Yoga as My Constant. How my Yoga Practice Supports me Through it All by Helena McKinney

I am writing this blog post from an International Airport in Bangalore, India. 

I have officially been away from In Fine Feather Yoga, Hamilton and everything that’s familiar to me for over a week. This is the first time I have done this type of travelling in almost 10 years. Being away has allowed to have some space from everything we call day to day living. It has also allowed me to reflect on all of my efforts, my hard work, the rewards and see where I am today because of a practice that consistently invites me to grow and evolve. The last few months have been a whirl wind and have at times, made my mind feel like it was constantly spinning. So much has happened behind the scenes and through it all yoga was my constant. Yoga always has my back with whatever might be going on in my life. It is an aid to anything I am doing and I am grateful for this type of energetic support. 

This September, the yoga studio changed locations.

We had 3 days to shut the old space down and rebuild, design and open the new space. All the while we were operating a regular schedule, I still taught my usual classes and had to keep it all running smoothly and make the change over to the new location seamless. This was a very good thing, while overwhelming at times because work days were starting to last 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is so important that I landed on my mat to connect inwards and move through my practice. Yoga offers me the space to centre and ground myself through all the chaos going on around me. Teaching regularly helps me to maintain a some what consistent schedule which creates stability and routine in my busy life. 

In September our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program started back up.

We gathered in the brand new space on weekends for the final 50 hours of teaching, sequencing and finding your voice. Graduation was just around the corner so a lot went into preparing these trainees to get out there and start teaching. Even though this increased my work load, teaching teachers is one of my favourite things to do. I receive so much value from doing teacher evaluations. We all benefit from being more mindful with our language and I love receiving gentle reminders of my own through hosting this program. At one of my busiest times, when my energy and mental capacity were low, this was especially helpful and kept me on top of teaching quality classes. No matter what, yoga has my back.

Prior to Jackee and I leaving for Om In India, our yoga retreat to the North and South of India, we had a ton of planning to do.

Of course there was logistical planning that had to happen but we also wanted the teaching component of this retreat to be rich in philosophy and personal development. Jackee and I have put countless hours into curating an incredibly special opportunity for the attendees who are joining us on this journey. We all have the desire to experience adventure and through this practice we are able to travel, go to the birth place of yoga, develop a whole other side to IFF and create life long memories. We sat down together to skillfully plan our lessons and here we are exciting them, what a gift! This practice offers me so many unimaginable gifts. 

It excites me very much to be sharing the launch of my second business, Emerge Mentoring with my cofounder Meagan Santa. 

This has been a passion project of ours for almost a year. Emerge is a mentoring and consulting company that wants to support new or small businesses invest in their growth. We want to be apart of the creative process for businesses and help them get off the ground, strategize tactics for success and support them with any business needs. What makes this endeavour even more special for the both of us? Yoga philosophy is deeply rooted in the core values of this company. It is so important for us as business owners that we keep our services heart centred and full of integrity. Yoga is so much apart of both of our lives that it was built right into our business model. Meag and I have the deepest desire to see people succeed in their passion and pursue their vision. Yoga has guided me into this business mentality and is the constant behind my decisions as an entrepreneur. 

Even writing this, I am reminded of the incredible strength I receive through this practice. Find the willingness and desire to show up for fully for yourself. Yoga is always reminding me of who I am in this world and that I have an important and valuable place within it. Keep following your practice, you have no idea where it might take you and who it might connect you with. I have been able to do all this things in such a short time but I truly believe its a combination of dedication, persistence, passion, devotion and a regular yoga asana and meditation practice. Especially when life is proving to be the toughest, allow yoga to be your constant no matter what. It demonstrates to me a divine inner strength but also a larger force that is perhaps guiding us all, I take great comfort in this. 

With Love and Gratitude, 
Helena 

My Karma Yoga Experience by Sara Nixon

This summer at In Fine Feather Yoga, all the students enrolled in our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training course took the summer months off. Which meant they were out of the classroom and putting their training into purpose and action. They had a number of assignments and self study projects to complete throughout the summer, one of which was 5 hours of volunteering within the community. The intention of this exercise was to bring the moral principals of the Yamas and Niyamas into the volunteer work they did with an organization or charity that was not related to yoga. Specifically, looking to explore and exercise these principle to help guide them through the experience of volunteering. We felt really inclined to share Sara’s Karma Yoga exercise because it is the embodiment of how the Yoga practice should be lived and explored everyday to enrich our personal growth but also our connections to other people. If you aren't very familiar with the Yamas and Niyamas, you will still love this article, but we've also provided you with a link HERE to do some background reading if you feel included to know more about the philosophy.

A big thank you to Sara for allowing us to share her experience with the IFF community!

My Relationship to Asteya

I currently volunteer at the YWCA Hamilton Senior 55+ Active Living Centre. My volunteer work here is a directly result of my contemplation of the yamas and niaymas during Yoga Teacher Training. I came to this organization through my intent to practice aestya, or non-stealing. I’d like to share my story of how I got to this place: I came to yoga teacher training feeling restless and discontent. I had a hard time coming to terms with why. If I was to look at myself through the eyes of an observer, I would see a privileged life. I am married to the most loving and supportive partner and together we own a house and have a family of adorable cats. I have a career directly in my field of study, and not only is it fulfilling and rewarding, but I am paid benefits and have a pension. I travel and hike and camp and garden and surround myself with family and friends who love me and constantly build me up. I am living the millennial dream.

And yet, for many months leading up to YTT, this relentless voice told me I was not enough and that, in order to be enough, I needed to take more. I spent about a year almost obsessively searching for and applying to what seemed like better, more important and impressive careers. I’d get some interviews but never did I get the job. I also applied to volunteer boards and committees that I thought would look impressive. I wasn’t successful in these either. This was hard on my sense of self-worth, and further perpetuated the illusion that if I took more, I could be more. 

Connecting it back to Asteya

Asteya is not only concerned with stealing things that are tangible, but also stealing emotional, cultural, and social space. As a privileged, white female living the millennial dream, I take up a lot of this kind of space. Yet, through contemplation, I realized that my discontentment came from this compulsion to take up more space, and to ensure my spot at the centre of it. This was unhealthy and led to feelings of inadequacy, jealously, judgement, and competition. Instead of focusing my energies on taking up space for myself, I am now more mindful to consciously and thoughtfully give space to others who need it more than I do. This has become my practice of asteya.

Reflection

I stopped applying to jobs and impressive committees, and instead applied to volunteer with the YWCA Hamilton Seniors 55+ Active Living Centre. I help run the outreach programming for the Senior Outreach Community Connections program, where older adults living in long-term care facilities all over the city are transported to the YWCA for a morning of singing, dancing, games, and other interactive programming. Older adults living in long term care facilities often feel isolated and forgotten. This program aims to connect older adults with others, to explore new things in a supportive environment, and to have fun.

I will also be delivering my own programming at the centre in Fall 2019, where I will lead conversation-based sessions on different aspects of local Hamilton history focused on memory-sharing and storytelling. In these programs, older adults will be at the centre, where they will have the opportunity to share, reminisce, and connect to one another. My role will be to facilitate and to listen – to create space for others. I do this work to engage members of the community who do not hold adequate social, cultural, and emotional space. I do this work to create a supportive space where older adults feel heard, appreciated, and valued. This is my practice of asteya.

More About IFF’s Yoga Teacher Training in Hamilton

Click here to learn more or contact Helena McKinney here.