A Man on the Cover of Yoga Journal - Hallelujah!!

It's about time! This February's issue of Yoga Journal Magazine (one of my all time favorite things to read!) features a male yogi in full lotus position. After almost 8 years of females on the cover, I was both surprised and pleased to see this. I was just discussing with a friend a few months ago how there are never any men on the cover and how silly I think that is. While a YJ study showed that the majority of yoga practitioners in the US are, indeed, women, that doesn't mean we should ignore those men out there who are practicing! We should encourage and celebrate them, no? If I were a male yogi I would find it encouraging to see another male on the cover every now and then. Sure, men are featured throughout the inside pages, but what exactly are we saying, that they aren't good enough for the cover? Fiddlesticks! Before I saw this months cover I was planning on writing a letter to the editor to voice my opinion, and come to think of it, I still may. One man every eight years simply isn't good enough!

And while we are on the topic, has anyone else out there ever noticed a common theme among the women who grace the cover of YJ? Sure, the majority of them are very well known yoga teachers who travel the world leading very popular (and expensive) teacher trainings, but that's a given. I'm talking about the fact that they are all super fit, very thin, very flexible, and for the most part are all photographed in advanced poses (with a few exceptions) that the average person would find difficult to do and perhaps a little intimidating. I can appreciate the beauty of the poses just as much as the next person, and I will admit, when I see the cover I usually spend a few moments trying to put myself into the same pose just to see if I can do it. I will also admit that there have been, on occasion, poses featured on the cover that are more basic and beginner friendly. But the majority of the poses are not available to a large population, and in my opinion could give people the wrong idea and frighten them away. Is this how we want to represent yoga? -- as an intimidating practice that consists of movements & poses that require super human strength and are only available to the uber-flexible who can twist themselves like contortionists and happen to look like super models? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the magazine and I learn so much from reading the articles each month. It is a great teaching reference and I use the lessons I learn when I teach my classes. I just don't love the close mindedness that I see reflected in their covers. You know who I would love love LOVE to see on the cover of yoga journal? The readers. Average, every day people who practice yoga on their own time and their own terms. I would like to see someone in downward facing dog with their knees bent because their hamstrings are tight, or someone in child's pose with their hips lifted up in the air because their knees won't allow them to lower any farther. I would like to see someone in tree pose using the wall for balance, or in a modified triangle pose using a block for support. Then I would be truly happy with the magazine in its entirety. 

What would you like to see on the cover of Yoga Journal? Please share!

TEACHING CHILDREN'S YOGA - A New Workshop!

On Saturday March 12th I will be teaching a workshop at The American Yoga Academy in West Orange NJ. Details are below :)

TEACHING CHILDREN'S YOGA
~ a Workshop for Yoga Teachers, Educators & Parents ~

This highly interactive workshop is designed to empower you with the tools you will need to teach a fun filled, safe and effective yoga class for children of all ages. Come prepared to learn, move, and be silly!
During this four hour workshop you will learn:

• The difference between adult yoga and children's yoga
• The benefits of yoga for children
  
• Teaching techniques for a safe & successful class 
• How to create age appropriate lesson plans that stimulate the imagination
• How to make yoga philosophy fun and applicable for kids
  
• How to incorporate music props games and stories
• Child friendly poses, breathing techniques, activities, and themes
• Behavior management techniques
  

WHERE: The American Yoga Academy
                  @ The Grand Wilshire Hotel
                  350 Pleasant Valley Way - West Orange NJ
WHEN:   Saturday March 12th, 12-4pm
FEE:        $80 advanced sign up
                 $95 after February 21st

* Please call or email to register *
info@PamelaNixon.com / 973.769.9372

Tara Stiles – Stirring up trouble in the yoga world?

Lately the name Tara Stiles has been popping up all over the place – in facebook posts, yoga journal blogs, and the New York Times to name a few! Until recently I had never heard of Ms. Stiles, but now I feel like I am being bombarded with information about her. The information, I must say, is very interesting and thought provoking, so I thought I would share a few thoughts of my own.

Tara Stiles is the owner of Strala Yoga in NoHo, New York City where she teaches about 12 out of the 37 classes offered each week. Ms Stiles keeps the options simple, calling her classes Strong, Relax, and Recover. The classes are also very affordable at only $10 each. She is also the author of the very popular yoga book, Slim Calm Sexy. Among her devoted followers are actress, model and fitness expert Jane Fonda, and Deepak Chopra, author of self-help and mind-body medicine books as well as the co-founder of the Chopra Center for Well Being in California.

