Who doesn't like Frog??!?

My life is a little nuts...so nuts that I usually have a very hard time falling asleep cause I'm thinking of a million things at once.  I started this little ritual where I go into Frog Pose....

Now for those unfamillar with Frog - here are the specs taken straight from www.yinyoga.com

Benefits:

• Deep groin opener (especially the adductors)
• Provides a slight back bend, which compresses the lower back
• Aids digestion and relieves cramps (both menstrual cramps and those from eating.)

Contra-indications:

• If you have a bad back
• Knees can be uncomfortable, so use padding under the knees
• If the neck is stiff, rest the forehead, not the chin, on the floor or on a bolster
• If prone to tingling in the hands when you extend the arms overhead, you may need to move the hands wider apart or closer together. If that doesn't help, do one arm at a time.

Getting Into the Pose:

• Start in Child's Pose and slide both hands forward, separate the knees, but remain sitting on the heels. This is also known as the Tadpole.

Alternatives & Options: Half Frog: Lift the hips higher, until hips are in line with knees, keeping feet together. Full Frog: separate feet as wide as the knees. Extend one arm at a time, which is safer than extending both arms forward. The other arm can be bent with the head resting on the forearm. Allow the hips to come further forward if the pressure in groin or hips is too severe. Alternately, keep toes together and allow hips to go backwards. May rest the chest on bolster, to relax upper body. If the shoulders are uncomfortable, spread the hands wider apart. Coming Out of the Pose: Either sit back into Child's Pose or slide forward onto your belly, bringing your legs together. Counter poses: Child's Pose; Lying on the back, hug knees to chest, and rock side to side, or move knees in circles. Meridians & Organs Affected: Inner leg pressure works the Spleen, Liver and Kidney meridians When the arms are stretched forward, the upper body meridians are massaged, affecting the lines of Heart, Lungs, and Small and Large Intestines Joints Affected: Hips, lower back and shoulders. Recommended Hold Times: Three to five minutes  Now its not really the physical effects that are beneficial to me, it does something to calm me, regulate my breathing and allows me to be peaceful and relaxed so that I almost immediately fall asleep when I am finished.  I looked into maybe there was some research to back up my claims to feeling super calm after only 5 minutes but there was nothing. I can only attribute it to the fact then that it is a pretty intense hip opener.  So when things are intense, through yoga, we have been taught to breathe and focus on the sensation and then try to soften it or let it go.  I feel that the automatic practice of doing this takes me out of that past or future headspace and draws me into the present and allows me to live in the moment and find my peace so that I can finally chill out.  I have been doing this for the last 3 weeks now as my bed time ritual cause live has been pretty intense and I find that it has totally helped!

Live n Learn!

Here is a synopsis of a few extra trainings I've done so far, if you're interested in deepening your yoga teachings, read on!

Kids Yoga: Ok, I didn't really do a training for this...I just was thrown into teaching yoga to grades 1 - 8 for a whole week!  3-4 classes per grade!  This was done back in April while I was still a new teacher and MAN is this a great way to learn quick! What I learnt (and had to learn quickly!) was to be able to say EXACTLY what I mean and how to read a class and change my pace, tone, etc.  The first classes were...terrible...at least I thought they were terrible and that the kids hated it, but by the end of the week they were suuuuper sad that there was no more yoga, even the teenage boys!  It was a valuable lesson in learning to lay off the self-judgement and wait for the end result.

Nena's Hot Flow/Hot Hatha training:  Using our MYW manuals that we have as reference, I was able to further understand the flow as well as the ques when teaching a hot flow or a hot hatha class.  It really helped me understand the concepts and gave me the confidence to run a Hot Hatha class.  I LOVE teaching Hot Hatha and it seems like I do the class justice. :)  I am not super confident about Hot Flow yet so I feel like I need more training on that before I am ready.

Senior Yoga Training:  Through Yogafit, I became certified to teach senior yoga in early September.  It was a full day training and I found a lot of interesting concepts in this training in terms of modifications for those who are less able bodied to do a practice such as Moksha. I had the opportunity to teach this style of training while I was away on vacation to the elderly that were on my cruise ship (which was 98% of the cruise ship)...and they LOVED it!  It was really a nice feeling to be able to teach this style to this particular group of students...they seemed to really have enjoyed it.

Barre Training: I wasn't really sure what to expect when I went to Barre training...but after the first class - where I almost died - I figured this was a fantastic style to bring to Winnipeg!  People are going to love it!  Its a wonderful fusion of yoga, pilates and ballet and works everything from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.  I think what the training was missing for me was the practical application so I am looking forward to doing some practice runs once that studio is finished this week.  Technically what I learnt from this training was some interesting ab exercises as well as an into the pilates way of alignment.

What I hope to do in the upcoming year is Moksha Flow training....a few times I've almost been left high and dry here at the studio without a teacher to teach a MF class so it would be really awesome if I had the confidence and know how to step in if needed.