I have fallen in love once again. Not with a person, but with another aspect of life--teaching yoga. In particular, teaching Forrest yoga.
These first few weeks of working with two very beautiful students has been nothing short of extraordinary. I have been learning exponentially every time I sit down on the mat and guide my student's breath through her body. I am learning more about myself and my students are helping me see things and feel things that I would never experience had I not decided to take this path.
I know I make a hundred mistakes in what I say and that my cues are slowly improving, but I am discovering that it is not what I say but how I say what I say and how I hold the space that is important. The intensity of Forrest yoga has brought my students into places where already tears have wet the mat, lions have roared through my apartment, and brahmeri has created a tremelo effect through the still air.
I have watched their hearts respond to the energy that I feed through their backs in such poses as frog-belly down, side bend, dolphin and many more. Their necks have slowly started to get used to the "relax the neck" cue, and little by little I notice them connecting to their feet and core. In two weeks--two classes each--I have already noticed subtle changes in their energy. And there is nothing more rewarding than to watch their spirit dance in the body during Savasana.
Then there are the blessings of things shared in confidence. I cannot write them here, but I will simply say that courage is one of the most beautiful things that I have witnessed so far. And I feel so blessed to learn from these remarkable women.
I remind myself now and after every class: I am merely a vessel to guide healing and exploration. I am merely offering a tool so that the rest the body and spirit can work together and align.
Namaste,
Anne
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Email 2: Yoga with Anne in 2010
*My follow-up to my first few students in 2010.
Dear [Student],
I would greatly appreciate it if you would answer the following questions. Answering the following questions will help me tailor classes for your body, your life, and your personal intentions. If there is a question you would prefer not to answer, you can leave it blank. Just so you know, anything that you say here or in class is confidential and will be between you and me (unless I have reason to believe that you are in danger).
1) Have you ever done yoga before? If so, what kind (if you know), where, teachers, dvds, cds, etc? Have you ever done Forrest Yoga before? If so, with whom and where?
2) If you have practiced yoga before, how advanced would you consider your skills: intro, intermediate, or advanced?
3) Do you have any injuries or health problems that I should know about?
4) What is your lifestyle like? Please describe, and on a scale to 1-10 please rate how balanced/stressed you feel on average. (1 being very stressed. 10 being very balanced)
5) How physically active are you (run, bike, walk, etc)?
5) What is your intention for the first 5 weeks of practice with me? Your intention can be whatever you want it to be, but choose one that is realistic that may or may not be connected to something bigger in your life. Your intentions are a very important part of your practice and will help you in other areas of your life. Here are some examples of intention: I intend to learn how to breathe better. I intend to become more connected with my body. I intend to be more active. I intend to work on healing an injury. I intend to work on healing my heartbreak. I intend to work on becoming stronger. I intend to find more balance in my life.
6) Is there a specific part of your body that you would like to focus on?
7) Have you ever been abused, depressed, had an eating disorder? If so, what assistance or help did you receive?
8) Do you have any questions or concerns?
9) Is there anything else you feel I should know about?
In my first email I gave a brief manifesto on yoga and what it means to me. I would like to briefly give you a bit more information on Forrest Yoga and what you and I will be embarking on through our classes.
Forrest Yoga is all about the breath. Breathing is something we often forget about when doing day-to-day activities, yet it is our most powerful tool when dealing with stress and injury. In each class you will be asked to reach your breath into different parts of your body to release tension and anything else that you may find there. Our bodies are full of wisdom and by using breath to explore the body I believe you will learn a lot about yourself. Plus, if you have an injury I will encourage you to use your breath to help heal the injured spot--this could be an emotional injury or a physical injury. Through the use of your breath you will be amazed by the strength that you will build when holding a challenging pose.
The physical foundation for Forrest Yoga is about developing the core. By developing your core, you will begin to access your power. This power, with practice, will extend throughout other areas of your life.
There is so much more to talk about, but I believe I have mentioned the key points. For more information about Forrest Yoga you can check outwww.forrestyoga.com.
One last thing about Ana Forrest/Forrest Yoga: Ana has spent 30 years developing Forrest Yoga specifically to address Our People's (current day) stresses and challenges, both physical and emotional. Forrest Yoga use intense pose sequences, compassionately taught, to develop skills in awakening each of the senses. It teaches you to bring aliveness, using breath, into every cell of your body, igniting your passion for living.
If you get nothing out of the next 5 weeks besides learning how to breath more deeply, you will have learned a tremendous amount.
