Ironwood Teens Benefit from Breath-synchronized Movement Vinyasa Flow Yoga

August 16th, 2011

Namaste!

I am so happy to be the new yoga instructor at Ironwood and now, to be writing the fitness blog. Before I came to be a Registered Yoga Teacher I was a social worker for five years both at a homeless shelter for youth and adults and then I moved on to a residential treatment center for women struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. It was there that I created a yoga program to help the women cope with their new found sobriety, their constant racing thoughts and to help them become physically active once again. The results were astounding and that’s when I realized my path was to fuse social work with yoga; to create a therapeutic environment where movement of the body, quieting of the mind, and focusing on the present would be infinitely beneficial.

I began my yoga teacher training program on the first day of the New Year 2011. It was called Sacred Seeds Yoga School and it was run by a retired social worker turned yogi named Jacqui Bonwell. When I heard about her past, I thought to myself, “Hallelujah! Someone who really gets it.” And I realized that I wouldn’t have probably had such a profound education without someone who had also made the transition from burn-out advocate to vibrant healing teacher! With this training, I now teach a Vinyasa-based flow that emphasizes heavily on a safe, physical flow with a spiritual component to connect our external and internal worlds.

Already two months in to teaching at Ironwood I have been witness to some incredible shifts in the students. One shift that is greatly noticeable is the willingness to participate. Yoga is difficult for a lot of people because they see it simply as getting into funny positions with different music and lots of breath, but the enthusiasm of the students to put themselves out there, try something new all the while staying (mostly) focused is down right inspiring.

Another shift I have noticed is their posture. I cue throughout much of the class safe alignment and the need for correct posture. So often, due to everyday activities like sitting at a computer, driving, picking up the house or just regular slouching-while-eating, our shoulders creep up to our ears, our backs round over and low back/hip pain abounds. With gentle and consistent reminders of dropping the shoulders down and back, pulling in the stomach in so that the low back straightens and offering a general physical awareness, the students have noticed their own progress and report back about it often! It’s certainly a different perspective when you’re facing the world standing on your own two (very grounded and aligned) feet and with non-reaction and focus of the present moment!

So, this is my continued hope for the yoga program here at Ironwood: that yoga help the students become more connected and aware of themselves and the world around them. Through taking a hold of their own education and learning, so that they eventually become their own teachers to create a life that is self-guided, honest and compassionate. This will first begin with the awareness of the present moment, focused breath and an openness to try a new way of doing things and we’re already off to a great start!

Caseylin Gillis, RYT
Yoga Instructor

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My last blog…passing on the fitness torch

June 14th, 2011

I am a bit sad to share that we have decided to move to Massachusetts to be closer to our extended family.  I have learned and given much of my heart while developing and teaching the Yoga program at Ironwood over the last four years.  I will miss the supportive staff, and the students- both the enthusiastic and the hesitant ones. There will be another qualified teacher continuing this program, and the students are looking forward to working with them.

The Ironwood students filled out response forms about the Yoga classes.  All share gratitude for having participated.  All say that they’ve learned something.  Many say that they use practices (such as certain stretches or mindfulness exercises) outside of class.  Some even say that they’ve discovered a new passion.

Students take the time to write about particular aspects of class- the pace, content and teaching style.  All appreciate the responsive nature of the teacher and being engaged throughout class.  Most say that the pace was just right, with some students expressing that they struggled and some wishing that it was more challenging (a natural response statistic).  All students enjoyed the final relaxation, breathing and occasional visualization exercises, wishing that it was longer.  Since I generally reserved less than ten minutes total for that, I do agree that the future teacher could leave more time for this important practice.

A few students  suggested practicing meditation, breathing, and focusing in poses other than sivasana (final resting pose).  That practice is sometimes reserved for more seasoned students, but I was intrigued to read the suggestion and hope the future teacher tries this with them.  Others asked for more time with inverse positions, core, and upper body workouts.  There is plenty of room for improvement, and I look forward to hearing about the progress of the program.

Of course, I plan to continue teaching in Massachusetts.  I will draw from the experience and inspiration working with the teens here to lead more classes in fitness, movement and mindfulness.  I am particularly drawn to the teen population, so I will reach out to middle and high schools to work with both traditional and non traditional athletes, developing programs in schools, camps and private studios.

May your life be filled with health, joy, love and wisdom.

Signing off~

Maria

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Focusing the Practice

June 1st, 2011

The rhythm and content of the Ironwood Fitness classes has been stabilizing over the past months. What used to be a more diversified routine has become organized into a known set of exercises that the students can expect and the teacher selects from. There is still variation depending on the needs of the day and season, but we have narrowed the template of movements we practice from. This has helped to focus the students’ energy.

