Teaching Adaptive Yoga doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it is actually the simplest and most beautiful form of yoga you can teach. I’ll walk you through common questions in this upcoming series to take the guess work out. When we understand that the root of Yoga is union, and let go of the need for perfect postures, it really is magic.
I get asked all the time how I teach yoga to people who are living with multiple disabilities. Some of my students live with paralysis, dementia, Parkinson’s, and end of life illness.
Simple.
I offer them a space to find themselves perfect as they are in that moment. I offer them space to be themselves and to embrace their wholeness.
Leading a sequence of postures is the least importance focus I have.
This is my heart and my whole world. I want to show others the possibility of what teaching adaptive yoga can bring to your life.
In the coming weeks, I will be opening up my private YouTube Q & A sessions to share more of the work and I do and why. Even if you don’t teach or practice yoga, perhaps the lessons within will open your heart as to how you might be able to serve others.
This is just the start of some good things! Stay tuned.
With over sixteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is a E-500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Certified Trauma Informed Coach, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor.
I knew early on that teaching yoga to unique populations was what my purpose was. I was certain that I wanted to bring yoga to people who would otherwise not be able to easily access it. Years ago I began by peddling my offerings into rehab centers and places elderly lived. I taught for many years with the National MS society. My adaptive yoga journey started at a local organization that offers adaptive sports to adults with varying disabilities. Teaching to this population, I found was definitely at home and found pure joy in the work.
I also have taught and continue to teach “typical” people in my studio and in the community. It fills a different place in my heart. I love bringing some of my special experiences with my other students into the space of a regular ol’ yoga class. When I was actively sharing yoga in the hospice world, I had many lessons that were gifted to me from those who were dying and I embedded them into my yoga classes.
Why The Pillars?
For nearly two decades I have logged and stored away many of those special experiences and continue to pull from them often. I also have grown tremendously as a yoga teacher. In that time, I developed techniques that have success when sharing yoga with different populations. I have crafted this technique into a method I call the Four Pillars to Adaptive Yoga. Really, these pillars should be in every yoga class, but a definite must for the adaptive yoga world.
Every community across the globe has people with disabilities who need adaptive yoga and mindfulness. They need connection, movement, breath and gratitude. It is my mission that as many people as possible will have access to yoga, but I need your help!
If you are a yoga teacher, a mental health worker, an occupational therapist, a counselor, a certified nurse’s aid, or a compassionate person YOU can do this!
The Guide to Adaptive Yoga
I created a guide to get you started and I have TONS of resources and experiences if it sparks something in you that wants more. I will walk you through how to market yourself, how to invoice, how to grow your offerings and how to bring YOU into your community to serve others.
With over sixteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is an experienced 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Certified Trauma Informed Coach, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie brings her personal life experience of raising a daughter with a disability and over 12 years working in special education to her everyday Yoga classes.
A person with a traumatic brain injury can practice yoga, it just might not look like the yoga we have learned in our Western view. I have permission from this man’s family to share a little of his story. I no longer work with him because of the pandemic moved him out of the facility I saw him in. My time with him was a great experience for me and we worked together for three years.
His Story
His injury occurred when he was just 12 years old coming home from a family ski weekend in the mountains. An oncoming vehicle struck his family’s car and he was injured badly. His traumatic brain injury caused a long term coma, loss of communication, and severe body damage. His cognitive ability was stunted to a young child’s level and yet, he continued to age and become a man.
I began sharing yoga with this man about 10 years ago. He never wanted to participate in the group class I was leading at the assisted living home he lived in. He has some pretty tough “behaviors” due to his injury and lack of communication so group settings were really hard for him.
People would often ask me how I was teaching him yoga since he was paralyzed on one side and had very rigid limbs and atrophy in most of his major muscles, and actually even his hands. He has minimal language and was very hard to understand so he often resorted to yelling and destruction. I asked his family if I could try working 1:1 with him. I wanted to give this guy some goodness and show him he had value and he was often viewed as a challenge by the 24/7 staff.
