Seattle Yogini

Talking Points for Yoga Teachers - Clarity

At the risk of dating myself:  Do you remember the sound of Charlie Brown's teacher?  Spelling it is difficult, but basically it was, "Hwa hwa, hwa hwa hwa hwa".  Does it ring a bell?

That is what any teacher sounds like if they have not worked on speaking clearly, directly and in an interesting manner.  Yoga teachers are no exception.  The fact that we are fascinated by our subject does not inherently translate into an ability to hold our students' attention.  Yoga teachers have the additional challenge of blending the above-mentioned adjectives with compassion, so that our class directions don't sound like barked orders, but neither do they sound like those of a preschool teacher.

I have had many years of public speaking experience and training, which have proved invaluable to my teaching work.  There are many ways to improve your own speech, from hiring a voice coach to joining a local chapter of Toastmasters International.  In the Purna Yoga teacher training system, "delivery" is a crucial area of study.  You can have all manner of insightful, helpful information to share, but if your delivery is "blah" or otherwise unconvincing, it matters little.

Many of us have had the experience of being in a yoga class and spending much of the time turning our heads to see what, exactly, the teacher is trying to get us to do.  I have experienced this in local classes as well as national Yoga Journal Conferences with "big name" teachers.  How long a teacher has been teaching seems to have very little to do with the efficacy of their delivery.  Training, practice, and an appreciation of the importance of delivery are what make the difference.

How can a yoga teacher avoid the Charlie Brown's Teacher Syndrome?  Record yourself while teaching and play it back, pretending that you are the student.  Can you follow your own directions without the benefit of a demonstration?  Now listen to the recording as a colleague would and give yourself constructive feedback.  Listen for the following pitfalls:

• verbal pauses - These include "um, ah, uh, y'see, right?, ya know" and other things that we say when we're trying to think of what to say next.  Decide what to say, then say it.  Try not to let your mind get ahead of your mouth.
• talking too quickly - Yourstudentsdon'tgetachancetointegratetheplethoraofinformationcomingoutof yourmouthifyourtalktooquickly.  Slower speech is not only more soothing, it's easier to comprehend...particularly when you are presenting new information.  It is also unusual to speak slowly in today's world, which makes the brain pause for a moment.  That moment is all you need to really get a person's attention.  Think of the pauses between words as the "white space" between typed words.  They are necessary in order for us to understand the transmission.
• unclear directions - Notice if you consistently confuse left and right, cardinal directions (as in, "face North...no, wait, sorry, I mean face East") and work to (1) think before speaking and (2) speak more slowly in order to give yourself time to determine which leg/direction you mean.
• voice overly soft, airy or unsure - When a teacher sounds confident, the student will feel more confident (in themselves and in you).  When a teacher sounds joyful, the students will feel more joy.  If you are teaching a Restorative Yoga class it is appropriate to modulate your volume and tone toward a more soothing sound.  Many teachers, however, use that lullaby voice for active classes (in an attempt to make the experience "soothing", perhaps).  I do not recommend this, as it ends up working against them...and their students.  Make your voice match the activity level of the class.
• future-focused speech - "You're gonna xyz with your abc" is not directive speech!  I was once in a conference with a teacher who constantly told us what we were "gonna" without ever sharing when we were gonna.  Since we were on our backs and I couldn't see what she or my fellow students were doing it took me awhile to understand that "you're gonna" was her way of saying "Lift your xyz over your abc".  It was distracting and irritating, which are not feelings we seek to induce in our students.
• too many words - Be concise in your instructions so that students can focus on the basic message.  The practice can be challenging enough without adding to it with a "gobbledygook" delivery.  Be precise and clear so that your students can focus on their inner work throughout the practice.

These are just a few of the pitfalls for clarity.  Others include grammar, intonation, and the use of language itself (as in, be interesting!).  I'll cover those in future posts.  The point is, "knowing your stuff" does not ensure that you can share/teach effectively.  Decide on three main points to share for each pose (allowing for additional safety points, as needed) and stick with them.  Repeat your points at least three times - you'll eventually bore yourself to tears, but it can take many repetitions of the same direction (even over years!) for students to finally "get" it.

Consider the way in which you teach just as important as what you teach in any given class.  Prepare for your class and practice your speech so that you can avoid some of the most common confusion causing pitfalls.  You will avoid the Charlie Brown's Teacher Syndrome and in so doing see a great surge of growth in your students as they become more clear along with you.

