Integrated Body Studio

Last weekend I attended the Yoga Journal Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The classes I signed up for were a blend of old-school and new-school as I like to both connect with the wisdom of the eexperienced teachers as well as to keep my finger on the pulse on what is going on in the yoga industry.

Indeed, yoga has become an industry.  It is fast becoming more about the clothes, the props, the “body beautiful,” and complicated asanas. There are now bootcamps and competitive events in yoga. These instructors – because they are certainly not teachers in my opinion – argue that competition has been the norm in India for years and they are not violating yogic principles just celebrating the art..

That may be the case but I doubt if any of the yoga competitions in India were conducted by individuals who got “certified” by some organization over the weekend.  If we are comparing ourselves to the teachers in India – as if that is enough of a criteria by itself – then let’s make it equal in all parts. In India before a student becomes a teacher, they must be a student for at least ten years. Go to your local fitness center and ask the yoga instructor how many years he/she practiced yoga as a student before becoming certified by only one of many organizations who make a lot of money churning out volumes of these people.

Classical yoga has first and foremost always been about self-knowing and includes the physical but also how you feel about yourself, what goes through your mind every day, what memories you have that are still bogging you down.  It includes the examination of the roots of the perpetual anger, fear, anxiety, and frustration that we may feel that poison your day’s routines and every relationship you have.

Memories and emotions live in the body and as Patricia Walden states, “your issues are in your tissues.”  Thus the reason for asana to begin with. At the very simplest, when you do your yoga class are you competitve?  Are there poses you avoid because you’re not very good at them?  Are you rigid in your practice?

After our physical practice, traditionally we practice pranayama and meditation. The issues that were released from our physical practice can now be examined and processed by the Self – the deep inner mind of wisdom. In case this sounds too New Age-y, think of it this way: the “self” is the guy who cut off the little old lady in traffic and the “Self” is the guy that knows better and suggests that in the future, you try a little more graciousness.  We are both of these qualities but very few of us ever connect with our Self. Examining this Self is what can result in powerful and positive changes in the quality of our lives. Merely having your hamstrings stretched does not result in enlightenment.

Many of the elders in the yoga community teach that the world we live in is created out of the conciousness we now possess. So, if the world is becoming more angry, more violent and competitive to the point that we feel okay about hurting others, then what possible good can come out of teaching yoga classes designed to be more competitive?

Ram Dass once said “when you think you’ve reached enlightenment, go visit your family for a week” – or something like that. Anyway, that’s a pretty spot-on comment.  I had the experience this past Easter weekend to see how far along I am on a spiritual path and if all that meditation I’ve been doing for years is paying off.

For me, enlightenment and liberation are interchangeable and I identify much more with the goal of liberation because so much of my life after the age of eleven conjures up memories of repression, oppression and emotional abandonment. When a child is made to become an adult too soon it can develop into a lifelong emotional pattern of inadequacy which in turn leads to a lifelong emotional demon of low self-esteem. As an adult, it becomes easy for others to bully you and use you because you have accepted that you don’t deserve any better.

It wasn’t until I landed in Al-Anon and a wonderful ACOA group that I began to find liberation.  I knew I was in the right place first because the eating disorder I’d developed in my childhood years ceased running my life; the second milestone was that I was able to connect to the spirit of the child I was before age eleven – a happy, joyous child who enjoyed life.  A child who had big dreams none of which included the career I’d found myself in. My first act of liberation was to begin building a new career, a path that led me to the career I have today.

The experience with Al-Anon and ACOA motivated me to dive deeper into meditation and introspection: Who was I? Who did I want to be? Was a I living a life I was proud of? Was I living a life consistent with my internal code?  As I contemplated these things, I began to notice that I was attracting more positive people – and habits – in my life and discarding the negative ones.   One of those positive people turned out to be the guy I married and while my relationships up until this point had been one of holding my breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop, I can say that after twenty years, I am still waiting on this one. Peter has been the most wonderful, supportive, kind person I have ever met and he has taught me what unconditional love means.

You know that your meditation is working when you find your life becoming softer, more positive and flowing. Llife doesn’t feel like a fight and it’s easier to have an honest relationship with another person when you don’t feel you have to be anything other than who you are.

However…………..

Don’t be surprised to find that not everyone wants to be liberated. They may love their arrogance, their anger and the identity they’ve created for themselves. They may find they prefer to manipulate others.  The more you discard these things from your own being, the more noticeable it is when you meet others who choose to keep them.

Which brings me back to the first paragraph. I feel that, yes, my meditation practice has paid off. There are some very strong personalities in my family and I was able to keep my Self through all of the drama that was inevitable and predictable.  The fact that I could keep centered was comforting as I am usually consumed by a crazy emotional rollercoaster of anger and frustration after these get-togethers.

But while I was not consumed by emotion, I did experience sadness. It was clear to me that some bonds have been broken and perhaps they will never be mended. Others have potential. Alas, relationships cannot work with just one person; the other has to at least meet you halfway. And if that doesn’t happen, you may need to make a difficult decision.

However, if you know who you are, the decision becomes clearer. And that, to me, is liberation and enlightenment which are not possible without meditation.

