Mala Beads: The Yogi Accessory I Didn't Have. Who Knew?

Today we did something different. L, Aussie A, and I got up at 6:15 am, had a quick breakfast, and walked into town for lattes and a cappuccino. COFFEE. Yes, you heard that right. An important yogi in our lives confessed yesterday that her current bad habit is coffee. And with that one statement we said to ourselves, well if SHE drinks coffee, why are we denying ourselves?

So we headed out in the dark morning. I was still terrified of the many dogs in this town, but we decided the best plan was to each carry a rock that we could throw at any attacking dogs.

Rocks in hand, we hiked into town safely and enjoyed some delicious drinks at Daily Coffee. In true yogi style, we followed Michelle's advice, and drank our coffee mindfully, enjoying each sip. We also did our daily oracle cards in the coffee house and did our gratitude statements on the walk home. All in all, we felt it wasn't much of a cheat in our detox process!

 

Today's yoga practice was a very physically demanding one and I was drenched in sweat both times. We're working really hard on our joint flexibility and standing poses with both Michelle and Marita, as well as a number of floor poses and a back series. I nearly got into shoulder stand and plough by myself today, so I'm making some progress at least. Marita worked us exceptionally hard tonight--we took three hours for our theory component with Marita, only leaving one hour for our physical practice. I was thinking with relief, only an hour, how bad can it be? Well I was very wrong. After 12 sun salutations with breath of fire, I was a puddle. The pace continued with our entire standing pose series, with the addition of 15 fire breaths while we held them. The we held them and breathed normally (or tried to) as she adjusted everyone in pose. We weren't allowed to drop our arms as we transitioned from triangle to warriors 1 and 2, which was an absolute killer! Marita shouted encouragement as our arms trembled, declaring, "You are WARRIORS! Not pussycats!" But it wasn't much help. We ended our physical practice with mantras and five minutes of meditation which is challenging for me. But I'll take failed attempts at meditation over super hard asanas any day!

 

Theory with Michelle today focused on living the yogic lifestyle through the eight limbs of yoga. Physical poses (asanas) are only one limb of yoga--there are seven more. In the western world, we give a great deal of weight to physical poses and often neglect the other limbs of yoga. Today we talked about the first two limbs, which are basically the ten commandments of yoga: yama and niyama. Yama include more social issues in our interactions with others: non-violence (love to all creatures, hence vegetarian and vegan diets), truthfulness (lying uses up energy and causes inner conflict), non-stealing (even things such as other people's time and energy), cultivation and preservation of sexual energy (this inspired lively discussion), and non-covetousness. Michelle challenged us to make an effort in each area as our homework.

 

As we discussed truthfulness, I could just hear my Grandma saying, "If you're going to lie, you'd better have a good memory." It was interesting to hear how modern yogis have chosen to implement these ten commandments in their own lives. Abstaining from sex and conserving sexual energy is not realistic--especially if a yogi wants to get married and have a family. Michelle said traditional yogis believed that sexual energy should be conserved and sent up to the brain for higher consciousness, but today's yogis believe that sexual energy just shouldn't be wasted and should take place in a loving relationship. 

 

The rest of our theory with Michelle was on the topic of meditation. She explained how to get started meditating, proper postures for meditation, and mala beads. MALA BEADS? What are those and why don't I have any? It turned out that everyone but Belgian A and I already had mala beads. So that was what Michelle was always wearing around her wrist. I just thought it was a cool bracelet. I soon learned that mala beads are basically like a rosary, and you say a mantra for each bead--there's 108 beads. As Michelle showed us hers and my friend L showed me her beautiful quartz mala beads with a pink tassel, I instantly coveted them. Rule number 5 out the window in no time at all! As I was planning on doing some online shopping at lunch for mala beads, Michelle assured me that she was giving us some next week. At least I didn't have to break out that bad habit of shopping just yet.

After I got over my mala bead excitement (It's a bracelet! It's a necklace! You look like a real yogi!), Michelle explained that many people think that meditation involves emptying your mind and being in complete stillness with no thoughts. This is a misconception. Instead, meditation involves keeping the body still and grounded, focusing on breathing, and allowing thoughts to come and go in the brain without exploring any of them--just observing them and letting them go. This made meditation seem less daunting to me, and I know that I need to get better at this aspect of yoga--research shows the benefits are huge.