Summer Yoga!

I thought I'd put the announcement here, in addition to some of the usual places (Teachstreet, Craigslist, etc.):

The summer session of yoga at Maple Leaf Community Yoga begins on June 1 (that's Monday).  We have a new day/time for the Intro to Yoga session, a new teacher, and a new Saturday morning class.  I'll be offering a Purna Yoga Weekend Intensive in June, and a "Building Your Home Practice" home-study practice in July (details for that one are forthcoming).

Also coming up this summer are two workshops that I will offer at Yoga Centers:

Free Yourself from Hand, Wrist and Carpal Tunnel Problems

• Sunday, June 7 from 1 - 4pm
• $50 (pay by 5/31), $60 (after 5/31)

Focus on the Pelvic Floor

• Sunday, July 11 from 1 - 4pm
• $50 (pay by 7/4), $60 (after 7/4)

If you click the links, scroll down to find those workshops...but also take a look at the many offerings throughout June and July!

Yoga Business and Busy-ness

Wow!  What a week!  We wrapped up our inaugural 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training on Memorial Day.  I had a class of three which was awesome because each of "The Ladies" got to really dig deeply into her practice and life.  Purna Yoga Teacher Training, at any level, is such a great opportunity for growth and personal assessment & change.  The assigned readings, the philosophy discussions, the amount of personal asana practice involved and the need to reassess many things that constitutes one's concept of "self" all work together to make a life changing experience...for the better!

The next teacher training will be in the fall, and my plan is to offer a completely different schedule.  This first one was two weekends/month plus one week-long intensive.  That works really great for some folks, but many who work full time and have children weren't able to take weekends for the training.  For the fall training, we'll do a four-hour module on Monday afternoons, another one on Tuesday mornings and one 8-hour weekend per month (four hours on Saturday and four on Sunday afternoons).  That will get 'er done in four and a half months, which is pretty good for a 200-hour program.

In the Purna Yoga system, the 200-hour teacher training is a first step.  It is, of course, enough to qualify for a 200-hour RYT status with Yoga Alliance.  For Purna Yoga Certification, however, we have a rigorous training of 2000 hours (yes, that's an additional zero...not a typo).  So, 200 hours is just the start!  I'm so happy to be able to offer this program to people who want to go deeper into their personal practice.  For those that also want to teach, it is wonderful to see their confidence build as they learn the basics.  In another year or so I should qualify to teach the 500-hour level, which would be an interesting addition to the teacher training I currently offer.

So, a lot of plans for the future are rolling around in me right now, even as I make efforts to stay in the NOW.  My studio, Maple Leaf Community Yoga, will start its summer session of classes this coming Monday.  I'm in the process of creating a job description for the assistant I need to hire.  I'm in negotiations with my landlord for our next lease.  It's basically business as usual!

This will be the first weekend I've had at home...with almost no appointments (there is a staff meeting on Sunday, but that counts as "fun") in about six weeks.  May was full of traveling and teacher training on every weekend.  It was a great month, but I am certainly feeling it.  Thankfully the summer will be a slower pace.

Yoga Tips for Gardeners & Their Teachers

I am expanding my topics here, in order to reach out more to fellow teachers and teachers-in-training.  Once a week (or so) I'll write advice for new teachers, give asana or sequence suggestions, share how-to tips (like my "How to Create a Yoga Workshop" post, answer students' questions or something else along those lines.

I'll start off by sharing the background regarding the following interaction.  I am part of a great on-line community of knitters/crocheters called Ravelry.  Within Ravelry there are numerous smaller communities, many of which have their own forums.  I am a member of the "Namaste Knitters" group, founded by fellow blogger, knitter and yogini, Lauren.  We have an extensive forum, and I recently got more involved in posting there.

As an experienced yoga teacher and yoga therapist I particularly enjoy the Poses/Anatomy Questions/Injuries section.  It's great to see the questions that people have and to join in the solution brainstorming.  As a teacher I also find it helpful to develop my communication skills.  It's one thing to show someone a pose modification, and another to explain it to someone with neither photos nor a demonstration.

Over the weekend, a member of the group posted the following question (and has given me permission to share it as well as her response to my suggestions):

The question:  "...I have a question about aching legs: Whenever I do a lot of gardening, that evening, my legs really ache. It feels like it is in the muscles. I’m pretty sure it is not a back problem. I do yoga beforehand, and it does not seem to help. I was thinking perhaps doing some poses afterwards might be better, but I am not sure which poses are the best to try. My guess is that I am squatting/kneeling too much and that might be causing the problem. Any thoughts?"

