tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post8239554141589427001..comments2023-12-16T20:19:41.067-08:00Comments on Christina Sell: Immersion WeekendUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-26526693836340057932008-04-14T22:00:00.000-07:002008-04-14T22:00:00.000-07:00so glad Lindsay asked that question, I was thinkin...so glad Lindsay asked that question, I was thinking the same thing on the drive home. *whew*whatnothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18011392944307181850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-41552772577292415802008-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:002008-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00Yes- I have had a class go sideways when I was so ...Yes- I have had a class go sideways when I was so immersed in the deeper philosophy that I lost my students. When I have fallen off that edge I go back to John's writings and find something like "the main intention is to serve each student and to help them unveil their innate goodness, worthiness, and Supreme nature. With love, respect and honor, the Anusara Yoga teacher is dedicated to serving and helping each student build his or her self-esteem. Another emphasis for Anusara Yoga teachers is evoking light-heartedness, play, fun, celebration and joyful creativity in the student's yoga practice".<BR/><BR/>Ah yes- light-hearted and joyful...<BR/>I forget sometimes I am not teaching other teachers. This stuff might not really interest them in the level it does me. <BR/><BR/>I also highly recommend an hour of America's Next Top Model (or some other such drivel...Desperate Housewives is Christina's pick I believe) after 3 days of immersion. That and a herbal tea makes everything better! :>)Leannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13272730128459982428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-8303072571549563122008-04-14T07:25:00.000-07:002008-04-14T07:25:00.000-07:00I think the another thing is that it is really jus...I think the another thing is that it is really just so vast. I mean for me to just study the literature within the spiritual tradition I am in take a tremendous amount of time and then to get a solid handle on the various texts, traditions and so forth that have influenced yoga over the last 4000 years... well, really- it is daunting. Meanwhile, we have to make a living, walk the dogs and do the laundry!!<BR/><BR/>The funny thing is that I think I was better at teaching philosphy 5 years ago than I am now. The more I learn, the harder it actually gets to convey the information concisely. At any rate- it is never boring, teaching Anusara Yoga.<BR/><BR/>The other thing is that John really wants us to teach from our own experience and not from the texts. The themes in class, while tied to the grand purposes of yoga, are not supposed to be heavy, heady and so esoteric that they confuse us or our students. Really they are just to help inpsire the pracitoner to move from the inside out. And we do not need a pohilophy degree to do that! Thank God.Christina Sellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08401826381021947279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-89879505158700371272008-04-14T06:56:00.000-07:002008-04-14T06:56:00.000-07:00I'm glad the weekend went so well. I look forward...I'm glad the weekend went so well. I look forward to rejoining the group for the last two gatherings. <BR/>The philosophy of the Anusara Yoga is probably one of the most difficult aspects of learning the system. In public classes we are primarly teaching or being taught asana with a small dose or theme of the philosophical foundation of the practice. It has taken me a great amount of self-effort and time outside of class and Immersions to understand what the philsophy is and what it means to our lives. What has helped me actually somewhat understand the philosophy is reading Tantric texts i.e. shiva sutras and Pratyabhijna-hrdayam (aka-the splendor of recognition). The tattvas just made for sense when I began to understand the sutras of the tantric texts more clearly. Also it was very difficult for me to look at "classical" yogic text in a Tantric way without ever studying Tantric scripture. Anyways I might just be slow at understanding but it took me more than 1 Immersion to even began to grasp the philsophy and it took effort on my part to study outside the class. I and really I still get my brain scrambled a lot of the times that I sit down and read. It's sure is a long process, and as you say trust is mandatory, and the coolest thing is the certification PROCESS helps me right along.mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06210878998284732897noreply@blogger.com