Reclaiming my Body
Post One (Module 0, 1 and 2) 25th Feb 2025
Intentions
I have always had a love hate relationship with my body, I guess who hasn’t. We miss all that is great and fixate on what we think is wrong. The peri menopause rollercoaster has added to this with mood swings, weight gain and bloating. I decide that this year I needed a reset. I want to start to love “all that is my body” and celebrate the amazing ways that is serves me, daily. Hence, starting on the 200hrs of Yoga training. I see the benefits of yoga, but all too often I do not put the time into myself. I am too busy flitting around, and I don’t take the time to stop, pause, reflect and be! My intention is to work on myself and through that journey maybe help others to see their own crazy bright lights too.
So, to the journal thus far. The Asana’s we have practiced have been simple, yet mighty. Taking time to look at placement and breathing really focuses the mind and the body. If perfecting the Asana was what I sought, then I would be a long way off, but understanding how and why we move as we do has been a fascinating journey and one I would like to continue working on. I have loved to hear about alterations for different shaped people. I was blessed with a mighty chest and set of hips and it was nice to have them noticed and valued!
I have also valued taking time to meditate, really meditate. Along with this ,the Nidra practice was superb as it made me take time to rest, cleanse and heal, something I would like to focus on more. I admit that at the moment I can not keep my mind centred and my thoughts wander off. Practice and patience I think will be the key here, I believe that this will have real benefits for me. So my takeaways for this week:
Practice breathing. Sounds a little bonkers, but breathing into the different areas of your body and Nadi Shodhana was a great way to start the day and energise my body
Sun Salutations. Take them slowly and purposefully. Understand how my body feels so I can better teach others. Focus on clear instruction
Don’t be afraid to modify. Start to take ownership of moderations that will help me and through that anyone I teach. Everyone can feel the benefits of Yoga. I want to enure that my practices are inclusive.
Post Two (Module 3) 2nd Mar 2025
Humbling
I have attended yoga classes on and off for the past 25 years. However, this has been a mostly “off” journey. It was something I “did” but I never really considered it beyond the Asana. This relationship has given me plenty of Asana knowledge, but the very act of teaching and recording my practice has shown me the areas that I need to consider and there is plenty that I need to work on. Working on the basic poses will help support anyone I work with, and give me more confidence in my yoga journey. I am humbled that my wonderful 50-year-old body keeps on working and supports me on this journey. Hopefully I will pay it back with flexibility and use the breath to promote healing.
However, I have always been a woman with powerful hips and amble breasts (even when my belly was much smaller, my hips and breasts remained!). Within my yoga experiences, we were always taught that everyone needs to move and stand in the same way to reach each asana. However, In the workshops on this course, they actually spoke to people like me. I have never heard about changing your feet to allow your own hips shine bright. These modifications made me feel seen and this is something I would like to pass on to anyone that I work with. All our bodies are different, let’s be humble and make no assumptions about the wonderful souls that are in front of us!
My finial thoughts from week 3 I loved the time we spent on OM. I have “said” OM in many practices, just going through the steps. But to spend time, listening to our body and feeling the sound was humbling - what a powerful sound. This is something that is important in my daily routine.
Bye for now!
