Fluid Teachers in Training

Fluid: is a substance that continually flows under an applied stress; smooth, flowing, graceful

It is with great pleasure and appreciation that I welcome you to Fluid Yoga Teacher Training, and I hope this training will provide you with the knowledge, wisdom and nourishment that you will need along your journey towards helping others for many years to come. In Fluid Teaching, we recognize that great teachers are dynamic and moving; that each has something unique and special to offer. Our approach to training will help you discover the essence of your own teaching approach and bring the best of your experiences, talents and offerings to light.

The journey that brings me here to you today began in 1995 in a remote area of the Canyonlands of Southern Utah. It was there, in the quiet splendor and beauty of my surroundings, that I began to look deeper into the nature of things and explore the depths of my own being. My experience taught me countless lessons, but one that has truly stuck with me is the power of living fluidly, moving with the forces of nature from one moment to the next. Like a river winding its way through a canyon, when we live fluidly we flow through life without holding onto the past or grasping for the future. Instead, we find the true beauty of living fully in the present moment. Within each moment is peace and contentment of being, being part of a universe that is deeply interconnected. As we progress through this training, we will explore the benefits of living fluidly and how doing so will help us to become more effective teachers.

Our world is filled with division – division of nationalities, ideologies, religions and even yoga. Some believe yoga is an Indian practice that has been corrupted by the west, some believe that only particular styles of yoga are “true yoga,” and others claim ownership over certain yogic practices. Yoga is a human exploration, an inner science of observation, truth and discovery. No one owns yoga; no one can claim to hold the keys and no one controls the teachings. The teachings are within you. Teachers are merely guides and the good ones help you break down the walls, go beyond beliefs and let go of judgment to dissolve ego. Through this training I urge YOU to go beyond boundaries, let them dissolve and let go of attachment to styles, dogmas and teachers. Be patient, be curious and question everything. Go inside yourself to examine everything you thought you knew. Find the truth that already exists within you and understand it fully so that you may live fluidly and share your wisdom with others.

What this training will not do is provide you with a rigid sequence, or give you a verbal script, or tell you what to believe. What it will do is help you to develop your own understanding, awareness and knowledge of the yoga within you. It will help you find your own voice, and bring to light the unique and special offerings that you have to share with others.

Practice daily, live your own life and be fluid.

Happiness,

Kevan

 What do Einstein, Mozart, Newton, Darwin and Michelangelo have in common? Studies show that these brilliant individuals had varying degrees of autism. Just for a moment, imagine a world without these beautiful minds: What would the world be like without just a few of their works?

• Theory of General Relativity
• Ein kleine Nachtmusik
• Laws of Motion
• Theory of Evolution
• Statue of David

Fortunately for us, these amazing people were able to live with their autism in a way that allowed them to interact with their world and pursue their passions. Not all children with autism are so fortunate. Many children are unable to effectively communicate and interact with their surroundings.

My nephew Brian, a sweet and tender child with autism, often struggles with these challenges. For Brian, the simple interactions that we take for granted are challenging. He is often overwhelmed by the stimulus around him and struggles to find stillness. But, in the moments when he is at rest, he can so deeply touch your soul that you can feel your heart melting.

Brian is fortunate to have my sister Kerry, a resilient mother who makes it her job to fight for his development every day of her life, but she needs our help and so do so many other children and parents around the world. Join me May 6^th at Gillette Stadium to fight for children like Brian. Yoga Reaches Out is organizing an incredible Yogathon to raise money for Children’s Hospital Boston’s Division of Developmental Medicine, a program that seeks to maximize the quality of life for children with developmental disorders through clinical practice, research, training and community outreach. This wonderful event will help children with autism live their fullest lives, and will enable them to touch the world in the way that Brian has touched the lives of our family and friends.

With our support, who knows… maybe this will even help a new generation of Einsteins find their way.

For more information visit: http://www.yogareachesout.org/index/yogathon-2012
“If by some magic, autism had been eradicated from the face of the earth, then men would still be socializing in front of a wood fire at the entrance to a cave.”
― Dr. Temple Grandin

My Aunt Pam lives and owns a wildlife sanctuary in a remote area of South Kodagu, India. Aunt Pam practices yoga on a regular basis, and is a spiritual practitioner and lover of life. While I haven’t seen her in 20+ years, we exchange emails on a regular basis.

You may have heard this past week about an article published by The New York Times entitled “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.”  Predictably, my email and Facebook accounts started filling up with questions from students, teachers and friends asking my thoughts about the premise of the article.  While I knew it had made its way around my local contacts within the yoga community, I hadn’t realized the full impact of the article until Aunt Pam emailed me from India with her own commentary. This story had gone global!

I’ve been a competitive athlete for as long as I can remember, and my first major injury from sports came from playing high school football. I tore the medial meniscus in my knee and had to have it removed. My recovery from the surgery led me to swimming, which resulted in a rotator cuff tear from overuse. After that I transitioned to cycling, which led to broken bones, stitches, lots of bloody bruised knees and chronic back pain from sitting in a saddle. (Cycling ranks as one of the world’s most dangerous sports according the Consumer Product Safety Commission http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/sport_injuries.html).

