A decade of teaching

With Guest blogger Cherise Vallet

Celebrating Cherise's ten years of teaching at Yoga Spirit Studios


My birthday more or less coincides with when I began teaching at Yoga Spirit 10 years ago. Birthdays mark the passing of such a solid unit of time – a whole year. There, bam. Like a kilo of apples. An acre of land. A hundred dollar note. Another year. Then those years click together, side by side, and another chunk of time with a bigger thunk – a decade. And I’m still here.

First thing worth noting – I’ve never worked at any other job for 10 years, though I suppose this isn’t technically a ‘job’. More a delight. An opportunity.

The experience has been an ever-changing one and maybe why I’ve stuck with it so long is because of the variety that teaching offers – stimulation and challenge on all levels. Emotionally – facing fears, facing my ego. I’m sure students had no idea that there have been times I’d go home after teaching a class and wake up in the night full of self-criticism for some way I’d taught, how I’d missed explaining this or showing that, or that I allowed too short a time for savasana. I used to worry why my class numbers could be so low for awhile, and then high for a time – was I not teaching well? Over time I have learned to let go of that thinking for the most part – I know the way I teach doesn’t appeal to everyone, but I’ve found that the students that come back again and again are coming because they receive something from me, and I from them.

Cherise enjoying beach yoga in WA

I discovered Yoga Spirit Studios (then known as Torrensville Yoga Studio) in 2003. I had been doing a short yoga practice a friend had shown me several years previously, quite faithfully on most mornings up to that point. It only took about ½ hour and once memorised required little thought, just breathing and moving. This had become my routine while living in the beautiful southern countryside outside McLaren Vale. It was a few minutes that gave my body some nice stretches and maintained some strength, the breathing offered a particular sense of calming and balance that was fortifying during a period of immense change in my life. Then I moved back into the city in early 2003.

I missed the countryside so much once I came to the city – I could feel my whole being crying out at the loss of all that space and beauty. I saw an ad in the local Messenger paper for a 6-week Introduction to Yoga course and decided that could help fill the gap. The course was magic. Suddenly my body was invited to consider more deliberately the conscious thoughts of the mind, and even include awareness of the heart and what my body was feeling. In the first class I remember having tears stream down the sides of my face while reclining back into Savasana, soft little drips landing on the mat under my head. My heart felt so happy. My body felt so alive – I was aware of it all – the humming thrum of blood moving through my veins, the swelling of my abdomen and chest as I breathed, the weight and length and breadth of my body and a profound sense of nourishment, happiness – coming home. And so my association with the Studio was born – first as a student, then as a teacher trainee, and then as an ongoing student and teacher for the past 10 years.

I’ve taught the Tuesday evening Experienced class for around the past seven years – a long time to teach one class, and there is a reliable core of people who have come to that class all that time. I feel connected to this little community of steady practitioners.

My classes in the McLaren Vale region where I have since moved back to have also attracted a small but loyal following. I’d love to be roaringly popular I suppose, but that’s not happened as indicated by large numbers of students. The wonderful people who come regularly, however, do bring such presence. And this helps me see that it’s not all in the hands of the teacher – the students who come along in such a steady way have a deep impact on the tone of the class, providing a sense of continuity and make it easier for me to build on themes/approaches etc.

Cherise does headstand in Spain

Every time I enter the doors of the Studio I get this sensation – I’m home. My body has a memory of that first night, I’m sure. When I do yoga these days, it’s less regimented, not aligned with a set of postures I repeat daily, though sometimes I’ll have weeks of spending time in particular postures, then gradually emerging into another range of postures. My faithful body is a good guide, and some of my most wonderful experiences of practice are when I simply follow the prompts of my arm moving, my leg wanting to stretch, the energy to move vigorously or desire to rest. It is food for my being, this yoga I know. A practice in consciousness, noticing the rise of impulse from my body, the long sigh of an outbreath, the way my arms support the weight of my torso in a particular pose, and my legs in another. In a yoga practice, my body is less of a robot and more of an alert animal, seeking the clearest line, the most delicate balance, the release of breath and stretch and softening. I come home to my body daily, and in this moment, in this practice.

I count myself very fortunate to have seen that Messenger ad for the Introduction to Yoga course so long ago. The path that first tearful savasana put me on has opened continually over the past decade through this experience of teaching yoga. It is a great privilege to be able to share these gifts of yoga to enhance life for myself and others. When I seek to enhance the lives of others, I am automatically nourished, I automatically receive the gift of my kind intentions. It’s quite a foolproof way to create happiness. And happy is how I feel to still be teaching yoga after all these years.

