Jam Session I, Day 1

Kicked off the first Yoga Jam Sessions tonight with a yin practice and a discussion afterwards. It's a small, cozy group of 7 friends. Couldn't have thought of a better way to spend this chilly night than nestled in blankets in a softly-lit room cradled by majestic, cloud-covered mountains. The act of gathering felt powerful, activating.

topics of interest that I remember:

Winifred's perspective on seeing anxiety at its most extreme in her mentally ill students, then seeing some of the same manifestations of anxiety/depression etc. in others, but more subtle (raises the question for me of how do you read students?)

Broga: Yoga for men who would never normally go to yoga.

Demystification: Of the potentially kooky-sounding stuff. Of Kira's methods (that was my question--how does she manage to make class feel so good? I think I may be able to feel safe behind the most concrete tips possible, like, use an iPhone timer!)

Personal practice: what should this look like, especially if you're gonna try and teach yoga? I was struck by how different everyone's was. Everything from baths to working out to laying in bed with legs up the wall. Mine is just wacky, erratic in every way.

The science of emotions according to Peter Marchand's The Yoga of the Nine Emotions

How to deal with questions of insecurity like, when have we mastered a technique enough to be able to teach it properly?

Touch/Adjustments: Both Amber and Robert brought this up I think. Robert made a brilliant request for a few key gestures that he could use to enhance his students' postures without making them either rely on him or feel like they're doing something wrong

We all want to create a perfect, feel-good class. But we have to be willing to make mistakes.