Saturday, September 21, 2019

Ciconia ciconia: What is it about Angela and Victor's Yoga that is so wondrous (for me)? it's the beauty of Angela and Victor's Yoga Hall in Eftalou near Molyvos on Lesvos in Greece, combined with students coming to their courses on holiday, along with sharing their own unique and wondrous vision for Yoga, and teachings that all come together amazingly there * * * Enjoyed too connecting with Jonathan Lovell . . . There's a Massachusetts's informed friendship I feel with him (almost like connecting with a countryman some one from one's own country when one's traveling) * * * 7 Effective Tips For Yoga Teachers to Build Your Class Size - 1. Talent and Experience 2. Maintain Palpable Passion 3. Promote, Promote, Promote 4. Student-Teacher Connection 5. Balance Dynamism and Accessibility 6. Use Your Words 7. Creative Sequencing



Scott MacLeod yogamacflower@gmail.com

5:14 PM (3 hours ago)
to Lindascottmacleod100, bcc: Jane

Hi Linda,
(Yoga teacher in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania).

How are you? Are you in teaching Yoga in Italy already?

I think it's the beauty of Angela and Victor's Yoga Hall in Eftalou near Molyvos on Lesvos in Greece, combined with students coming to their courses on holiday, along with sharing their own unique and wondrous vision for Yoga, and teachings that all come together amazingly there.

I won't be coming back for Angela's course in Yellow Springs in late October, but if you're in Pittsburgh over Xmas it would be nice to see you.

Met Sara Kenward, manager of Mountain Yoga (in the Oakland hills not far from where I live in Canyon 94516) at a Farmer's Market on a Saturday recently, and am exploring teaching Yoga there ...


Dear Sara Kenward, 

Nice again to meet you at the Montclair Farmers' Market.

And congratulations to you, Ann Dyer, and all (https://www.m-yoga.org/about-us.html) on your 1st year in your new studio - https://www.m-yoga.org/new-studio.html . How has this gone for you?

I just signed up for the Mountain Yoga Newsletter here - https://www.m-yoga.org/newsletter-signup.html. I was looking online for pictures of it to see if Mountain Yoga's New Studio has wall straps and other useful props for supported inversions, supported poses, and restoratives, not so much like the Iyengar Yoga Institute of SF's fairly new studio - https://www.yelp.com/biz/iyengar-yoga-institute-of-san-francisco-san-francisco-3 



- (from which IYISF I have a state of California's certificate for a 2 year program, which I completed in a year,) but from what I've enjoyed so much and learned from Angela and Victor's Yoga courses in Lesvos, Greece, in the SF Bay Area and many other places - support/prop-wise. I went through the IYI SF Yoga training in its old studio on Taraval in the sunset district of SF which had pretty good props too. I studied there with both Kathy Alef and Janet MacLeod at IYISF in 1991-1992 and they're still teaching there and senior teachers there as well - https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/mainclass?studioid=10212&tg=&vt=&lvl=&stype=&view=&trn=0&page=&catid=&prodid=&date=9%2f21%2f2019&classid=0&prodGroupId=&sSU=&optForwardingLink=&qParam=&justloggedin=&nLgIn=&pMode=0&loc=1 - nearly 30 years later. 

And while Angela and Victor also have a few props built into their very beautiful Yoga Hall which you can see here - https://angela-victor.com/content/valley-eftalou - props are helpful in their amazing teaching potential but by no means the center of their Yoga (like props can seem to be in Iyengar Yoga). And since they studied so long with Iyengar in the 1970s (going separate ways as IY 'institutionalized' - in SF in 1984), they are very skillful in using props, and I've learned a lot from them in these regards inner body-wise. In my exploring teaching Yoga in a studio again (and outside of my house-let in Canyon 94516), props also aren't central to my teaching, but I find they can facilitate releases / ing and Yoga learning in very positive ways. And I also appreciate the information A & V share here re their new Yoga home - http://www.yoga.info/en/yoga-place/greece/lesvos/angela-farmer-and-victor-van-kooten-s-yoga-hall - and re their wondrous Yoga teachings. 

