The Yoga of Adversity

A week in review- the Tripsichore Plus Practice Course

It's been a great, though difficult, learning process this last week.  Last week I was surprised to start the week with mysterious and extreme pains that were not present when I left Seattle.

 It was frustrating to  be unable to participate in the practice the way I expected/wanted, but these experiences always give me a greater understanding of my students when they are enduring the same stuff, so I'm grateful for the reminder.

The most difficult thing to do, along with keeping one's spirits up, is to find a way to keep doing the practice.  It's much easier to stop and start from mental perspective, and yet physically and yogically, the right thing to do is to stay with the breath and the practice.

The first week was a real struggle for me physically and as a result, mentally; as fun and exciting learning new things has been, the physical discomfort was demoralizing.  I would be lying if I said I did not think about quitting every day-- and night, since I was kept awake by the pain and a noisy neighborhood!

The additional burden of worrying that I was a disappointment to Edward and Nikki didn't help, but I kept going through the tedious and excruciating work of detailed refinement of Tripsichore breathing and alignment.

Over the weekend I spent a relaxing time with my mom and my best friend in the Cotwolds (English countryside) and didn't practice a lick.

Hesitatingly, I showed up again Monday.  It was the day of my "check-in" meeting, and I confessed my concerns about what Ed and Nikki were thinking, my performance, and my worthiness as a Tripsichore teacher.  They assuaged my worry, but the real message is to just keep practicing, no matter what comes up-- this IS the practice.

The good news is my aches and pains are waning and I'm starting to feel more normal, but those details shall wait until the week 2 review!

What I learned the first week is to above all, be humble.  The hardest work is not always crushing every maneuver, but navigating the way through practice with pain, difficulty and other limitations whilst maintaining attention to the practice of breath, alignment, and mental quiet.  Staying true to the breath practice is paramount, and breath is the best guide.  I also learned that nothing takes the place of persistence, and to just continue, because everything ebbs and flows- the good times and the bad.  I was reminded this morning when I ran across a BKS Iyengar quote:

"Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."

Enduring and curing,

Liz Doyle

//LizDoyleYoga.com

Take a class with me- next session starts September 9, 2013

Maha Sadhana 

M/W 12N and 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/532039330201285

Yantra Vinyasa 

T/Th 12N

https://m.facebook.com/events/468905803225524

Tripsichore Crash Course

T/Th 5:45P

https://m.facebook.com/events/192641117573949

The Relevance of Vinyasa

 

Edward Clark of Tripsichore Yoga will be in town October 5-6, 2013 for workshops, lectures, and practices (read more details by clicking HERE).
  
One of the lecture/practices is on Vinyasa and it's relevance in the larger context of Yoga and the Practice.  I asked Edward to write a few words about the workshop, and I think you'll find it interesting.  Read on...

 

VINYASA 

Though Vinyasa and "Flow" forms of yoga are among the most popular practices, their lineage and place in yoga orthodoxy are rarely articulated.  This workshop looks at the ways in which the Tripsichore vinyasa practice integrates pranayama and philosophy to make possible the accomplishment of difficult work on the mat. 

 

The concept of vinyasa as applied to yoga philosophy could either be considered very ancient or radically new.  In either case, vinyasa seems to be the great contribution to yoga of this particular generation of yogis.  Most yoga discipline has worked on refining one's self in the direction of greater stillness - an absence of movement in the mind and body.  Superficially, vinyasa would seem to contradict this.  However, the mental focus and physical technique needed to bring about continuous fluid movement can also bring one to a "seat" of great stability and clarity. The stability is not only in the posture, but in the transition between postures - to the point where there is no distinction between movement and stillness.  The place of vinyasa in the history of yoga is yet to be determined, but as yoga has become a worldwide pursuit, it is probably safe to say that its importance now also lies in how people begin to apply it outside the more traditional places it has been practised.  

 

VINYASA, in our definition, is the evenly metered flow of movement, breath and thought resulting in a smooth, uninflected state of being.  The vinyasa techniques are pursued to bring about clarity and stability to one's thoughts and actions.  

 

In seated meditation, there is an inclination to go inward. Looking inwardly has been a major thrust of yogic practice. But one has as many inward distractions as one has outward distractions, so I am a little bit inclined towards harnessing the senses rather than get rid of them. In vinyasa yoga, you don't stop in a posture, you stay in a flow. There isn't a pause of any kind. And so the idea of eka grata is focusing on the flow itself. 

 

 

This makes more sense if the idea is understanding the totality of the universe which must contain within its singularity many things which appear to be contradictory. When we talk about things like cosmic consciousness, it's not just the cosmos of the inner landscape we're talking about, it's the enormity of the universe, and that's not just something that takes place within our own vista locked in the cranial vault. 

 
 ~Edward Clark

Join us October 5th and 6th!
  
See you soon and keep practicing!
Liz
//LizDoyleYoga.com 

The Good Teacher

THE GOOD TEACHER

My friend Ali asked, “What makes a good teacher?”

For me it all starts with sincerity, a teacher who is a yogi in their own right, someone who can teach me something I don’t know, and the application of a high level of intellectual rigor to the practice.

I’ll use Edward Clark, founder of Tripsichore Yoga, as an example.  A few years ago, I completed his one month intensive training, and I’m headed back to London next month to complete his two week “graduate” program.

