The Foundations of Dancing Warriors Yoga
My name is Gail Stephens, I am the Founder of Dancing Warriors Yoga, and I am a Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher and Yoga Student.
As a practitioner, I believe that it is really important to remind ourselves that we are always students, always receptive to new learning and ideas. This helps to keep us grounded and to keep the Ego mind in check.
In this first blog, I am exploring into what Yoga means to me, and what the different opportunities are to engage with the practice.
I have practiced Yoga on and off for most of my adult life; I rekindled my love affair with Yoga in 2014 and got really serious about the practice in 2015 when I embarked on my first teacher training. Coincidentally (or maybe not), this was around the time that much of what I had taken for granted began to unravel – but more of that another time.
Quite literally, the origins of the word Yoga can be translated as: to join, to unite, to yoke together. Yoga in all its many and various expressions is essentially a holistic practice which can lead to a sense of perfect harmony between mind and body, Self and Nature. Put scientifically, the emerging evidence suggests that a sustained Yoga practice can lead to changes in our neural networks and to shifts in how we perceive and interact with, our world. Wow!
In my experience, Yoga is certainly very different now from when I began to practice in a draughty church hall in County Durham. These days, yoga is virtually anything you want it to be, from the purely spiritual, to a physical fitness practice – and everything in between. And if I were to be asked if it’s all yoga, I would say yes, (Jim), it’s all yoga, but not necessarily as we know it – to misquote Star Trek.
From its origins in Ancient India, there is clear evidence that we humans have been practising yoga for thousands and thousands of years. What we identify with today as Yoga came to the west in the late 19th century; growing over the last 130 years or so into the multimillion-pound yoga industry which is all around us today. In fact, the International Yoga Federation estimate that nowadays there are about 300 million people practicing yoga
Most of us who practice Yoga are familiar with some aspects of Yogic teaching; we all practice postures, and we probably use some form of breath practice as well, and perhaps relaxation at the end of our classes. We may take a peek at some of the philosophy. And for many of us, this is absolutely enough, and will usually result in an enhanced sense of self awareness and positive personal wellbeing.
Did you know though that postures and breath work are just 2 of the 8 limbs, or aspects, of yoga, as defined by Patanjali in his writings The Yoga Sutras? Traditionally, as well as postures and breathwork, a Yoga practice will include an understanding of an ethical code to live by, and a system of inward observances; also, a sense of withdrawal – the ability to begin to distance ourselves from the distractions of our daily lives. For some of us, this is a mindfulness practice, cultivating the space to notice what is all around us, without becoming drawn in. This is the starting point from which we can develop our ability to focus and concentrate, and then to meditate, and perhaps eventually to come to a possibility of connection to a sense of bliss, or pure joy.
In some traditions of yoga, this is a sequential pathway; for other schools, it takes a more circular form, and we weave in and out of the different aspects of our practice.
There are more types of yoga classes than you could shake a stick at; from Bhakti Yoga (a purely spiritual practice), all the way through to Fitness Yoga in a gym near you now.
Whatever their style of teaching, everyone who describes themselves as a Yoga Teacher will have as a minimum a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training qualification, which will be recognised by one of the accrediting bodies, typically the British Wheel of Yoga, or the Yoga Alliance – although there are other equally reputable accrediting bodies.
Many of us who are accredited Yoga teachers go on to complete further teaching certificates, either deepening our knowledge or studying different forms of yoga. In my case, I have completed 2 different Teacher Training Certificates, each one highlighting different aspects of teaching skills, giving me a total of over 450 hours of basic teacher training. My specialism is in Yin Yoga, and I have completed both basic and advanced Teacher Training for Yin, as well as for teaching Five Elements and Yin, (please let me know if you would like any more information about this aspect of my teaching). I have also completed training in Mindfulness and Yoga.
It is worth checking out what certificated training your teacher has, especially if you are interested in a specific form of yoga that they are offering (for example, pregnancy yoga, yoga for the menopause, yin yoga, and so on), since each of these areas of specialism requires a different level of knowledge from being able to teach general classes.
Most Yoga teachers are affiliated to one of the recognised accrediting organisations – I am registered both with the Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Professionals and recognised by both of them as an Experienced Yoga Teacher. We are all (or we certainly should be), insured; many of us are also trained as First Aiders.
Beyond that, as a student, the most important thing is that your teacher resonates well with you – you like their style, the focus of their classes and the way in which they practice and teach. If you love to sing and chant, then you will probably want to find a teacher who regularly includes that in their classes. If you don’t – perhaps better to find a class where that is not a key feature of the practice. I think that it’s really important to join a class where you are comfortable with the pace and intensity of the practice; you are much less likely to injure yourself and will definitely enjoy the class more. Also, make sure you like the teacher’s voice - you certainly are going to spend a long time listening to it. When you are starting out on your yoga journey, it’s definitely worth while trying a few different styles of classes and teachers, before settling down with your preferred type of class. For me, it’s important that my teacher teaches authentically from their heart, and that they are able to create and maintain an inclusive and safe space.
“No frill, no gimmicks, just hugely helpful”. This is how one of my students described my classes, (and he should know, he’s been practicing with me for years). My teaching style is definitely down to earth, grounded into intuitive common sense, with the invitation to explore into what is possible from practice to practice. My classes are intentionally small, so that I can create an inclusive supportive community; and they are slow (Slow Flow Hatha) and very slow (Yin Yoga); working with the breath, brain, and body, so that students can find their breathing space and come to a place of alert calm.
You can find out more about my classes here: www.dancingwarriors.com/practice. I would love to see you in class.