My response:  "Hello _____.  Physical aches and pains from gardening are not unusual. As you pointed out, it is likely due to the squatting and kneeling that are involved. Doing some yoga beforehand is helpful, but may not be enough for your needs at this time. I feel that the best strategy is:

(1) Prepare your body before you garden by stretching the areas that get the most uncomfortable.
(2) Take “body breaks” during your gardening so that you give your body a chance to rest. If you were running for three hours straight, you would likely take at least a little break at some point. Gardening is also a physically demanding activity; your body needs to change positions or else it will complain.
(3) Just as you put your tools away carefully, take the time to thank your body for its work by giving it some more yoga when you’re done.

Each body break can be targeted and short…with just a nine-breath lunge for each leg you can ease a lot of the tightness that settles in while squatting. I recommend targeting your work on the hip flexors (front of hip), hamstrings (back of thigh) and outer hips in particular. The easiest way to do that without taking your yoga mat into the garden with you is to take advantage of a retaining wall or fencepost for support.

For the hip flexors: Do a simple lunge with your hands on the wall for support (if needed). Start with feet together, then step the right foot back about three feet, keeping both legs and all ten toes facing forward. Bend your left knee until it is directly over the ankle (for safety, do not bend the knee past the ankle). It’s okay (though less effective) if you don’t bend your knee that far, but make sure not to bend it further than that. Press the inner right heel into the earth while lifting the bottom of your belly up away from the left thigh. Breathe deeply and enjoy. Change sides.

For the hamstrings: Do a half forward bend with your hands on the wall, knees slightly bent so that you can really lift your sitting bones, and moving hands and bum away from each other to lengthen the spine. Stay for nine breaths.

For the outer hips: There are many ways to stretch the outer hip, but one that is convenient (considering what I’ve suggested above) is to stay in the half forward bend. Exhaling, press your right hand very strongly into the wall while bending your right knee and moving the left outer hip away from the wall. Inhale there. Exhaling, press the left hand into the wall while bending the left knee and moving the right outer hip away from the wall. Etc., etc.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Enjoy your garden!"

Member's Response:  "That is so helpful! Thank you so much! I will certainly do everything you suggest and let you know how it goes. There is so much to do in the garden this time of the year that it is easy to get carried away. And I forget I cannot do as much as I used to do when I would spend the entire day in the garden (I’m 61)....[added in a later post]... I worked outside for several hours yesterday and took breaks to do the stretches you suggested and I am delighted to say that I had no hip pain or myalgias yesterday or this morning. I also did the stretches and down dog when I was finished gardening too. Thanks so much!"

So, teachers, here's my thought-process for the suggestions I made:

• From the initial information shared, all I knew was that this gardener has some yoga experience (which doesn't tell me a whole lot, because there are numerous styles - each with a different emphasis on the physical practice and its application).  I knew that there were aches and pains in the legs, but no specifics such as knee, hip or back pain issues or conditions.
• As the primary rule of teaching is "Do no harm", and since I didn't have enough details to get into any kind of lengthy trouble-shooting, I decided to keep my recommendations as short, gentle and approachable as possible.  I also didn't want it to be such a fussy ordeal that the gardener wouldn't make the time for it (hence, no mat dragged into the back forty).
• I fixed my focus upon the main positions the gardener uses - squatting and kneeling, and applied my knowledge of anatomy, physiology and asana.  I narrowed down the likely culprits (as you read above) and opted for one simple-yet-effective pose/action for each.

This was an excellent training exercise for me.  I had to ensure that my directions were as clear and precise as I could get them.  I wanted to leave no room for "creative interpretation", so that the gardener would be safe AND would get the desired results.  It is easy to get long-winded in our explanations of things, particularly when its a topic about which we are enthusiastic and knowledgeable.  Here, I absolutely had to keep it short and sweet, something I plan on practicing more often!

During our yoga teacher training weekend this past weekend I used this example during our anatomy class.  It isn't enough to simply memorize some body parts; an asana teacher must be able to apply that knowledge to the practice in order to maximize efficacy and minimize the potential for injury.  The teachers-in-training gave great feedback about this learning exercise (and they had great answers, too!).

My colleague, Monette MacPherson, will be offering a Yoga Workshop for Home and Garden Maintenance (a.k.a. "Yoga for Gardeners") workshop at Maple Leaf Community Yoga this May.  Click here to learn more!