 

Our theory portion with Marita consisted of asana study--which sounds tedious, and it is a little, but it's very informative and essential to becoming a good yoga teacher. We went off on a lot of tangents today and I learned some interesting things. Marita confided that she is a "centre seeker" instead of a sensation seeker. She pursues any activity that helps her find her centre. She advised us to consider the energy value of any foods we put in our mouths and what our bodies can gain from the food in order to eat more healthfully and achieve our natural body weight. Warrior poses and most standing poses give you courage and confidence in facing life, and warrior poses are more about attitude than anything else. And most excitingly, when you are heavily engaged in a yogic lifestyle, it is no problem for your body to burn off a glass of wine or a beer. She advises that if you really crave it, you should have it, but enjoy it mindfully, savour every bit of it, and exercise moderation. Moderation in all things, except in moderation itself!

 

Don't ask me why I need to go to Greece to learn these things--it's common sense after all, but my mind is very open and receptive, and my intention (we set one each day for our practice) is to stretch myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So there is no time like the present to put these ideas into practice.

 

My friends at yoga teacher training and the food continue to be a highlight of each day and today was no exception!

 Hummus balls with tzatziki for dipping, sundried tomato and cheese salad on the side!

Spanakopita and beetroot for dinner tonight!

 

 

 



Day 5: Zombie Yoga and Other Bad Habits

Today began with my morning meditation on the rooftop with Aussie A. Waking up in the morning is so easy when you have something pleasant and rewarding to look forward to. I expected to be really stiff after yesterday's demanding asanas, but I was surprisingly limber after a good night's sleep. The only thing still bothering me was a headache. When I told Aussie A this, she offered me her fluorite crystal bracelet to wear, as fluorite is meant to be good for headaches. As I write this blog post, I am now headache free. Everyone needs a friend who is a crystal expert! A also mended my torn yoga pants and did a great job. I'm going to try wearing them tomorrow and see if they hold up.

Ready for another big day of yoga!

A's fluorite bracelet

Today was another physically demanding day, beginning with asanas with our yoga teacher, Marita. We started off with 12 sun salutations which certainly generate a lot of heat. After joint movement exercises, we spent the remainder of the two hour session really getting into some basic poses, such as tadasana, tree, warriors 1 and 2, chair, triangle, and intense side stretch pose. The good part? Marita gives extremely explicit cueing so that we know exactly how to do the pose. As we hold pose, she moves from person to person, giving hands on adjustments to ensure we feel how the pose is properly done. The bad part? We have to hold pose while she adjusts all eight people in the class. If a bunch of us aren't in proper position, this takes a VERY long time. As sweat is pouring down our red faces, Marita moves from person to person, assuring us loudly in her German accent, "It's all right. You are fine. Everything is good. Just breathe." If we forget to breathe, she reminds us, "Breathe, breathe louder! I can't hear you! What is this? Zombie yoga? You're scaring me!" I've learned a great deal from Marital in only two days!

After two hours of this, we were given a short break, then it was time for theory. Marita prefers to teach theory in the studio so we can have hands on practice and apply the theory as needed. Today we examined tadasana (mountain pose or palm tree pose), swaying palm tree pose, and tree pose. For each pose, we identified the prana (energies) that were activated, the chakras that were targeted, the alignment cues that we use, and the benefits. This took quite a long time, then we worked in partners to cue each other in the poses. It was our first attempt at teaching, and my bossy kindergarten teacher skills definitely came in handy. Right L?

A nap was needed this afternoon, then Michelle was back to do theory with us from 3-5 pm. Today's focus was on kundalini energy. Kundalini is this extremely powerful form of energy that resides in our lowest chakra, the root or "mooladhara" chakras. Kundalini energy should only be awakened if the pathway is clear to the brain from the lowest chakras all the way to the crown chakra at the top of the head. Otherwise, this powerful energy can get trapped part way up. Michelle told an entertaining/scary story of a woman whose kundalini energy was awakened when her body was not prepared for it. It got stuck in between the first and second chakras in the area that controls sexual desire. The woman basically became a nymphomaniac until the kundalini energy returned to its resting place!!! It took about 48 hours I guess.... If the kundalini energy rises unrestricted to the brain, it causes a huge awakening in unused parts of the brain causing huge changes. The body undergoes a complete rejuvenation, the voice changes, hormonal secretions change, creativity and energy increases, and a spiritual awakening takes place. Yoga practice prepares the body to activate and properly handle kundalini energy. So basically, amateurs should not mess around with raising kundalini.

