THE YOGA CONNECTION
Atma Center Suggestion Box
We Welcome Your Suggestions and Comments
Recently, an Atma Center member asked us to share comments and questions submitted by students who have taken the time to put notes in our Suggestion Box. These are reviewed regularly and added to the “mix” of factors involved in decision making. We welcome your ideas! Please be creative, think “outside the box” and don’t worry about how “realistic” or “feasible” they might be. That’s the job of Swami Atmarupa and Sannyasi Atmadarshan and their staff who must make difficult choices sometimes to keep our yoga business afloat. We especially love hearing what you like!
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
- Thank you for the refuge you have provided me. Depression is losing its grip, thanks to my therapist and the Atma Center. This is encouraging feedback. This individual also shared that they felt safe, comfortable and open in classes here.
- I like the variety offered here.
- Don’t change – you’re great!
- I love the mixed level classes – a chance to try out different levels of the practices.
Why Not Try. . .
Here are your ideas concerning classes and scheduling. Though we may consider some of them for future planning, we would ask that you first note the classes and workshops among our current offerings that may already meet some of the needs suggested by this list.
Kids’/ parents’ classes. We do offer a kids class and an adult class back to back on Saturdays at 11:45. The attendance for both might be better if more parents and their kids took advantage of this “tandem” offering.
Vinyasa. Although we don’t offer actual vinyasa classes, Satyananda Yoga highlights a very important vinyasa - Surya Namaskara (sun salutation). This sequence of 24 poses is the centerpiece of Foundation C and features prominently in Intermediate classes as well. Sometimes in other classes, teachers will combine poses vinyasa style for added challenge. A “pure” vinyasa class taught without good preparation (awareness of alignment or modifications pose by pose) would be inconsistent with our safety focused style of yoga and has been known to cause serious “yoga injuries.”
Look for some of these suggested classes as workshops or themes in regular Atma Center classes:
Yoga for Gardeners or Caregivers. These are good ideas for Workshop topics. In fact, a Spiritual Gardening Workshop will be held on Saturday, August 21st. Pick up a flyer or check the website for details. You can also ask your regular class teachers to incorporate ideas or practices to meet your seasonal aches and pains! And, for caregivers, Stressbuster Yoga focuses on physical, mental and emotional tension relief.
Spiritual Gardening Workshop – Sign Up Now!
Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010
10am – 6pm
Anusara Yoga. An Anusara influenced teacher offered classes here for a while, but they were not well attended.
Yoga for Depression. This class may come back on the schedule later in the year, but please be assured that many asana, pranayama and meditation practices across all classes have therapeutic effects on depression and anxiety. For “specialty” classes in general, the trend has been to introduce these themes and practices in the foundation classes. For example, mood management (including relief for depression) has been a recent theme for Foundation C. Foundation B has had the theme of upper body strength, and Foundation A can easily focus on back and core strength.
Breathing techniques. These are always included in regular Atma Center classes. A Pranayama (breathing) class may have been suggested by someone who wishes to stay in Foundation A or B but wants to learn more advanced breathing techniques or the theory behind these practices. The question again is would an ongoing class attract enough students to be feasible? At one time a Pranayama & Meditation class was offered and was not well attended. Periodically, we do offer workshops focused on aspects of breathing and plan to continue this.
Meditation. Someone proposed a morning meditation class ending before the 9:15 classes - an option that could be considered. Another wish for a longer class may not be well-received. Our thought is it may be considered too demanding (sitting for a longer stretch). For either of these changes, projected attendance may be too low to pay the teacher. Have you tried our meditation class?
Family Yoga. This is another wonderful idea that has failed several times due to low enrollment. We tried Family Yoga Saturdays and Bedtime Story Yoga on a weeknight. Perhaps you can help market this idea or organize a committed GROUP of families!
MORE SUGGESTIONS AND RESPONSES
- How about a play area with volunteer childcare. This sounds nice, but as a commercial business there are always cumbersome liability issues associated with providing childcare.
- Please explain the purpose of the different breathing techniques. Again, feel free to ask your teacher! Most of us allow for questions at the conclusion of class and would be happy to give more explanation. Also, the “orange book”, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, is an excellent resource to expand your knowledge.
- Ask students not to step on others’ mats. This is a reasonable request. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own personal comfort and ask others not to step on their mats.