How to Create a Yoga Workshop

I dedicated my morning to work on my upcoming "Free Yourself from Hand, Wrist and Carpal Tunnel Problems" yoga workshop.  When it comes to creating and presenting a yoga workshop, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work required, and it was just that sort of work that I settled in for today.

I'd been telling my students for a couple of weeks that sometime late in January I would offer a wrist workshop.  I like to do this pre-advertising to gauge interest.  At first I just said I'd give a workshop, then I asked a few classes if they preferred a wrist workshop or a knee workshop.  People got excited about wrists (it isn't done as often as knees, I suspect) and so I had my topic.

Thankfully, in my teacher training our final project was to give a workshop.  We had to not only design and teach the workshop, but also create flyers, advertising materials, a marketing plan and handouts for students.  We wrote up an outline, a description, and a proposal for the hosting studio.  It was tedious, and not the kind of work that we who are passionate about teaching get excited over.  It is a necessary component, however, to the work.  If I want to share my teaching with a lot of people, it is imperative that I understand how to make classes and workshops go - and go smoothly.  I need to be good at this part of the job so that the part about which I am passionate can run in an organized, professional and heart-felt manner.

As I've directed Maple Leaf Community Yoga for almost four years, I have developed a workshop-production system that streamlines my efforts.  I know that I need the following things as I develop my workshop:

• a description which includes title, day, time, cost, and description that I think is accurate (and which I hope is also enticing)
• an outline, from which I will teach the workshop
  • this contains everything from "Who is my target audience" type questions to the actual items I will teach, from introductions to Savasana
  • the outline could also serve as the proposal, were I to offer it at someone else's studio...it shows the amount of thought and preparation I have already put into the workshop
• flyers
• updates to the website
• list of potential marketing aids (including web-oriented tools such as craigslist.com and teachstreet.com), places to post fliers, professional colleagues who may help spread the word
• an enthusiastic shout-out to my e-mailing list
• handouts for the workshop participants, as appropriate

I have templates for some of these items, such as the description page, outline, flyer and handouts.  All I have to do is customize it with the workshop's pertinent information.  Coming up with that information can take some time, but for me it is a vital part of the creative process.  It is like creating a storyline for a movie or novel.  I list the important parts, pivotal aspects, and fill in the details from there.  It can be daunting to sit down and plan a 3-hour workshop.  "How on earth am I going to fill three hours?" is what I used to think, until the first time I taught my Pelvic Floor workshop.  Originally it was a 2-hour workshop but I had to rush to fit in as much of my planned content as possible (some content had to be left out entirely).  Now I'm thankful I have three hours to fill, and experienced enough to know how workshops tend to play out...and fill out.

So how do I go about creating these helpful items?  I start with deciding on a day and time for the workshop.  Logistics out of the way, I move on to the description.  Sometimes I make a working title first, but I find that it usually changes as I re-write the description.  From there, I have the beginnings of my advertising materials, website information and flyers, because I can just copy the details and description and drop them into place.  I try to keep things standardized so that as students become familiar with my website and the studio flyers their eye knows where to go for pertinent information such as topic, day/time and cost.

Next I start on the outline, because the handout (if I am giving one) will grow from there.  I lay out my outline in the same way I used to draft research paper outlines in college:

1. Intros
   1. me
   2. them
   3. why we're here
2. Anatomy of the hand, wrist and carpal tunnel
   1. use Mr. Bones
   2. show diagrams or photos
   3. discuss the basics of the anatomy and if/how it lends itself toward issues
3. Root causes of hand and wrist pain
   1. energetics
   2. posture
   3. repetitive stress
   4. nutrition (i.e. how one's diet can cause inflammation)
4. Exercises to alleviate, prevent and heal hand and wrist pain
   1. You didn't really think I was going to give it all away right here, did you?
   2. You'll have to sign up for the workshop, like everybody else.  :-)
5. etc., etc., etc all the way through the wrap-up and thank yous.

The outline helps me clarify what I want to cover, get a feel for any gaps in knowledge or information (i.e. where can I get a really good diagram of the inside of a wrist and do I need copyright permission to use it?, etc.).  It clearly marks any further preparation I'll need to do.  Once my outline is completed to my satisfaction - as in, I could use it to give the workshop today - then I decide if this is a workshop that needs a hand-out or not.  Generally, I base that decision upon whether the workshop is meant to be experiential or educational.  If I just want them to experience it, then offering a handout helps them let go of the need to take notes.  If it is educational then I would probably still have an outline but it would be more abridged, as I would also expect participants to take more notes.  After all, they are ostensibly there because they want to learn something and/or make a change.  It is in their best interest to retain as much of the material as possible.