Then finally we had a discussion on how to transform bad habits through the practice of transformational Hatha yoga. This began with identifying our bad habits, and we took turns sharing them around the table, As each person shared one or two bad habits, and one man said he didn't have any (SERIOUSLY??), I realized that I had finally found my niche at yoga teacher training. I have countless bad habits! Drinking lattes, drinking alcohol, shopping too much, not getting enough rest, pushing myself too hard, and allowing stress to run my life. I think the rest of the group was impressed! Michelle shared a variety of yoga-based strategies to transform these bad habits, and as we begin to live a more yogic lifestyle, she promises that the desire to engage in these bad habits will lesson. Here's hoping!

Two more hours of asana practice where we went really in depth into poses that target the first chakra, the root chakras, gave us our first opportunity to practice hands-on adjustments. We worked in partners to physically adjust each other in poses. I felt like a real yoga teacher!

A delicious meal of Italian minestrone soup, fresh bread, and olive tapenade, beautiful sunset views, and a good visit with the girls concluded another day of yoga teacher training!

Chef Leonardo's interpretation of Italian minestrone soup

Fresh whole wheat bread and olive tapenade

Beautiful views from the supper table

Day 4: Savasana....Please?

After the trauma of last night's near dog bite and Lulu Wunder Under destroy, I was a bit off my game. And I know I'm not going to cope well with wearing the same pair of purple crops for the next three weeks (as much as I love them). So L, Aussie A, and I are planning a day trip to Athens on Saturday. We can ride the bus to the city limits then take the subway to downtown Athens for a day of shopping. I have directions to a yoga place (not Lululemon as they are not in Greece yet) and hopefully I can buy some decent tights.

We're also going to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch, and I'm debating having a latte at Starbucks. If I got sugar-free and decaf espresso it wouldn't really be a cheat, would it? Another fun event we're looking into for Friday night is some kind of big DJ party in Lagonissi. Since we can't drink alcohol, we're going to take bottles of water and pretend we're ravers.

Not drinking alcohol? Cheating with a Starbucks latte? You might wonder who is writing this post. Yes, I assure you it's me. However, we're strongly encouraged to eat an entirely vegetarian diet with no alcohol, no sugar, and no stimulants (caffeine), while we complete our yoga teacher training. By day 10, we will have fully detoxed. I think I've started detoxing already as I hurt everywhere and I have a headache. Take Advil? No, just power through that detox Devon.

Speaking of hurting everywhere, that could also be from the four hours of asanas today. Every morning, Michelle adds new poses and variations to our practice and this morning was more challenging than previous days. It also seemed to be hotter in the studio and I sweated like a stuck pig. However, I felt that I had a really solid practice this morning and am already making progress. My friend L and I are the queens of the bolsters over in our corner as both of us have sucky hip and hamstring flexibility. The number of bolsters surrounding us is a bit embarrassing (but that is an un-yogi-like thought). Our second asana practice today was with a new teacher, Marita. Her style is very different from Michelle's, but I really enjoyed Marita as well. I was enjoying her less after we worked through every joint in the body for two hours. Really.

Marita: Keep holding your arms out in front of you. Now that we've worked the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, and the fingers, how do your arms feel? Lighter?

Me (in my head): Like I want to put them down. The only way they'd feel better was if I were holding a glass of wine with them. Can we PLEASE do savasana now?

Marita: We've worked through every joint in our body now. How does your body feel? Like you've just had a massage? Energized?

Me (in my head): My body wants supper and a hot bath. It aches everywhere. Oh, and a glass of wine.

So all whining aside, it was another amazing day. We spent a lot of time in our morning theory class learning how to do locks or in Sanskrit, "bandhas". Basically locks are used to redirect the flow of energy within the body for the purpose of spiritual awakening and other therapeutic effects. There are three places we can lock in our body: throat, abdomen, and perineum (yes, down THERE). So we learned the theory behind each lock, then sat on the floor in a circle and practiced each lock, gradually building until we could do all three locks at once. It was a bit awkward sitting in a circle and clenching our perineum muscles while looking at each other! But I feel like we know each other so much better now!

Additionally, I had a great morning meditation with Aussie A on the roof today, and drew a fantastic card that was really meaningful.

She's also offered to attempt to fix my dog-destroyed Lulus. So Aussie A, L, and I walked downtown today on our lunch break to the supermarket to purchase needle and thread. We also splurged on some no sugar added fruit juices and lemons and limes to flavour our water! Wow.

The meals continue to be fabulous, my teachers are inspiring, and I love the people I'm with. So stiffness, soreness, detoxing, and perineum-squeezing aside, it was another great day in the life of an aspiring yogi.

Day 3, Part 2: You Had Me at OM

Today was our first full day following our schedule, and it was a HUGE day. We began with two hours of asana class (physical poses), with lots of breathing to accompany each pose. Some of the breathing was familiar, such as breath of fire and ocean breath, but other stuff was brand new, such as sheep's breath. Sheep's breath is a cooling breath, and you actually stick out your tongue as far as you can, roll it vertically like a long straw, and suck in air through your tongue and exhale through your nose. So needless to say I'm happy that I'm in that portion of the population who is genetically able to roll their tongues!

The asana class was challenging but good. I cranked out a great wheel pose and full bow pose, which were the highlights of my morning. My super-tight hamstrings continue to challenge me in seated forward fold and shoulder stand and plough remain difficult.

My favourite part of the class is all the mantras we use. From the first "OM" I ever uttered in a yoga class at Zen Zone in Brandon, I was hooked. Mantra is defined as a sound or series of sounds having physical, psychic, or spiritual potency when recited in a certain manner. It operates on the belief that the world is in a constant state of vibration and we generate vibrations through mantra that can alter our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional states. Our yoga teacher Michelle says that the mind is like a drunk monkey and mantras silence the mind. Every morning we begin with an invocation mantra in Sanskrit that invites bliss, consciousness, and truth eternally, ending with OM. No one has a definite idea where OM originated from, but it is defined as the verbal expression of creation and is present in some variations in all faiths. Christians say "Amen" for example. The other interesting thing that was confirmed for me today is that yoga is NOT a religion. Yoga is spiritual, inclusive, and encompasses all faiths.

Following our asana class, we had a break then two hours of theory. They say teachers are the worst students, and when I am learning something new at a conference, I usually paraphrase my learning and tweet it out on Twitter. Well no one does that at yoga teacher training, so it's old school with a notebook and pen. I don't even have a highlighter! Today's theory classes focused on the seven chakras (energy centres located along the midline of the body in line with the spinal cord) and prana (our life force). Pranayama is the term used to describe our efforts to control our prana, which encompasses a variety of breathing practices.

My favourite part of today was our final asana practice. We had a yin class, which is when we hold a pose for a minimum of three minutes, practice breathing techniques, and really relax into the pose. We concluded our practice today with yoga nidra. I had never heard of yoga nidra before, but we spent some time learning about it during theory today, and I was super excited to try it. Yoga nidra is the practice of dynamic sleep--sleep with a trace of awareness. It's conscious relaxation, and we got comfortable on our mats with bolsters, blankets, and eye pillows. Michelle's voice led us through 40 minutes of yoga nidra, including relaxation, breathing, and visualization. We set a sankalpa at the beginning, which means resolution or resolve--useful for overcoming habits or achieving goals. When our minds are in the yoga nidra state, setting a sankalpa is like planting a seed in the subconscious. The forty minutes seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, yet it seemed to last forever. It was an amazing experience and we do yoga nidra at least twice a week in our teacher training.

I was flying high after my wonderful day, but sadly got brought down to earth with an actual bite on the butt! Aussie A and I decided to go for a walk as I had less than 1000 steps on my Fitbit today. All was going well until an unleashed dog came running out of nowhere, barking its head off. We walked faster, but it chased us and went for me! Its teeth caught my brand-new Lulu wonder under tights and ripped them. We got away as fast as we could and I thought the dog had actually bit me. Poor A was subjected to me pulling down my tights in the middle of the street to see if the skin was broken. Thankfully it was not, as that would have meant a trip to the hospital and rabies injections! So it was a very scary experience but it could have ended a lot worse. The ongoing tragedy is that I only had two pairs of yoga crops (backpacking problems) and now I only have a purple pair. I'm accepting donations in Lagonissi, Greece, if you want to help out an aspiring yogi!

Day 3, Part 1: Rooftop Meditation, Breakfast of Champions!

Day 3 has dawned at yoga teacher training, and I've just returned from a morning meditation session on the rooftop terrace. This isn't an official activity led by our teacher; instead we are encouraged to meditate on our own prior to our first asana (physical postures) class of the day. Being a complete novice at meditation, I was really grateful when my new friend A from Australia asked me if I'd like to join her on the roof for her morning ritual.

It was still dark when we walked up to the roof, and we began by doing square breathing (breathe in for a count of 3, hold for 3, breathe out for 3). After each round of breathing, we took turns naming something that we were grateful for. Things as simple as the beautiful cool morning on the rooftop to bigger things such as gratitude for the amazing opportunity unfolding before us--yoga teacher training!

After our square breathing and expressing gratitude, A led me through a guided relaxation/meditation activity. We laid on loungers, and her voice guided us through relaxing every part of our bodies, from our toes up, and envisioning a bright light sweeping over us, bringing peace and relaxation. A is trained in crystal sound therapy, and following our meditation, she played her crystal singing bowl. She has many bowls at home in Australia, but was only able to bring one with her. This one looks like a wide, medium-sized vase with a 6-inch diameter. It's made from crushed quartz and glazed with crushed aquamarine. It's very beautiful and gives off the most lovely sound that resonates all around you. She uses a mallot to play it.

Next we selected an oracle card from her deck. These are not to be confused with tarot cards--instead they encourage reflection rather than predicting the future. The card I chose was so relevant that it gave me goosebumps. This concluded our morning on the rooftop, and it was a wonderful way to start my day. I'm so grateful that A included me and I can tell that she is going to be a wonderful yoga teacher who already brings so much to her practice.

We returned to my second-level apartment for breakfast with L and Belgian A. As we ate breakfast together and chatted, each of them selected an oracle card for the day and we reflected on the meaning. Breakfast was delicious as always--Greek yogurt, fresh honey, fruit, and fresh whole wheat bread.

My friend L has recommended Beau Taplin, an Australian author. He has beautiful passages and quotations on Instagram. Follow him @beautaplin. 

 New people, things, and practices I've learned about:

Amma, the Hugging Saint from India

Crystal Sound Healing

David Sye Yoga: Chocolate Meditation

Day 2: First Day in the Studio

After a solid nine hours sleep, I was excited to get out of bed and eat some local Greek yogurt with honey, fruit, and granola. Leah and I fully intended to eat this breakfast in Ios (our hotel even provided it for free), but for some reason we never surfaced in time!

A new student arrived at breakfast. J is also from Yorkshire, England, and has a natural health business and farm. Her friend L is joining us later today. It is totally fascinating to meet everyone and hear their stories. So many of us seem to be on the same kind of journey. More than one of us commented that we're totally living "Eat Pray Love"!

Beaching with A and L 

L texted me this after we met. Two peas in a pod? I think so. 

At 10 am, we headed downstairs to the yoga studio. It was all set up for class and it was our first chance to meet our main teacher, Michelle Kaminski. Michelle has an amazing biography and has studied with famous gurus all over India. She has a fantastic yoga body and looks a lot like Mellisa Hollingsworth (the Canadian Olympic skeleton racer). Our first class began with everyone sharing a bit about themselves and why we were there. Next was breathing techniques (pranayama) and stretching to warm up. Then we began our physical postures (asanas), ending with an extremely relaxing savasana guided by Michelle's voice. I couldn't believe that two hours were over already! 

We headed upstairs to my apartment to receive our books and begin the theory component of the course. This only made me more confident in my selection of programs as I learned that transformational Hatha yoga brings about complete transformation at the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. Michelle assured us that we will begin to detoxify immediately on our vegetarian diet (NO WINE? WHAT?) and complete the process within ten days. She also said that by the time we leave here in a month's time we will notice significant differences in ourselves--perspective, thought processes, coping skills, as well as physical changes too (bikini body anyone??). Bring on the transformation is all I can say! We also completed a health survey and Michelle met with each of us individually to address any questions and learn more about us. 

