I highly recommend seeking specialized training with someone like Matthew.  Beyond that, I would also acknowledge that each injury is different and the teacher must go slowly and have an ongoing conversation with the student to ensure the practice is helping them.

You and I connected because of our mutual association with UnCruise.  Have you ever UnCruise’d before?
Yes, twice.  About a year ago, my daughter took me on an UnCruise to the Sea of Cortez. I was impressed with how well planned and thought out the experience is with UnCruise.  There are endless options for activities from hiking, snorkeling, kayaking and more.  The food was amazing, the employees were kind and knowledgeable.  The dozens of fellow cruisers are like-minded and it is easy to make new friends.  I loved the experience so much in fact that before I even got off the boat in the Sea of Cortez, I booked another UnCruise for my husband and I to the San Juan Islands and Olympic Peninsula.

uncruiseyogaYou are leading a “Rivers of Wellness” cruise with UnCruise in October 2017 along the Columbia and Snake Rivers.  What can guests expect on this cruise and from your yoga classes?
The “Rivers of Wellness” UnCruise will offer daily yoga classes, nutrition workshops and sound healing as well as the typical excursions and adventures UnCruise is known for.  Yoga will be offered both on the boat and along the river.  In my yoga classes, I teach a mindful approach to the poses and I keep my eye on students to ensure that they are provided with modifications that best serve them.  One thing I am looking forward to in this immersive environment is the opportunity to be available for yogis to provide guidance and help answer questions about their practice.

This is the perfect opportunity to set aside the daily stresses of deciding what you are going to eat, tidying the house or running errands and shift your focus towards going inward.

In addition to daily yoga classes, the “Rivers of Wellness” UnCruise will offer a winery and vineyard tour and tasting, a jet boat ride into Hells Canyon, a tour of the Bonneville Dam, guided hikes and much more.  To learn more about the upcoming cruise, please visit:  https://www.uncruise.com/destinations/columbia-river-cruises/rivers-of-wellness

 

 

 

 

Northwest Yoga Conference – A great opportunity to discover the benefits of yoga!

 

Yoga does not just change the way we see things,
it transforms the person who sees it. –
B.K.S Iyengar

The above quote aptly summarizes the positive impact yoga has on transforming our day to day life. Yoga was first mentioned in the first Vedic literature. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ which means to unite and the fundamental idea is that the practice of yoga unites our body, mind and soul.

I was first introduced to yoga when as a young professional I was looking for relief from the physical and mental stress that comes with working in a demanding technology industry. I have been practicing yoga ever since then for over a decade now. Though I started practicing yoga for stress relief, I have discovered so many other benefits over the years and continue to discover more with time.

Following are some of the top benefits that I have discovered practicing yoga.

  1. Yoga is a way of life and encourages you to make healthy choices, become self-aware, increases self-esteem and confidence which helps you make better connections and see yourself in a positive light.
  2. Yoga improves balance and flexibility, builds strength, endurance and general fitness in the most natural way. It is always with you as all you need is a mat which you can spread anywhere and practice yoga. You can practice it at the pace that’s most suitable to your unique physic.
  3. Yoga provides stress relief. As the world becomes increasingly “connected” it is becoming increasingly vital to find time to stay in the moment, meditate and clam the mind. Yoga provides a way to connect with your Self.

The above reasons are just tip of the iceberg. As you continue your practice, you will discover many more over time. In addition, yoga opens the doors to new and exciting experiences and learnings that ultimately will help you be a stronger, calmer and grounded person.

NW Yoga conference is an awesome opportunity to discover the benefits of yoga. The conference brings yogis together with diverse mind sets and thus is a perfect chance to learn from experienced yoga teachers. So if you are new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, you can get introduced to yoga or enhance your practice and start discovering the benefits of yoga. So do not miss this opportunity to learn yoga and connect with the community right here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

~ article written and contributed by Geeta

The Best of Both Worlds: Interview with Tiffany Cruikshank
by Jill Rivera Greene

Tiffany Fluid FrameTiffany Cruikshank has dedicated 20+ years to crafting her unique method of teaching yoga. She draws on a vast range of experience, including her work as a holistic medicine practitioner, acupuncturist, and sports medicine expert, as well as private sessions with thousands of patients, students and athletes, including Seattle’s own Russell Wilson.

These experiences laid the foundation for her Yoga Medicine trainings, which draw on both Eastern and Western notions of medicine to address each patient/student’s unique needs. These days, Tiffany spends the majority of her time sharing these teachings in conferences, trainings and articles internationally. She was generous enough to share a few juicy tidbits in a recent phone conversation with NWYC.

Where did the inspiration for Yoga Medicine come from?
When I started seeing patients about 15 years ago, I noticed that my patients who practiced yoga got better a lot quicker. That prompted me to think about how I could better help my patients who don’t practice yoga, by giving them postures and other things they could do on their own to be more proactive in their health care.