I have yoga insurance and I am a part of the Forrest Yoga Hoop of teachers.
LOGISTICS:
Class begins: [deleted for privacy]
Class Ends: [deleted for privacy]
Class time: 6:30-8 PM--please arrive 10 minutes early, call if you are running late (later than 15 minutes you will not be able to make up the time)
Contact Info: [deleted for privacy]
What to wear: Recommend legging-like pants or pants that aren't too baggy. T-shirt or tank top that is comfortable but not too baggy. Please wear underwear.
What to bring: Water or a bottle for water, yoga mat, yoga block and/or strap if you have them, if not, let me know. Most importantly, an open mind
You may want to have a snack before class, but nothing heavy.
Price: $75 for 5 classes
Cancellation Policy: If for some reason I need to cancel due to my work schedule or due to an illness, I will make up your class. If for some reason you need to cancel, please let me know at least 8 hours before your scheduled class. Anything after 8 hours you will not be able to make up. You will be allowed to make up 2 classes, anything greater than 2 classes you will be charged for without a class. No-shows make me worried, please call if you cannot make it.
[Student], I'm very excited to embark on this yoga journey with you! I am so honored to have you as a student.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and please reply to this email asap.
Thanks so much!
Peace,
Anne
Dear [Student],
I would greatly appreciate it if you would answer the following questions. Answering the following questions will help me tailor classes for your body, your life, and your personal intentions. If there is a question you would prefer not to answer, you can leave it blank. Just so you know, anything that you say here or in class is confidential and will be between you and me (unless I have reason to believe that you are in danger).
1) Have you ever done yoga before? If so, what kind (if you know), where, teachers, dvds, cds, etc? Have you ever done Forrest Yoga before? If so, with whom and where?
2) If you have practiced yoga before, how advanced would you consider your skills: intro, intermediate, or advanced?
3) Do you have any injuries or health problems that I should know about?
4) What is your lifestyle like? Please describe, and on a scale to 1-10 please rate how balanced/stressed you feel on average. (1 being very stressed. 10 being very balanced)
5) How physically active are you (run, bike, walk, etc)?
5) What is your intention for the first 5 weeks of practice with me? Your intention can be whatever you want it to be, but choose one that is realistic that may or may not be connected to something bigger in your life. Your intentions are a very important part of your practice and will help you in other areas of your life. Here are some examples of intention: I intend to learn how to breathe better. I intend to become more connected with my body. I intend to be more active. I intend to work on healing an injury. I intend to work on healing my heartbreak. I intend to work on becoming stronger. I intend to find more balance in my life.
6) Is there a specific part of your body that you would like to focus on?
7) Have you ever been abused, depressed, had an eating disorder? If so, what assistance or help did you receive?
8) Do you have any questions or concerns?
9) Is there anything else you feel I should know about?
In my first email I gave a brief manifesto on yoga and what it means to me. I would like to briefly give you a bit more information on Forrest Yoga and what you and I will be embarking on through our classes.
Forrest Yoga is all about the breath. Breathing is something we often forget about when doing day-to-day activities, yet it is our most powerful tool when dealing with stress and injury. In each class you will be asked to reach your breath into different parts of your body to release tension and anything else that you may find there. Our bodies are full of wisdom and by using breath to explore the body I believe you will learn a lot about yourself. Plus, if you have an injury I will encourage you to use your breath to help heal the injured spot--this could be an emotional injury or a physical injury. Through the use of your breath you will be amazed by the strength that you will build when holding a challenging pose.
The physical foundation for Forrest Yoga is about developing the core. By developing your core, you will begin to access your power. This power, with practice, will extend throughout other areas of your life.
There is so much more to talk about, but I believe I have mentioned the key points. For more information about Forrest Yoga you can check outwww.forrestyoga.com.
One last thing about Ana Forrest/Forrest Yoga: Ana has spent 30 years developing Forrest Yoga specifically to address Our People's (current day) stresses and challenges, both physical and emotional. Forrest Yoga use intense pose sequences, compassionately taught, to develop skills in awakening each of the senses. It teaches you to bring aliveness, using breath, into every cell of your body, igniting your passion for living.
If you get nothing out of the next 5 weeks besides learning how to breath more deeply, you will have learned a tremendous amount.
I have yoga insurance and I am a part of the Forrest Yoga Hoop of teachers.
