5 Tips to Become a Better Yoga Teacher

There are tricks to every trade, including yoga. Here are some tips to help you improve your teaching:

1)  Learn your students' names.  By saying hello and goodbye using the student's name, you create a personal connection and make the student feel special.  If you have a lot of students in your class, jot down a couple names on a piece of paper and say them aloud.  This will help you remember them.

2)  Give lots of adjustments.  Get off your mat and circulate through the room, looking for ways to help students correct their alignment and go deeper into each pose.  For the most part, students love to be touched and adjusted, and it makes them feel more connected to their teacher.

3)  At the beginning of class, ask if anyone would not like to receive adjustments and encourage your students to communicate with you if you place too little or too much pressure when giving adjustments.  While giving an adjustment, you can ask, "Is this good pressure?"  This is critical, and will save you from negative feedback and potential lawsuits.

4)  Teach with authenticity and humbleness.  Before class remind yourself why you love yoga and what you gain from practicing, and then try to convey these things through your teaching.

5)   Recognize and stop negative thoughts that don't serve you.  Have positive thoughts, and this will make you a more confident teacher and a stronger, happier person in general.

I always appreciate comments!  Do you have any tips for becoming a better yoga teacher?  What do you admire about your favorite yoga teacher?

How to Get a Job Teaching Yoga

Once you’ve completed a yoga teacher training course that is nationally accredited by the Yoga Alliance, you’re ready to begin teaching just about anywhere – yoga studios, fitness clubs, community centers, and offices.  There are just a few things you need to do to guarantee that you find a teaching gig.

1)   Write a brief yoga resume listing where and when you received your training, your teaching experience, and maybe a few sentences about you as a teacher and why you love yoga.  If you don’t have much teaching experience, include all of the practice teaching you’ve done with your friends.  You can say you’ve taught private yoga sessions!

2)   Buy insurance.  It costs about $150.  Most places don’t require it, but some do, so it’s a good idea to buy insurance to cover your bases.  You can also state that you have insurance on your resume and in your cover letter.

3)   Decide how far you want to travel to teach and conduct a Google map search to pull up a list of all of the yoga studios and gyms within a travelable distance.  If you live in a small, medium, or large city, you’ll be shocked by how many places there are where you could potentially teach.

4)   Email a resume and a brief cover letter to every place where you might want to teach.  In your cover letter, state where and when you received your training, what styles of yoga you can teach, and where you have taught in the past or where you are currently teaching.  Emailing is a very effective way to find yoga jobs and it saves you time!

Teaching yoga is an incredibly rewarding job to have, and fortunately it is in high demand in most places, so you should have very little trouble finding a teaching job within a short amount of time.  Good luck!

The Book of Five Rings

"In order for a warrior to follow the path of Heiho, it is necessary to keep in mind that the essence of Heiho is to build an indomitable spirit and an iron will; to believe that you cannot fail in doing anything."

There are many paths to the truth, which can create confusion as to which is the best path. As a teacher, teach with confidence, with an indomitable spirit, and do not ask for reassurance. Be assured.

A New Painting in Process: Earth

4 ft x 4 ft

Post-it note sketches

RINO Art Safari

It was a beautiful day for the semi-annual RINO art safari. RINO is the new up-and-coming art district in Denver, and there is a lot going on is this neighborhood! Galleries and artist studios are springing up everywhere, retrofitting old factory warehouses in a post-industrial landscape. It's no wonder these massive, old buildings sprawled neath the dramatic-denver skies are attracting artists from all over; however, as an artist, I have yet to hear of affordable studio spaces, an indication of how popular this area has become.

I embarked on the art safari with three friends at around 1:20 p.m. to explore this undercover portion of Denver, known as RINO, where many galleries and artist studios are not regularly open to the public.  Orange balloons floated over the galleries and studios that had opened that day, and we saw quite a number of spaces.  It was pretty cool to walk through the private studios where artists configure their ideas and execute their works.

After the safari, we had a glorious bike ride home.  The atmosphere felt damp from a light rain earlier, sunlight streamed through bright blue patches of sky, and the air smelled of smoke, pot, and fresh spring flowers.

Dustin O'Halloran

I'm always on the lookout for great music to play in my yoga classes, music that is soft and melodic and peaceful.  Dustin O'Halloran's piano pieces seem to embody all of these qualities, and he has some very artistic videos to accompany the music.  Check out this one!

