Have you ever known anyone faced with a life threatening illness? Have you or someone you know been confronted with an unexpected and potentially life threatening situation where everything normal went ‘into a spin’? How did you, or they react? Perhaps questions of the real meaning of life arose. It won’t come as too great a surprise to know yoga and retreat play important roles helping us adjust to major life challenges such as those posed by changes such as these.

At any given time, the chances are that someone you know is going through something of  a crisis. We receive a phone call (an email just seems too impersonal and distant) alerting us to their situation. It could be a call for a chat or a call to action. Their news might be urgent, asking us to travel a distance and give up work and even the needs of our immediate family to be by their side.

Sometimes just having someone to talk to, or someone who is not only trusted but also compassionate and considerate is needed. What might we tell them to do? If they are open to the gift of yoga, what would we recommend they do to manage their moment of crisis?

Few of us may boast the necessary qualifications to offer sound professional advice to others, such as close friends, in their time and hour of need. What we, as yoga teachers and practitioners is a form of guidance and the encouragement to draw upon the practice of yoga to help them ‘get through’.

Yoga therapy teachers offer a pathway to dealing with the stress and adjustment imposed by changing life circumstances, such as that of unexpected health issues where major changes are required in lifestyle and behaviour. Teachers in yoga therapy are experienced in dealing with ailments and illness from a wholistic yogic perspective.

Their gift of knowledge can be as simple as advice on gentle postures that assist with post operative recovery following medical treatment, or it might be guidance on meditative practice to help a student prepare for essential medical procedure involving interventionist trauma, such as complex surgery and medication.

One aspect of growing older is the growing likelihood that we, or someone close to us, will face even more serious life (and death) situations with age. When mortality suddenly becomes an ‘issue’, individuals usually begin to reassess how their life has been lived so far. What can also occur is an assessment and reordering of lifestyle so as to recover and restore the quality of life to which we’ve been accustomed. How reassuring to know yoga can not only assist the body recuperate after, say, surgery, but also help us keep focus on a path to inner stillness of the mind.

When someone you know is facing a challenge brought on by a sudden health crisis, either through accident or age, share your gift of yoga with them. If that someone is you, draw upon the strength and clarity of yoga’s healing power to keep the mind still and focus as you take important and essential steps on the path to recovery.

The support of friends and family can never be replaced or undervalued in any crisis. How much we choose to do for ourselves when the inevitable stress of life arises is up to us. Remember what yoga can do to help us manage.

Use yoga’s gift to engage with the body to guide us towards recovery using the yoga therapy approach. Yoga’s level of strength, support and nourishment is limitless once we adopt it’s wholistic approach encompassing respect and nurture embodied in teacher training.

Breathe in the beauty of yoga. But be careful to not over commit our body to recovery which can lead to disappointment and frustration. The guiding hand of yoga therapy and retreat is one approach at our disposal where the benefits are boundless!

What we might refer to as crisis, even at life’s end, can be managed with the love and support of others, appropriate medical advice and a yogic approach to healing and acceptance. Let’s offer that advice and support to others in their moment of need, by engaging in the teaching of yoga therapy through Byron Yoga Centre’s yoga therapy teacher training course. The course is a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the knowledge and awareness of wonderful experienced teachers who have a deep understanding of healing and health appropriate for yogic mind and body management. Take the plunge and revel in the blessings offered by such an opportunity.

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There is no deep reasoning behind my decision to enrol in the level 2 course really, not this time. It just seems a logical next step. Previous events, circumstances have me led to this, I’m just following my heart really.

I have been involved in the Byron Yoga Centre for a couple of months now and I really enjoy contributing. I feel excited and a bit bored ‘operating’ in the scope of my level 1 knowledge. So maybe I’m looking for more diversity as a yoga teacher and as a practitioner.

What am I hoping to gain from the yoga training course? First and foremost a deeper understanding of yoga as a whole. Not daily asanas but the theory and lifestyle behind it. I want to improve my own practice and gain all those little details that bring life into the asanas.

From the Level 1 training I gained (quite) a regular daily meditation and pranayama practice. But I feel that my technique needs quite a bit of work. I realize it is a lifelong process, but we are able to develop ‘multifold’ during an intense course like this and last but not least, I want to develop and grow as a person. To become a better person, if you will.

I learnt so much about myself during Level 1 and I do feel that I am entering the Level 2 course with a complete different mindset. That is why I am I am hoping the process will no longer be as ‘painful’ as the last course was for me.

Well painful in a different way. I realize today, that I don’t have to be perfect nobody use expects that, only me. I’m looking forward to the challenges I am sure you have lined up for us.

L. Tael

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I enrolled in Level 2 yoga teacher training because my Level 1 training with the Byron Yoga Centre was such an AMAZING experience for me.

It deepened my level of understanding of yoga, my self……life! So I am very keen to delve even deeper into this incredible practice that sustains me and nourishes me so much.

Also, because I want to be an EXCELLENT yoga teacher, teaching people good, inspiring, safe yoga…so, I’m hungry to learn more! I have been teaching beginner yoga classes for the past 6 months since my Level 1 training and have loved teaching with a passion, so I am looking forward to coming back and consolidating what I learnt, what I have been teaching and getting onto some more advanced teachings as well…going deeper!