I'm really thankful for my years of work as an administrative assistant, both as a civilian and while in the Air Force.  I tend to be organized and process-oriented anyway, but during those years I really honed some important administrative skills that serve me well as I run my business(es).  Also, I learned how to confidently make my way around Microsoft Office Suite, so I am comfortable with Publisher, Excel & Word - programs that I regularly use in the day-to-day operations of the studio.

So, here you have an inside peek into what I do when I'm working but not, necessarily, teaching.  I would say that I spent about two hours preparing this workshop today.  That included deciding for sure on the day/time/etc. through the first draft of an outline.  I got it posted on the studio website, and made a flyer to put on the door.  Next time I sit down to work on it, I'll need to do a craigslist write-up, e-mail a shout-out to my mailing list, and continue working on the outline.  It's been awhile since I came up with a new (to me) workshop, and I feel enthusiastic about the topic and the teaching.

My goal is to develop a library of workshop topics so that in the future I have already-prepared workshop from which to choose.  All I will have to do is decide on a topic, day and time (assuming I made any changes/updates I want after receiving feedback from the first presentation).  My workshop library is building, and it feels great to have another solid, important topic to add to it.

London Teaching

I didn't take the time to post a note saying I'd be in London.

I'm in London, assisting Aadil with a weekend workshop followed by a week-long teacher training.  I arrived on Friday and we had our first day today.  So far the jetlag is tolerable, though I did slow down a lot at around 4pm local time.  Anyway, I'll be here until the 25th.  I'm hoping to post once or twice while I'm here - likely yoga teaching-related entries - but cannot guarantee it.  It really depends on our schedule and how coherent I am by the time I get back to my hotel room at night.

Be well!

Purna Yoga's Impact and How I Became a Teacher

A long time ago (the comment was actually left in April) - before the miscarriage, before Rob had to go to Montana for the summer, before the upstairs remodel began, my grandmother died, and I lost my voice, a reader left a comment with a few questions in it.  I promised her I would address them, and while I did not do it "soon", as I likely believed I would, I am doing it.  Now.

First of all, she wanted to know how yoga has affected me, and my students.  I'll start with my students, and some recent feedback (ultimately I hope to have a "What Students are Saying" link on my studio website).  In a nutshell, most of my students have seen at least one area of their life drastically changed (for the better) because of their Purna Yoga practice.  It is not because of me, or my teaching, it is because they have taken the practice into their hearts and used it for their growth and evolution. 

• One woman shared with me her increased self-esteem and body image, which had been a source of frustration (to say the least) for a long time.  After practicing for awhile she felt more confident in her body's abilities.
• Another student, when asked by friends why she loves this style of yoga, responds with an enthusiastic "...because it totally changed my life" - we are to understand that "for the better" is implied here.  :-)
• Students who are parents tell me of how useful the lessons from yoga classes are in their daily parenting challenges.  They have tools to help them maintain their emotional equilibrium and to respond to their family members from a place of true love, rather than reacting with frustration or impatience out of habit.
• When sharing their birth stories, prenatal yoga students often comment that during their labor/delivery they used breathing tools, relaxation techniques, and lessons about the pelvic floor to help them stay present and "with it".
• Improved recovery from physical injury, healing of emotional wounds, and many more benefits have been shared with me over the years.
• Spiritually, many students feel a deeper connection with the Divine and a greater ability to perceive It's presence and work in and through their lives.

As for myself, my yoga practice has certainly matured over the years.  When I first started practicing I was mostly interested in the physical benefits.  My understanding of Yoga as an art and science was nonexistent, I just thought it was a fun thing to do that made me feel good.  I was seventeen, what can you expect?  During my twenties, especially as I got closer to thirty, I started studying the philosophy and other aspects of yoga.  I began to see that it is a living, breathing practice that gives as much as I put into it - and then some.  My meditation practice deepened, and I learned how to use my asana as a means of moving energy and Light through my body to help it heal and release long-held tension (both physical and emotional).  I started to understand the deeper meaning and purpose of my life, and all its challenged.  I reacquainted myself with God (more on that relationship later), as I understand It, and dedicated myself to opening more and more to Its manifestation in my life.