Yoga Medicine was meant to bridge the gap between the yoga world and the medical world, so yoga could be an adjunct to people’s medical care. Yoga teachers aren’t meant to replace medical providers. Our mission is to train teachers to blend Eastern and Western modalities, so they can work effectively with medical providers and help people with injuries or illnesses, or improve general wellness.

Do a lot of health care providers come to your trainings?
All of our trainings are for people who want to teach yoga in some capacity, but maybe a quarter of participants are also health care providers, from mental health counselors, doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and more. The common denominator is people who are interested in both the East and West—the Western understanding of anatomy/physiology in addition to the Eastern practice of yoga.

Tiffany-Cruikshank-Mind-Makeover-e1487196234285Has Yoga Medicine changed the way that you personally approach yoga?
I have never seen [yoga and Yoga Medicine] as separate. That said, I definitely started out with a more physically based practice. I did a lot of Ashtanga when I was younger, and I was intrigued with inversions and arm balances. Then I had a bad injury, and that’s what forced me to start incorporating more of what I did with my patients into my own practice and teaching. This eventually evolved into Yoga Medicine.

I think we all evolve over the decades of our lives. If we practice yoga long enough, the practice changes to suit our needs. Yoga Medicine has definitely changed how I approach my practice; I now approach it more through a therapeutic lens than an exercise or gymnastic lens, though movement is also therapeutic of course.

Do you have specific suggestions for people of a certain age (ahem), as our practice evolves?
I think it’s important to acknowledge that the practice isn’t meant to be one practice for everybody. The beautiful thing about yoga is that there are so many different approaches. As we go through our life cycles, hopefully we are able to find a practice that suits us. And if you practice yoga long enough, that will change many times. What exactly that looks like is going to be different for each person.

The hard part is just staying open to that. We can get kind of rigid about what we think we need. We only have so much time, and we often feel like we have to get a physical practice in, to move because we sit all day. The yoga principles and practices are based on a framework of not just physical flexibility, but mental flexibility as well. It’s really important to our health and vitality to allow ourselves to pay attention to what our bodies need through different weeks, years, and decades of our lives.  After practicing for almost 25 years now and spanning several decades of my life, my own personal practice has changed immensely over the years and only when I was able to be adapt to that was I able to tap into the therapeutic potential of my practice.

JasperPhoto_Tiffany_9895_lowrezCan you talk a little about the process you go through in developing a Yoga Medicine module?
The modules that I develop are all on topics that are personally meaningful to me. They are things I have experienced in my own practice, with students and patients. So I start by choosing subjects that are important not only from my lens but also for the people I work with.

I like to stick to what I’m good at and what I know. A lot of the course content comes from my own education, my 10+ years of training in holistic medicine, yoga, acupuncture, sports medicine, and orthopedics, as well as 15 years of seeing Chinese medicine/acupuncture patients with a specialty in sports medicine & orthopedics together with my experience of teaching yoga for the last 20 + years and running yoga teacher trainings for over 15 years.  And then I dig through my books, and consult with other teachers, doctors and health care providers who might be helpful. When we do modules that aren’t in my specialty or comfort zone, I bring in other people who are specialists in that area. We have a lot of doctors & experienced teachers who contribute to our curriculum.

One of the things that we do well in Yoga Medicine is keeping an open mind. We train our teachers to think for themselves, so that they can understand the lens of the human body and apply that to the yoga practice. Yoga Medicine is not a specific style or way of working with students. We always recommend that our teachers continue to study many different styles of yoga. We are helping our teachers to understand the body from an Eastern and Western perspective, so that they can decipher for themselves what might be helpful for their students.

One of the workshops that you’re offering at the NW Yoga Conference is on the SI joint. Can you talk about why you chose this topic, and share one or two key things that students in the workshop will learn?
The SI joint is becoming a popular topic right now, and rightfully so. In the medical world and in my training, almost 20 years ago, there was hardly any talk about it. Now it’s starting to get a more recognition, in the medical world, in yoga, and in the general population.

The SI is a really important joint, because it’s weight-bearing and a transition point between the upper and lower body. It doesn’t get a lot of movement; in fact, it barely moves at all. Most of the time it gets 2 to 4 degrees of movement. But there is a fine balance between not moving enough and moving too much that, in my experience, is critical to the health of this joint.

One of the easiest take-aways is the importance of having a balance of strength and flexibility. As a yoga practitioner you can do that in a general sense, by noticing areas that are tight or weak, and working on those areas.

For yoga students who are more flexible, it’s important to look at areas that they can strengthen around the hip, lower back, and core. You can’t really go wrong there. Any time there are recurrent SI joint issues, there is some layer of hypermobility. So in general, it’s looking at how to build symmetrical stability around this joint to help it function optimally within this fine range of motion.

I have found some specific techniques that are helpful in this area. In the workshop, we will look at some of the common tendencies and simple ways to work with them.

