Extracts from the teaching manual

WINDFIRE YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
Yoga practice, and teaching, can never effectively be a matter of opinion. They must rest fully and uncompromisingly on the nature of the bodimind, completely free from assumption, hope and wishful thinking. This does not mean that there is only one way to teach or practice yoga. Far from it. There are as many ways to practice yoga as there are pratitioners; and there are many possible ways of teaching yoga. It does mean, however, that their variety must always be based on the same irrevocable foundation. The inherent integrity of the human body. An integrity that functions through mechanical, physical, chemical and biological principles. These principles are inherent, universal and express their status continuously through the agency of the pain-pleasure mechanism. This mechanism is embedded on a cellular level and functions throughout the tissues of the body as the fundamental, precognitive means of survival and orientation. Deep sensitivity to this mechanism is all that is required to integrate action, function and structure on the basis of the body’s inherent integrity (unity). Only then can yoga (unity) manifest.

Windfire Yoga Teacher Training utilises The Dynamic Yoga Training Method (DYTM). This is an approach to learning yoga based directly on how the bodimind inherently and naturally functions. It is not a theoretical or conjectural process. It is based on bringing action and perception into the light of awareness, through the agencies of movement, stillness and attention. It is independent of all speculative hypotheses pointing directly to actions and their impacts in clarification of the true nature of action, effort, intent, perception, cognition and awareness.

The DYTM is based on the clarification of principle. It is not concerned with the endless accumulation of specific information. Life does not subscribe to a menu. Nor does Yoga. Both are based on an infinite variety of specific applications of a limited number of fundamental principles. The principles of life and yoga can be articulated from multiple perspectives. The more profound and inclusive the perspective, the fewer and more abstract the principles. The more superficial and exclusive the perspective, the more numerous and concrete the principles. Too profound a perspective can render distinctions meaningless, and navigation impossible. Too superficial a perspective can transform distinction into meaningless fragmentation. Effective navigation requires a balance, within which the superficial and the profound contextualise each other. Otherwise the disasters of dogmatism are unavoidable..........

 

TECHING YOGA DYNAMICALLY
The Dynamic Yoga Training Method utilises postural shapes to recover the inherent integrity of being human. This process begins with the awakening of the inherent integrity of the body. It flowers with the realisation (making a reality) of the spiritual dimensions inherent to being human. A realisation from within which the flow of life is not broken by the separation of action from awareness, intention from integrity, personal from impersonal, self from other. This expression of the inherent unity of being human rests inexorably on the awakening of somatic integrity. This is what it means to teach yoga dynamically.

The overt expression of integrity in action, awakens the inherent integrity of structure and function. This depends not upon any physical capability, but upon self awareness (svadhyaya). This expresses in being present (bhramacharya) to that which is actually happening. It is a presence of mind that rests entirely on sensitive (ahimsa), honest (satya), open (asteya) and generous (aparigraha) enquiry (adhyaya). This depends upon a total absence of any limited agenda or intention. It is focussed through sensitivity to actions and their impacts, which becomes the sole agenda of practice. An agenda that is not limited, because it must lead to functional and structural integrity, to the extent that it becomes the guiding light of practice. Which in turn leads to the deeper integrities of the subtleties of being human.

Sensitivity leads to integrity by way of the pain-pleasure mechanism. The need of every cell, tissue, organ, joint and muscle for nourishment and well being is a cellular imperative that only destruction (disintegration) can frustrate. A frustration that has become the norm as a result of the habituated insensitivity that comes from the pursuit of overt, sensational pleasure. The pain-pleasure spectrum of cellular integrity is subtle, and is not reflected accurately in the criteria of overt sensorial sensations. The compulsive pursuit of sensory pleasure is the fundamental agency whereby cellular sensitivity is diminished. By becoming sensitive to the impact of movement and action on muscles and joints cellular sensitivity is recovered. As it is recovered and responded to movement and action become more and more effectively guided by it, rather than by habit, concept, knowledge or momentary desire. In doing so the inherent integrity of the body expresses itself more and more fully.

An integrity in which, by design, of both structure and function, every separable part exists for and because of each other part. Though they can be addressed and used as if separate, they are inherently nonseparate. The recovery of integrity demands that movement and action become based on sensitivity to that nonseparateness. This requires a holistic awareness embracing each part of the body as a whole. As attention has become deeply habituated to a linear mode of functioning this must be learned. Although this learning takes time, it is indispensable and need not take a long time. Its learning depends upon proceeding step by step. This rests upon a profound understanding of the indivisibility of the body and the inherent integrity of movement and action this generates. This is based not on book learning but deep, penetrative experience of the functioining of the body. This experience is provided by yoga posture selfpractice only.......

 

THE BASIS OF RESTRUCTURING
The body’s governing principles are taught, and its inherent functional and structural integrity is revealed, through sensitisation and activation. The sensitisation of the ten major joints of the body is contextualised within the sensitisation and activation (sensitised activation) of the seven major (on the basis of intentional motion) parts of the body: hands, feet, arms, legs,  pelvis, chest and head. Hands, feet, arms and legs are the peripheral bodyparts. Pelvis, chest and head are the core bodyparts. Sensitisation and activation becomes a simple accessible progression from sensitising the joints, via activating the bodyparts, refining muscular activity and opening the joints to integrating the whole body. Of course the distinguishable aspects of the process are not separate from each other. Nor are they separate from awakening, releasing and optimising the muscles. They deeply interlock, generate and refine each other mutually.