It is my intention to do a different yoga teacher training each year so that my understanding grows, my knowledge increases and I can continue to be inspired, motivated and in connection with, like-minded and like-intentioned individuals.

Mostly I am doing the course because I love yoga and I love learning to teach yoga…I want to increase my sense of living in the moment and doing what I love, I want to live health, harmony, happiness, I want to be inspired, learn and grow more, increase my knowledge…have the tools to be an excellent teacher so I can help let this wonderful practice ripple out into the world!!

In the broadest sense, I’d like to take my teaching to the next level….from beginners, to more intermediate. I’d also like to take my self practice to the next level and increase the intensity and frequency of the potentially limited times I have to practice.

Importantly for me I’d like to learn how to keep it all part of my everyday life; integrate it all into my ‘real’ world…LIVE it, all of it; the diet, ethics, lifestyle etc.

I’d like to get clearer about where to take my teaching; how to make a sustainable living from teaching yoga! Business ideas, advice etc….

Specifically, I’m wanting to gain more knowledge, so I can become an excellent yoga teacher.

I’d like to: learn how to  sequence different types of classes, come away with good class plans, gain a deeper understanding of anatomy and physiology; gain a deeper understanding of what to do for people with different injuries; how to prevent from further injuring themselves and also how to strengthen areas of weakness.

Yay! Bring it on!

Kristin

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It’s time for me to cease being a dilettante and dive deeper. I have been practicing and teaching intermittently for ten years and my enthusiasm for yoga has greatly varied. In the last three years I have experienced lower back pain which has, at times, been quite debilitating.  This shook my confidence in my practice and my ability to teach.

I have taken this as a big lesson and I’m grateful that it has expanded my compassion and taught me to slow down, observe and accept. Of course, this lesson is a work in progress and I have times when I am impatient with my body for continuing to harbour pain. I would like to learn more about how I can manage my lower back to better strengthen, align and avoid future dysfunction.

I am expecting to learn far more about anatomy and physiology on this yoga training to help expand my intuition into grounded knowledge. I have a fairly rudimentary understanding of anatomy and physiology and hope this course will be the impetus I need to study this further. I hope to learn more about the emotional and psychological aspects of asanas so that I am better able to practice and teach to cater for each individual’s current state of mind.

I am looking forward to being able to observe others in the course and learn from the students and instructors on what needs further improvement. I am also looking for the many little ‘tips and tricks’ that teachers explain that lead to an ‘ah ha!’ moment of moving deeper in an asana.

I have a lot of love for meditation and philosophy and I hope to cultivate more diligence in my personal practice as well as being able to teach this to students.

Brook

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There are a number of reasons why I have chosen to undertake this yoga teacher training course. Firstly I would like to develop a strong foundation in my understanding of the practice of the asanas.

Over the years of practicing yoga I have been subject to a number of teacher and different methods of teaching. As is common practice I have been adjusted often however not always with insight and gentle spirit and often as a result of incompetent instructions given in regard to entering the pose-as a result I often hold tension when I am practicing because I am not sure if I am doing it correctly.

I would like to have a strong understanding from Byron Yoga Centre of what is expected in each pose so I know what I am doing and can heal the tension and fear in the mind and find rest in the postures. It is very rare for a yoga teacher to give you credit when a pose has been performed correctly-I know that in the Iyengar tradition teachers are actively encouraged not to give praise to avoid building up the practitioners ego-however the opposite side of this method is that it can create uncertainly in the mind of the practitioner.

Secondly-I am hoping to gain enough inspiration and motivation to develop my own daily practice-yoga, pranayama, meditation and prayer-seems that for me one of the greatest challenges in life is to ‘to get up in the morning’.

Thirdly I would like to have the assurance of mind in teaching the asanas that I as a teacher am giving clear directives and insights-over the past couple of years I have been asked to teach Yoga and although I accepted the request, I wasn’t comfortable teaching when I didn’t have some from of accreditation or solid training from one teacher.

Fourthly I am hoping that by adding this accreditation to the list of practices and skills I have already, namely music and mandala art therapy/meditation-I will be able to further my work in the fields of personal and community development and link in with other practitioners. I am particularly interested in working with marginalized and socially disadvantaged groups such as Kooris, people with a mental illness, and women in prison.

Namaste
M.Gibb

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Purna Yoga – Making Yoga Complete

The yoga taught at Byron Yoga Centre is called Purna, meaning integrated or complete. Purna Yoga represents a holistic approach to yoga integrating not just the physical postures but also philosophy, meditation, pranayama breath control and the yogic personal and social code of ethics.

Purna Yoga Level 1 DVD

Click here to view the five minute intro for the 90 minute DVD of Purna Yoga Level 1 sequence, instructed by John Ogilvie, the founder of Byron Yoga Centre.

Filmed in the beautiful yoga shala of the Tallows Beach venue where we host our Teacher Training Intensives and Retreats in Byron Bay, this DVD demonstrates the postures taught in our Level 1 teacher training courses.

