YOGATEACHER TRAINING WEEKEND – Restorative Yoga & Upanishads

om

pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ

pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya

pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

Purna Mantra

This weekend I had my next-to-last Yogateacher Training. The main focus of the weekend was a introduction into Restorative Yoga and the Upanishads.

Friday

17:00 – 18:10: What is Restorative Yoga
18:30 – 20:00: Restorative Yoga Session

Saturday

9:00 – 10:50: Dynamic Yoga Session
10:50 – 13:00: Restorative Asanas, Didactics, Props and techniques
14:30 – 15:40: Introduction into the Upanishads
16:00 – 17:45: Group work on selected texts of the Upanishads
18:00 – 19:00: Restorative Yoga with Meditation from the Upanishads

09:00 – 11:00: Dynamic & restorative Yoga Session
11:30 – 13:30: Chanting Purna Mantra, Presentation of the group work

The weekend focused on following restorative poses:

• Supported Bound Angle Pose
• Supported Childs Pose
• Supported Standing Forward Bend
• Supported Bridge Pose
• Supported Viparita Karani
• Legs up the Wall Pose
• Savasana

The morning practice was dynamic with restorative poses at the end, the evening sessions were very relaxed and had just some soft warming up elements before starting with the restorative poses.

I was totally inspired by restorative yoga. I love to practice a quite calm yoga practice. I love to do yin yoga and also my hatha yoga practice is quite slower. I was totally relaxed in the restorative poses, especially the supported child pose really appealed to me and I will add it to my practice more often.

We also had an introduction to the upanishads over the weekend and worked on texts from selected upanishads in a group setting and studied them. I really enjoyed the conversation with my classmate, it was very inspiring. I had a text from the Maitri Upanishad that dealt with thinking and detaching from it. This text is also very reminiscent of Patanjali. We also found a lot of examples from our life where thinking rather hinders us and most of the time when we let go we move forward better and everything flows.

My training is now only 3 months and slowly I realize that I’m getting a little sad that it is soon over. I have learned so much about yoga, meditation, pranayama, philosophy but also me as a person have changed a lot and the training is definitely one of the best decisions so far in my life. I just love doing yoga and teaching it. I am so grateful for this gift.

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Yogateacher Training Weekend – Prana & Pranayama

When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

This weekend I had my 11th Yogateacher Training. The main focus of the weekend was a introduction into the topic of Prana in general and especially Pranayama.

Friday

17:00-19:30: Talk on Prana, Pranayama and Breathing Journey

Saturday

9:00-10:30: Asana Practice

10:45-12:15: Pranayama Practice

15:00-19:30: Talk with internal general medicine doctor on internal diseases and what a yoga teacher has to know about them

Sunday:

09:00-11:00: Asana and Pranayama Practice

11:30-13:30: Didactics of Pranayama

The weekend focused on following techniques:

• Abdominal breathing
• Full Yogic Breath
• Kapalbhati
• Nadi Shodana
• Ujjayi
• Omkara
• Bhramari

Also the Asana practice of the weekend was focused on preparing for the Pranayama Sessions.

This was a very intense and insightful weekend for me. I have noticed changes in my breathing through my more intense yoga practice. Many questions I had regarding these changes in my body have now been answered. I found the yoga practice this weekend to be very integral, fulfilling and peaceful. This training weekend will probably be one of my favorite weekends.

We now start to develop a own pranayama practice. Our Yogateacher provided us a starting pranayama practice round about 20 minutes. I will now do this practice 4 times a week and write a diary about my experiences for a few weeks. Afterwards I will develop together with my teacher a individual practice.

Yogateacher Training Weekend – Reflection, Designing a Yoga Course, Advaita Vedanta

Last weekend I had my 11th Yogateacher Training Weekend. It was a really intense and inspiring weekend. Our topics were:

• Asana Practice
• Workshop on Downward Facing Dog
• Meditation
• Energy work for yoga teachers
• Reflection questions for teaching good yoga classes
• How to design a yoga workshop
• Didactics course structure and how to design a yoga course
• Advaita Vedanta

Due to Corona the weekend was again done via YouTube Streams and Google Meet.

This weekend we learned how to design a yoga workshop by participating in a workshop ourselves and via a didactics lesson. Each of us will now design a own yoga workshop until june with the support of our instructors. Currently i tend to do my workshop on the topic of twists, i love asanas with twists.

Another topic was how to design a complete yoga course. Also here we have the task to design our own course.

During the weekend, one of my classmates did a lecture on Advaita Vedanta. She is a practitioner of Advaita Vedanta for many years. It was very exciting to hear from a practitioner about what it is all about, what the practices are, what the beliefs are and how it affects her daily life.

Another very intense part was the first afternoon on Saturday, when we were given questions to reflect on ourselves and our yoga practice and teaching. For example, what kind of yoga personality we are, what we enjoy, what makes our teaching good, etc.