Our yoga sessions consisted of me talking to him like a normal person, sharing silly things to make him laugh, bringing in his favorite color red in the form of balloons and balls to have him attempt to swat with his working arm, sharing wild orange essential oil, taking deep breaths together, moving his affected limbs gently in range of motion exercises, giving him a neck and shoulder massage, talked about the good in our lives, and mostly connecting with this human.
Is this Yoga?
Did we do a sun salutation? Nope. Did I speak in Sanskrit? Nope. Did I stand and just guide a series of movements? Nope.
Did we connect in Union? Yep. Did he experience movement? Yep. Did we breathe together? Yep. Did we share gratitude? Yep.
The Four Pillars
Those are the four pillars that I teach and preach when working with someone with different abilities. Actually all my classes regardless of ability have those four pillars.
Connect Move Breathe Gratitude
Last I heard from his mom he was doing well. He is now 45 and still loves the color red.
I have never been one to get wound up over popularity contests and certainly have never put myself in the running for a “best of” anything. Instead, I humbly go about my life doing what I believe I am here to do. I am the least competitive person you might ever meet, unless I am competing with myself. I generally pay very little attention to what other people are doing as it relates to comparing myself to them.
Each year our city offers a “best of” contest. For many this is a time for their businesses to be recognized as a great place to go and the awards are often hung up in establishments.
In my quest for to be more vulnerable this year, I decided to toss my name in the hat, but NOT as a yoga studio. I opted to steer away from the yoga studio category since my small studio hosts just a handful of. classes per month and the rest work is out in the community taking yoga into the world of assisted living settings. When I saw the category of “person who makes a difference” I decided that felt much more aligned with me and I decided to go for it.
When people ask the specifics of what I do, most people are surprised if not shocked that nearly every neighborhood in every community has homes that have been adapted to accommodate sometimes up to eight individuals with disabilities that require 24/7 care. These people might be living with a traumatic brain injury, dementia or other neurological condition that requires constant care.
Within that care system, I am blessed to bring yoga to them. I load up my car with straps, blocks, scarves and other tools and off I go. I currently serve over 50 different homes and see close to 375 people per month who are living in these homes.
Most of the time these residents have minimal outside world connection. They occasionally have a community outing but for the most part, they are isolated and with isolation comes loneliness.
Each day that I get in my car to commute (sometimes 200-300 miles), I am filled with excitement. I get so much from them that I often say that one day I will return to my beginning roots when I taught yoga for free and just do it because it is so rewarding. Thankfully I am very fortunate and blessed that I earn a living doing something that I love so very much.
What I do not love is the lack of awareness the world has for people who could be your neighbors. The lack of neighborly love and a desire to engage with others is maddening. Most of the homes that I visit have never met their neighbors. Imagine how fulfilled these people might be if you took your passion or hobby or gift and shared it with them? What if more people included them in the neighborhood cookie exchange or even an email list to offer the occasional help? Can you imagine the mutual joy that would come by sharing an audio book or a game of cards?
I want people to realize that as we all age there is a likelihood we will one day be having the same lonely experience in the last chapter of our lives. How can we as a world make a difference?
This is not about ME being the best of anything. This is about the BEST people I get to serve each day.
I want THEIR stories to be known. Please consider voting for me so that as the awareness grows on the lives living in assisted living, perhaps more people will choose to serve them.
**go to city life and scroll to “person making a difference” find my name (Stacie Wyatt, Embracing Spirit Yoga)
About Stacie
Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life.She is currently contracted in over 50 assisted living settings.
With over sixteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is an E-500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie is also certified in Integrative Movement Therapy™and is also a believer in the power and application of essential oils for health and wellness and proudly shares doTERRA essential oils.
Stacie brings her personal life experience of raising a daughter with a disability and over 12 years working in special education to her everyday Yoga classes making them accessible and enjoyable for all abilities.