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Hot yoga at iliv yoga

I took my third hot yoga class today at iliv yoga, and I felt so much stronger than I did during the first two classes. I think the difference was that I drank a ton of water, about 2 liters before class.

I'm finding that hot yoga is a very different experience than every other type of yoga I've tried. I almost feel high afterward. A deep relaxation overcomes my being. It'll be interesting to see what happens after I've been practicing hot yoga regularly.

Anatomy for the Artist

I recently checked out "Anatomy for the Artist" by Jeno Barcsay from the Art Student's League of Denver. It's a massive book and goes into great depth about the skeletal and muscular system of the body. The drawings are great! Way more info than I can hope to digest!

Another Sketch - Yoga Tree

How to Build a Stretcher

This past weekend, I built a 4ft x 4ft stretcher for a new painting. Here are the steps I took:

1) buy wood - 1in thick x 2in wide is a good dimension if you want your painting to have thicker edges. Try to buy wood that is not too warped.

2) cut four pieces of wood the same length. In my case, 4 feet long.

3) use a compound mider saw or other tool to cut a 45 degree angle at each end of the wood

4) use a corner clamp to hold the ends of two pieces of wood together.

5) drill two starter holes into the joint, where the ends of the two boards meet

6) use the drill to place a screw in each starter hole, securing the ends of the two boards together

7) repeat steps 4-6 for each corner of the stretcher

8) use a mider saw to cut your corner supports. For a 4ft x 4ft canvas, my corner supports are about 11 inches long, but you can work with different sizes.

9) place the corner support where you intend to screw it in. Stack the corner support on another board so that it meets the center of the board that it will be nailed into. See picture for clarification. The object is to minimize the amount of surface space between the stretcher and the canvas.

10) drill a pre hole and then screw the corner support into the stretcher. I used one screw per end of the support.

11) repeat steps 9 and 10 for all four corners of your stretcher.

It takes approximately 1-2 hours to build your first stretcher, but it's worth the effort since the end result will be much nicer than what you can typically buy at an art store.

Chia Seed Squash Pudding

Inspired by www.karmachow.com, I decided to make my own variation of a healthy pudding! It turned out to be delicious!

Ingredients:

1 baked acorn squash
2 cups coconut milk (no sugar added)
1/2 cup cashews
6 pitted dates
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs honey
1/2 cup chia seeds
Pinch of salt

Cut the acorn in half, place in pan with half an inch of water. Bake the acorn squash for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Blend everything together except the chia seeds. Combine the chia seeds with the mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!  Makes about 8 servings.

At the Rockies Game

A pretty sweet view

9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Yoga Music Playlist

A both energizing and relaxing playlist of songs without words.  Check it out below!

1. Relaxing Meditation Music with Inspiring Quotes - A Peaceful Moment (check out on youtube)
2. Digital Love by Daft Punk
3. Get Lucky by Daft Punk (without words version)
4. Sparks by The Who
5. Sweet Child O' Mine by Igor Presnyakov
6. Under the Bridge by Igor Presnyakov
7. Imagine by Igor Presnyakov
8. John Henry's Blues on album entitled Tangle Eye
9. Infinity - Au dela des Nuages (check out on youtube)
10. Orphee's bedroom by Philip Glass
11. Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky
12. Relaxing Background Music and Beautiful Beaches -rdn004 (check out on youtube)

I'll try to update this list with links soon, but all of these songs should come up if you youtube them!  Enjoy!

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What is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga is a phrase we hear and see all over the place, but what exactly is it?  There are many variations of restorative yoga and all aim to relax the body and mind, to restore a deep, natural breathing, and to open your body without over-exerting or stretching it past a comfortable level. Props such as blocks, straps, sandbags, and eye covers are typically used to make the practitioner feel as comfortable and supported as possible as though he/she is floating on a cloud. A class can typically last 45 to 60 minutes with only 6-8 poses or more. Poses are typically held for a minimum of 2-3 minutes and up to 10 minutes.

Check out these links for more information on what restorative yoga is and for restorative yoga sequences:

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/restorative-yoga-sequence

http://www.restorativeyogaposes.com/index.php/restorative-yoga-sequence/

http://www.yogatodd.com/resources/restorative-yoga-sequence/

http://www.wikihealth.com/Sample_Restorative_yoga_class

http://www.worldyoganetwork.com/articles/yoga-practice/10-postures-peaceful-restorative-yoga-practice

A New Sketch: Yoga Tree

A Healthy Snack

Plain yogurt with melon and walnuts. Yum! A sweet treat with protein and probiotics for a strong body and healthy mind!