On the first evening, our instructor also gave a lecture on what yoga teachers can do to gather energy for giving a good yoga class.

A very inspiring and insightful weekend.

Namaste

Yogateacher Training Weekend – Inversions, physiological medical conditions

This weekend I had my 10th Yogateacher Training Weekend. The focus of the weekend was on Inversions. Due to Corona the weekend was done Online via YouTube and Google Meet.

Our Yoga practice had the focus on Inversions and preparing them:

• Ardha Pincha Mayurasana
• Uttana Shishosana
• Prasarita Padottanasana
• Uttanasana
• Sirsasana
• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
• Viparita Karani
• Salamba Sarvangasana
• Halasana

As Pranayama Practice we did Nadi Shodana.

Friday:

17:00 – 18:45: Asana, Shavasana
19:00 – 20:00: Lecture on the ethereal effect of inversion postures

Saturday:

9:00 – 10:45: Asana, Pranayama
11:30 – 12:45: Lecture Didactics and Anatomy of the Shoulder
14:30 – 17:30: Lecture Medical Conditions with Shoulder & Spine, physiological view
17:45 – 19:00 Evening practice: Chakra balancing and Savasana

Sunday:

09:00 – 10:50: Asana, Pranayama
11:20 – 12:30: Lecture Medical Conditions with Pelvis, Legs, Knees, physiological view
12:30 – 13:15: Individual Questions about practice

This was a weekend with a very high amount of new information, especially in the lectures with physiological information.

And also it was fun, I really love inversions. They are among my favorite asanas.

Again a very inspirational and insightful weekend.

Namaste

Online Yoga Course – First steps

Last Tuesday I did a Yoga Online Session for some of my colleagues and friends. I will now do this regularly and Thursday will be the next session.

For designing these classes I use the tool tummee. With tummee you can design yoga sequences, analyze them regarding the number of poses, body positions, chakras, muscle groups, types etc. This is very helpful for me.

Here are the links to my first two classes:

1st Session:

https://www.tummee.com/yoga-sequence/MtOl0

2nd Session:

https://www.tummee.com/yoga-sequence/zzzCA

Some impressions:

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Our sessions are 60mins, everyone can take part also complete beginners. We start the session with a short relaxation, then some warming up, standings and balance poses, as cooldown some sittings, a inversion and 10min Shavasana.

I really enjoyed teaching the first session, it was so fulfilling to see how everyone was relaxed after our session. This is giving so much back to me.

Yogateacher Training Weekend – Backbends, Chakras and Bhagavad Gita

This weekend I had my 9th Yogateacher Training. The whole weekend had the focus on Backbends. Due to Corona this weekend was done Online via YouTube and Google Meet.

The Yoga Practice this weekend was very intense on a physical and energetic level. I felt quite agitated because of the high amount of backbends. On the Journey through the chakras very intense emotions arised. I will write a separate blog post on this meditative journey.

Friday: 17:00 to 20:00
1,5h Yoga practice: Asana and Pranayama
30min break
1h Lecture: Etheric effect of Yoga and especially back bends

Saturday: 09:00 to 19:00
45 min Meditation: Journey through the Chakras
15 min break
1,5h Yoga practice: Asana and Pranayama
20 min break
1,5h Lecture: Anatomy and didactics of back bending
1h break
1h Group work: Designing Preparation Sequences for back bends
30 min break
1,5h Discussion: Bhagavad Gita
30min break
30min Restorative Yoga

Sunday: 09:00 – 13:30
1h 45min Yoga Practice: Asana and Pranayama
25min break
1h 15min Discussion: Presenting and discussing the group work
30min break
30min Relaxation: Journey through the Chakras

The Yoga Practice was focused on following asanas with back bending:

• Shalabasana
• Sphinx
• Bhujangasana
• Ekapada Dhanurasana
• Dhanurasana
• Setubandha Sarvangasana
• Ustrasana
• Ekapada Rajkapotasana
• Urdhva Dhanurasana

Feeling grateful for this intense weekend.

Namaste,

Melanie

Yogateacher Training Weekend – Didactics and Designing a Yoga Session

Last weekend I had my 8th Yogateacher Training. We are now in the second year of our apprenticeship and now start focusing more on designing a yoga lesson and how to teach them.

This weekend I teached for the first time between 20 and 30 minutes at a strech.

Friday evening we started with a soft yoga session for about 1,5h hours. After a short break we did a meditation session.

Saturday morning we began the day with a more intense and dynamic yoga session for 1,5h hours. After breakfast we had our didactics part. We learned how to design a yoga session, to arrange asanas in a suitable sequence and how to prepare a yoga lesson.

After this didactics session we were divided into three groups. Each group had to design a yoga session and would teach this session together this weekend. My group had to design and teach two 1,5h sessions. One on Saturday afternoon and one on Sunday morning. This was really fun and exiting.