- Why not include a “fun fact” asking us to guess the total number of years of experience of Atma Center teachers? Great idea. We will pass this on to our “fun fact” department – she will have to poll the teachers and do the math!
- Just for the sake of consistency, could all weekday morning classes start at the same time? Either 9:15 or 9:30? This person may be referring to Foundation B and C classes Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Perhaps it would be possible to begin Tuesday’s FC at 9:15, making the start times easier to remember for those who attend all three. When there are two classes the same morning, however, we stagger the times so that both groups don’t arrive at the front desk all at once and the classes finish so that both are having the same “quiet time”.
- Asana has been too wimpy in all classes I take. Hmmm. We would like to know which classes were attended by this person. Have they tried advanced levels of Atma Center classes? We realize not everyone enjoys the non-competitive nature of Satyananda Yoga where awareness is the primary focus rather than sweating and struggling. That’s OK. We can’t please everyone, but we do know that if one continues to practice in this style they will develop layers of awareness that will provide more harmony and stability in life.
- Why can’t we do yoga to music? First, not everyone likes the same kind of music! Atmadarshan says if music were allowed in her class, it would be 500 bpm and everyone might leave feeling more stressed. J We typically do not use music as a backdrop because a primary tenet of Satyananda Yoga is developing the inner awareness. Playing music is thought to distract the mind and detract from the internalization process, a concentrated focus on one’s practice. Chanting Sanskrit mantras (sound vibrations) can be an effective accompaniment to asana practice and serve as a form of meditation. Om chanting and the Surya Mantras are examples. The use of mantra and sound vibration as a focus for the mind is often introduced at more advanced levels of practice.
- Could teachers distribute copies of the postures to take home? Most teachers probably would be glad to make a list of the asanas taught in a particular class, along with their Sanskrit and English names. Just ask your teacher! Illustrations and instructions for all of the postures can then be found in our main resource by S. Satyananda, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha – the well known “orange book” available in the store. Poses are indexed in the back according to their Sanskrit names. This resource can also be borrowed from Atma Center Library.
- Why not move the water cooler to the Library area – to save getting socks wet in the shoe tray area in winter? This topic is yet to be discussed – stay tuned!
- Atma Center should produce a Yoga for Depression CD with three sections: I Extroverting practices, II Introverting practices, and III Yoga Nidra for insomniacs. Great suggestion – does any one know how we can clone Atmadarshan?
- Repeat, repeat, repeat! Please repeat breathing sequence when teaching the poses – when to breathe in and out! Yes, the coordination of movement with the breath is an important focus for the awareness. It also helps direct the flow of energy during asana practice. Hopefully, teacher awareness will be appropriately enhanced by this suggestion!
The Clocks are Too Noisy!
This is an interesting comment – we will have some fun with our response! There are several aspects of the ticking clocks that may actually benefit your yoga practice. Though the rhythmic ticking may be akin to the sound of a dripping faucet, think of this as an aid in developing your capacity to witness. You can witness three things simultaneously: the sound itself, your ears receiving the sound, and your mind observing this process (and perhaps becoming irritated). This skill to become undisturbed by the sensory input is developed in the first stage of a meditation practice called Antar Mouna (inner silence). It is a great help in everyday life. You can simply stand back mentally, notice what is going on and avoid getting “hooked” into emotions like anger and frustration.
Since the clocks tick off the seconds, they also can be used for rhythmic breathing to aid in counting the number of seconds for the inhalation and exhalation.
Finally, this may be the sound you focus upon in Yoga Nidra when instructed to “listen for sounds in this room.” Saturating the senses (in this case, the hearing) is a way to tire them out, encouraging withdrawal from the external environment to assume an internalized focus for more meditative stages of practice. As your hearing becomes saturated, you will no longer even notice that ticking sound.
What would we do without our marvelous ticking clocks!
Be(a)ware of Yoga Injuries! By Mantram
NY Times highlights the problem. Brought in to us by Carol Blixen, a recent article (7/25) details the alarming increase in yoga-related injuries. Author Lizette Alvarez interviewed an orthopedic surgeon specializing in arms and hands who had just seen four women in a row with hand injuries from yoga. She reported a marked increase in recent years.
The statistics are alarming, indeed: Though tracking this phenomenon is far from precise, the U. S. Product Safety Commission which follows sports injuries listed 4,450 reported yoga injuries in 2006, up from 3,760 in 2004.