You’re offering another workshop, on myofascial release. Who do you find benefits most from this technique?
The thing I love most about myofascial release is that pretty much everyone can benefit from it. You can modify it to the individual pretty easily. Nothing is going to replace a great body worker or your medical provider, but it can be a great way to continue your care on your own.

Usually people feel results pretty much immediately, so that gives people encouragement to continue using it. Eventually, over time, they can reshape and shift the fascia and the connective tissue. We’re now starting to recognize, through research, that this is an important part of our physical health—not only our muscles, but our structural supportive system and how it’s all integrated together.

When people use myofascial release, they get to feel how one part of the body affects another. This is one of the reasons that I love teaching these workshops. A lot of times when we do myofascial release on our own, we just work on one specific area. But when you go through the body in a workshop, you may notice that there were completely separate areas that were even more helpful to the area where you have pain or limited range of motion. So it helps you uncover what I call “mystery areas.”

You have worked with a lot of athletes throughout your career. What do yoga teachers need to know about working with high-performance athletes?
We have a whole module on this in Yoga Medicine! I’ve worked with a lot of different kinds of athletes—from pro athletes to weekend warriors, in many different sports. Yoga is becoming a more and more prevalent resource for athletes, and there is a lot that yoga teachers can do with and for athletes.

One thing that’s really important to understand is that, in most athletics, there are very different stages of training. My goal as a yoga teacher is to meet athletes where they are, and to use the different tools and modalities of yoga to assist them through the different training & recovery stages, including joint stability & strength building, mobility, active recovery, passive recovery and the often over looked nervous system reset.

The great thing about working with athletes is that they are usually very much in tune with their bodies and changes in their performance, so that gives us good, quick feedback. However, depending on the athlete, there can also be a lot of parts that are very disconnected. I enjoy working with athletes because they generally respond really well to yoga and are usually surprised by all the things it affects not only in their performance but also their mental game and how they feel in general. They can really feel the differences yoga is making. Even simple additions can be very effective in an athlete’s routine.

What are some of the benefits, for yoga teachers and students alike, of attending an event like the Northwest Yoga Conference?
The great thing about coming to a conference like this is getting a sampling of a lot of different things. I enjoy being a participant as well as a teacher, and hearing the different viewpoints.

As a teacher, you not only get to take away new information from the classes, but it also sparks you to think in new ways. It fires parts of my brain that maybe haven’t been used recently. A conference is a great way to spark an interest to dig deeper and perhaps continue on to study more deeply with a teacher.

One of the things that I feel strongly about in Yoga Medicine is that often there isn’t a “right” or a “wrong” way. All of these teachings have some uses, otherwise they wouldn’t be around. They’ve worked for someone. So if I can go and see all of these different ways of working with the body, it helps me create more tools and resources to have at my fingertips when working with my students.

That’s the whole premise of our trainings: Being able to individualize the process, so that teachers can work in medical settings, or home settings, or wherever they are needed.

Back to Basics: Interview with Yoga Legend Maty Ezraty

Back to Basics: Interview with Maty Ezraty
by Jill Greene

I was moving too quickly the day I had originally scheduled this interview with senior teacher Maty Ezraty, who founded and directed the YogaWorks studio and Teacher Training program for more than 16 years. Caught up in activity, I forgot to double-check the time difference between Seattle and Hawaii, where Maty now lives—and I missed our appointment entirely!

When we did finally connect, Maty was gracious about my mistake and full of wisdom. Perhaps not coincidentally, our conversation included several reminders of how important it is not to lose sight of the fundamentals, in a modern world that’s moving at the speed of light.

Maty EaratyYou’re offering an all-day intensive this year on “Making Your Practice Whole.” What does it mean to make your practice whole?
In today’s world, yoga is practiced a little bit more for physical reasons. Making your practice whole is about exploring the bigger picture: your attitudes, the way the mind works, what your intentions are. It means looking at yoga from a holistic perspective, less from a strictly physical point of view.

For a number of years, you have been practicing vipassana meditation in addition to yoga. Is that compatible with this idea of making your practice whole?
Yes. I think meditation is mandatory, if you are a serious seeker of spirituality. Asana will only take you so far. It’s so important to study your mind in other venues. Meditation is as good as it gets.

You have been teaching yoga for 25 years. How have you seen the teaching of yoga evolve in America over that time?
Yoga today is a little mixed up with fitness. Not that there’s anything wrong with fitness, but it doesn’t allow you to go deeper in understanding your inner dynamics, your self, your mind-space. If you have the music on, and everything’s about feeling good, looking good … it’s artificial.

Unfortunately, in the last decade, we’ve seen business people take over yoga schools. And they really don’t understand yoga—half of them don’t even practice it. We have so many teacher trainings taught by people who haven’t been doing yoga long enough. So we’re creating a new generation that’s doing yoga poses, but in a fitness manner. It’s diluting yoga. It’s a lot easier to sell, because when you’re required to observe your mind and look at your stuff, it’s harder!