What initially drew me to Edward was that what he was doing was so uniquely different.  Even the few poses that I was familiar with were done differently.  Though handstands are pretty ubiquitous these days, at the time it was highly unusual and even suspect, to do inversions mid-sequence.  And what’s more, he’d actually thought through the process and had a reason or intention for everything he did—from the choice of vinyasa to whether a particular move was an inhale or exhale—and could articulate it.  Every time Edward came to town, I would consider what and how I was teaching asana and think I should scrap everything and start over.  It was a radical departure from the mainstream.  He was also gut-bustingly funny, and for those of you who know me, you understand how I prioritize humor.

Asking questions, I was worried and hesitating; I wasn’t sure if a question was overstepping my privilege as a student and would be unwelcome.   I was delighted to discover that he is incredibly kind, thoughtful and accessible as a teacher.  In sharp contrast to the other “master” teachers that I had encountered, he welcomed sincere and thoughtful questions and discussion, even when questioning his logic or method.  I remember one instance where I questioned something that seemed contradictory to a previous principle he’d espoused.  Edward’s reply?  “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that.”  Wow!   

This combination of passion, ingenuity, creativity, intellect, lack of ego around being “right”, and an obvious desire to share his knowledge led me to his training in London.  When I arrived, I was even more pleased to discover his knowledge and study of traditional yogic texts, and learn about the grounding of his methodology in yoga tradition.  And all of this from a guy with no real teacher-- I was flabbergasted.  Before ignoring or disagreeing with the ancient traditional texts in yoga, he actually studied them, and then created his own system based on the teachings.  This system is rather iconoclastic in terms of its pursuit of sainthood or enlightenment via movement.  These yogic pursuits have historically been achieved through the more still practices of seated meditation and inner practices.  No one has ever done it through vinyasa.  Edward readily acknowledges this is an experiment, one that likely won’t bear definitive fruit until after he’s gone, but he has his mandate from the yogic texts, this is what he thinks will do the trick, and he’s committed.  He’s committed his life to what’s possible.  Whether you agree or not, you have to respect that.  Who is that brave?  Who is that intelligent or creative?  Not many of us.  History will tell whether he is an innovative yogic genius, failure, or even more interesting, the guy who “invented” the yogic equivalent of the glue used on post-it notes (an accidental invention by a scientist working on developing a super strong adhesive- characterized as “a solution without a problem”.)

What impresses me most about Edward is how generously he offers his knowledge and experience, and tirelessly teaches everything he knows.  This comes with the expectation that the student will not rest on that knowledge, but take what he has given and do more.  Use that knowledge to advance the practice, as a foundational springboard to something better that can only be given by someone else who has learned, experienced and added to that knowledge.

In a world of participation trophies and short cuts, I appreciate the contrast of a teacher that exemplifies discipline, and a challenging practice that requires it.  Of course, the best teachings are always by example.  Edward not only lives his practice, but has high expectations in terms of work ethic and effort on the part of his students.  He can be incredibly sweet and caring, and it’s wrapped up in greater expectations of the students than we have of ourselves.  Edward has done it, he’s been there, and he’s learned what he knows without a “guru”.  That knowledge is hard-won, and can be respected through effort and a willingness to try, even when success is beyond our grasp.

It’s a blessing to have had incredible teachers who have these qualities, and Edward exemplifies them beautifully.  In gratitude, I will strive my entire life to embody these examples.
For info on Edward's upcoming workshop in Seattle, October 5-6, 2013- click HERE!

Master Teacher Workshop with Edward Clark- Tripsichore Yoga 10/2013

One of my teachers, Edward Clark - founder of Tripsichore Yoga- is coming to town October 5th and 6th for workshops!

 

For those of you who have met Edward, you know how wildly entertaining and intensely interesting his workshops can be.  For avid students, teachers and anyone interested in smart discourse on yoga philosophy, technique and the meaning of life, this is a highly anticipated weekend--sure to be the talk of the Seattle Yoga Scene for months to come.

 

Especially if you have been studying Tripsichore with me for the last six months, this is your chance to ask the questions and get answers straight from the source!  No one delivers like Edward.

 

Here're the details:

 

Hours 8:30am to 4:30pm at Skinner Auditorium, 1245 10th Ave. East, Seattle, WA 98102, on Capital Hill, next door to St. Mark's Cathedral.

Saturday October 5, 2013:
8:30-9:30am: Introduction/Philosophy of Vinyasa

9:30-11:30am: Practice
11:30-12:30pm: Break
12:30-1:30pm: Bhagavad Gita: Karma, Bhakti and Jnana Yoga

1:30-2:00pm: Break
2-4:30pm: Workshop on Backbending

Sunday October 6, 2013:

8:30-9:30am: Reflection on Yoga in the modern world

9:30-11:30am: Practice
11:30-12:30pm: Break
12:30-1:30pm: Sequencing and methodology of vinyasa

1:30-2:00pm: Break
2-4:30pm: Workshop on Arm Balances and Inversions

  

Pricing:

Full weekend: $275

Early Bird paid on or before August 5, 2013: $225

Drop-in rate per session: $50

  

Registration:

email: lizdoyle@msn.com

call: 206.660.2321

  

Payment methods:

cash

check (payable to Sattva Yoga)

PayPal (please cover the PayPal fees)

  

If you want more than the standard yoga fare, this is just what the doctor ordered.  See you there, and feel free to contact me anytime with questions or for registration. 

  

Love,

Liz

//LizDoyleYoga.com

206.660.2321