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“the intent of this blog is to incrementally build a body of thought that works toward integrating various topics, yoga, fitness, and the arts – it’s a process…”
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Yoga Teacher Immersion Experience with Lex Gillan – A Look Back * original Tweets + new Commentary
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Intro
below, are my real-time tweets for my summary commentary for my yoga teacher immersion training with lex gillan, tweeted the days immediately after our training
i cleaned up extra info around the tweet, keeping one picture of me from one tweet
additionally, differing from my earlier series of yoga teacher immersion tweets i posted earlier [1] -
i’ve included, below each tweet, my current thoughts, nearly two months later, about the training, and it’s value or effect on me
topics include lex, classmates, and final summaries
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PLEASE NOTE: my tweeter handle @adanlerma has changed to @yoga_adan
Also Please Note:
tweets normally show as most recent on top, but, to reflect a narrative, i’ve rearranged the sequence so these will read top down, earliest first
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How Determined to Finish Immersion?
how determined was i to finish my immersion? pt 1 – if truck broke dwn, rent car or rm near class; if weather/traffic delayed me arrive late
[ i think my truck-break-down-worry was more to mask my concern about the rush hour houston traffic 
not something i could do on a regular basis, too far, too difficult ]
adanlerma adanlerma
how determined was i to finish my immersion? pt 2 – if whole day missed due to weather traffic health make up time next immersion as per lex
[ this was a legitimate concern, but was blessed with no more than heavy fog, light rain, and cold-for-houston weather ; i've driven through much worse when i was younger here in houston, believe me ]
adanlerma adanlerma
how determined was i to finish my immersion? pt 3 -woke up few times clogged, 1/2 panicked, rinsed nostril, sat up in bed, breathed sigh
[ only a slight panic, sitting up in bed with lots of pillows will keep me drained and clear ; when northerly fronts reach galveston, they usually are carrying pollen and who knows what else from not only houston, but from beyond austin in the hill country (cedar etc) ]
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Classmates
adanlerma adanlerma
re classmates in immersion pt 1 – the highest rating in my thin book: they are all good people – all else is embellishment
[ still stands, just plain ole good people, good folk ]
adanlerma adanlerma
re classmates in immersion pt 2 – all ages, i was the oldest of course ; all levels of exp; 3 men in group of 10 (most ever as per lex)
[ lex was real pleased, he said, there were as many guys as there were, though we were still outnumbered 2:1 ]
adanlerma adanlerma
re classmates in immersion pt 3 – some are teaching, some will be teaching (me, starting this wed), & some want to teach; all styles of yoga
[ some people had taught many years, some substitute taught, some taught and did personal trainer work, some had taught other things but not yoga yet, and some had yet to teach ; styles of yoga experienced or taught included power yoga, warm & hot yoga, yin, vinyasa ; and i did start teaching! ]
Teaching Yoga – Preparing a Class (my beginner’s view)
Teaching My First Yoga Class – One Month Later
adanlerma adanlerma
re classmates in immersion pt 4 – concentrations from dance, banking, psychology, philosophy, personal training, office work, landscaping
[ backgrounds extended to experience in dance, competitive bicycling, fitness, psychology, children's work, seniors, and competitive drill ; it was a great mix ]
adanlerma adanlerma
re classmates in immersion pt 5 – respect for each other’s diet, practice style, plans, & philosophical preferences; good people….
[ several people were vegetarians, several ate anything, and several were undecided ; conversational pros & cons regarding any perspective were respectful of the other person, interesting, delving, and, at times, entertaining ]
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Transition
adanlerma adanlerma
i’m near the end of my immersion musings, then will move on, preparing 2 teach my 1st yoga class, seniors with 3+ levels of ability
[ this was a real self-red-herring, i was closer to the middle of my summary review than the end ; but i kept this tweet in, to show how my thoughts took their own turns of progression at times, leading me to a more interesting and complex summary-end than i'd given myself credit for! - sometimes, its seems, observing the mind, doesn't mean just letting it then drift away with its thought, but rather follow it and see where it leads... ]
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adanlerma adanlerma
immersion summaries: lex as business person: win win
[ hands down, lex consistently expressed a sincere drive to find the way something would work for all parties involved - from stories about the beginnings of yoga alliance, to setting up workshops for "name" brand celebrities, to the very immersion we were in right then ]
adanlerma adanlerma
immersion summaries: lex-able quotes: from prince to monks to gurus to paul mccartney to sanskrit to comic pages to ny times to his wife
[ these were first-hand anecdotes, clearly & beyond a doubt spanning the growth of yoga in the U.S. since the 70's ; fascinating, yet not self-indulgent at all ]
adanlerma adanlerma
immersion summaries: lex as teacher: compassionate, flexible, firm, attentive to the student in the moment with an eye for duration
[ very focussed within the moment, whether in meditation or asana, with the focus, at least in this workshop, on each of us individually, as we were and where we were right then, within the moment in the training ]
adanlerma adanlerma
immersion summaries: lex as yoga teacher: decades of applied reflected-on tested & retested experience; eclectic; still learning
[ despite obvious compelling depth of experience, always showed signs of learning or considering new information, such as the anatomical studies by ray long ; but once considered, if the something-new didn't add to the moment's purpose, then it was swiftly declined, an example of which was, when asked about new studies showing that currently considered "classically" done asanas may not be as cleanly classical as once thought, he'd pondered a moment, then said (paraphrasing) "but there needs to be a standard to modify from, and these (from iyengar especially) are good for me" ; while believing modern day asanas are not in a lineage doing back 5000 years (which wouldn't make them "correct" anyways), i do believe, asanas, like the english language i started learning when i started grade school in houston (though i'm a born & raised texan) need a common language, of the tongue, and of the body, for unifying communication ]
adanlerma adanlerma
immersion summaries: lex as meditation teacher: aware of the power & simplicity of meditation with the heart to share that power & ease
[ this is lex's true love, and it shows; it shows in his teachings, his passion, and his vast and comparative knowledge of styles and types of meditation; this was a big welcome surprise for me ]
adanlerma adanlerma
immersion summaries: lex as a person: open honest trustworthy; struggles w/humor w/his devils inside, past & present – a good person
[ never any doubt i was dealing with a fully rounded fully present human being with no fantasies of being more than any of us, nice... ]
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Most…
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: most unexpected: recapturing my younger years’ love of meditation; and how i’d never really left it…
[ directly lead to my first comprehensive posts when i started my blog earlier this year : ]
Meditation: Am I Doing It Yet? Part 1 — “who defines meditation?”