Try it with raisins, too!

7 Tips for Being Happier, Healthier, and Losing Weight

I can completely empathize with people who have watched their weight roller coast throughout the years. Before discovering my yoga practice, I was one of those people.  Yoga has helped me learn some insight into how to be happy and healthy.  If you're happy and healthy, weight management will naturally follow.

Check out my tips below!

1)  PRACTICE YOGA!  The most important ingredient to happiness and health is mindfulness.  A daily yoga practice is an excellent way to develop mindfulness.  If you're new to yoga, I would suggest exploring your options.  Travel to the different studios around town and try out various styles of yoga.  Many studios offer a free trial!  Use this exploratory period to find a teacher who is helpful and willing to give you adjustments.  In my experience, Ashtanga Mysore helped me develop my yoga practice at my own rate.  With Mysore, I was able to start slow and work my way toward a more advanced practice.

2)  PRACTICE MINDFULNESS.  If you practice yoga every day, you'll begin to feel more relaxed.  Your thoughts will start to slow down and you will become aware of each thought you're having.  Next, you can begin to control your thoughts by filtering out the negative thoughts.  Isolate each thought and ask yourself, "Is this a positive thought?  Or is this a negative thought?"  If it's a negative thought, recognize it. This is one way to practice mindfulness.  Every time you have that negative thought, you'll become aware of it, stop it, and eventually, you will have retrained your mind not to have that thought any more.

3)  STOP DIETING.  Growing up, I was surrounded by people who were always on a diet.  All of the diets had special restrictions, so if you failed to follow the restrictions, you were a FAILURE!  On to the next diet! I found that it was a never ending cycle, and I always failed and felt guilty afterwards.  I believe that diets create an unhealthy feeling of guilt, which is a negative thought.  When practicing mindfulness, our goal is to identify negative thoughts, stop them, and retrain our brain to think positively.  So stop "dieting"!

4)  STOP COUNTING CALORIES.  Many diets have us count calories and almost all food packaging lists the calories.  Our culture had developed a habit of consulting the calorie count before deciding whether a food is good to eat.  I advocate that counting calories distorts our natural relationship with food.  We need to get back in tune with our bodies, listen to our bodies and eat when we are hungry!  Counting calories also creates guilt, another negative thought process.  If we eat too many calories, we might feel bad about ourselves and feel like our entire day is derailed.  Those thoughts pull us from the present moment and counteract our mindfulness.

5)  STOP WEIGHING YOURSELF.  During my dieting phase in life, I was obsessed with weighing myself.  Sometimes I would weight myself a couple times of day, and every time it was "the moment of truth."  If I liked what the scale said, I could feel good about myself.  If I didn't like what it said, I felt stressed out and wanted to eat my feelings.  I say stop doing things that are a source of stress.  Ask yourself, "does weighing myself really add to my happiness?"  If I'm eating well, and I feel good, why should I weigh my self?  If I'm not eating well, and I don't feel good, I know that weighing myself will compound the negative thoughts I'm feeling.  Next time you want to weigh yourself, go for a walk instead, or a bike ride, or do some other physical activity that you know will make you feel better.

6)  STOP DIETING.  EAT HEALTHY.  What does that mean?  To me, it means limit the amount of processed foods you eat.  That includes cereal, crackers, chips, frozen meals, etc.  Try to eat whole foods (I'm not advocating shop at whole foods).  What I mean is eat whole fruits, whole vegetables, and whole grains.  When you buy packaged foods, look at the ingredients, and if there is a bunch of stuff on there that you don't understand, don't eat it!  Literally simplify what you eat.  This may take some time to get used to, but eventually you can discover a whole new way of eating.  You can collect recipes and rebuild  your healthy repertoire of meals.

7)  STOP EATING PROCESSED SUGAR.  Just a spoonful of honey helps the medicine go down!  Next time you crave something sweet, eat some honey.  I like to eat a couple almonds drizzled with honey.  I find that processed sugars cause our cravings to go haywire, disrupting our internal balance and distorting our perception of what our body needs.  By weening ourselves off of sugar, our bodies will feel healthier and more balanced, and we'll be more in tune with our natural cravings.

