Some feedback from my students

Being able to offer yoga and then yoga nidra to my community, the Latino community, in the midst of a global pandemic was absolutely one of the "gifts" of the pandemic.  I stretched myself as a teacher, learning to hold space and teach online, as well as teaching myself how to offer yoga nidra.  I built community and offered a healing space, free of charge, to Latina community health workers.  

Here is some feedback from a couple of my students, translated from Spanish to English. 

The first testimonial is from a student was terribly impacted by the pandemic, as they lost multiple family members to COVID-19.  

"I want to thank you for all your time in offering yoga. I learned many beautiful things with you, being introduced to yoga, as I have told you, I had never done it before.  I liked doing it with you, especially yoga nidra.  I am in love with your angelic voice that brought much peace to my life.  God put you in my path to heal my soul from so much pain that I carried with me from the past months.  Little by little I have some peace in my soul.  You have changed my life with yoga nidra.  Many thanks"

Another student shared, "I learned that the practice of yoga nidra helps me sleep with tranquility and rest.  It is very relaxing and my favorite practice."

Yoga nidra amid a big life transition

I am in the final stages of the Daring to Rest Facilitator training, which I have completed (almost) in the midst of a huge life transition, moving to Oaxaca, Mexico.  This transition was one of the most challenging, liberating and stressful things I have ever done.  Having yoga nidra as my daily companion has been a much needed balm to my soul, nervous system and body.  All the koshas! 

All the while I have continued to offer my weekly online Spanish yoga classes to community health workers, and the yoga nidra that I offer in the class has evolved with my weekly learnings.  Feedback from my students has been gratifying, and I will be sharing some of those comments here on the blog.  

My yoga nidra dream is to expand my nidra offerings, online and someday in person, when the COVID pandemic goes away (and we settle more into our new home).  

If you are interested in one on one sessions online, please email me at ritaj65@yahoo.com.

Daring to rest journey begins today

I came upon yoga nidra about 12 years ago at a yoga studio in my neighborhood.  I was immediately captivated by the profound relaxation I experienced, like nothing else I had done before. 

Now I am embarking on this yoga nidra journey with Daring to Rest, a program created by Karen Brody.   Her sleep mentor Dr. Naiman is also co-teaching many of the lectures, and I am already blown away by the wisdom and heart they bring to this healing work.

I will use my blog to share what I learn along the way, starting out with some links to articles by Dr. Naiman: "Falling for Sleep." and "In Exile from the Dreamscape."

Somatic meditation, awakening the body

During yoga teacher training I learned MANY things.  One is that I really prefer somatic meditation.  I already knew this before teacher training, but I learned the language around different meditation styles in more depth.  A few months ago I had the opportunity to take a virtual course on somatic mediation with Dr. Reggie Ray, based on his fantastic book Awakening the Body.  

I had first heard of him via a Sounds True audiobook, and I found his voice and approach captivating.  I jumped at the chance to take a course with him, even if it had to happen virtually.  

I don't think I realized how very ancient the somatic approach to meditation and spirituality is, and Dr. Ray explained the Buddhist lineage that this type of meditation comes from...which I find fascinating, history and religion geek that I am. To give you the briefest summary, the soma is the pathway to enlightenment or awakening.  

This runs quite contrary to my own spiritual tradition of Christianity, where the body is generally viewed as a barrier and full of sin.  It is all about the spirit and transcending the body.  Nonetheless I am really intrigued about the somatic approach to meditation and spirituality.  

So much to learn....more in future posts.  

Solstice, intention and 2021

I was blessed to participate in a deeply nourishing online ritual as we move into the darkest period of the year and shift into the light.  

Sally Kempton offered a solstice reset, releasing the karmas of 2020 (oh boy!) and creating intentions for 2021.  I have read her articles, her beautiful book on meditation, as well as got to hear her speak at the Movement Center ashram back in the day.  

One of her articles that I read a few years ago in Yoga Journal was about sankalpas, or intentions, and the new year.   She provided a ritual practice, involving journaling and fire. I used that ritual intention setting, and it powerfully manifested that year and beyond, so I have great respect for the power of intention setting and her wisdom, and I signed up straight away for this offering.  

The question that she offered us to contemplate is what is the deepest truth you are ready to live in 2021?  

 

Yoga in action

In this new pandemic world we are living in my yoga teacher training (which concluded this summer) has been a life line.  Breathing, moving, staying in my body are all my essential self-care practices.  

One of my yoga goals from the start is sharing this resource, this life-line, with my community, and particularly Spanish speaking working class folks (people like my parents and abuelos) who wouldn't have access otherwise.  I took my connections to the promotores de salud community and created a series of classes in Spanish that started 3 weeks ago.

What a joy.  My students are primarily completely new to yoga, which feels like a big responsibility.  They identified their needs in a survey, where I learned that stress reduction, sleep, improving balance and exercise are their goals.  

What I've tried so far:

• The space orientation from "My Grandmother's hands" that I find a great way to open a class and get folks in their space and body straight away.  I wish this book was translated into Spanish!!!
• Yoga nidra is my go to for sleep issues, and I pulled together a yoga nidra script from different sources and translated into Spanish.  I tried it for the first time last week, and they loved it!!  
• I keep to the same basic sequence, which is a solid trauma informed practice, where repetition creates a container of safety.  I tweak a bit and have a different theme each week.  The sequence and themes reflect their survey input.  

What a difference a year makes

It's been a year since my first magical yoga retreat in Costa Rica.  Now I'm in the midst of a yoga teacher training in Oregon, deeply immersed in so many dimensions of yoga - philosophy, meditation, asana, and social justice.  Oh did I mention in the midst of a global pandemic?
I am so grateful for yoga right now, in so many ways.

As I come across resources and insights about how to maintain equilibrium in these times I will use the blog to share them.

Here's one for mindfulness meditation from the wise Sharon Salzberg