Meditation: Am I Doing It Yet? Part 2 — “definitions mechanisms comparisons”
Meditation: Am I Doing It Yet? Part 3 — “yes! maybe, sometimes ;-)
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: most astonishing: how much my 60 yr old body (and mind) can still do
[ i knew i could zumba an 8 hour workshop by pacing, i knew i could jazzercise 3-5 times a week by modulating my exertions, i didn't know if i could hold up to before-sunrise to sunset continuous days of yoga - i could and can, smiling, mostly ;-) ]
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Final Summaries
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: about yoga: how invaluable on so many levels with no requirement to adhere to any one belief or person
[ invaluable to me, and proven out as true and accurate as a teacher workshop - from lex's website: "The teaching style of hatha and raja yoga is eclectic and non-dogmatic and is compatible to all styles of yoga regardless of the lineage...." ]
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: yoga & fitness pt1: perfect fit with resistance (weights bands etc) & cardio (aerobics dance jogging) via flexibility
[ i am truly only beginning to see how perfect a fit yoga is becoming with all my prior fitness interests ; i fully intend to express my explorations of this in the future; please check back on my site, or sign up for the email newsletter (right side & bottom of each page) ]
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: yoga & fitness pt2: tho @ fitness field encompasses all 3 needs (strength cardio flexibility) each “leans” toward one
[ it's silly, i think, for any one fitness discipline, no matter how lineaged it is to other components, whether spiritual or commercial, to be the end all for everyone, people are just too intriguingly complex for that ;-) ]
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: yoga & fitness pt3: yoga uniquely combines strength & flexibility in a predominately calming manner
[ this for me is yoga's supremely physical gift, which, as per respected teachers like iyengar, are a great foundation for further development of the mind and spirit ]
adanlerma adanlerma
my immersion summary: yoga & fitness pt4: yoga’s lead on dance & resistance training 4 me will likely increase each year, but interactively
[ cross-training, for me, is a must ; will i one day "probably" settle into one or other of the three fitness areas - i already see it happening - a main reason i named my blog "yoga-adan" and switched my tweeter handle to the same ; but it is and will be a process, a process i have no reason to rush, and every reason to allow to mature gracefully ;-) ]
adanlerma adanlerma
@golivas thanks! it should be interesting sheila’s gonna be with me & be my “model” – i’ll be sure & tweet something afterwards
[ this was in reply to a good photographer/artist friend in austin, and i included it to again show continuity of thought and intention ; btw, sheila has taken to modeling with pretty good humor and, of course, great form ]
adanlerma adanlerma
my yoga immersion summary: i feel i have the tools to combine fitness images & words within 1 process simultaneously feeding my art & poetry
[ process, process, process.... ]
adanlerma adanlerma
that’s it folks, i’m off to join the circus, uh, do chores but sheila & i’ll 1st do breakfast at The Original, galv mex cafe since 1916!
[ sheila and i have lived in galveston on and off since the 80's, and once we found the original mexican cafe in the mid 90's, it's been our go-to, especially for weekend breakfast - authentic, extremely reasonable, great service - oh, get a window table the healthy food is just a great bonus ]
footnotes:
[1]
Yoga Teacher Immersion Experience with Lex Gillan – in * Tweets * Days 1 & 2
Yoga Teacher Immersion Experience with Lex Gillan – in * Tweets * Days 3 & 4
Yoga Teacher Immersion Experience with Lex Gillan – in * Tweets * Days 5 & 6
Yoga Teacher Immersion Experience with Lex Gillan – in * Tweets * Day 7
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[2] last week i changed my tweeter “handle” from @adanlerma to @yoga_adan
i felt confident enough in my integration of fitness and the arts with yoga, to sense this is the right direction to indicate regarding my interests as they continue to evolve
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INTEGRATING YOGA FITNESS AND THE ARTS
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- Texas to Vermont – Have Yoga, Will Travel (Settlin’ In) (yoga-adan.com)
- Teaching a Sequence of Yoga Classes as a Series, a beginner’s view
- DVDs vs Live Instruction, a Comment (yoga-adan.com)
- My Yoga-to-Dance aha! Moments! – # 3 (yoga-adan.com)