I think a lot of people are being promised that they can become yoga teachers, but it’s really difficult to make a living teaching yoga today. Of course it depends on the individual and what they know … but it should definitely not be something that you do lightly. I would never advise someone to give up a career to teach yoga, because most teachers today are struggling. Sometimes what you love to do is not necessarily what you should do for a living.

Maty Ezraty AsanaIf you could give one piece of advice to a new teacher today, what would it be?
Stick to why you decided to do yoga in the first place, and teach from there. I did not seek yoga for a profession, when I started studying. I came for a deeper, soul searching. That’s the place to teach yoga from.

When you’re a new teacher, you’re told you need a 200-hour certificate to teach anywhere. What does that have to do with anything? You can do 200 hours of good training or 200 hours of no training. Some people can retain an enormous amount in 200 hours, and other people can’t. So we have this arbitrary number of hours. We’ve got a problem.

In the old days, you had to get permission to take the Yoga Works teacher training. Somebody watched you practice. The first day of teacher training, I could teach shoulder stand. Everybody knew the fundamentals. They knew that in trikonasana the leg turns out, and the knee faces the second toe. I have students now who have never heard that before.

But it’s not the students’ fault! I don’t even think it’s the teacher’s fault. It’s the owners and the companies that are pushing numbers, pushing fitness, pushing Twitter, pushing websites … and they’re overlooking good teachers.

It’s also the consumer. It’s really a society problem, and it’s going to take courageous people to do things in a different way.

What can we do to change things?
Practitioners need to be educated and to buy the right workshops, put their money in classes and in trainings that offer something else. Request them: “I want classes with less music, I want more restorative yoga, I want more pranayama.”

And as an owner, you really have to walk that line in a smart way. Because you have to bring people along. It takes experience. It’s totally doable, but everyone’s just going too fast.

This practice takes time. You need at least 7 years before you’re pretty good. You should have at least 10-15 years under your belt before you teach and train people. You’ve got to be really strong in your own understanding. Otherwise you just give in to the students, because it’s too hard.

My best students and my best teachers assisted me for years. And came to class, over and over again, for years. There’s nothing wrong with a 200-hour training, if you then have somewhere to go and apprentice, under someone who’s really got it. That’ll work.

Do you see any glimmers of hope?
The last time I taught at a yoga festival, I had a teachers’ class. It was a really large class, 120 students, and I did basics. I walked out of that class high as a kite. These teachers wanted to learn, they were hungry, and they were getting it. It was exciting. There was no music, and their eyes were wide open and they wanted the information.

So yes, I have hope. But it’s going to take a community effort.

Maty Ezraty YogaAnd our own self study – is that a part of this?
Absolutely. That’s why I said that meditation is really critical. Because at some point, the asana is just not going to take you that far in. It can’t—it was never meant to. It’s only a pillar, a limb, a part of the process. It’s really just making you healthier so that you can do the deeper work.

I think many of us aspire to have an individual practice as long and fruitful as yours. What advice do you have for us as we look to the future?
What you do in your 20s, you’re not going to be able to do in your 50s. The more you understand that from the beginning, and the more you develop a really caring practice, the more you will appreciate the basics. So when those more fancy poses go away, you’ll have less suffering. You will see the benefits of the simplicity of it all.

The way that our lives are structured today, we put our old people in homes and we may not live next to our families, so we grow up without seeing that aging process up close. It’s not so real for us. We think that we’re always going to be like we are today, but things change. So it’s about the simple things: just lying down on the ground, feeling the earth and realizing how precious that is. How many people in the world never walk barefoot, never lie down on a flat floor and just close their eyes and breathe?

It’s going to come to that for each and every one of us, at some point. Standing on your head? Intense arm balances? Eventually it just doesn’t work anymore. But if those expectations are not there, and the simplicity is applied, and savored, then it’s a wonderful thing.

At the end of the day, you have to know this practice, personally, for yourself, without the teacher. It’s got to get to that.

Spend the day with Maty Ezraty during her Make Your Practice Whole yoga immersion at the 2018 Northwest Yoga Conference. 

Being Present With What Is: An Interview with Jill Knouse

by Deb Geiger, Conference Blogger

jillknouse3“I truly feel like our greatest work is in being present with what is.  I see the human in you and the human in me and I want to love you.”

This is Jill Knouse.  And she does love you.  From the moment she meets you.  If you’ve ever come to one of her classes at Yoga Pearl in downtown Portland, you’ll sweat and jam, but more, you’ll probably get a hug, eye contact, a smile. Genuine interest in your life.  You will never feel more welcome in a yoga class.

Jill spoke to me about her “upbringing’ in the yoga world.  It didn’t start all that long ago.  Up until 2004, she was in the financial world in San Fransisco, living the Corporate “American Dream”.  She told me that suddenly, she just started needing change.