The sensitised activation of the body is initiated through movement (ullola) wherein attention is focused on sensations in the joints, while utilising the minimum necesaary muscular effort possible. Then sensitised activation of the secondary (peripheral) bodyparts and realignment of the primary (core) bodyparts, takes place both in movement (ullola) and in stillness (postures). This activation continues the sensitisation of the joints. The sensitisation of the joints underpins the activation of the bodyparts.

The sensitised activation of the peripheral or secondary bodyparts is simply a matter of creating as much space in every constituent joint within the part as possible. This is always done on the basis of the minimum muscular effort necessary to maximally balanced opening. This does not require attending to every constituent muscle and bone. The human body functions from within its inherent, organic unity, if it is allowed to. In the hands and feet this is a comprehensive but simple broadening and lengthening, which extends via the arms and legs into the trunk. It relieves pressure in all of their joints and brings them alive as vessels of awareness. The rearrangement of the core  bodyparts always requires the vertical balancing of the pelvis (usually lifting the hipbones), and the releasing of the spine (lengthening the waist) by drawing the ribcage with integrity away from the pelvis (and/or vice-versa)........

 

 

THE ART OF TEACHING
Teaching is an art. One which comes naturally to some, and by others must be learned. Yet teaching can not happen if learning is not happening. The art of teaching can only be learned if the mechanics of learning are clearly understood. Somatic learning takes place only and always through continuous, consistent repetition. This allows the engrams that control new neuromuscular pathways to be developed. The neuromuscular pathways  required of yoga postures are all based on reorganisation of old neuromuscular pathways  and their controlling engrams, although in some cases some elements are completely new. This all takes time, or repetition, to be established.

Yet at the same time human musculature is not fixed. The body usually has more than one option for bringing about an action. This means that we need to contextualise consistency of action within a wide range of possibilities, shapes and movements. This is done in the mainly symmetrical symmetries of ullola and xandranamaskar. They allow the body to develop new neuromuscular pathways and engrams of integrity. These engrams and neuromuscular pathways can then be put to work in more and more challenging postures as the body opens and strengthens.

Through repetition the bodimind is able to establish new patterns of action and movement based on integrity. This does not take long as the fundamental engrams not only exist but are determined and supported genetically by the inherent intelligence of the body. Yoga posture practice is to a great extent an unlearning of distortion. If patterns of integrity are not rewired into the sensory motor nerves then yoga posture practice, now matter how exciting and momentarily rewarding will always be a struggle.......

 

A VINYASA KRAMA OF TEACHING YOGA DYNAMICALLY
Yoga, in all its simplicity and power, must be taught in phases or stages. Each technique rests on specific actions and movements. Each one highlights particular parts of the body, actively or passively, as action or impact. Every joint and muscle in the body needs to be sensitised, reawakened, optimised and reintegrated progressively. This require a systematic process. One in which movements, and stillness, are selected and progressively organised so as to recalibrate individual muscles and joints, and to reintegrate their functioning with each other and within and as the body s a whole.

All shapes and movements involve the use of multiple muscles and joints. Every technique then has multiple impacts or intentions. Each of which must be assimilated and accomodated. This requires repetition that involves both consistency and variety. Consistency is required to establish the core neuromsucuar pathway that brings about all the necessary actions and movements.  Variety is required to develop altenative ways to access that pathway. This is because the body always has many possible options for taking an action. If and when the primary or core muscles are not avaialble, the action load will be transferred to another muscular configuration and pathway. These pathways also need to be established.  This means that the actions being taught are always the same, but they can be approached, accessed, instrcuted and verbalised differently. The more angles of approach we take to a movement or shape the easier it becomes for the body to make it in the future. The more often we repeat the easier also. Only if and when each constituent element of a given technique have been embodied can that technique bear its full fruit. For every constituent element to be embodied it must be emphasised in a supporting context. This creates a progression of emphasis, based on progression of instruction within the same basic movements and their constituents actions.......

 

 

THE SPIRIT OF TEACHING YOGA.
To go beyond technique and enter the heart of yoga is the most important task of a teacher.  It does not depend in the slightest on how much we can bend, turn or stretch.  It depends simply on whether or not we are aware of how we bend, turn or stretch.  It is not a question of achieving some pre-determined goal.  It is about cutting through our self deceptions and entering into the fullness of what we are in the moment.  This means going from the outer, temporary form to the inner, perennial essence.  It means learning to penetrate our bodimind without prejudice, without ambition and to enter our hearts without abandoning or being caught by either body or mind. 

So, no matter how we feel on the surface, no matter how sluggish our bodies, confused our thoughts or volatile our emotions, we enter the heart of yoga not by denying or abandoning them through ambition and its inevitable violence, but by accepting, acknowldeging and integrating them into our deeper heart, where harmony resides, and from where it can flower through our emotions, our thoughts and our actions, with no controling, distorting intention on our part.  When this purifying action of the heart flowers back to the surface it transforms our emotions, thoughts, gestures and actions completely.  As our self-deceptions and self-denial falls away, our emotions, thoughts and actions become permeated with the radiance of the heart that is yoga.  It is this that arises through genuine practice.  It is this that is transmitted when yoga is taught effectively...........

 

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