Can You Be A Stiff Yoga Teacher?

Late one night in 2021 I made an impulse buy over the computer. Didn’t everyone? This particular purchase was for a yoga teacher training certification. Other than learning the benefits of yoga, I’m learning so much more. Becoming a yogi is a marathon, not a sprint. Through continuous practice the body evolves in it’s range of motion and sense of calm. Having taught anatomy and physiology it makes parts of the yoga teacher training feel like a review in some ways. The anatomy is easy, the philosophy is fascinating, learning the asanas I nerd out on alignment, and then there’s the inflexible yoga teacher that is my body. I’m about half way through the course and for now this stiff yoga teacher physique doesn’t do well with an on again off again practice. I’ve always admired the inner calm of yogis and I want to see how yoga can support my own healthy aging process.

See, my spine and hips are more crooked than a politician. In America, most of what we see is Yoga for young 20 somethings who resemble Gumby. Living in America with a goal to teach yoga, it’s felt like I don’t quite measure up to the social standard. I’ve had to wrestle with the possibility of being a stiff yoga teacher. Then again, I’ve also had clients in my age bracket who’d like to incorporate gentle movement. These are my people. As I approach 50 I know I’m not the only stiff lady and I’m excited to teach yoga for healthy aging to us all.

My Crooked Body

If you know my story you know I adopted the paleo life in an attempt to improve my chronic stiffness. I can say for sure that food has played a big role, but I want to see what’s possible through yoga. My husband will tell you I’m a table whore when it comes to getting a massage and I’d have to say he’s not lying. Right now it’s a discovery for me to see what’s possible. Can this stiff yoga teacher get all of her coursework completed (4 classes) before the expiration date arrives?

Although I’ve intermittently done yoga over the years, I’ve learned a ton about alignment in my yoga teacher training. As it turns out as a stiff yogi I’ve been doing some poses wrong all along. In my 20’s I pulled the front of my right hip twice. Then there was that time I fell down a flight of concrete stairs on my back, I’m 6′ tall and the world is not engineered for me, and during the awkward teen years I slouched too much. Around 2008 I had x-rays taken of my spine. In the middle of my back the front of my vertebrae are shorter than the back side; this is why it feels virtually impossible for this inflexible yoga teacher to make her back flat no matter how hard I try.

I feel blessed to have found Siddhi Yoga teacher training for so many reasons. They’re based in Rishikesh, India which is where yoga originated. Their take on things is completely different than what we see in America. For one, they don’t care what your spiritual life looks like. If you want to pray and meditate with Jesus or Buddha it’s all the same to them. There’s also not one perfect pose, the perfect pose is the one that works for you. Praise all the deities that there’s hope for this stiff yoga teacher.

In the future I don’t know what my yoga stiffness and flexibility will look like. What I am learning is that consistency is the key ingredient to progress and I simply haven’t been consistent enough. I can blame it on a lot of things but now that I have my own dedicated space I really don’t have much of an excuse. Well, maybe the long covid histamine issues, but I pretty much have that figured out too. Honestly, I’m excited to see how far I can reduce my stiffness through regular yoga practice.

Healthy Aging With Yoga

My pursuit of yoga is really about healthy aging and hopefully getting my body to a place where I don’t constantly wish for a massage. After I finish the basic training I have courses in Ayurveda, Restorative Yoga, and Yin Yoga to complete. I want to teach yoga to people who aren’t looking to compete in the Yoga Olympics. Rather, if you want to learn how to stretch your body without injury to support a healthy aging process, that’s what I’m after.

Do you know what the purpose of yoga is? It’s to get your body into a state so that you can sit in meditation longer. When I currently try to sit cross legged on the floor my right hip can’t relax and keeping my spine straight is impossible. To be able to sit on the floor without the middle of my back burning would be a huge improvement for me. Thinking back to my massage teaching days I had students who would ask whether the muscles in my back were bone or muscle. They’re so tight I hope consistent practice through my yoga teacher training relieves the stiffness. For now, if you want to know more about alignment and lower back pain check out this blog post. If your lower back isn’t happy the spine above it doesn’t stand much of a chance either.

There Is A Lot Of Science To Become A Yoga Teacher

Yoga is a science. In India it is referred to as a science. Dr Sharma who teaches the asana videos along with a yoga teacher takes a deep dive into anatomy. He’s very cautious about avoiding injury by teaching proper alignment. As you can see below he’s very qualified to to teach the science of yoga.

Masters of Physical Therapy in Musculoskeletal Disorders in Orthopedic Branch, diploma in Sports Medicine from West Bengal, certified Pilate’s trainer from the Indian Academy of Fitness Training, Mangalore, E-RYT500 Yoga Alliance USA

Dr. Sharma’s Bio

It’s not just alignment though. I’m learning about yoga and different health conditions. Yoga is a science as empirical and pragmatic as kinesiology or exercise science. It seeks to understand how the body acts and reacts to changes in the internal physical environment. Dr. Sharma not only teaches the benefits of yoga he offers multiple ways to tailor a pose to the ability of the student. As a stiff yoga teacher I’m grateful for these modifications and I help my body unwind.

What’s The Point Of Yoga?

The experience of yoga cannot be reduced to words. You can’t read a book about marathon running and run one without any physical training. I’m learning the same is true for yoga. Wanting to be a yoga teacher and physically being able to do it simply takes time.

Yoga involves a series of postures where you pay attention to not only your alignment, but also your breathing. You’ll exhale during certain movements and inhale on others. You can approach yoga as a way to promote physical flexibility, strength and endurance, or as a way to enhance your spirituality.

The Mind-Body Connection

As a massage therapist I’ve always been interested in mind body medicine. I’d see it in the people I worked on. One guy would come in and brag about his temper. I worked on one side of his neck and shoulder so it was relaxed. When I went to work on the other side I watched the other shoulder creep back up toward his ear. Yoga is centered on the mind-body connection. This mind-body harmony is achieved through three things:

• postures (asanas)
• proper breathing (pranayama)
• meditation

Mind and body draw inspiration and guidance from the combined practices of asanas, breathing, and meditation. I don’t know about you but I want to age well. It’s not a vanity thing. I want to be able to move and enjoy physical activity. Muscles mass is a determining factor in longevity. Moving your muscles and joints keeps them lubricated. This is the role yoga plays in healthy aging. Yoga helps by turning our bodies into a well synchronized and well-oiled piece of machinery.

Physical Benefits of Yoga

By harmonizing these three principles, the benefits of yoga are attained. And just what are these benefits?

• equilibrium in the body’s central nervous system
• decrease in pulse
• respiratory and blood pressure rates
• cardiovascular efficiency
• gastrointestinal system stabilization
• increased breath-holding time
• improved dexterity skills.
• Improved balance
• Improved depth perception
• Improved memory

Psychological Benefits Of Yoga

Yoga delivers an array of psychological benefits and it’s a very common reason people begin practicing. Perhaps the most frequently mentioned psychological benefit of yoga is an improved ability to manage stress. Yoga diminishes an individual’s level of anxiety, depression, and lethargy. When your body is at peace it frees up the space in your mind typically dedicated to the mental efforts of chronic pain and stress. We get older everyday and I guess the only question is, “What do you want your older years to look like?”

Originally posted on January 24, 2022 @ 11:08

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