It is easier to learn simple and repetitive tasks, especially in a new field. Since most IW students have never practiced Yoga before, making the classes simpler has led to more efficient mastery of material and positive attitudes. The students learn and remember poses, recalling them as fun or beneficial for certain conditions, even being able to model and reproduce them for others without the teacher.

The are also becoming serious with the self- regulating exercises. During the more challenging poses, they are counting their breath and increasing their duration of holds every week. By seeing their own progress they develop a sense of pride and mastery, knowing that their efforts are paying off in increased strength, endurance and health.

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Self Regulation through Breath and Mantra

April 25th, 2011

This spring we have begun employing specific methods for self regulation in practice.  Typically, the teacher leads the poses and sequences.  Students hold poses as instructed and follow changes.  Since the students at Ironwood are required to participate in all activities and some need time to learn to appreciate Yoga, self motivation in practice is a special concern.  For example, when there are many students in a class and I have to walk around to help with alignment or answer questions, some students try a pose for a few seconds then return to slouching if I’m not looking directly at them.  To remedy this lack of self regulation, I’ve introduced two new practices: counting the breath and mantra.

In the first case, I instruct the students to hold the pose for a certain amount of slow, deep breaths.  Counting mentally or silently not only helps to calm and focus the mind, but also to be more aware of the breath in the stretch.  As students learn to hold or repeat poses for ten or twenty breaths, they can notice their own improvement over time.  Their practice becomes more self regulated and self motivated.  Mantra is a healing and empowering word or phrase that students choose for themselves to repeat while holding poses while or instead of counting the breath.   An example of a mantra is “Patience”, or “I am strong, I am flexible.”  While repeating- and believing- this phrase, students focus on positive imagery and thoughts, further improving their motivation and attitude.

These new practices have shown almost immediate improvements in attitude and results.  Students are taking more responsibility for their practice and showing genuine effort in holding poses for their own learning and strength, not just following my commands.  For example, during the core- strengthening exercise called “holding up the world”, I look around the room to see students eyes- closed, composed, breathing deeply and even sweating as they stretch, continuously adjusting their arms and legs, and working hard for their own benefit.  They embrace the practice, thereby embracing and empowering themselves.

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Inspiring New York Times video about benefits of Yoga for children

March 27th, 2011

http://online.wsj.com/video/why-more-kids-are-learning-to-say-namaste/ECD9C1A6-5087-4784-8887-7FA1B3BD84A4.html

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Winter into Spring update

March 15th, 2011

Although the fitness and Yoga programs are ongoing at Ironwood and classes have continued weekly, I’ve been away from blogging for a few months.  With the overbearing layers of snow finally melting and Maple sap flowing, I’m looking forward to venturing out again into world of cyberspace, sharing with our readers updates about the fitness program through the seasons.

Late in the fall, a fellow Yoga teacher observed the class at Frye.  My colleague offered valuable feedback about material and teaching style.  Even though students enjoy variety, they may feel confused learning new movements with too many steps, or keeping up with a fast pace.  I slowed down our pace and refocused the students’ attention on the breath as the source and drive of movement.  I also made our routines simpler and repetitive.

This winter, our practice became slower and more rhythmic.  Students learned that by closing their eyes, especially while holding stretches they already know, they are more relaxed and aware of their bodies.  This also resulted in better focus, because now the teens weren’t looking around, comparing themselves to their neighbors or making the occasional silly faces.

In my own studio practice, I’ve explored a style called “Yin Yoga.”  This is a deeply nourishing approach to practice wherein students remain mostly on the mat, working on core strengthening and stretches while laying down and sitting.  Staying low to the ground and on the mat, especially with the head on the same level as or below the heart (such as in inverse positions) is soothing for the nervous and circulatory systems.  I found this style helpful not only in the winter season, which naturally asks us to focus and gather our energy, but for Ironwood’s students, who have such demanding schedules and life experiences.

Students responded positively to this approach, sharing deep appreciation for the centering and relaxing aspects of our sessions.

Yet spring is closer and closer, and its radiating energy will inspire us to shift our practice yet again.

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Building strength, coordination and endurance with knowledge

November 10th, 2010

This past month, there have been a few changes in class structure at Ironwood. The boys classes are combined at Frye. This has been a positive change, for it allows the more experienced students to share (or remember) with newer students what they’ve been learning over months of practice. The combined class also allows for more engaged discussions.

I have resumed bringing in occasional articles about anatomy and physiology. This month we have been reading Christopher McDougall’s article in Men’s Health about modern research and discoveries in the ways strength is developed and supported in the body. Our students are learning that strength and endurance are not built by narrowly focusing on select body parts (as is done through certain strength training and weight lifting techniques). On the other hand, the body’s true strength, coordination, balance and endurance are supported by the connective tissue that envelops our muscles, joints and bones like a continuous, interconnected glove from the feet to the scalp. We will be doing special exercises to test and experience effects of fascia (connective tissue) control.