LOGISTICS:
Class begins: [deleted for privacy]
Class Ends: [deleted for privacy]
Class time: 6:30-8 PM--please arrive 10 minutes early, call if you are running late (later than 15 minutes you will not be able to make up the time)
Contact Info: [deleted for privacy]
What to wear: Recommend legging-like pants or pants that aren't too baggy. T-shirt or tank top that is comfortable but not too baggy. Please wear underwear.
What to bring: Water or a bottle for water, yoga mat, yoga block and/or strap if you have them, if not, let me know. Most importantly, an open mind
You may want to have a snack before class, but nothing heavy.
Price: $75 for 5 classes
Cancellation Policy: If for some reason I need to cancel due to my work schedule or due to an illness, I will make up your class. If for some reason you need to cancel, please let me know at least 8 hours before your scheduled class. Anything after 8 hours you will not be able to make up. You will be allowed to make up 2 classes, anything greater than 2 classes you will be charged for without a class. No-shows make me worried, please call if you cannot make it.
[Student], I'm very excited to embark on this yoga journey with you! I am so honored to have you as a student.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and please reply to this email asap.
Thanks so much!
Peace,
Anne
Email 1: You've been selected
*The following email was sent to 11 friends/colleagues/acquaintances that have voiced their interest in yoga. I was blown away by the response. This email represents my brief manifesto about me and my relationship to yoga.
Dear Friends,
You are receiving this email because you have at one time or another shown interest or asked me about yoga. And now, I am finally ready to tell you that I am eager to teach starting in 2010. After much debate about how I wanted to to approach integrating teaching yoga into my life. I have decided to take the plunge and offer very small private classes, no more than 2 people for an hour and a half class. In the near future I hope to offer a class open to anyone, but for now I really want to hone my skills and provide one-on-one attention.
There is a tremendous amount of fear around yoga for many people in our culture. From my many discussions with friends, family, and complete strangers I have discovered that the fear stimulates several reactions.
1) I am not flexible
2) I don't believe in that New Age stuff
3) It's too slow and not enough action.
It is to my dismay that these stereotypes exist and I have a lengthy essay written in my head about "Dismantling the preconceived notions of what yoga really is." I do not want to write the essay in this email, rather I want to provide you with a brief explanation of what "Yoga means to me, and my teaching philosophy."
First off, I began practicing yoga to strengthen my mind and to strengthen my footwork so that I could be a stronger rock climber. What I discovered was a practice that would not only strengthen my mind and my footwork, but a practice that would strengthen every aspect of my life and inspire a lot of joy and creativity.
I consider myself an athlete, and I have had my fair share of injuries. Practicing yoga has been the best physical therapy I've ever paid for and has kept my unfortunate ankles pain- and injury-free. I know what it means to be frustrated with the human body and yoga has helped me discover ways of keeping the body strong.
Forrest Yoga, is the yoga that I practice and have been trained to teach (www.forrestyoga.com). This genre is deeply rooted in the Native American philosophies of living. But, what I have discovered is that no matter what any teacher tells you, or whatever philosophy they preach, the real teacher is within you. And as a teacher, I prefer to call myself a guide. I ask the questions you find the answers within your own body. The body, as I have discovered, is immensely wise and really cool to explore.
Yoga is a spiritual-sport-art. It inspires the creativity and concentration of a professional musician, painter, writer, etc, and builds strength comparable to a marathon runner, diver, or gymnast. As you advance, you will discover a remarkable energy within yourself that you may refer to as your "spirit," "soul," or something else, and that energy is "who you really are."
Yoga is not about flexibility, although you will acquire a flexibility in your mind and in your body that will support you when things may seem really crappy. To put it bluntly, yoga is about breathing. It is about becoming conscious and present in every moment through the simple act of breathing.
As a teacher, I would like to work with each of you. To structure individualized classes that fit your needs and the intents you have for your life.
I would like to offer a series of 5, 1.5 hour private/duet classes at the price of $15 dollars per person per class (this is how much you would pay for a drop-in class at a studio). You would pay $75 up front for the 5 classes. Or, if you are interested in bartering, we can definitely discuss another alternative. I am open to coming to you or you coming to me.
Starting in January of 2010
Days: Thursday evening 6:30pm-8pm
Friday evening 6:30pm-8pm
Saturday afternoon 4pm-5:30pm
Please email or call me by January 2nd, 2010 if you are interested.
(If for some reason these times do not work for you, but you really really really really are interested, I am happy to discuss.)
Also, I am happy to discuss any question, concerns, etc that you may have. I know I have probably left something out that you are curious about.
Much love and peace to all of you during this holiday season!
Anne
Forrest Yoga Teacher
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