In addition to teaching classes at a variety of local centers and health clubs, Stacie also continues to offer Yoga and Wellness coaching individually to those seeking private sessions.
Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare.
He sits on the end of the sofa with a warm blanket and foam boots to keep his ankles from hitting each other as his body uncontrollably shakes.
He watches every move I make. He cannot speak or move voluntarily.
He attempts to smile at my horrible jokes. I am certain on my bad hair days when I acknowledge that I just didn’t have time to deal with my hair, he is laughing.
While I teach the adaptive yoga class to the other residents, he watches every move I make.
When I hold his hand and we talk about how horrible the football season has been or the beautiful changing weather, his eyes stare into mine.
There is an inaudible language that is spoken. His eyes see and express so much.
This week as we were chatting, I mentioned that I believe the eyes see into the true spirit or a person.
Just then something amazing happened. Watch this…
Think Yoga is all about asana (postures) and touching your toes?
When you hear the word “yoga” what do you think of? Is yoga just another form of exercise? Is yoga a religion?
The Myths of Yoga
A year or so ago I reacted to the frustration I feel at times for the yoga culture we have seemed to create in the western world. I opened my mouth in a fit of grievance and spoke truthfully about this publicly. Some heard it with curiosity and grace, while others were dismayed at my seemingly arrogant stance on this.
In our western yoga culture there seem to be so much focus on the physical body, and it’s honestly so disheartening, especially since Yoga teacher trainings capture the philosophy and other aspects of Yoga over the course of the 200 or 300 hours of learning. At least they should.
Let me be clear, of course the sensations we feel while putting our body into a certain shape can be a stepping stone for awareness and so much more, BUT it is also so overly misguided and misunderstood that I find myself saddened that so many people are not having the access to the deep philosophy and way of being that the practice offers.
I am in a variety of social media forums for Yoga teachers and every single day there are questions on how to build a sequence, or how to create a “peak pose”, or how to teach an arm balance that is probably obtainable to 3% of the population. Why??
Let’s back up to simply defining Yoga.
The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body.
Yoga is alsoa balanced state of the body and mind.Yoga is a balanced state of emotions.Yoga is a balanced state of thoughts and intellect.Yoga is a balanced state of behavior.
That is not touching your toes or being on the floor in contorted positions or standing on one leg.
Let me share with you the Yoga students I got to share Yoga with today and how they got to practice.
I entered into an assisted living setting to find a group of woman sitting in a living room. I scanned the area for what I was soon facing and “read the room” as we are trained to do.
Here is where the essence of Yoga was in this moment–I “united” with a woman suffering from confusing dementia and lack of word recall. She was agitated, angry, and utterly confused. I was able to get her to sit back down as I gently held her hands. I moved her arms in circles and gently pulled her into a soft forward bend. I rubbed her feet with lavender as I responded to every single irrational statement that she made that was her reality. I asked her questions about the incoherent story she was living and sharing with me. I heard her.
Within a few moments of receiving the lavender foot rub, her language became less erratic and she relaxed into her easy chair.
Was that considered Yoga? Was she experiencing a balanced state of emotions? Absolutely.
A lovely woman who was sitting across the room in a catatonic state, quietly asked for some of the “stuff that smelled good.”. A few minutes of a loving hand massage and she too softened into herself.
Was that considered Yoga? Was she experiencing a balanced state of thought? Absolutely.
As a Yoga teacher of 16+ years I am still astounded that our world doesn’t see that moments like this IS Yoga. It IS human connection. It IS a desire to help people experience balance of mind and emotions. It IS a desperate attempt to bring unity to their spirits.
I could care less about a sequence or a peak pose.
Perhaps that is why it has been impossible to find a Yoga teacher willing to get out of their physically focused way and truly share the entire essence Yoga, from the heart. This is about the greater good and a selfless offering that changes the lives of those in their final chapter of life. Some perhaps, in their final pages.
If I sound bitter and frustrated, I am. All I can do with this is walk it off, know that I served well today and the right person will come into my life to share this with.