“If I didn’t make a shift, I was going to die,” she said.

We wear so many freaking hats.  Now I’m Corporate Jill.  And now I’m yoga Jill.  And now I’m wife Jill, and now I’m Jill Jill.  Who is that? It’s all the same Jill!  If we can find the common thread between all of these, that’s what it’s all about!”

jillknouse1In the past 12 years, it looks like she has indeed found that thread.  “My journey into this realm has been a long time coming,” she told me.  “A big part of my practice right now has nothing to do with the movement of my body.  It has to do with my mind movement…and it’s been greatly inspired by Tara Brach, Byron Katie and Pema Chodron.  I’m truly inspired by all work that teaches about acceptance and self-love.”

Now Jill’s business is her passion, and she is keeping more than busy.  She teaches yoga at Yoga Pearl, and runs her two programs that she has created: her own Yoga Teacher Training program, as well as Elevate Yoga Trainings, her mentorship program for yoga teachers wanting to take their teaching to the next level.  I asked her to speak to me about what it was like being a “salesperson” of yoga.  How is she able to keep her passion alive for something that she has to sell to people all day?  Her answers?

OMG.  I bought ‘em.

What makes my business thrive is that I don’t come at it from that side.  It comes from a place of wanting people to heal.  To soften scars.  To heal their bodies physically and emotionally.  I want to help people reduce suffering.  and show compassion.  That’s what I have to offer. 

These scars aren’t immune to her, or anyone else.  Possibly the greatest thing about a conversation with her is that she isn’t trying to pretend that she has it all figured out.

jillknouse2“I have spent 47 years not liking myself.  And I am ridiculously tired of that story.  I am practicing a new story.  One where I actually care about myself.  I love myself.  I never ever thought this was possible for me.  And, honestly, if there’s hope for ME, there’s hope for others and I want to connect with THEM!”

How beautiful is that?

If you want to come practice radical acceptance, learn a thing or two about yoga and truly connect with a joyful soul- don’t miss an opportunity to practice with Jill Knouse.  Just the smile will make it worth it. Learn more about Jill’s offerings at the conference here.

Yoga In True Form – An Interview with Julie Gudmestad

by Deb Geiger, Conference Blogger

Yoga is often defined in one word as union.  In two words: to join.  Yin and yang.  Shiva and Shakti.  Everything and nothing.  Spirituality and Science.  

Julie Gudmestad is yoga come to life.  

julie-gudmestad-portraitThis woman is sharp.  She is 66 and she is a professional.  When she walked up to me in a busy little café on a rainy Portland afternoon, she was in an ankle length black peacoat- short grey hair just so.  Put together.  This was the medical professional before me.  As we started speaking, it became clear that she has made a wonderful life finding the balance between the science and the spirituality of yoga.

I was curious…did yoga bring Julie to physical therapy, or did physical therapy bring her to yoga?

“Yoga first.” She told me.  “Always yoga first”.

“This is going to sound a little woo woo…I was in high school.  I was standing in my dad’s back yard and I heard a voice tell me to go find a yoga class…I can still remember the first class…I remember coming out of the class and standing on the sidewalk…I was hooked.”

Maybe you noticed…that’s not exactly the type of thing you’ll often hear from a Western trained medical professional…

astavakrasana_049Julie started teaching yoga in 1970.  She was attending Reed College, and had already been practicing for a few years.  Her friends and classmates were interested in it, so she started teaching them.

“Other students would come up to me and say ‘my back doesn’t hurt anymore’, ‘I don’t have headaches anymore’, so I wanted letters after my name so that I could work one on one with people.”

Thus started her quest for physical therapy.  She graduated from Pacific University in 1977, and started taking Iyengar classes.  Iyengar is known for its attention to detail, alignment of the posture, control of the breath.  It is no wonder that a physical therapist would be drawn to its structure and focus on the mechanics of the physical body.  She became Iyengar certified in 1988, and still holds that certification.  

After getting a bit of her history, I wanted to know what has kept her going strong for so many years.

How do you inspire your students?

julie-teaching-sm“I hope I am a positive role model for them. Not just in terms of talking; but doing and being. I’ve been known to say that I don’t talk a lot about formal yoga philosophy, but I hope by the way I practice and the way I have them practice with mindfulness and consciousness that the heart of yoga philosophy comes through.”

What is the heart of yoga philosophy, I wanted to know.

“Yamas and Niyamas. Compassion is top of the list. Honesty…Be honest about what kind of shape your body is in today. There is a lovely integrity about being present with who you are today. Not who you were a year ago. It’s not who you would be had you been doing x y and z…Compassion starts at home”.

What continues to inspire you?

Julie got a cheeky smile and discussed how she teaches an annual yoga class to the graduating physical therapy class at her alma mater, Pacific U.  