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The Evolution of My Mountain Painting

YogaGlo.com

So I've just activated my trial membership to YogoGlo, an online site that offers unlimited classes in various styles for a monthly fee.  The first 15 days are free!  Two of my friends have both highly recommended YogaGlo, saying it's the best website to take online yoga classes.  As a yoga teacher, I think it's important to take other yoga teacher's classes and to experience different styles of yoga.  I'm excited to take my first yogaglo class tonight and to learn some new stuff.  Updates to come!

Bikram-Style Yoga Class at iliv Yoga

On Thursday at 4pm, I took Ashley's Bikram-style yoga class at iliv yoga on 6th avenue.  The class kicked my butt!  I hadn't practiced hot yoga in awhile, so I experienced some dizziness and nausea.  I asked two different teachers about this, and they both said that it is common to experience some dizziness and nausea especially when you haven't practiced hot yoga in awhile, but eventually your body will acclimate.

Bikram yoga is quite a bit different than power yoga, which is what I typically practice and teach.  It is always held in a space that is heated to 103 degrees, and you perform the same 26 postures in the same order every time.  You also repeat the postures and hold them a bit longer than you typically would in power yoga.

After taking Ashley's 4pm Bikram-style yoga class, I felt like for the first time in a long time I truly "surrendered" to my practice.  I was completely exhausted afterward and didn't want to move at all.  I like how Ashley, the Bikram yoga teacher, explained that to "surrender" to your practice is to push yourself beyond your boundaries and to open your mind and body to growth experiences.  I think this is a valuable lesson on and off the mat.

Words of Wisdom

"The one thing I know is that I know nothing."
-Socrates

As a yoga teacher, I'm discovering that there are many ways to teach the same lesson, that there are many paths to reach the same truth, and that there are many versions of the truth.  None of these teaching methods, paths, or versions of the truth are truth itself.  I think it's easy to forget that lesson, to decide we know best and to close ourselves off to opportunities for growth.  For example, when I first became serious about practicing yoga, I practiced Ashtanga every day,  which is a very strict and unyielding set series.  In Ashtanga, you cannot move on to the next asana until you've perfected the previous pose, and every day you practice the same series in the same order without music.  It is an intense practice, and for a long time I thought it was superior to every other type of yoga.  Then I started practicing other types of yoga and experiencing the benefits.  Now as a teacher, I find that every class I teach is a little bit different, so I try to adjust my teaching to better meet the needs of my class.  I might change my voice to be more soothing or energizing, or I might change the asanas and offer modifications depending on what I think the class needs.  I'm finding more and more that teaching is a creative process and never stagnant.  As a result, I'm constantly learning.

I think Socrates' quote, "The one thing I know is that I know nothing" is an applicable quote for all lives because it reminds us how important it is to look at the world with fresh eyes, to embrace all that we do not know, and to be committed to growing and learning.  No matter how familiar a setting may be or how embedded into a routine we are, we can always surrender to what we don't know and expand our universe through learning.

The Artistic Process

Every artist works differently and has what I would call "an artistic process". In college, my artistic process was a bit different than it is now. I had a studio space that I completely filled up with every material I found inspiring - wires, old wood, paint chips, rope, insulation, building materials, garbage. I found a lot of my materials in dumpsters and old, abandoned factories. It was awesome. Currently, I live in a very small apartment and do not have a studio space, so I'm utilizing my apartment as though it is my studio. I have a drafting table where I can make a mess, but other than that I keep my apartment spick and span and highly organized. After all, it is my living space and my studio. The walls are covered with my art, ideas for art, and images that inspire me. Previously, I worked with oils and messy materials, but now I work with acrylics because they are easy to clean up, highly versatile, and do not give off toxic fumes. I've also been working a little bit smaller due to space restrictions. I'm discovering that no matter what the situation is, I can adapt my artistic process and still make art. Oftentimes, I think art is a reflection of the artist who makes it, and if the viewer can gain extra insight about the artist's life by observing the way the piece was made, that can have the potential to make the art more powerful!

I guess what I'm ultimately saying is, don't let life's changing circumstances get in the way of making art! Embrace those changes and integrate them into your work!

Here are some images of new ideas I'm working on! It's all a work in progress, but I want to share my work as it evolves.