Self-reflection is a humbling process. It’s essential to find out why you think, say, and do certain things…. then better yourself.
It’s been a little quiet on here since I have been swamped with teaching, gardening, and I also completed a 30 days of yoga series this month.
We are headed into the final quarter of the year and I find it’s a good time to reflect on your beginning of the year visions and see how they have evolved and what I can do in the final stretch to reach them.
I set out the year with a quest to be more vulnerable. Part of me starting an online yoga teacher forum group was to open my self up to not only questions and connection, but also to open myself up to criticism and accountability. My teaching style in assisted living settings, may be much different than what one might think of when we think of adaptive Yoga.
Just this week alone some of the time I spent in assisted living was holding hands with a lonely 92-year-old woman, and helping her take her hands down to her toes for a stretch. I also rubbed the feet of a 57-year-old man with a terminal disease.
Is that yoga? I believe with 100% certainty that it is.
This year I also opened to myself up to finding someone to partner with me and shadow me to learn how to apply the principles of yoga, without such a strong focus on asana, to those unique settings. As I wait for that person to arrive in my life, I continue to serve and love each day doing it.
What will you do in these final few months of 2023 to come closer to your vision?
It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.
Anthony Robbins
I say all the time in my classes that Yoga is how we show up in life. It’s taking the tools we access in a physical practice—steadiness, concentration, presence, acceptance, surrender, courage—and applying them to life.
At the beginning of August I started a program to help me get back on my Yoga mat (or chair) consistently. To be honest, I was dreading it. The commitment that I made felt overwhelming and more than I could handle. I was so stressed about the details of recording the videos, when I would carve out the time, would it be good, what would I have to give up to make the time, etc.
Surprise surprise it has been one of the best months of my life. I crave the time to go out and move my body. Just 15-20 minutes a day and I am feeling more grounded, more aware and my body feels good.
The practice of consistency and showing up in your life with a commitment to be the best version of yourself you can is where the magic is.
I believe 100% that every aspect of our life will be influenced by being consistent. Our friendships, intimate relationships, work place connections, and our presence is the world itself will be effected in a positive way when we consistently show up for ourselves and others.
Consistently showing up.
Something magical happened yesterday in my work world that bleeds into this commitment of consistency. I FINALLY broke the code at a house I’ve been going to for TWO years with zero interest from the residents, minus one guy whose feet I rubbed consistently for two years until he passed away.
Every two weeks for two years I would knock on the door and ask the residents if they wanted to hang out with me. Saying the words “yoga practice” is far too intimidating because the image comes up in most people that it requires being on the floor like a pretzel. I have found just getting them to sit down with me is step one.
Today I unlocked the code of their resistance.
I had talked many times before to this guy but usually just asked how he was and if he wanted to try yoga. Always a no. He said he preferred to walk. I often thought to myself “me too, dude”. Nevertheless, I offered.
Today I asked about what I knew was HIS passion. I asked him which foot goes on the back of the surf board. He grew up surfing in the summer and snowboarding in the winter.
That is all it took— meeting him at HIS INTEREST. The next 45 minutes three other residents joined (one young young YOUNG man who is new) and a man who has refused to even speak to me for two years.
Today I broke the walls. They all participated and I was so happy for them.
Consistency.
Showing up week after week even if they say no builds SO much trust. Trust that many of them desperately need. One student told me recently that the reason he comes to Yoga is because I am one of the only people in his world that do what they say they will.
Showing up in our own lives and practice takes consistency but the benefit is so remarkable. Whether you’re committed to your health, your business, your family or others the consistency is what will be the game changer.
Believe me, they are watching and you never know who you are inspiring.
I used to think that being a full time Yoga teacher would be the ultimate dream career. In many ways it has been, but the things I thought would be amazing turned out to be less important and there are a few things that have been really challenging and that has made the career a pretty tough one. Believe me it is not all comfy clothes and peaceful vibes.