Secondly, she wanted to know how I decided to start teaching.  When I started getting more serious about yoga, sometime around 2000, I had an inkling that I wanted to teach.  I had for many years felt a calling to help people learn to help themselves.  In college, I pursued passions for language, health and feminism, thinking that I would become a sexuality educator for adolescent girls.  I wanted to help them avoid some of the trauma I had experienced at that age, among other things.  That wasn't quite the path for my calling, however, though I knew that someday, somehow, I was meant to help people change their lives for the better.  It didn't occur to me that I could do this through yoga until after I had already been teaching for a little while. 

I had decided early on that before becoming a teacher I wanted to have five years of "serious practice" under my belt.  I like goal-setting, and felt that this particular goal would give me plenty of time to really soak up the teachings and energetic changes that a yoga practice encourages.  I didn't want to be a dilettante teacher.  I wanted to be a Teacher - with a capital T.

When I was first approached to teach, I had not yet met this goal.  I said, basically, "No way, Jose".  Then I realized that it wasn't just a coincidence that there was a strong need for yoga at a place/time when I was the most qualified person available to do the teaching...whether I had met my goal or not.  So I taught.  And I quickly learned that there's a huge difference between being a student and and being a teacher (i.e.  some actual training in how to teach this stuff is VERY important), so I started looking for a teacher training program.

I started with a week-long teacher training intensive in the Iyengar tradition.  It came to something like 40 or 50 hours, which seemed to me at the time like a pretty good start.  It was not inspiring, but was quite informational.  I set off to teach more.  It wasn't long before I realized that I needed a much more comprehensive teacher training program, and that I was particularly interested in learning more about the esoteric aspects of Yoga.  At this time I still had a year of active duty service left on my Air Force commitment, but we knew we'd be moving to Seattle so I started looking into teacher training programs in the area.

That was when I learned about Aadil Palkhivala, Purna Yoga, and The College of Purna Yoga.  I read Aadil's bio, and thought, "This is who I want to teach me."  I was surprised, delighted, and more than a little  nervous when I received my acceptance letter.  That was the beginning of an awakening that has been so much more than I believed possible!

The first time I taught Yoga

I remember the first time I taught yoga.  I was deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  It was December of 2002 and I'd been there for a couple of weeks.  I'd finally plucked up the courage to take my yoga mat and my copy of David Swenson's Ashtanga Yoga:  The Practice Manual to the gym so that I could practice.  I had informally practiced Ashtanga for a little while (using this book, a couple of classes, and a DVD), and brought the book along so that I could practice the Primary Series whilst deployed.  At the time I wasn't sure if the book would get confiscated upon entering the Kingdom, due to the near-nakedness of Mr. Swenson in the photos (he wears the traditional "Iyengar undies" - sorry I can't find a link, but they basically look like a cotton diaper cover, with elastic legs and waist).  So I snuck the book in.  :-p

Anyway, I'd been spotted practicing in the gym and was asked if I would teach a class.  Apparently there had been a lot of interest shown in having a yoga class, but there was no one to teach.  I hadn't had any teacher training, so when asked if I would be the teacher I promptly and decisively said "No."  I was reluctantly swayed, however, after we reached an agreement that participants in the class would be told that I was "leading them through a pratice, not teaching them yoga."  I felt very strongly about that, because while I knew that I could play Yoga Simon Says with whomever showed up, I knew that I lacked the skills to safely and appropriately teach to each individual's ability and needs.  That concept is one of my guiding principals, and I'm thankful that even back then I recognized the important difference between going through some yoga moves with a yoga-bot at the front of the class and being taught the art and science of yoga by a trained, professional teacher.

Classes went well - twice a week - until the war got under way and my work schedule made it impossible for me to teach.  That experience underscored for me the importance of having adequate teacher training - not just having experience practicing yoga - before truly becoming a teacher.  Also, I may be the only yoga teacher who can honestly say that her first classes were taught while she was at war, and mean it figuratively as well as literally.

Teaching Yoga in a Dress

I wear dresses or skirts almost exclusively, a conscious shift in my wardrobe that has taken a couple of years to develop.  In addition to their practicality and comfort, I feel better in dresses/skirts than I ever have in pants.  Also?  Most pants are made for bodies shaped not-like-mine.  Dresses, however, honor the curves.  Excellent.