In the September, 2009, issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, the topic of state licensing for yoga training schools was debated. While I am on the fence as to whether yoga training schools should be licensed, I am firm in my belief that yoga teachers – along with Pilates teachers and personal trainers – should be licensed much in the same way that massage therapists, chiropractors and physical therapists are.
People hire us to train their most precious and personal belonging – their bodies. They come to us because they need guidance and expertise. How many of those who instruct get that expertise is suspect and I don’t think the fitness industry has stepped up and done enough to ensure that potential clients receive at least average care.
An important point to remember here is that pretty much anyone can have a “certification” program; since just about every fitness genre has one, what do they really mean? What are the standards underlying these certifications? Unless all certifications are created equally, they mean nothing. Many instructors themselves don’t seem to value them and only use them to get to the next level whether they write a book, produce DVDs or star in a fitness show. How many of these “experts” continue to maintain their certification status or continue their education?
I also see a serious lack of ethics in our industry. There are Yoga Alliance teachers I know of who teach what they call “Astanga” yoga but as any true Astanga teacher will tell you, the Astanga system is a strict one with a specific syllabus. Unless that syllabus is followed it is not Astanga and should be called Power Yoga. Of course, Power Yoga does not sound as exotic as Astanga, does it? Why in the world would a teacher call it Astanga when it is not?
There is also a popular home exercise DVD series that contains a Yoga DVD. The instructor takes care to tell you that he is not a yoga teacher, but apparently he still feels comfortable offering a Yoga DVD. Why not call one of his DVDs a physical therapy DVD? Because physical therapists are licensed and this guy would risk getting sued for using that term. Legal violations apparently stop people from doing things that just a simple application of ethics and integrity could do so easily. That is very sad and is just one example of how much we value integrity in our industry. No wonder the public doubts us most of the time!
Look around your own neighborhood and see how many Yoga classes are nothing more than stretch classes. I am not saying that every yoga class needs to chant or quote the Sutras but c’mon, yoga was not meant to be just another “butt and abs” class! Considering the way of the world these days, people need a sense of peace, centeredness and a feeling that they have some control over their lives. This is absolutely the juiciest part of yoga.
While state licensing would not be a cure-all for the ills of the fitness industry, I believe it would provide more consumer confidence because licensing would actually mean something – that there were standards set and the instructor met those standards. It would provide some much-needed boundaries that too many instructors – and the fitness industry – do no impose upon themselves.

1. Ask the Trainer for their credentials – education, degrees, certifications – although too many certifications are suspect due to the lack of standards in the accreditation process. While the subtext of “certification” is that the instructor is knowledgeable and qualified, this is not always the case. I sat in a yoga seminar where a “certified” teacher asked the presenter why it wasn’t okay to take her whiplash-injury student into a headstand to help strengthen her neck! And don’t even get me started on those instructors who teach “intermediate” Astanga classes to students who can’t even do a safe Cobra let alone an Upward Dog!
You might even consider asking the instructor where he/she got their certification and research that.
2. Unlike teaching aerobics where the instructor can just learn a pattern and repeat it, good Yoga and Pilates teachers practice. Practice makes an above average teacher. A lot of practice makes a good teacher. A lot of practice for years makes a great teacher. Don’t hesitate to ask your teacher about their practice.
The fitness industry has, I believe, let us down big time in its hurry to always market the Next Big Thing. There are many fitness professionals who are very passionate about their work but there are just too many so-called fitness pros who are more passionate about making a buck. The fitness industry, instead of working to clean up the snake oil, seems to just shrug its shoulders – maybe they make some ad money off of these guys, I don’t know. I just wish they’d do more to protect the fitness consumer.
There is a movement to license personal trainers, yoga and pilates teachers and I for one am all for this as I think it will immediately clear out those “weekend certified” trainers. I am a bit unhappy that the oversight committee will be made up of physical therapists because I’ve had experience with too many of them who’ve been certified in yoga and Pilates themselves over a weekend. Somehow they think they know the body better because they are PTs. Maybe. But that doesn’t mean that they automatically understand Pilates or Yoga. But considering the apathy of the fitness industry, it may be necessary to join up with the licensing board.
What I know for sure is that a qualified, passionate trainer in any specialty will be happy to answer any questions you have about their training, practice, education, etc. and you should not hesitate to take the time to ask.

I remember this as one of the first questions my webmaster asked me when he was designing the new website. The question left me flummoxed – I certainly had the list of services on the studio window – Classical Yoga, Classical Pilates and Movement Awareness work – but is that really all I do? And how is what I do any different than those types of classes offered by the local gym and fitness clubs?
So I thought it would be a good idea in my first blog to tell you a little bit more about who I work with and why I choose to work the way I do. And why someone would choose to come to me rather than do a group class at the gym.
Here are a few stats on my clients:
1. Male/Female ratio is about 40/60%.
2. The age range of the clientele is 35- 65 (this does not include my dance student clients who are 18-23 years of age).
3. Two-thirds of my clients are athletic – mostly runners although there are a
lot of golfers, too.
4. One-third have chronic pain, post-injury trauma or physical limitations that prevent them from doing regular group classes.
5. Most of my clients have reached an age where they are noticing the aches and pains associated with both activity and aging and they refuse to quit their activities or get hooked on medications.
6. There are also clients who are dealing with deep seated issues of anger, fear, and addiction issues. To that end, meditation and releasing techniques help to bring them to a better balanced place to be able to live their lives more fully.
The one thing that all my clients have in common is the knowledge that group classes do not serve their needs. Indeed, group classes can never serve individual needs. Of course, group classes can offer camaraderie and a social network which are certainly valid.
However, if you take your fitness seriously and are curious as to how far you can go with Pilates, Yoga or Movement work, then a personally tailored program and private training is the only option that will yield optimal results.