So, what is the problem?

According to a recent New York Times article about this famous NYC yogi entitled Rebel Yoga, Tara “focuses on the physical and health aspects of yoga, not the spiritual or the philosophical. For traditionalists, this is heresy, reducing what they see as a way of life to just another gym class.” There seem to be many people in the yoga community who are up in arms about Ms Stiles approach to teaching yoga. They want to know, Where is the chanting? Where is the Sanskrit? Where is the yoga philosophy?

If these elements are removed from a class, is it still yoga? Some say no. But Tara Stiles says, “who made these rules?”

On one hand, I understand her approach: She says she wants to make yoga more accessible to everyone, even those who are not interested in the spiritual aspect of the practice. And to be fair, we have to acknowledge that not everyone out there wants to listen to Sanskrit chanting from Girish or Krishna Das or spend a few moments in the beginning of class chanting Om. Some people are simply looking for a good physical workout or a great class full of stretching and flexibility training. Jane Fonda said, “One of the things I like about her is her ability to make yoga accessible to people who might be scared of it or think it might be too esoteric.”

On the other hand, I understand the critics: Yoga is not just about the physical postures. It is a science, a philosophy, and a lifestyle. Yoga consists of many different parts, from moral and social guidelines, pranayama (breath work) and asanas (poses) to concentration and meditation. It is said that when a practitioner participates in all parts of yoga, their body mind and spirit will unite and they will lead a happy, fulfilled life. To participate in only one part of yoga is like fixing one piece of a broken clock and wondering why the clock doesn’t function properly. Jennilyn Carson, author of a popular yoga blog, YogaDork, says yoga is not “..a few minutes a day, it’s not fitness, it’s a lifestyle.”

So where do I stand in this debate, you may ask? Good question. I’m not quite sure myself. I believe yoga should be available to anyone who wants to practice it, whether they want to participate in the complete yoga lifestyle, or just take a class here and there, leaving the yoga on their mat when they leave. But in feeling this way it creates a bit of cognitive dissonance inside me, because I struggle with the idea of removing the whole of yoga and only seeing one part of it. I think underneath it all, I firmly believe that no matter why you are drawn to yoga, or what your reasons are for rolling out your mat and settling into a posture, yoga will do its job on you. Whether you know it or not, there are many things you need to learn from yoga, about yourself and about others, and you don’t have to be looking for these lessons to learn them. Everyone will come to yoga for a different reason, but regardless of that reason, yoga is still yoga, and it will effect you in the way it is meant to.

Regardless of how I feel about it all, I cannot deny the fact that for some unknown reason the universe has made sure Tara Stiles’ name has made it into my mind and my blog. So there is only one thing left to do now… hop on a NYC bound train and head over to Strala Yoga. I need to see what all the fuss is about for myself!

*Read the article on Tara Stiles? Taken a class at Strala? Share your opinions here!*

Teach What You Need To Learn.

In one of my new favorite teaching tools, Guiding Yoga’s Light, a book by Nancy Gerstein, I read something that I continue to keep in mind when planning what I will teach in my yoga classes: “Teach what you need to learn. You will be more passionate about your teaching and ultimately be a better teacher.” This simple, yet meaningful piece of information really resonated with me. The more I thought about it the more the idea made sense to me; when you teach to others what you need to learn yourself you are more likely to put your whole self into the lesson, be completely present in spirit, and teach from your heart. That is the kind of lesson that others need and will want to learn.

I have decided to focus more on teaching awareness and being in the present moment, the topic of my last post. This is a lesson that I continue to learn, and struggle with, each & every day. I am beginning to notice that when I incorporate the idea of being present into my classes and teach it to others, I begin to bring more awareness to my own life on a daily basis.

I recently went to my local library and checked out a book called Fully Present by Susan Smalley and Diana Winston. While I have only gotten around to reading the first four pages of the introduction, I am very excited to learn more about mindful awareness, and have decided that instead the best way to teach this art to others is to work towards mastering it myself.

This has me wondering about all the other yoga teachers out there, and what lessons they themselves need to learn. Yogis, are you out there? If so, let me hear from you! What is it that you need to learn?