Finally, after years of competitive sports and countless injuries, I was drawn to yoga because of its overwhelming evidence of health benefits for both the mind and the body. In case you missed the part of the NYT article that spoke about the benefits of yoga, let me remind you of a few:

From within the body: decreased blood pressure, lower pulse rate, improved blood circulation, lower respiratory rate

From without the body: delayed aging, improved posture, increased strength

Emotional benefits: improved mood, stress reduction, reduced anxiety

Body chemistry: lower cholesterol, strong lymphatic system, lower blood glucose levels

Exercise benefits: low risk of injury, better muscle tone, domination of the subcortex

Disease prevention: reduced risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s

Symptom reduction: carpal tunnel, asthma and arthritis

For the full list visit of 77 benefits: http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/24/77-surprising-health-benefits-of-yoga/

For me, establishing a regular yoga practice didn’t come without hesitation. My hesitance came mostly from my impression that yoga wasn’t vigorous or physically challenging enough, and that my practice alone wouldn’t help me to maintain the health of my body. After being a competitive athlete for so many years, I yearned for something that would keep my body and mind engaged. Once I established a consistent practice, it didn’t take long for me to realize the endless amounts of opportunity that yoga could provide in the physical and mental arenas. Before yoga, my body wasn’t open, I had very little upper body strength and my balance was less than solid. But through my practice, I quickly gained strength, flexibility, balance, and most importantly, a new sense of mindfulness and patience that truly changed my life.

Over the years, yoga has helped to alleviate my back pain, strengthen my knees, improve my overall posture and open my body and mind in ways I didn’t know were possible. So when the New York Times article came out, I began questioning how it was possible for so many practitioners and teachers to “wreck” their bodies through yoga. Was it overblown? Most likely. The fact of the matter is that we can get hurt doing just about anything. We all know there are risks of participating in demanding physical activities, but did you know that one of the most common causes of neck injury is poor sleeping habits?! Yes, sleeping!

Injuries can happen anywhere from the most gentle hatha yoga class to the most challenging vinyasa flow. So how do we avoid injury in our yoga practice?  Through mindfulness, patience and taking responsibility for own health. Most often, practitioners get hurt when they don’t listen to their own bodies and push themselves to do things that they aren’t ready for. We need to take time, listen intently to what our bodies are telling us, and appreciate where we are now instead of fixating on where we wish we could be.  We have to have respect that this is a lifelong practice that goes well beyond the physical.

My practice has evolved over the years, as most do. No longer am I looking for a relentless physical pursuit; instead I spend more time with the subtle parts of yoga. Words like “challenge” have been replaced with words like “compassion” and “gratitude.” So, has yoga wrecked my body? Quite the opposite. To put it simply, yoga has changed my life in every way. It has taught me about unconditional love, compassion, joy and equanimity.

Instead of allowing the New York Times article to put an end to your yoga practice, use this opportunity to take your practice deeper.  Allow mindfulness to be your best teacher, be patient with your body and experience the ultimate joy of practice.

I can still remember the feeling… my heart was racing, my face felt flush, tension was building in my shoulders and my breathing was out of control. This wasn’t
my first race, and it wasn’t my last. It was at a point when racing had become second nature to me, but somehow this race felt different. It was the championships
during my sophomore year of college. All that I had worked for was on the line, and my team was depending on me. My fear became my reality as I cramped up in the middle of
the race, and I choked! I was in peak condition and physically prepared, but I let doubt, worry and fear consume me. That lack of confidence lost the race for me. It’s not an
uncommon thing; it’s a phenomenon known to happen in every sport, and it happens in life as well.

So what does confidence have to do with Yoga and how can we use Yoga to live with confidence? The Yogis define confidence as a positive constructive attitude of the mind
that leads to the possibility of success. This confidence serves as a lighthouse during a storm, a reminder of hope. It provides the strength needed to set our sights for the distant
shore. Without this confidence, we would be overwhelmed with fear, doubt and worry. We’d choke before we even got started.

Yoga helps us build confidence by maintaining a healthy body and training the mind. Some of our most basic yogic principles – setting a positive intention, being present,
having gratitude and developing compassion – are essential tools for instilling confidence in oneself.

1. Setting a positive intention – Karma tells us that the positive intention of our actions will bear fruit, so we need to trust in our own integrity when trying to make great things happen. When we take a moment to examine the truth of this in our own lives we can see results of our positive actions and in turn live with more confidence.
2. Being present – Instead of considering all the things that could go wrong, stay in the moment. Staying firmly grounded in the present helps to overcome fears and helps us to see the beauty in the current situation. Just by taking a few moments to follow our own breath can bring us into the present and out of fear.
3. Gratitude – Focusing on all the things we don’t have can create cycle of suffering, samasara, and lowering our self worth. Instead, when we practice gratitude on a daily basis we are reminded of the wonderful opportunity of this life and of how truly fortunate we are.
4. Compassion – Relentless pursuit of our own interest leads to disappointment, because the appetite of our own ego is insatiable. When we focus on others, we are taken out of our own head and transported to a place of endless opportunity. Thinking of others gives us the confidence of the mother who selflessly runs into the middle of a busy street to save her own child.

Confidence is something you recognize when you see it. It’s the beauty of a person who is comfortable with who they are, who is unflappable when faced with challenges, who is not afraid to set a new course. It is living in the moment and believing in the positive nature of life, believing in our human potential. When we find this we will stop treating
life as a race to be won, and start treating it as a journey to enjoy.

Much happiness,
Kevan