“Sometimes, depending on their interest, I show them something fancy…Some of the arm balances.  Because they are dramatic.  I want them to see that yoga can really keep you in shape, even in your sixties.  The looks on their faces makes it all worthwhile.  That’s what inspires me.  To get a look like that from twenty-somethings!”

That’s the type of honesty I like!

Do you have any other advice, or words or wisdom for the readers?

julie-gudmestad-pose“The nature of life on this planet is change.  And…sometimes it’s going to be change that we don’t like…But there’s no choice…we have to adapt.  Our yoga practice can help us stay centered…If you get scared and you’re not sleeping, you don’t function as well.  And it will be harder to support the causes that you think are important.”

Just like Julie was hooked after her first class…I was hooked to Julie after my first meeting.  Don’t miss her sessions as she focuses on the alignment of different parts of the body…and just wait for those snippets of spirituality that shine through the science.  

This is yoga in true form.

Learn more about Julie Gudmestad’s conference offerings here.

The Yoga Trilogy of the Dalai Lama, Yogi Bhajan and Raquel Welch?: An Interview with Kia Miller

By Autumn Feldmeier, Conference Blogger
We caught up with Kia Miller, who will be teaching five workshops at the conference. Find out what she had to say about her offerings as well as her insight about how yoga helps shape our lives in a beautiful, inspiring and important way.


You mentioned your initial introduction to yoga was a  Raquel Welch book?  How do you think yoga has changed and how has it remained the same? 
raquelwelch
The yoga tradition dates back thousands of years, and offers a pathway toward self-discovery, awakening oneness consciousness, being in right relationship with the world, self and others, and living a life of service. This intention remains the same and is represented in all holistic and well rounded schools of yoga. However the teachings of yoga have also changed to meet the modern practitioner where they are. What I have witnessed is a huge focus on physical asana practice for the last 15-20 years, and now a shift where more and more people recognize that there are deeper and more powerful practices like pranayama and meditation that enable them to deal with the high stress lifestyle that many currently live.

You and your husband Tommy Rosen do classes and retreats together-what are the benefits and challenges of this?  kia-tommy-2
Tommy and I are blessed with a similar outlook on life and spirituality. This has enabled us to not only practice together, but also to work together. For many years we focused on developing ourselves, refining our skills as teachers and honing in on whom we can best serve. I focused on developing and leading Radiant Body Yoga teacher trainings, and Tommy focused on developing a business to serve the development of those in recovery from addiction using yoga and lifestyle teachings. More recently we have been co-leading retreats that bring together our skills and unique approaches.

The time we spent building our individual approaches has enabled us to teach together harmoniously, where our egos are in check and we have mutual respect. Much like Kahil Gibran says on marriage “And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

You have mentioned your struggle with bulimia when you were a model- how has yoga helped you heal from that?  
For many years I was very dissociated from my body and used the act of throwing up my food to avoid uncomfortable emotions. Through the practice of yoga I learned how to find the comfortable seat in my body. I learned how to correctly breathe, which enabled me to work through the tough emotions that would have me want to binge and purge. When I was fortunate enough to find Kundalini Yoga I discovered a real sense of my self. I came to realize that through my whole modeling career I was wearing all the masks I thought others wanted to see, yet had no faith and connection in myself as a unique and original human being. The practice of Kundalini Yoga gradually peeled off the layers of masks until I found a connection to my inner sense of self, my power, my creativity, and ultimately the gifts of this incarnation. Together with the practices of yoga, I also healed my eating disorder by eating a purely plant based raw diet for two years which took the inflammation and irritation our of digestive tract and enabled me to re-set and re-negotiate my relationship with food.


One quote of yours which I love is ‘If you give energy to negativity,  it will take you to places you do not want to go. How can the practice of  yoga assist in channeling your energy into the right places?  
kiamiller-1
Negativity is a poison that spreads when given energy. When we dwell on negative thoughts or emotions we empower them. Often when we are in the throws of negativity, we forget that we have a choice. In that moment we are choosing negativity, yet we could equally be choosing positivity. I have found the practices of yoga to be a great way to channel energy, in particular mental energy. The asana practice helps us to remove tension and to reclaim a sense of peace. The pranayama practices help us to shift the patterns of thinking. As the yogic texts state: “as the breath, so the mind” When we alter the rhythm of the breath, we are able to break the mental trances that hold our consciousness captive, we are able to liberate ourselves from negativity and the choices that lead to negativity. Once we have broken the pattern that has held us captive, we can sit with a meditative focus and learn to access our neutral mind, our witness. From this place we are able to be aware of thoughts without attaching our identity to them.

The Dalai Lama has said ‘The world will be saved by the Western woman’-do you believe  this to be true and (if so) how does this influence your teachings?  
If you look at the demographic of who is practicing yoga, you will see that it is over 70% women. This shows that it is women who are being turned on by these teachings and often because of a woman that men come to the practice!

Yogi Bhajan directed much of his teaching to the empowerment of women. He worked with women to realize and remember their true value, and said that when women reclaim their power they will lead the way forward.