Here are a few things I have learned in my nearly two decades of teaching:
1. Teaching Yoga is lonely.
I have been teaching Yoga for over 17 years and 99% of that time has been as a solo teacher out in the great big world all on my own. I taught at a gym studio briefly where I would occasionally pass by another fellow teacher. The rare team/staff meeting lended itself to some resemblance of a community, but that is it. When I left my j.o.b. to strike out and become a full-time Yoga teacher, the thing that hit me the hardest was how lonely it is. There are no weekly team meetings to bounce ideas off of a colleague. No lunches together to process tough situations. There is definitely no happy hours to celebrate successes. Instead, I sit in my car all alone feeling all the feels of what I witness and celebrating all by myself the “wins” of the day or week. There are no birthday lunches or holiday gatherings and there is absolutely nobody to collaborate with. Most days I wish more than anything I had someone who I could talk to that didn’t just say “wow that is so amazing”. Or hearing “what a difference you are making in the world”. Instead I’d love to be able to ask questions, give me feedback and really help me grow as a teacher, and a human being. I am making a difference and I do think it is all amazing, but I need collaborating and honest conversations about the work and the clients I serve. I need someone to hold me to the line when I need it. I am trying to find a community of teachers to collaborate with but it is tough. Sadly, the Yoga world is so competitive and I am finding that someone with a YTT piece of paper assumes they know it all and sharing ideas is not something of interest to most.
2. You are also a business manager and marketing guru.
Students don’t just fall into your lap. You have to market yourself and hustle if you want this to be your main focus in your work life. I spend on average 2-3 hours per day marketing my classes. My time is reaching out to students, and communicating with agencies. I do all of my own invoicing and accounting. I had to learn all of this on my own through trial and error. You might learn a few things in Yoga Teacher Training about running a business. It isn’t until you really step into teaching that you will begin figuring out your business name/model or how to get your name out there. You have to figure out what works for you in your location. Social media is a great tool, but not your only option. Learning how to do this is tough unless you have a marketing background. You will likely be doing do this all on your own.
3. Wearing Yoga clothes everyday isn’t all that great.
Okay this might be a silly point to make point but there is some truth in it. I mean, yes, it is nice to be comfortable, but there is a limit to feeling like a slob seven days a week. I long to wear regular clothes. I look so forward to slipping on a dress or a pair of tights jeans on a day off or out for the evening. This may seem like a silly thing to everyday people but I am shocked at how many people tell me how lucky I am because I get to wear Yoga clothes everyday. I thought so too until I realized it isn’t all that great.
4. Being “on” and inspiring everyday can be exhausting.
I give myself so much more grace on this than I did when I first began teaching. I thought I had to have the perfect theme and say every word precisely. I still hold myself to a very high standard when it comes to being prepared for my classes. I continue to teach topics that people can use to improve their lives (off the mat or chair), and I want to also challenge myself to grow right along side my students. I realize somedays are going to be a little off. Whether I had a horrible commute, am living with a lot of pain, or simply just don’t feel it on a certain day I still have to deliver.
5. The teacher teaches what the teacher need to learn.
I have learned over the years to go there with your students. This includes my students with TBI and dementia, or my everyday able bodied students. By go there I mean be with them, sit with them, feel with them, laugh with them, receive with them. Be willing to learn from them, be humbled in yourself and you will be just fine. Be open to learning about yourself through the process of teaching and you will not only inspire others but you will grow exponentially as a teacher and a person. The more you teach a hard topic (for me this can be something like acceptance), the more you embrace it. Be willing to learn and never think that you know everything. Even if you can speak fluent sanskrit and can translate all the sutras. To me, a great teacher is one willing to learn alongside the student.
I wouldn’t change a thing when it comes to what I have chosen to do with this special life. I am grateful every single day that I get to serve. Before each class, as I enter through the threshold of a doorway, I say this, “give me the words and show me the way”.
Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life.
Yoga’s mind-body basic premise seeks relaxation through breathing and meditation combined with stretching and strengthening poses. With its emphasis on breathing practices and meditation—both of which help calm and center the mind— it’s hardly surprising that yoga also brings mental benefits, such as reduced anxiety and depression.
