We had so many in yoga today, we didn't have enough mats, nor even enough floor space or chairs. Its always a little chaotic, people getting called out for 1:1 sessions, people coming in late from court or parole hearings, etc. This is very busy working treatment center! It makes for certain inherent challenges for teaching yoga.
There were at least 25 today, maybe more and it was unusually rowdy. I started with a check in to get everybody to settle down. One girl had a headache due to quitting coffee, so we talked a bit about nicotine and caffiene, minor details in the early phase of recovery, in my opinion. But I shared some of the info about these drugs (yes! Caffiene and nicotine are drugs) and my experience in quitting them using the techniques of yoga (again). It was the most quiet the room was all day. I'd like to think I'm planting seeds about coffee and cigarettes, but I think they might be asking personal questions because they are stalling getting into the meat of group. Either way, I like to keep my stories as brief as possible and turn it back to focus on them.
By the time we finished check in and it was time to move...there was NO physical room for anything. We did some breath awareness, and then I had them all stand up and we did heart tapping (NOT appropriate to tap the arms..very triggering), and played with the subtle energy and prana ping pong. To my suprise and delight, many of them we able to access this. From there I had them sit back down and spent the rest of the class talking about the subtle energy and the CNS sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. One of the main points I offered for consideration was to begin to trust one's intuition...noticing when they pick up danger (or positive) subtle energy signals. Also, about being responsible for your own subtle energy. We had a little bit of discussion around this idea.
There were a handful (at least) who think I'm a kookie yoga teacher, I'm sure. I get challenged with rolling eyes and crossed arms. But then again, there are others who consider this possibly interesting and useful information. It was the best I could do for today.
Sometimes I didn't know what to say. So I followed Shiffman's example from Friday night at the Crib and paused. It was kind of cool. Either I'd have a hit of where to go next, or someone would ask a question.
Check in
Breath awareness
4 part breathing
abdominal breathing
tadasana
side bending
heart tapping
prana ping pong
discussion: Subtle energy
CNS
(Just had an idea as I was writing this! I think OM would be a great class if it is very crowded like this).