Honouring your cycle

by guest writer Sallie Richards

Cat

As a woman, yoga practitioner and teacher I have always adapted my practice and life as much as possible around my menses, to suit my energy levels, my emotional and physical state and use the time for inward reflection. But it has dawned on me recently, especially after attending a weekend workshop at Yoga Spirit by Ana Davis, that I may not always make it clear in class that students too can adapt their practice to suit where they are in their cycle. I know that I always encourage people to work in a way that is respectful of their whole self, but this also applies to menstruation. For example, there are some poses that we recommend not to do whilst menstruating so as not to work against the natural flow of Apana (downward flowing energy). Some people may be avoiding class altogether at this time, when some gentle practice may actually be the best thing for them, helping to alleviate cramps and lower back tension, restore energy, tune awareness inward and nurture and support oneself with loving kindness both on and off the mat, in readiness to begin their cycle again.

Cow

Acknowledging and honouring your menses may lead you to appreciate how your cycle connects you to the world and nature around you. Or as Judith Lasater so beautifully phrases it “Like our foremothers we can turn to our bodies to experience our connection to nature. We have our monthly menstrual cycle to show us the way. Far from being a “curse”, menstruation can be a quiet reflective period – a time for each woman to honour the miracle of her body’s potential for renewal.” “Relax and Renew”, Judith Lasater.

Below I have outlined why a practice at this time may be of benefit to you, also some poses to avoid and poses to embrace and some images of some classic poses that may help to relax you and restore your energy. Yoga and simple breathing techniques (pranayama) can bring a sense of stability to your emotions. Always remembering if you are practicing yoga in the first three days of your menstrual period, it is important to rest as much as needed. If you feel comfortable to, please let the teacher know before the class as they will be able to recommend poses to help relieve cramps and fatigue.

Forward virasana

A women’s menstrual cycle is governed by hormones. The hormonal changes that occur during menstruation can affect the way we feel in many different ways, a few examples are changes of energy levels, bloating, cramping and a general heightened sensitivity. These changes may affect the way we would want to practice our yoga. Hormonal changes can also affect the way we feel mentally and emotionally which may also lead us to alter our approach to practice.

Aside from adapting your practice to accommodate these changes, you may choose to adapt your yoga practice to harmonise with these cyclic changes, to support your natural rhythms and nurture your body, mind and spirit. Using a regular consistent practice to support improved health and wellbeing.

Baddha konasana

Therefore, in following what we always recommend here at the studio “to listen to your own body", practicing yoga whilst menstruating could be just what you need to feel better and release some cramping. If you are attending an ongoing class however, there are a few things that you should keep in mind so that you work with the natural flow of energy in the body and support yourself at this more inward and reflective time.

If you have any questions please feel free to approach any of the teachers at Yoga Spirit Studios. For more information and detailed sequences to practice with we have some copies of a book by Ana Davis called The Dark Moon – Nurturing yoga for healthy menstruation for sale in the ‘yoga shop’ in our foyer. 

Essentials for practicing during menstruation

Practice movements that create softness and space in the belly. It is a suggestion to avoid poses that will put pressure on any area that is already feeling tender. Instead of a strong physical practice, focus on conserving energy, giving space to the abdomen region and nurturing not only the body but mind and spirit too. If any practice is done at all, restorative postures may be the preferred choice for the first few days of flow, slowly building back to a regular practice as the energy returns and the flow stops.

Benefits of a gentle practice whilst menstruating.

• Calms the mind.
• Opens the abdomen.
• Can ease cramps.
• Can assist in releasing the menstrual flow.
• Can help balance hormonal shifts.
• Soothes the nervous system.
• Restores energy levels/ reduces fatigue.



Supta Baddha konasana

• Helps with the process of surrendering to your body’s needs.

Practices to embrace:

• Supta Baddha Konasana, Baddha Konasana, Upavista Konasana are all wonderful poses for opening the abdomen region.
• Restorative poses gently replenishing energy levels
• Gentle/Nurturing forward bends
• Cat/cow pose for easing lower back pain, cramps and congestion.
• Forward Virasana, both supported and unsupported, releases lower
  back tension and very nurturing.
• Deep relaxation. 

Savasana

Practices to Avoid whilst menstruating:

• Compressing or putting pressure on the abdomen and breasts. E.g.  Closed twists and prone poses
• Abdominal strengthening work or Uddiyana Bandha (strong abdominal contraction)
• Strong/unsupported back bends.
• Inversion are not recommended at all as it disrupts the natural flow of the menses. A pose is considered inverted if the uterus, or lower abdominal region, is higher than the heart.
• Demanding standing poses which will deplete already low energy levels.

Recommended Reading:

‘Relax and Renew’, Judith Lasater.

‘The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health’, Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden 

‘Ayurveda for Women’, Dr Robert E. Svoboda.

‘Yoga Mind Body & Spirit – A return to wholeness’ Donna Farhi.

"Yoga a gem for Women", Geeta S. Iyengar

Images sourced from pocketyoga.com