Yoga has been shown to lower stress hormones in our bodies while simultaneously increasing beneficial brain chemicals like endorphins and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). These feel-good chemicals help decrease anxiety and improve mood. Yoga can help lower our fight, flight or freeze response by activating our parasympathetic nervous system and lowering negative emotions like depression, anxiety and anger. Research also shows that yoga and meditation may improve executive functions, such as reasoning, decision making, memory, learning, reaction time, and accuracy on tests of mental acuity. Meditation also reduces activity in the limbic system—the part of the brain dedicated to emotions. As your emotional reactivity diminishes, you have a more tempered response when faced with stressful situations.
Another wonderful thing about yoga is the invitation to accept yourself and your body just as you are today. This is the mindfulness aspect of yoga — simply appreciating your body for the things that it can do right now in the present moment. In our classes we are constantly adapting to the needs of our mind and our body at that given moment and the focus is not always on becoming more flexible in our body. Learning to be flexible in the mind can help us all handle the challenges that our daily life may face.
Breathe. Move. Connect. Gratitude. That is the foundation of the practice and with a steady consistency you will soon see the benefits. Just 15 minutes a day is enough to reap the many benefits that a Yoga practice can offer, whether it is on the mat or in a chair.
With over fourteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is a E-500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie is also certified in Integrative Movement Therapy™and is also a believer in the power and application of essential oils for health and wellness and proudly shares doTERRA essential oils.
This week I have been teaching my Yoga classes around this quote—
Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Bring your hands to your heart center (thought), open your hands to a flower mudra (that becomes the words), raise your hands above head (that becomes the actions), opens your arms wide (that becomes the habits), raise your arms above head (that becomes character), lower your hands back to heart center (that becomes destiny) … and it all returns to the thought (seed).
Try that with a mindful breath a few times. And again. Breathe and move with the intent that a thought becomes a word, a word becomes an action, an action becomes a habit, a habit becomes your character, your character becomes your destiny.
For the students with paralysis they can either move their working side or I can ask to move their body with them. The students with dementia enjoy the slow movements and repetition. By the end of the class many can repeat the quote. One of the students in the group who lives with a traumatic brain injury smiled and said, “I like that. I like how that feels”.
That is Yoga.
We also talked about within all of the “doing” how do we want to BE ? (Seed/thought), then our words and actions follow. Taking Yoga into life is my passion.
The term Svadhyaya literally means ‘one’s own reading’ or ‘self-study’. It is the fourth Niyama of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and has the potential to deepen our yoga practice way beyond the mat, or in the case of many of my students the chair.
The word itself is made up of Sva, meaning own, self, or the human soul, and Adhyaya, meaning lesson, lecture, or reading, and can imply the practice of studying scriptures, as well as a practice of studying the Self.
And the Self I am speaking of is the divine Self, the true Self, not the labels and attachments we have about who we think we are, or the ego. When we listen to the ego, we often do things that don’t always align with our true beliefs, values or intuition. The ‘I’ or small ‘self’ is mostly concerned with survival, which usually entails getting what it wants in all situations, and proving it is indeed ‘the best’. The small self judges, criticizes, fears, conditions, doubts and is essentially the cause of the chitta vrittis, or ‘fluctuations of the mind’. That ol’ monkey mind that constantly floods our thoughts.
By paying attention to, or ‘studying’ our ‘self’, we become more aware of the things we do that harm us, and also those which serve us and bring us closer to that process of ‘yoking’ or ‘uniting’ with the true Self. The ultimate purpose in Yoga is the yoke or find union.
So many of my students lost who they identified with prior to their accident or diagnosis. The job titles, letters after their signature that represented their years of schooling, the size of their bank account, their successes, etc. These amazing people have been forced into deep self study, and I am in constant awe as they step fully into the Self. The willingness to look at their behaviors and thoughts are outstanding and inspiring. Their courage invites me to do the same.
