do it from center

Like many Americans, I first went to a Yoga class looking for an exercise regime that would also make me flexible. Unknowingly to me, Yoga at its essence is a complete science to living and a self-honoring spirtual path. It did not take long for me to begin to dig deeper into the philosophy of Yoga nor for me to see the positive effects on my mind, body, and spirit.

Mrinalini Reddy of the Medill School at Northwestern University published an article this week that explores the popularity of Yoga in America and the lack of spirituality in many Yoga classes. Read the article: Yoga teachers question loss of spirituality in Western methods.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic musculoskeletal condition expressed in widespread pain over the entire body coupled with fatigue and sleep disorders. It effects approximately 7 million Americans and is more frequent in women than men. The cause is mostly unknown and no absolute cure exists, so many FM sufferers seek alternative modalities in search of relief. Massage is an effective method of pain management and can increase the quality of life for those suffering from FM. (more…)

Most people would agree, no amount of education or training guarantees a teacher will do a “good” job or impact their students. On the first day of Anusara yoga teacher training, we were all asked to ponder qualities that we saw in our favorite yoga teachers. We then looked at our list to identify which qualities we already possessed and which we would like to cultivate. As a group, we shared our findings. The most overwhelming trend was leaning towards qualities like patience, encouraging, presence, challenging, and playfulness. Everyone agreed that knowledge and experience were necessary qualities, but that they were not the most important and certainly were not synonyms with expertise or quantitative experience. It is most important to embody authenticity and a genuine compassion for students rather than having all the answers, accolades, or certification. To teach for the love of the practice; now that makes a good teacher.

After this third session, all I can say is: WOW, this is truly fascinating work. In a mere three sessions, I feel a dramatic transformation. I am attuned to the fact that my body is re-learning how to do habitual activities as it is moving and shifting. It is truly hard to find words to describe my experience, so I offer a photo from anatomytrains.com to illustrate.

Yesterday, I met Tom Meyers… while in my underwear. When signing up to be a KMI (Kiensis Myofasical Integration) Practice Client for student practitioners, I didn’t realize that I would be assessed by the originator himself! This is a truly unique opportunity.

This session was the first in a set of 12 that aim to correct structural misalignments that my body has created through the years. In particular, the first session works with the Superficial Front Line, which is Anatomy Train that deals with superficial fascia on the front side of the body.

The work was deep, slow, repetitive, and required a lot of slow movement on my part. Mostly, I was quite comfortable and it was easy to focus on the work because of the movement required. A few times I experienced mild pain because of some tender musculature, but nothing unbearable.

Tomorrow, I go back for session 2 which will work the Superficial Back Line. The KMI series of 12 sessions are subdivided into 3 groups; the first 4 sessions are the sleeve (superficial fascia) sessions, the second four sessions comprise the core (deep and visceral fascia) sessions, and the last four sessions are the integrative (girdle-balancing and functional) sessions. I will receive all these sessions over the next 2 months, completing in mid-January.