In my own teachings I see all people as equal – both female and male, so I do not direct my teaching toward a gender however I do stress the importance of promoting qualities like: empathy, intuition, inclusiveness, neutrality, balance, compassion, etc.

In your podcast, you mentioned ‘information dementia’ whereupon we are constantly being bombarded with distractions (iPad, iPhone, Facebook, etc) and how that prevents us from critical thinking. But, as a busy yoga teacher, how do you prevent this from happening to you?  kiamillerreading
This is a great question! I have a few methods to keep my ‘devices’  time down:

  • I meditate every day which helps to clear my mind and allow me to connect inwardly to a still and expansive space. This is the single most helpful thing as it allows me to keep my neutrality throughout the day.
  • I have someone who helps with my social media. It is an important outreach for me with fellow yogis and students, so with help I can engage in the ways that are meaningful to me rather than it being another ‘job’ to tend to.
  • I check my social media once a day, which prevents the obsession to keep checking throughout the day.
  • When I am in the midst of a training or retreat, I have my assistant answer all my emails!
  • When I am sitting alone, I prefer to read a book over reading posts on social media

In  these seemingly hope less times, what helps you stay grounded and optimistic?  
I see a lot of hope in these times. I see many people in my workshops, teacher trainings and retreats working really hard to overcome their negative patterns and to be a light to those around them. I see a country in great change, where we are witnessing a large divide in outlook on life and beliefs. My hope is that we, as yoga practitioners, walk the middle path instead of polarizing and making others ‘wrong.’ This is one of the ways that we can lead. I invite all to meditate on the following statements left by Yogi Bhajan for this time. See what insights come to you as you dwell on each one:

  1. Recognize the other person is you
  2. There is a way through every block
  3. When the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off
  4. Understand through compassion or you will misunderstand the times
  5. Vibrate the cosmos, and the cosmos shall clear the path

What can we expect from your classes at the Northwest Yoga Conference?  kia-prayerMy focus within yoga has led me to an understanding of the importance of connecting to and cultivating ‘inner radiance.’ When we are radiant, we are bright, enthusiastic, emitting positive uplifting energy, we are a light to ourselves and others. Some yogic texts reference the energy that emanates from the heart center as radiance. It is the power that enables us to share and teach through our presence. The more aware and connected we are to the Truth within, the brighter our radiant body.

In these fast paced and challenging times our Radiance easily becomes depleted through stress and distraction. These classes share essential tools for keeping our radiance bright and effective. I have found these teachings to be some of the most powerful and effective and cutting through the negative self hypnosis and awakening intelligence and clarity in the body/mind.

Learn more about Kia Miller’s workshop offerings at the Northwest Yoga Conference here.

The Courage to Live From Your Heart-Center: Guest Post by Terilyn Wyre

This year, we are asking conference presenters to share with us what the conference theme, “The Courage to Live From Your Heart-Center” means to them.  First up, the incredible, loving and inspiring Seattle based yogi, Terilyn Wyre!  Be careful, you might want a box of tissues neaby –  the beauty of this writing brought us to tears.

We can fall in love in an instant; utterly, completely, unequivocally in love. It takes but a moment for our hearts to open like a flower yearning for the kiss of sunlight and morning dew. We fall in love with our partner, our children, our friends, our pets, the sight of the sun setting over the water, the forest, the mountains, a piece of art, our favorite song. Falling in love is easy, natural, effortless even. It seems like the very thing we were born to do. Often we remember these moments as rare, monumental and fleeting. What we are witnessing in these magical moments is a reflection of the Beloved who resides within us. In essence, our outer environment is mirroring back to us our huge capacity to love and be loved. As tempting as it is to think we are falling in love with someone because they are so fabulous (which they very well may be) a deeper truth might be that our love interest is willing to hold space for us to dive into the unending well of love within our own heart.

So you might be thinking “well sure I’ve felt moments of deep love but it not a feeling that lasts, it shifts and changes and sometimes ends. How do I cultivate a feeling of open heartedness that guides my choices, my path, my life, when the risk of heartbreak seems inevitable? Won’t that hurt, a lot?” I’ve asked myself this question many times, especially when I see cruelty and tragedy in the world. Yes, you will experience pain, loss, heartbreak and unimaginable grief.

This is where courage comes in: to love without story, conditions or expectations; to love simply because it makes you come alive to do so; to love even in the face of disrespect, disregard and dismissal. This is the true work of a heart centered warrior. I’m not suggesting it’s the easy path, but rather one of integrity, authenticity and vulnerability.