Together with my three classmates I designed a more soft yoga session for the afternoon and one more dynamic for our morning session.

On Saturday afternoon I teached the cool down and relaxation part. Again I recognized that teaching more relaxed asanas and also Shavasana I really enjoy and like a lot.

After that session we got some short feedback from my Yogateacher trainer and closed the day with a philosophical session on the Bhagavad Gita.

On Sunday morning my group then teached the more dynamic session, I had the part with Sun Salutations and Standing Asanas. Compared to the relaxation part this is quite new for me and I have to get used to it. But also in this session I again had fun.

After a short breakfast break our Yogateacher Trainers gave all groups feedback and tipps. We closed the weekend with a short philosophy session on the Bhagavad Gita.

Every student has to give a demonstration lesson, and each one got a date. My first official yoga session will be next year in February, the 12th and I am so exited.

As homework we have to design a yoga practice for about an hour and to practice this every day until Christmas. This yoga practice we will then teach in our demonstration lessons. Also we got two questions on the Bhagavad Gita.

Yoga and Massage with Singing Bowls

Today my new Singing Bowls arrived.

At the moment I am doing a online course on Singing Bowls in Yoga Sessions and Singing Bowl Massage and I decided for the Himalaya Singing Bowls from Peter Hess. I am so exited to try them out in private and next year also in my courses.

Yogateacher Training Weekend – Forward Bends, Seated Twists and Bhakti Yoga

This weekend I had my 7th Yogateacher training weekend. The focus of this weekend was on forward bends and seated twists. As a topic for philosophy we had a introduction into Bhakti Yoga and the Bhagavad Gita.

Friday evening we started with a blessing of the beginning of our now second year of our Yoga teacher training. Afterwards we had a soft yoga practice and short introduction into Bhakti Yoga.

On Saturday we started the day with a more intense yoga practice with focus on forward bends and seated twists. After a short breakfast break we did a session on didactics of these asanas and how to teach them.

These asanas we learned this weekend:

• Dandasana
• Janu Sirsasana
• Baddha Konasana
• Parivritta Janu Sirsasana
• Paschimottanasana
• Trianga Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana
• Upavistha Konasana
• Ubaya Padangusthasana
• Parivritta Sukhasana
• Bharadvajasana
• Vakrasana
• Ardha Matsyendrasana

After lunch we were divided into groups and some of us had to teach specific asanas to the others. I had Baddha Konasana to teach and again it was a nice and very insightful experience to sit in front of a class and teaching it. I also learned quite much from the feedback the other students got.

After a short teabreak we closed the day with chanting mantras and a short group discussion about God and our religious beliefs. It was a very interesting and inspiring talk I had with my classmates.

On Sunday morning we started again with a more intense yoga practice that had focus on forward bends and seated twists.

After a short breakfast break we had a session on anatomy, common problems as backache, lumbago or herniated vertebral disk. We also had a look at how the pelvis and spine are connected to each other via the sacroiliac joint and what to pay attention to in specific asanas.

We closed the weekend with a introduction into the Bhagavad Gita and a meditation session.

As a preparation for the next weekend I have to read the Bhagavad Gita and to mark the sections I am agreeing with.

Again a very inspirational and instructive weekend. Feeling now a bit tired but very happy.

Yogateacher Training Weekend – Sitting asanas, Vijñāna Bhairava, Writing a guided meditation

Last weekend I had my sixth Yogateacher Training Weekend from overall 14. The weekend had the focus on sitting asanas and the Vijñāna Bhairava. We started at Friday in the evening with yoga practice and meditation.

The yoga practice at Friday evening was soft and with focus on relaxation and sitting asanas. Afterwards we did 30min of meditation practice inspired by the Vijñāna Bhairava.

Following sitting asanas we focused on this weekend:

• Vajrasana
• Dandasana
• Sukasana
• Malasana
• Baddha Konasana
• Gomukhasana
• Virasana
• (Half) Lotus Pose

At Saturday and Sunday we were in a park. Due to Corona at my yoga school just 6 pupils are allowed in the room. Because of the good weather my teacher decided to do the training in nature. This was a very good idea.

At Saturday we started in the morning with a long and intense yoga practice. Afterwards we talked about anatomy especially regarding sitting asanas. After a lunch break we did a philosophical talk on the Vijñāna Bhairava. We were divided into groups and every group got questions which were discussed. One question was to develop a meditation based on the Vijñāna Bhairava. This question I liked the most and I decided to provide my meditation on the blog as part of my meditation series.

On Sunday we started again with a longer and intense yoga practice. After a short breakfast break we talked about the results we got in the groups on the Vijñāna Bhairava and a few had to guide their meditation to the group. So we had very different meditations, with music, with visualization and with focusing at the sky.

Really a lovely and interesting weekend.