Self Study requires a willingness to read the some of the ancient texts of Yoga that lead us towards a direction to the Self. We do the work, but the texts are a roadmap. The Yoga Sutras are the framework in which we actually live yoga off the mat or outside of the chair.
Studying our habits on the yoga mat (or chair) can go a long way towards recognizing our habits outside of the physical practice. The way in which we practice yoga is actually very reflective of the way we practice life…. and a person’s physical yoga practice often reveals a lot more about them than they may think.
When we’re on the mat or in our chair there’s nowhere else to go and hide behind. The daily distractions of phones, chores, emails, and TV are no longer there to take our minds away from ourselves. We have the chance to ask and then listen.
We also actually have to pay attention…. This can be a little intimidating at first, and a yoga practice can sometimes reveal more about where our problems are rather than how perfect we are – which as we know, is very good for destroying the ego.
In a Yoga session it is imperative to ask yourself where am I holding tension? The jaw, forehead, neck, shoulders and upper back are common places we tend to store our fears and worries. Ask yourself why this tension might be present, and how often does it arise during your practice? How often does a negative commentary about your abilities (or lack of) enter your mind? How many times do you compare or compete with who you think you should be? Where does your mind go in an attempt to distract the sensation of breath and body?
Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
Unknown
Svadhyaya in the sense of studying our selves in daily life though, requires us to really take our yoga practice off the mat or out of the chair.
Knowing what we’re doing in each moment requires us to pay attention, but asking the question “why am I doing this?” requires us to be aware and fully present, which is ‘paying attention’ on a whole other level. Questioning our actions is something we may often avoid, as it is usually a catalyst for change, and as humans we don’t often like change. We prefer the static way of predictability in our daily lives so much that even changing the slightest thing can cause a ripple effect of angst.
I encourage students to practice this willingness by not always choosing the same spot to set up their mat or chair. I offer movements that are not predictable and not always a traditional way of teaching. We may turn to the rear of the mat rather than face the front to actually practice doing something that isn’t the same old routine. For my adaptive yoga students I am constantly challenging them with small changes as it increasing mental resilience and flexibility of the mind and shows them that the minor emotional deregulation in the safety of a Yoga class actually builds confidence that they can in fact handle changes and apply them to their life in the community which is constantly changing.
I often say to students we practice here what we will apply there.
The practice of taking a proverbial step back and observing and questioning our actions can eventually allow us to disentangle ourselves from those aspects of our lives that are harmful to our wellbeing.
Observe yourself as though you were watching someone else; observe the way you speak to friends and family, the way you react when plans change, the way you hold yourself when walking or sitting, or even just the way in which you get dressed each morning… it all tells the story of who and how we are in this moment.
The practice of svadhyaya requires satya (honesty) in order to view ourselves from an honest standpoint, tapas (discipline) – because taking an honest look at ourselves isn’t always something we like doing…. And ahimsa (non violence) which reminds us to look at ourselves without judgement or criticism.
That is the beauty of self study. A peek inside of ourselves at the Self level and then polishing off the smudges that take away our light. Ideally this study happens both in a practice and in every moment of our lives. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to be a better version of themselves each day?
The first step is looking inward and removing all the things you think you are and looking at Truth. From there we see the habits, the patterns, the nonsense and we gracefully remove the things that are getting in the way of the true Self.
Feel like taking a deep dive into your self by practicing some Svadhyaya?
Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the Self”
Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life. Stacie is currently contracted across the country in a variety of residential programs for adults with traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.
With over sixteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is a E-RYT 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie is also certified in Integrative Movement Therapy™and is also a believer in the power and application of essential oils for health and wellness and proudly shares doTERRA essential oils.
Stacie brings her personal life experience of raising a daughter with a disability and over 12 years working in special education to her everyday Yoga classes. In addition to teaching classes in her studio and in the community, Stacie also continues to offer Yoga and Wellness coaching individually to those seeking private sessions.