The DVD is required course material for students enrolled in Level 1, to become familiar with the sequence in preparation for the course, it’s also a great beginner level DVD to guide you though a practice at home.

Click here to buy your copy of the DVD online.

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I am English, 32 and left home when I was 18 for a “short” yacht delivery. I found my way to the Mediterranean and was introduced the Super yacht industry. Since then I have worked on my different kinds of yachts around the world and put myself through all the courses and thing needed to hold a Class 4 commercial Captains license to 3000t and a dive instructor’s license.

The first time I did yoga was about 5 years ago and I was hooked. Unfortunately, because on my lifestyle I have found it very hard to do more than sporadic small bursts of yoga since that time.

My few attempts at doing yoga on the yacht never worked well. The motion, travel, confined spaces and constant traffic of the people through any area as well as my own lack of discipline made it seem impossible.

14 years on the sea and constant travel has led me to a longing to have some time to myself, to settle down and to finally have to opportunity to embrace yoga. I think this opportunity has come at the perfect time in my life. It gave me a great the strength to resign from my job, career and love and chance to reinvent my life.

There are many things I hope to get out of this course and the list grows with every new day at school as I fully begin to understand all the Yogic lifestyle has to offer me.

I am so happy to be here and have been made to feel so welcome in the Byron Yoga Centre family even if is only for a short time. My one hope is that I can give something back to everybody at the school who is helping me on my journey.

Tiggy

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Since discovering yoga one year ago, I have always wanted to develop my personal practice by enrolling into a disciplined intensive course to maximize the benefits within a defined timeframe. This is partly due to the remoteness of Coober Pedy and also because there are no active fitness programs up and running (yet!) in town.

Inadvertently, upon the community hearing of the news that I was contemplating this course, local council took initiative to raise interest within the community with the result being overwhelming; with sponsorship, venue discounts, individual donations and encouragement!

Due to this, I intend to fulfill a local program to provide classes in Coober Pedy upon completion of this course. I am now enjoying the holistic approach and my focus is to be a confident, warm-hearted teacher armed with enough knowledge to commence and maintain a practice in outback Australia.

Before beginning the course; my focus was solely asanas. Now I have keen interest in the following:

1. Meditation/ Pranayama  (personally challenged in this area)
2. Nutrition (to maintain a strict sattvic diet and knowing how to combine food combinations to extract the most nutrition)
3. Philosophy
4. To enjoy the NOW!

Thank you for providing this opportunity as my changes within thus for have been immense!

ILIAS.KATSAPOOIKIDIS

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Yoga, to me, means focusing on the self.  Gaining a better understanding of ourselves and our actions through meditation and reflection.  I believe we have lost the ability to look deep within ourselves for answers – in the world we live in it can be very difficult to live your life according to your beliefs.  Yoga is a spiritual journey that is very personal to each and every one of us.

I love that yoga is a practical way of life – it is active in every aspect of your life and in everything that you do.  Since finding yoga a lot has changed in my life – I have changed.  I have become to know myself a lot more, to like myself more and to listen to myself.  This is the reason I want to teach others so they too can make their own lives more fulfilling and more individually focused.

My first yoga class seemed to waken something inside of me that I never knew existed.  My mind and body felt alive and invigorated like I’ve never felt before and I continue to have these feelings after every yoga practice.  Whilst my first attraction to yoga was purely for the physical benefits, my love of yoga has now developed into a deeper and life changing aspect.   I am only at the very start of this exciting journey and am fully dedicated to continue down the path, constantly learning and improving and enjoying and being grateful for this experience.

These are my personal reasons for enrolling on this Yoga Teacher Training Course.

Liz M.
Yoga Teacher Training Graduate – Byron Yoga Centre – Sept. 08

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We live in a time hungry world. Each day filled with time dependent activity starting from the moment we wake to the second we retire, each event pushing into the next with monotonous regularity. It’s said that despite the onset of amazingly clever technology, many of us are working longer than ever before, and filling our day with ever increasing activity, leaving less time than ever for time ‘out’. When was the last time you felt time stand still? Perhaps it was during a yoga class, when the mind and body has the opportunity for stillness, allowing you to engage with the space around you. In a perhaps strange but powerful way, you were totally present, free of the distractions of life which keep dragging us back to that sense of time, tied to our past and future.

When we make yoga a practice, we are in a sense giving our mind and body ‘time out’. Once we arrive in class, we are encouraged to start that process by adopting a resting pose which allows us to ‘centre’ ourselves. Our teacher helps create an environment conducive to that process. It’s a time for quiet rather than chatter.

Ideally, arrive at least a few minutes early to help settle the body and still the mind for class. From a teacher’s perspective, this is an ideal time to begin the wonderful transformation that a class promises. The practice starts on time, so that we fully honour that commitment we’ve made to our yoga practice. Time is not our master when we manage our time for such a goal. It’s at this time too when your teacher can be made aware of any current personal medical or health issues you may be experiencing.

No matter how busy our lives become, it’s a wonderful gift to ourselves and those around us to take time out to nurture your mind, body and spirit. Making that personal commitment to regular yoga practice can be transformative.

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