As you can imagine, I don't wear dresses or skirts to work.  Such attire would be cumbersome and, well, immodest were I to wear it while teaching yoga.  Today, however, I made an exception.  Today is International Wear A Dress Day.  Since I am a great supporter of the dress, I decided to wear a dress-type garment over my regular teaching clothes and tell my classes what I'm doing and why.  Such behavior is one of my quirky attributes that - thankfully - creates much of my appeal.  Or, at least, nobody tells me if they think I've gone batty.  Ha ha ha ha.

Behold (my apologies for the quality of the photo, it was very spur-of-the-moment...and I can't really justify the crazy-lady hair except to say that it looks much better in person):

(Kelly in Vrksasana - the  Tree Pose)

This is one of my favorite pieces, from Eileen Fisher.  It's clearly a layering piece, not meant to be worn on its own, which made it perfect for today's event.  I just put it away for the season on Friday, but today we're having bizarro weather (no, seriously, >80 F is not normal for Seattle this time of year) so I pulled it back out.  It got in the way a teensy bit, but is well worth the advertising for the wonders of dresses.  :-)

How bad is Bad? or: Am I a "Vet" or a "Combat Vet"?

Last Friday I had the pleasure of speaking on the radio for the first time.  I was invited as a guest on "The Ron and Don Show" (AM710 in the Seattle area).  They wanted me to talk about my work with yoga for veterans and my upcoming workshop, "Finding Peace in the Chaos".  It was a great opportunity to get the word out in my community, and I had a good time.  If you'd like to hear it (without commercials!) follow this link.  It was the Friday, June 13 show, 4:00 - 5:00 hour.

It was also a very thought-provoking experience.  Right off the bat they asked a question that some can answer with a simple "yes" or "no" but that I feel compelled to explain - or rather, to put in context.  They wanted to know if I am a "combat vet".  I find this a challenging question because it really depends upon the questioner's definition of the term.  There is the official definition of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and then there is the general perception of the U.S. population and/or whatever the media is currently saying.

For me, this simple question holds within it many more questions which function as an equation, of sorts:

Was I in a combat zone?                                            yes
Was I shot at?                                                           no
Was I afraid for my life?                                              yes
Was I afraid for the life of "my men"?                           yes
Did I fire my sidearm?                                                no, I wasn't issued one
Did I have to wear my flak vest, helmet, gas mask?     yes, sometimes
Did I see anyone die?                                               not in person (it's complicated)

What do these answers add up to?  A simple yes, or a simple no?  As a vet, and considering the Big Conversations this question provoked for my husband and me (we both served in the air campaign part of the war - not the on-going occupation) I think it really depends upon whom you ask. I've heard stories about young vets almost getting chased out of the VFW by Vietnam vets, if they're true then I've no doubt that there are vets from other conflicts that might argue that I hardly even qualify as a vet.  Others would tell you that anyone who served during a conflict - no matter where they were of if they were actually "in combat" - is a vet, combat or not.  Of course, there are also any number of answers in between.

I do not want to misrepresent myself.  I answered yes, because I feel that I am, in fact, a combat vet.  We could argue the finer points, though I have no desire to argue.  I felt the burden of keeping my pilots out of harm's way.  I saw the footage of their bombs making contact, I felt the relief each time a jet landed safely back on our airstrip.  We suffered no casualties.  We were not bombed.  We had no idea what to expect, which was very frightening.  We rode to work in a bus with tinted windows...which weren't for sun protection, if you know what I mean.  Men drove by us shaking their machine guns at us.

I feel that questions such as this are covering up a different, more probing question:  "How bad was 'bad'"?  As if being a veteran of war weren't a "bad" enough experience, many inquisitive people want detail.  Over the last five years, I've been asked a number of odd questions surrounding my military experience, and always I am left wondering:

-  Is the question actually a way to titillate one's own imagination (much in the way that some people want the gory details of sensational news stories)?
-  Do people want to differentiate between combat and "simply" vet in order to better understand me and my comrades?
-  Do people want to really know, or do they want a Coppola-esque tale woven for them?

I answered "yes" and proceeded with the interview non-plussed.  I am thankful for the chance to come to terms with this issue, which I didn't even realize I needed to clarify.  As I said, I do not wish to misrepresent myself, and while overall I feel comfortable with my answer I am not sure that I could answer so simply in the future.

Added to Edit:  When I say "bad" here, I am not referring to people being "bad", but rather to a bad situation/experience.  Just wanted to clarify that.