Introducing yoga
We must recognize that this practice is very foreign to the
participants
Beginning with one of the following introductions is helpful:
Yoga has the ability to bring all of the parts of ourselves
into one place, to bring an intent focus to the movement
of our bodies in space, noticing how we react to certain
postures; what is the resistance that comes up? Why? Challenge
them to stick with the posture, finding the freedom or lightness
within the physical structure of the movement.
Do you ever feel tightness in your arms, shoulders, legs,
or other area of the body? This is because when we feel
a high emotion, we tighten and tense the body. Even when
the event is over or the person is gone, some of that tension
remains. These little pockets of tension over time can cause
you the tightness that you feel when you bend over or other
aches that you may experience. Yoga can help to open some
of this tightness, bringing relief and ease.
Yoga is a movement practice that has been done for thousand
of years by all types of people. Professional athletes use
it as a discipline to introduce more flow and flexibility
into their play. Stars like Madonna, Russell Simmons, KRS-One,
The Beastie Boys, Oprah all practice yoga. Simmons has said,
“When I first started practicing, I thought, ‘If
I keep doing this shit, I’ll lose all my money.’
What happened, though, was I rearranged my priorities…getting
more in touch with my higher self…I became focused”.
(See Gurus of Hip-Hop article available at Lineage for complete
quote and other relatable figures.
Warm-Ups:
Use familiar movements to begin to awaken the group energy.
They help to:
1. Acknowledge that they have been challenged in the past.
2. Engage muscles that are used to work.
3. Bring yoga to a closer place in their minds.
Soup Stirring: Imagine stirring a pot of soup, slowly turning
it, so that it won’t stick to the bottom or the sides.
Now imagine someone putting flour in, making the stirring
a little bit harder. Notice how the shoulder and bicep become
more involved here. Another cup of flour is added, forcing
you to place both hands on the spoon, still stirring. “What
is your face like in this moment? Is it calm or tense? Are
you interested in what you are doing or wondering with your
attention. letting soup splatter on your clothes and face?
The liquid in the pot begins to boil more rapidly, sticking.
So, you have to stir a little faster. Do you feel the muscles
in the back begin to work? How has your breath changed since
we were stirring the original pot? And now, slowly, release.
Summarize: That was an exercise to begin to realize some
of our actions and the attention that we give them. We also
got a chance to see all of the different muscles that become
involved in movement. As we begin to do some of the yoga
– can we sense how the stirring of the soup can help
us to hold a posture by engaging those same muscles?
Other types of warm-ups include shaking, rolling, or small
jumping to begin to stir energy.
Remember – this group spends a lot of time in chairs.
Their reaction to movement may be slow going. The simpler,
the better.
Pranayama:
I tend to use a basic three-part breath in class. Based
on the limited time that we have with the kids, I tend to
give an overview like the one below, while emphasizing coordinated
breath with movement.
Ask everyone in the room to take in a deep breath. Now
ask them to take a deep breath without moving their shoulders.
Where did the breath go? Did anyone sense movement in the
belly? What would happen if we intentionally tried to move
the belly by filling it with breath, like a balloon? Can
you feel that this allows you to take a deeper breath?
Singers and swimmers use this type of breathing a lot to
support themselves while holding a note or when under water.
Let’s see who can take in the most breath. I am going
to count from one to six and ask you to keep breathing in,
and then I will count from one to twelve and ask you to
keep breathing out. Do the exercise. Who was able to sustain
– keep the breath moving in or out for the whole count?
Notice as we begin to move through the postures where your
breath is and its length.
Touch:
An intensively sensitive subject because we do not have
the opportunity to get to know the kids over a long period
of time and we don’t know a lot of their history.
And even the slightest touch in “that one spot”
can trigger a range of emotional responses.
Alert the participants at the beginning of the class that
you may come around and do some adjusting to them. If they
are uncomfortable, then you will respect their wish not
to be touched
Each case is individual. However, these kids don’t
often get a warm touch of any type. And, even a press point
or a lobe massage, or a gentle adjustment could do wonders
for them. Working with the arms, heads, and fingers seem
to be the most neutral areas.
Posture Demonstrations
Ask for respectful and observant silence. “See if
you can notice anything about my face or expression during
this posture.” Sometimes, it is helpful to talk about
the importance of yoga to you, personally in order to help
create a respectful and silent space.
Preface the introduction of the postures with the acknowledgment
that some of them can be very difficult.
• You can do several postures in a row if this is
a complete introduction. Then ask them what they noticed
while you were doing the postures, “the essence”
or feel that they got from the posture. Relay your experience
of the posture.
OR
• Say the English name of the posture. Do the posture.
What is the group energy like? Are they ready to move into
the posture as a group? Is there some trepidation? Perhaps,
ask for a volunteer that wants to demonstrate the posture.
Emphasize what a good job they are doing and then give minor
improvements. Has the group gained confidence by seeing
a peer doing this posture? Prepare them to move into the
posture by asking for stillness. Depending on the emphasis
of the class, do four or five postures in this way.
Doing the Poses:
When working with this population, a structure (though they
will resist!) is often what is most comfortable for them.
I have found that coming back to mountain in between postures
gives them a place to re-center, particularly if they have
had trouble staying in the posture. Try this or another
stabilizing posture of your choice.
Keep bringing them back to the breath, asking them to acknowledge
where it is in the body or its’ pace. Sometimes, this
is the only way for a group to begin to realize that there
is actually work being done.
1. Poses that we have found to receive large amounts of
resistance are:
a. Standing Forward Bends, including Downward Facing Dog
– Exposing the backside for the boys opens up a world
of vulnerability. They are not able to see what is going
on behind them. For them, this awareness is one of the keys
to protection, both sexually and physically.
Note – As part of a flow, it is possible to do these
postures. Decrease the holding times and feel the momentum
in the group. If there is resistance, choose another series,
respecting their need to protect themselves. When uncomfortableness
is in the room, release and safety are hard to achieve.
2. Poses that have been most successful: the joyful challenges:
a. The posture types listed below acknowledge their strengths,
their comfort zone; inclusion of them in the class helps
to pad their introduction to the postures and work familiar
muscle groups.
i. Guys:
The boys love a challenge – arm strengtheners, abdomen
engagers, balances, dynamic standing postures
ii. Gals:
The girls tend to be more flexible and seem most content
when doing more introverted stretches and postures which
celebrate their flexibility – seated forward bends,
heart openers, backbends, hip openers.