I've also studied with Dona Holleman in Italy in the 1990s, and also in the US - http://www.centeredyogadonaholleman.org/en/yoga-centered/ - and Dona studied much too with Iyengar even before Angela and Victor, in the 1960s, I think. I appreciate Dona's approach to independent Yoga thinking, and re the Taoist thinking too about 'wu wei' (non-action) in her Yoga and re a kind of restorative Yoga especially - https://www.yogauonline.com/yoga-basics/doing-without-doing-yoga-practice-dona-holleman-ancient-practice-wu-wei . And I still practice with her books "Yoga Syllabus for Teacher and Student" and its companion book "Asana in Photo" to this day.  

You'll find aspects of the Yoga I share here - http://www.scottmacleod.com/yoganotations.html - and - http://scottmacleod.com/yoga.htm - if you're interested, and it could be great to talk further about some of this, possibly in Montclair Village some time, depending on how scheduling might work out. Visualizing with language of inner releasing processes - which can seem divine, combined with the benefits of exploring Asana-informed movement - are also what I revel teaching, and have explored much in teaching Yoga in Canyon. And while I may explore teaching Yoga and some of this re Piedmont Yoga, it would be great to talk with you too about this.   

If Mountain Yoga's mission includes: "We want to take you higher: the friendly yoga studio in the Oakland hills," it would be fun to talk further about how. One of my out-of-the-box Yoga focuses also focuses on exploring practices for eliciting loving bliss neurophysiology - http://scottmacleod.com/LovingBlissPractices.htm - which seems to dovetail with Mountain Yoga's vision. 

I'd also like to offer any help I can, talking-wise etc.. to you, if that might be of assistance or service. Would you like to go out for a Chai or similar to talk about some of this in Montclair Village sometime?

Sincerely, Scott
https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Yoga (for open wiki teaching and learning about Yoga:) - 

Will see what she says, although she didn't respond to my first email or request to be added to their mailing list.


What's your thinking, Linda, on the benefits of the technologies of props, as well as the information technology of language re Yoga Teaching?

Happy Yoga teaching in Bella Italia!

Sincerely, Scott
:)

* * *

Hi M,

English folk dancing was fun. Enjoyed too connecting with Jonathan Lovell who's back east (with his wife Ellen too) in Delaware at the school where he began teaching 50 years' ago. There's a Massachusetts's informed friendship I feel with him (almost like connecting with a country man, some one from one's own country when one's traveling) - a  shared and happy understanding around connecting as friends. Also appreciated English Country Dancing itself - there's a kind of civility in it culturally, with lots of folks identity-wise and culturally in the room (many with backgrounds in or ancestors from England) ... somehow familiarity. And the movement was alright re my left hip's sciatica, partly because we don't turn the feet out in English country dancing. 

Quite a few people with Asian background too (Chinese?) ... and one 25-30 yo Asian woman seemed to have her sights set on an Asian man, even possibly for marriage - courtship in progress possibly. 

I could possibly meet a partner in this Palo Alto dance ... through its network ... e.g. a 28-32 yo Stanford graduate looking for a partner ... who lives in the area, has danced English, and someone knows of. So I may head there again.

How are you? And what are you up to this weekend?

As you may have seen in my email to Linda Meacci, I'm exploring teaching Yoga here (you had suggested this too), and am going to do some supported inversions momentarily. :) ... Yoga can be a kind of work on the self, for freedom even ... and in the learning process, an inner body releasing emerges with time in my experience. 

More folk dancing ahead! 

L,
Scott


* *

Hi Jonathan,

Do I recall correctly that you've used a fit bit or similar to count steps (for health reasons)? I just found this -
RSCDS Edinburgh
@dancingforth

Watch your step count & see your fitness levels increase as you #DanceScottish #fitness & #fun in #Edinburgh Classes start next week http://rscdsedinburgh.org
RT & tell your friends.

https://twitter.com/dancingforth/status/1175792398385012738 - and retweeted it here  https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand

Have you used a Fitbit or similar while dancing and compared results with walking  (if it's far enough along) ? (Am thinking too re Longevity questions - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Longevity - and measuring exercises' effects on this, since there's evidence for its benefits). If one could walk 10,000 steps per day through to age 110, could one extend such benefits of measured movement beyond the 122 years of age of Jeanne Calment, which is the documented upper limit for longevity that I know of?

It would be fun to head to English Country Dancing in Palo Alto with you and Ellen some time when you are back. English CD there was fun on Friday.