Although this article doesn’t go into detail about this, we will use other sources to learn how connective tissues and cells in the body store memories and how conscious movement can help release and heal past experiences.

Here is a link to the article we’re reading:
http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/understanding-your-muscles

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Girls mindfulness walk: finding peace and poetry through nature

September 29th, 2010

The arrival of fall has been taking its time this year in Maine.  With a diverse mix of rains, cloudy days and occasional temperatures in the 90’s, I am more reminded of the climate around my home on the Black Sea, not New England!  Trying to savor the beauty and richness of the landscapes around the Frye encampment, both girls and boys groups went on a few meditative walks this past month.   I describe what happens during a meditative walk in greater detail in earlier posts.  Towards the end of each walk, after each student has spent some time in silent, mindful observation of the world around them, I challenge them to compose a haiku.  They memorize this haiku until we return to the studio, where they write it down.  For today, I would like to share a selection of Haiku written by the girls group at Frye.

“The leaves are changing

They are falling to the ground

Motionless, bare, still               ( LE)

The clouds are moving

The leaves are slowly changing

Fall soon will be here                (KT)

Giant totem pole

Below, a purple flower

A cool wind                              (JA)

Sitting in the grass

I hear the crickets chirping

What are they saying?               (MB)

I quite like the clouds

They put stories in my head

Oh, where to begin                   (KK)

The cool wind blowing

Makes me feel safe and at peace

With myself and nature            (SB)

Crickets are chirping

In the green grass fields of straw

As the wind blows fast           (MR)

Clouds make unique shapes

As they move across the sky

The sky’s now white                 (AA)

In the field I lay

With flowers tall and blooming

Takes my breath away         (SL)

It is truly wonderful to witness the serenity that envelops the students after a meditative walk and observation session.

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Interpretive Dance with the Girls

August 25th, 2010

Last week, because there was only one girl at the Farm House, we decided to combine all the girls into one large group in the Frye Yurt. Everyone has been taking this class for at least a few weeks now (and some for months). This group feels comfortable with each other and with me as leader. So I was not surprised when they asked at the beginning of class if they can dance.

Incidentally, the prior weekend I had just participated in a three- hour rhythm and dance workshop. I loved listening to an experienced and vibrant group of women drummers and following the movement cues of Certified Five Rhythms Dance Instructors. As a teacher myself, it is always refreshing to learn from other movement arts practitioners. The workshop was wonderful and liberating. Over sixty people had gathered in the dance hall. I was inspired by the creativity and fluidity of everyone’s movements. There was a palpable sense of shared joy, connection and spontaneity amongst the participants.

I agreed to lead this group of girls through some lyrical dance exercises after our standard warm up and stretches. However, I said that if we do this, everyone needs to participate. (In the past, some girls danced while others chose to sit out.) The girls agreed. I put on music, and we began a moving exploration of nature and space. As I told stories and set up themes- seasons, the growth of plants and animals- the girls created interpretive dances. They moved individually and as a group. The whole room came alive.

I continued to guide them with promts, encouraging the group to explore moving at different levels- close to the floor, midrange and stetching up. We also varied tempo. One of the exercises we tried is a mirroring exercise where two girls face each other sna take turns initiating movement while the other follows. This practice helps learn students strengthen body language “listening” and reflection skills. A few girls in the class are trained dancers. They interpretations and contributions to this experience were really interesting! Everyone seemed to enjoy this impromptu workshop. The class ended with our regular relaxation session.

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Yoga Resumes at the Farm House!

August 11th, 2010

Our weekly classes have been happening at Frye for the most part. However, last week Yoga sessions started at the Farm House as well. From now on, when residents graduate from Frye, they will continue practicing core strengthening, balancing and stretching techniques at the Farm House.

We meet in the activities room where students painted the walls with imaginative murals and inspirational quotes. What a colorful, vibrant place to practice in.

The girls group got right into the groove. During check in, they reported feeling tight-or underused- muscles and some stress. The class quickly found its flow. We worked on abdominal and back strengthening exercises, upper body strength and got some deep stretches in. The class led into a good relaxation.

The boys seemed to need a bit more catching up. After getting out of weekly practice, they lose the momentum of group dynamics. Quiet, focused Yoga practice is not the casual routine of work and lively conversation around the Farm House, so the students needed a challenging workout to relax their minds and focus on the present moment. However, by the end of the class every single student was completely relaxed (and did not want to leave :)

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