I have found these three things are essential in living from the heart: forgiveness,  self-compassion and self-love. The courage comes in our willingness to look at our shadow self and all our wounds and old stories. When we are brave enough to bring the light of awareness to all the parts of ourselves that need healing we can begin the process of true forgiveness of ourselves and others which in time becomes the balm for our aching hearts. Forgiveness allows us to have compassion for our perceived failures and mistakes and love ourselves for all of who we are, the shiny side as well as the side we’d rather not look at or expose to another. When we experience this for ourselves first we can see our divine innocence and then eventually the divine innocence in others who deserve that same love, compassion, and forgiveness.

In every religion or mysticism there seems to be a yearning for God; the Divine, Beloved. We are yearning for the One who has never left us. When we recognize as truth that love is ours and the Beloved is within us, we lose some of our fears as we can never truly lose love or be abandoned.

physical-heart-opening

In every moment we have an opportunity to contract in fear or expand in love, the choice is ours. It takes practice to trust the expansion of our hearts. Your very first down dog may have felt awkward or difficult but in time felt ease-full and familiar, so too is true of learning to live from your heart. The more we yoke ourselves back to love again and again, the less we shut down emotionally. We learn to navigate this world with grace and sovereignty and a steadfast willingness to open our hearts to each other and every moment of this wild life.

For me, the choice is clear: With my yoga practice as my medicine/ my elixir for the strength and courage it takes to live from my heart, I will continue to walk this path as a warrior of love and welcome home all the wounded parts of myself with a renewed sense of belonging. My prayer for you is to do the same.

Preparing Your Dosha for the Northwest Yoga Conference

By Katie Vincent

8170948596_071bc2400c_zIt’s the week before the Northwest Yoga Conference and although the daffodils are blooming, the excitement is reminiscent of the autumn back-to-school buzz as local yogis gather shiny new notebooks, sharpen their pencils and eagerly compare schedules with friends. But of course, this being yoga rather than calculus, there are completely different ways we need to prepare ourselves —body, mind and spirit—for a long weekend of intense study and socializing. This is where we turn to yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, to find harmony with the cycles of the earth and, hopefully, exist in a more peaceful state at the conference.

Krokusse_im_SchneeStrongly in tune with the seasons, Ayurveda considers this time of year to be when kapha—the earth/water element dosha—is liquefying and pitta—the fire/water element dosha—begins to rise, just as outside the soil thaws and the first bulbs emerge. For most of us, this means a general recommendation of moving more in the earlier hours of the day (between 6-10am), eating foods that are more light, dry, pungent and warming (early spring greens are seasonal and especially good) and sticking to a daily routine with three modest meals at regular times. Many with spring allergies find it helpful to incorporate a morning routine of clearing the nasal passages with a neti pot and following up with a nasya oil—an herb-infused sesame oil—in the nostrils. Most importantly, spring is a time of heightened play and spontaneity to move out any winter melancholy or stagnation, so be sure to make time to dance, goof off and be nonsensical with friends.

Translating this to the world of the yoga conference, Ayurveda would advise going to bed at an hour that will ensure you get eight hours of sleep before 6am. Start your day with a mini-routine of tongue scraping, sesame oil self-massage (abhyanga), light yoga and meditation. Pack wholesome meals and consume them slowly while seated on the floor to be present and truly enjoy the flavors. Above all, have fun!

If you identify with a particular dosha, consider the following tips:

  • Vata: Stay warm, packing extra layers in case the rooms get chilly. Base your sack lunch on oilier, heavier and more substantial foods but feel free to incorporate a few light, dry foods as tolerated. Warm and cooked is better than raw right now. Increase pungent, bitter and astringent flavors like garlic, turmeric and ginger. Steer clear of watermelon, tofu and white sugar when possible. Incorporate alternate nostril breathing throughout the day, as well as plenty of slow flow asana in a quiet corner to ground and center yourself.
  • Pitta: Take plenty of breaks to step outside and play in the cool fresh air. In workshops, embrace a non-competitive attitude and lower your expectations of yourself. Avoid stimulants like caffeine, which can increase your irritability in crowded and warm situations. Increase bitter and astringent flavors, such as barley, beans, dandelion greens and turmeric and decrease sweets. Go easy on sour foods like bananas, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple and tomatoes. Sip coriander, cumin, fennel and/or licorice tea throughout the day.
  • Kapha: Sign up for movement-heavy workshops, especially in the morning sessions, and make a point to laugh at any chance you get. Pack extra clothing and a thermos of ginger tea to keep you warm. Rise even before 6am and begin your day with a dry-brush massage and an invigorating flow of asana and pranayama exercises like kapalabhati. Adorn yourself with bright colors and mist yourself with uplifting scents like eucalyptus, sage and rosemary. Prepare yourself a lunch of pungent, bitter and astringent foods like broccoli, mushrooms, parsley, garlic and dandelion greens; keep oil at a minimum and reduce watery foods as well as wheat, dairy and cold foods.

dandysalad3Learn more about Ayurveda at the Northwest Yoga Conference! Check out Silvia Mordini’s ‘Beauty from the Inside Out: The Ayurveda Way’ workshop on Friday, March 4th at 12pm.