The phenomenon of yoga injuries stems from several possible factors. In some cities - - even in other Cleveland area studios - - classes are so large that instructors do not, or cannot, pay enough attention to every body. There is also a great variety of styles and approaches to yoga. According to Alvarez, “In New York, many people approach yoga with a no-pain, no-gain mind-set, with predictable results.” People often call the Atma Center looking for hot, power, or some other form of aerobic yoga. We must ask them to look elsewhere - - our motto is “No-pain, no-strain!”
Alvarez also mentions the age factor and cautions that a “40-something body is temperamental.” Aging means greater vulnerability, she says, especially if the student is a beginner and engages in a lot of twisting, bending and lunging. Back and disc injuries are commonly reported, along with rotator cuff, wrists, knees and neck and shoulder problems.
Interviewed for the article, Dr. Loren Fishman, spine specialist and yoga teacher, points to the “overzealous student” as the most common precursor of injury. She sees poor alignment as the second most common cause and attributes that to what she labels as “crummy teaching.” We all have a great deal to learn, students and teachers alike!
Alvarez and the medical experts agree that the best way to avoid injury is to “take it slow and make sure to nail the fundamentals.” She cites Iyengar and Anusara Yoga as among the safer approaches. I would add Satyananda yoga, of course, though not as well known in this country. These styles allow for time to develop awareness of proper alignment, using props and modification to accommodate different needs. Precision becomes important when it comes to protecting vulnerable joints and muscles.
Yoga Therapy for Neck & Shoulders
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
1:30 – 3:30 pm
Quality of teaching. This is no small factor. Injuries have risen along with the popularity of yoga and the mushrooming number of practitioners in America and worldwide. And, for the growing number of enthusiasts clamoring to move their yoga to the “next level” as instructors, the availability and variety of teacher training programs has also expanded.
The question is, has quality been sacrificed in the rush to meet the demand? Teaching students to practice safely - - to progress at a reasonable pace, to utilize props and modifications, to be in tune with their bodies and aware of their physical limitations - - is not a simple task.
This approach to teaching can’t be learned in a weekend workshop or even a two-week intensive course. It requires months of extended studies and classroom practice under the guidance and wisdom of experienced teachers. It requires an in-depth knowledge of human anatomy along with an understanding of the vast range of differences among individual students. It requires learning and practicing student support skills for working effectively with groups and individuals, including some well-intended folks who are just a bit over-zealous when it comes to moving and stretching their bodies.
Gratitude for teacher training in the Satyananda style. Fortunately, training programs in the Satyananda style of yoga have held onto and developed even more rigorous standards over the years. Along with the other Atma Center instructors, I feel blessed to have received in-depth, comprehensive, high quality training over an extended period of time and under the expert tutelage of Swami Atmarupa, Sannyasi Atmadarshan and many other experienced and qualified teachers.
Beginning my formal Level 1 teacher training with a Yogic Studies course in 2002, I finally completed my Level 2 course requirements in spring 2009. Clearly, moving from the role of yoga student to the very different perspective and responsibilities of yoga teacher was not an “overnight” transformation!
Needless to say, the learning goes on – the students in our classes are our best teachers! Combining their developing awareness and accompanying feedback with our constant efforts to improve our own practice, our observation and teaching skills, we do our best to enhance the experience of our students. Practiced with deepening awareness, yoga can support a healthy lifestyle, enhance healing on many levels and prevent bodily harm, especially yoga injuries!
Aug. 15th: Atma Center 13th Anniversary
Special 4-week session begins August 16th – reduced rates for classes! See flyer, web site.
Aug. 21st: A Day of Spiritual Gardening 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Join us and gain a deeper connection with your inner nature. Investment $75.
Aug. 29th: Yoga Therapy with Swami Atmarupa 1:30 – 3:30 pm Sunday. Space limited to allow for individualized attention – sign up soon! August topic: Neck & Shoulders Investment $50.
Sept. 16th: Yogic Studies 1 enrollment deadline Intensive course Oct. 16th-30th Details on YANA website: yogaacademyna.org.
This newsletter is provided to you by the Atma Center, 2319 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. [216-371-9760 www.atmacenter.com] The Atma Center is one of three places authorized worldwide to offer advanced training in Satyananda Yoga through Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses.