Over the years I have found myself pondering, “have I placed myself as a Yoga Teacher in a box calling myself “Yoga4Yachties” … when I say this number “13” it represents my time living and practicing yoga on a boat, which seems quite unimaginable even to me, but here I am in my bunk typing away and pondering. I want to share yoga to all the public, but my lifestyle and home floats on the water, so my teachings of course will be within my community and Island Life…and I’m happy with this, and if I stray outside my box, my classrooms are never far from the water.
As I continue to ponder, I also reflect on my recent Yoga Workshop held at Marina Mirage Gold Coast, and how my teachings are changing to suit and help my sailing community practice yoga onboard. In a pre-covid world I would enjoy teaching during the past decade in Natures Classroom’s, offering my blissology inspired Vinyasa flows, these classes my students embraced, but we were on land not practicing on our boats!
I recently said to a student I am Teacher Training “Push aside all the information you are learning to teach me how to flow through Sun Salutations, by watching and listening to your body – you are your teacher, as I observe you silently flowing you are stepping, turning on toe mounds, aligning, raising arms, relaxing shoulders and breathing in the pause before transitions ……. close your eyes and don’t think just pay attention to how you move and feel in the pose and repeat those actions verbally.”
So I decided to listen to the “Wise Guide Inside” (or until recently I thought this trademark saying from my teacher Eoin Finn was saying wise guy inside lol) and teach a class based on putting myself into the “bare feet” of other sailors who had never practiced yoga on board or had attempted and struggled. I really wanted to encourage them to begin a yoga practice, find the simplicity of practice on board as well as learn how to challenge yourself in a safe way.
I thought about how many times I had created a sequence on my bunk, because rain was pouring down outside or I just felt like lying and stretching. Words from my trainings were coming to the fore front of my mind whispering , “nearly all yoga poses can be done supine” and a clear vision appears watching a demonstration of a student in Triangle being lowered to the floor.
As we age, fear of falling, our balance becoming unstable, knees, hips & back injuries all have a roll in this workshop…whether at home or on a boat this workshop discussed scenarios, how to center and align your body for safety, as well as how to use props, like blocks , straps and sheets.
I am always a little nervous before teachings “It is healthy a yoga teacher said to me recently “It’s ok to be nervous, it just shows you care.” So I carefully prepared and opened the workshop with a 40-50 min flow practice. If the ultimate compliment can be someone falling asleep in crocodile pose, I was pleasantly surprised by this as well as our discussion after the flow experience.
Thank you to all who joined the workshop, I am always humbled to share and especially grateful I could have a in-person classroom experience as so many of my Yoga Teacher friends around the world are in lock down and virtual is the only option.
We now need to work on motivation to continue to step onto your mats, so enjoy the 45 + videos to help you continue your practice in my private Facebook group continually sharing live classes with you both virtually and in studio (studio space TBA where very soon)
Remember challenges are only hurdles to jump over, don’t allow fear to paralyze you, allow yoga into your life, find the motivation by reflecting how badly you want to live your sailing lifestyle and enjoy moving freely like you did in youth.
Love and Light
Leanne x
Namaste Ocean Yoga ™©
(I wished I had taken a photo of the workshop, but I smile that we were so busy learning and sharing taking a snapshot of your lovely presence, will just be an imprint on my mind and kept in my heart as a memory shared with 8 beautiful souls)
leayogathoughts 