Daily schedule 

This was followed by an amazing lunch by Chef Leonardo--Eggplant Parmigiana (my favourite), salad with all kinds of vegetables including avocado, fava (mashed chick peas with lemon and olive oil), and more homemade whole wheat bread. Yum. 

Since it's our first day of the course, we concluded after lunch and have the rest of the day to ourselves. Beach anyone?

Day 1 of Yoga Teacher Training: Here We Go!

So after an amazing 9 days in Athens, Santorini, and Ios with my best friend and fellow Kenton girl Leah Obach, it was time to get down to more work and less play... yoga teacher training in Lagonissi, Greece, at the Transformational Hatha Yoga Centre. Ever since I mustered up my courage and paid a 500 euro deposit last June, and I have been nervously excited about this new opportunity. But now that the day was finally here, I was definitely more nervous than excited. After saying goodbye to Leah, I killed time at the airport for nearly 4 hours--eating my last burger in anticipation of an entirely vegetarian diet for the next three weeks! Leonardo picked picked me up at the airport--he's Italian and does all the cooking at the yoga centre. Leonardo is Michelle's husband, and Michelle is the director of Yoga Alliance Europe and our main teacher. Yoga Alliance International is a global certification body for yoga teachers and courses.

Another woman also joined us at the airport for the 45 minute drive to Lagonissi, Greece. J is a fashion designer with her own line of eel skin hand bags and wallets and she's from Yorkshire, England. Her husband is Dutch-Italian and speaks five languages!

After some beautiful coastline views and a long drive uphill (oh oh, do I really have to walk this?), we arrived at the yoga centre. It's a three storey building perched on the side of a hill. The lowest floor is the yoga studio, and the second and third floors are the Om Guesthouse where students stay. I was given a room with three beds on the second floor, and I quickly chose the bed off on its own and separated by a curtain.

My little area with my Deuter backpack waiting to be unpacked.

Fresh fruit, tea, and water is always available.

 

The living room and gathering area of the house

 

The next person I met was D. He is involved in fashion and a judo instructor from Paris, France, I dusted off my high school French skills and was able to have a somewhat successful conversation with him. Leonardo served lunch to J, D, and I, but after two McDonald's cheeseburgers in the airport, I really wasn't hungry. Then lunch was done, I unpacked my things, got some laundry going (in a confusing European washer), and for the first time in months, I actually had nothing to do. As panic was setting in, I considered the options. I could blog. I could visit the library of yoga books on the third floor and start reading one. Before I had to make a decision, Leonardo returned with three more students.

L is a former heavy equipment operator at Port Hedland, Western Australia, but hails from Tasmania. I quickly recognized a kindred spirit in her! Aussie A is a former geographical information systems person who is now studying crystals and crystal sound therapy. Belgian A is in sales and marketing, but became interested in yoga after years of insomnia and a bad skiing accident. Yoga was the key to her recovery.

Next thing I knew, we were putting on our bikinis and heading to the local beach. Two buckets of Mythos later, L and Belgian A and I were well on our way to becoming good friends. L and I instantly hit it off and I can tell that we're going to have a lot of fun together!

After a long walk back from the beach, Leonardo served our vegetarian supper--spinach casserole with an egg topping, a large salad, and homemade whole wheat bread. I found some butter in the fridge and really carb-loaded on that bread as all the vegetarian food did not seem to make me feel full!

After another visit with the girls, it was time for bed. The main area of my floor is air conditioned but not the bedrooms, and it was a warm night for sleeping. But I was exhausted and slept a solid nine hours with no problems! We are required to eat breakfast two hours before our first yoga session of the day, so we all need to eat before 8 am on Sunday. I had a delicious breakfast of Greek yogurt, honey, banana, and homemade granola. Now it's time to head to the studio, meet our instructor Michelle, and see how this yoga teacher training goes!

View from the sitting area in my apartment

Rooftop terrace--perfect for sunset views

 

Another day, another amazing sunset!