With very best regards, Scott
- https://twitter.com/scottmacleod


*
Could be funner to dance one's way with 10,000 steps per day to 110 years of age, rather than walk this with #FitBit measuring re #Longevity. Blogged this, plus w Yoga focus https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/09/ciconia-ciconia-what-is-it-about-angela.html
Am curious how one could "FitBit" the exercise benefits of an inverted #Yoga poses

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1175835282530156544



Could be funner to dance one's way with 10,000 steps per day to 110 years of age, rather than walk this with #FitBit measuring or similar. Blogged this, plus with Yoga focus https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/09/ciconia-ciconia-what-is-it-about-angela.html
Am curious how one could "FitBit" the exercise benefits of an inverted Yoga poses -
https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1175833112476930048
 like supported head stand or shoulder stand :)
https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1175834697424748544



*

Do I recall correctly that you've used #FitBit /similar to count steps (for health reasons & longevity even)? See RSCDS Edinburgh @dancingforth Watch your step count & see your fitness levels increase as you #DanceScottish #fitness & #fun in #Edinburgh
https://twitter.com/dancingforth/status/1175792398385012738 -

https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1175830798747881472


Do I recall correctly that you've used #FitBit /similar to count steps (for health reasons & #longevity even)? See RSCDS Edinburgh @dancingforth Watch your step count & see your fitness levels increase as you #DanceScottish #fitness & #fun in #Edinburgh
https://twitter.com/dancingforth/status/1175792398385012738 -

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1175834340669788161


*

Have you used a #FitBit or similar while dancing & compared results with walking (if it's far enough along) ? (Am thinking too re #Longevity questions -
https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Longevity @WorldUnivAndSch - and measuring exercises' effects on this, since there's evidence for its
benefits).

https://twitter.com/scottmacleod/status/1175834146289020928
https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1175833855502118912


Have you used a #FitBit or similar while dancing & compared results with walking (if it's far enough along) ? (Am thinking too re Longevity questions -
https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Longevity @WorldUnivAndSch - and measuring exercises' effects on this, since there's evidence for its
benefits).
https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1175831229586788352


*

If one could walk 10,000 steps per day with #FitBit through to age 110, could one extend such benefits of measured movement beyond the 122 years of age of Jeanne Calment, which is the documented upper limit for longevity that I know of  https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Longevity @WorldUnivAndSch ?

https://twitter.com/TheOpenBand/status/1175832513719091200



* * *

What is it about Angela and Victor's Yoga that is so wondrous (for me)? And how to explore this further flourishing?


*

Good day, M, to you too!

Supported Yoga head stand (with shoulders on two chairs) and supported shoulder stand with shoulders on 3 blankets, a belt around arms above elbows to keep the upper arms parallel, and a sticky mat, with feet on the wall, were ESPECIALLY nice yesterday evening here in Canyon. Doing such poses integrates much and brought too a kind of clarity to bodymind by sending a lot of bodily fluids through the body in new ways (eg blood flowing into upper body / head by being upside down) ... at the cellular level, as well as probably at the atomic level too. ... Will the relative non action of these poses be doable if we can live to 150 years of age and for related biology movement benefits? Thinking so. :)

Love, Scott



* *

Hi Linda,

Looks like I got on Mountain Yoga's email list since emailing Sara Kenward yesterday. Blogged a bit about this as well - https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2019/09/ciconia-ciconia-what-is-it-about-angela.html - including with my email to you. 

What do you think of this Mountain Yoga promotion approach of offering the opportunity to win 30 days of free classes - 
WIN 30 DAYS FREE CLASSES!
IN OUR AUTUMN YOGA AFTERWORK DRAWING

7 Effective Tips For Yoga Teachers to Build Your Class Size -
1. Talent and Experience
2. Maintain Palpable Passion
3. Promote, Promote, Promote
4. Student-Teacher Connection
5. Balance Dynamism and Accessibility
6. Use Your Words
7. Creative Sequencing
https://www.yogiapproved.com/yoga/increase-yoga-class-size/ - 
Seems like a good idea to me if one's Yoga Hall has enough teachers teaching classes - http://www.lindameacciyoga.com/classes . Would it work in your school / Yoga teaching practice in Pittsburgh?

Just brainstorming a little ... 

Namaste, 
















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