20 Professional Development Tips for Artists

Last weekend, I attended an excellent professional development workshop for artists organized by the Art Student's League of Denver.  At the workshop, there was a panel that included artists, art consultants, gallery owners, entrepreneurs, and a lawyer.  Each person gave a 15-20 minute presentation on what he/she felt was a crucial element of the art business.  Here are the top 20 nuggets of wisdom:

1)  Properly frame your work before approaching a gallery. The frames should be the same color or shape, and the picture should be framed archivally, which means it should be easily removable.  Use acid free mattes, and the artwork should never touch the glass.

2)  Before approaching a gallery, have a body work.  This means 7-20 works that are unified in some way - color, size, medium, or theme.

3) Write a resume, artist statement, and artist biography.  Have a business card with an image of your work on it.

4)  Have a portfolio website that you can refer people to.

5)  Pick a gallery that is the right fit for your work.  Ask yourself, "Does my work fit here?", "Does this gallery sell work?", "Does this gallery have good lighting?", "Are these good people to work with?".

6)  In some places, like Santa Fe, NM, you can approach a gallery in person and ask, "Are you accepting any portfolios at this time?".  Be prepared to present 2-3 pieces in person.

7)  Have your artwork professionally photographed.  This is crucial!  Often, the photos are the first impression people receive of your work.  The images should be perfect!  When hiring a photographer, ask if they use polarized lights.  This is your first indication that they know what they  are doing.  For example, an awesome wedding photographer might have no idea how to properly photograph artwork.

8)  When shipping your artwork to a buyer or gallery,  go through a UPS store and properly package your art.  There is nothing worse than delivering damaged art. 

9)  Figure out what your market is.  Look at other artists doing similar things and ask, "Who buys this art."  Look at how much similar work sells for to price your work appropriately.

10)  Have consistent prices for your artwork!  If you sell art in a gallery, do not sell your work for a different price some place else, like an art fair.  Collectors will be very unhappy if they learn that  your work is not worth the price they paid.

11) Every quarter, copyright your body of work.  It costs $35 to register a body of work at www.copyright.gov.  Include a timeline and images when you register the copyright.  By copyrighting your work, no one else will have the right to copy or reproduce your work without paying you for it.  For example, if someone reproduces your copyrighted image on a coffee mug, you can send them an invoice!

12)  Support other artists, and be friendly with everyone you work with.  Smile!

13) When deciding how to price your art, things to consider are price per square inch, and time and overhead.

14)  If you're interested in selling to corporations and art collectors, work large, 4 ft x 4 ft and larger.  Corporations and art collectors typically have big walls they need to fill.  One way to increase the dimensions of your work is to put a big matte on it.

15) Make series of works.  One good way to do this is to work on 3 or 4 pieces at a time, all the same canvas size.  Pick a subject and explore the heck out of it.  Redraw it over and over and in different ways.

16)  Do not approach an art gallery without a body of work, 7-20 pieces.  If you can, have a backup inventory of work.  You will ruin your relationship with a gallery if they sell some of your work and  you have nothing more to give them when they ask for it.

17)  Have a guestbook at art shows, and when people sign the guestbook, add them to your mailing list to inform them of future shows. 

18)  Consider selling your work to art consultants.  They're located in every city.  Provide them with retail and wholesale prices.

19) Participate in group cattle calls.  Get your work out there!

20)  Have several versions of your artist statement:  one that's  3-4 sentences or a paragraph, and one that is one page long.  Tell your story in the artist statement.  Represent who you really are!

Friday, Day of Rest!

For the past month, I have been super busy filling my schedule with yoga teaching jobs. I am now teaching 8 class per week at 4 different places! Between teaching, biking around finding teaching jobs, and making art, life has been very busy lately! It just so happens that my one day off is Friday, and I'm excited to relax, go for a walk outside, and work on some of my art projects. For the most part, I've been painting with acrylics lately, and now I'm really beginning to explore the medium. I just bought an awesome book that is all about the cool techniques you can achieve with acrylics.

Yoga in Cheeseman Park

Every Thursday for the last several weeks, I have been teaching a free yoga class at the Denver Art Society, which is an organization in Denver that provides a space for any artist to show his/her work to the public. Fortunately, this week the space where I normally hold my class was triple-booked, so we all headed to Cheeseman park instead. I started the class with some Ashtanga yoga, and as the sun began to set, I decided to reinvigorate my class with some inversion practice and partner yoga! I think it was a good choice because we all had a lot fun, and I may have to teach yoga in the park next week! For more details and pictures of my class, check out Khaleelah Jones' blog! http://www.carefulfeet.me/2013/04/yoga-in-park.html?m=1

Progress on my painting!