Speaking of processing ("digesting"), this time around at Kripalu (as faculty assistant) working with Lakshmi Voelker, Tracey Eccleston and fellow chair yoginis, Grace, Wendy, and Kathleen certifying new LVCYTs, my digestion was working extremely well from day two on; day one was just a bit off. During the last day (day 5), I think I went to the bathroom three times before lunch. I was thinking to myself that I had to go for every bowl of food I ate ;-)(some of the LVCYTT team agreed laughingly that we were overeating at every meal). At times I indeed ate three bowls of food per meal (not full though).
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| So grateful to teach the 4 Essential Hand Reflexes I designed for the TT Manual: a highlight |
It is hard to find the words to express how much I got out of Kripalu once again; this was my third stay.
Working with Lakshmi and Tracey; making yoga accessible to anyone with LV Chair Yoga, period. Counting my blessings. In a way it feels like I sometimes still feel when I cross the Edward Koch Bridge Manhattan-bound looking at the skyline before me, being amazed that I managed to somehow root myself in this huge city that is a microcosm of the world. In other words it is a bit surreal sometimes.
Being in the company of these accomplished yoginis and my fellow faculty assistants, meeting and working with the Kripalu production staff, volunteers is always a rewarding experience. Meeting a room full of very spirited trainees from all walks of life, some of them from abroad who all within a few days blossom into LV Chair Yoga teachers...age range 20s to late 70s or possibly 80s; what a rich experience that in itself is.
Witnessing the process of students adapting an asana to the chair is my favorite, the chair asana. I get a kick out of the initial confusion (How can I possibly adapt vasistasana to the chair?), discussions, development and the role I play as an assistant in the trainees' journeys to graduation; gently guiding, suggesting, or perhaps just listening at times; making an art of this process has been an effort of mine. But one has to bear in mind that some of these trainees are senior yoga teachers. Adapting a chair asana is a creative process; it's also helpful to allow to let go of the idea that there is a perfect pose.
The food, well, oh la la! The opportunity to eat a rainbow three times a day; vegetable broth anyone for breakfast? You bet, I had some. I am more of a porridge/bread for breakfast kind of gal. But I can be adventurous. The broth was very soothing.
The three big Ls: labyrinth, lawn, lake are associated with spare time, possibly private time, the outdoors, sky, nature.
The first two visits I did not even get to see the meditation room, no there was no chance to use it but now I know it's there. Thank you, Grace!
Experiencing kirtan, this time it was Sri Kirtan, Grace and I were sitting in the second row, loved them. There is something about voices coming from the depth of the belly, very touching and comforting and goose pumps to the ears and skin.
Lee Albert's presentation on Positional Therapy is always a treat; he is an extremely charismatic presenter, and he is playful; unforgettable. Mary my new friend liked him as much, as did Grace.
The highlights this time around were, and there were many; here they are in somewhat of a chronoligical order:
The 2-person room (instead of dorm) felt like absolute luxury.
My lovely room mate Grace; we are both New Yorkers and have assisted at the Open Center together. We literally took turns taking care of each other (it can get very intense and tiring, but in an absolutely wonderful way); we both do self care in bed before we get up!
The cafeteria continues to be a highlight, can not stress this often enough.
The students' presentations; everybody's personality comes through, that is the absolute most special element of the training in my opinion; the fostering begins at day one of the training.
Graduation is always a hightlight as well; we created a simple ritual, it entails my Tibetan Singing Bowl and more.
Lakshmi's surprise birthday celebration! ("How do I cut this cake?" It was huge and square.)
NOON DANCE: I finally did two; oh my, what can I say? Some more about that a bit later.
Yoga with Stephen Masulo (those who stay for meditation after the asanas part, know that at the end he plays the flute, but only a few stay on), it took me a second to realize it was live music! Life is good. I was reminded of Kokopelli a mystical character I encountered in New Mexico.
This time I also added a day for R and R, which included a Reflexology session with a wonderful practitioner called Tracey Mahon. We chatted a bit, I told her about the LVCY Teacher Training; we spoke about reflexology matters. And then all hell broke loose, tears, tears during the session; I was very curious about possibly deeply rooted causes, but could not pinpoint anything. So I was letting go of something, okay. I am someone who cries rather easily, out of happiness, sadness and anything in between. Is that too personal, is that too sad? Nah, tears are natural, tears are cleansing, so I had some deep cleansing. Tracey and I concluded we did not necessarily know why we cried.
Anyway, but I did learn that I usually do not and prefer not to cry in front of others. With Tracey, however, no problem, that was new to me. I just let the two streams flow filling my ears with tears. I should add that at the beginning of the session I used some oil that was displayed for use in the reception area, was it the combo? It was a new experience.
Now back to Noon Dance and self care; my knees were a bit off the first two days while I was at Kripalu, it had started some time prior back at home. There was not much time to assess, too much going on. I decided to just jump in and take Jovinna's class and the following day Jurian's. I am not sure whether my knees felt back to normal after the first or second class. It was a very regenerative experience. It was also very empowering because I had no idea that I could dance for one hour straight without getting bored and running out of moves. As a matter of fact, I wanted more; the guidance, the music they picked, the energy in the room, was just incredible; it was also lovely to meet the blind lady from New York and her seeing eye dog whom I ran into again at the labyrinth with Royal and Mowgli.
Self care consisted of eating rainbows, the usual self care in bed before getting up (basic session), my every-day chi gong routine done outdoors; then of course, a few mat yoga classes and chair yoga, and of course, noon dance.
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| Starting the day on the lawn with chi gong and my geese friends.. |
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| Lunch with wild life |
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| One of these meals; 3 bowls of food |
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The Labyrinth: so lush at this time of the year
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| New LVCYTs; Lakshmi in green in the center; Tracey in purple on the right, Wendy behind her, Grace in white on the left, myself in red in front of Grace. |
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| With Lakshmi adding another 25-hr. certification |
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| More lawn |
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| One more rainbow meal on the sprawling lawn |
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| Sri Kirtan |
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Post-training: Special encounter with an owl at Kennedy Park/Lenox (with Royal and Mowgli)
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