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UM / SO/ LIKE/ HERE
- These are all filler words and create an energy that comes across as being unsure. Practice removing filled space with expansive words or breath expression.
YOU KNOW
- This is an assumption and filler word. People come to yoga to learn depth. Take this entirely out of your teaching speech.
KILL
- Kill your ego ... my so and so is killing me.. Remove any language that indicates the word kill in it. Not only is it a low vibrational word, but it is also a manifesting word that allows dis-ease in those around you and yourself.
SHOULD / NEED
- These are judgment words. Avoid "You should feel this, or you need to feel that." Replace these phrases through explorative speech such as "You may begin to feel..." or "Explore through sensation..."
ING word
- Ing words when used is called passive language. Be as present with your directions as possible. Be in the now. Place vs. placing, breathe vs. breathing, inhale vs. inhaling, etc...
OUR / WE / LET'S
- Speak to the individual as you teach as much as possible.
REACH
- Creates space for unaligned postures and compromises the integrity of the joint. Exchange this phrase for words like extend, lift, float, enhance, expand, lengthen, contract and press.
GUNNA
- Truly, let go of this word while you're teaching. Often times a teacher will say on repeat .. "now we're gunna..step to the front of the mat" and will use this filler phrase often throughout the class. It's an unneeded use of energy.
YOU / YOU'LL WANNA
- Exchange for create, explore, invite..
GOING TO
- Swap for create, open, step into, explore..
COMING INTO
- can become redundant and out of the present tense. Instead, use come to, expand, advance, create depth, or a simple direction..
SPREAD
- This is a trauma word and can be anxiety inducing. We hear it often in spread your fingers when teaching hasta bhanda or spread out on your mat as a cue for shavanasa. You could say something like widen your fingers like the rays of the sun or like a starfish are better cues for hand placement. Step your feet wide on your mat instead of spread your legs wide for a standing forward fold is a good replacement.
FEEL YOURSELF
This is a trauma/trigger phrase - other options - witness yourself, perhaps you can experience the sensations of..
I WANT YOU TO
- This is a forceful demand. Instead, substitute for invite, explore, explore the sensation, consider trying, invoke, create..
MAYBE
- This word can be used to find exploration after you have given proper placement. Be directive, then open the door for options. Use sparingly as when used too often, it gives the effect of uncertainty.
THAT / THOSE / THE
- Ex: that leg, those hands, the foot. Personalize the practice by saying your foot, your hand, etc. but eliminate completely that and those. There's no need to say raise those arms overhead just say raise your arms overhead.
WE
- If it's a personalized movement, pretend that there is only one person in the room. You can say we as a collective description to the human force.
JUST
- "I just teach yoga." Just is a dangerous one. Using it reduces things to trivial, and/or insignificant. When you feel this word start to come up, try omitting it and root into confidence. "Just go ahead and have a seat on your mat" wait what? How bout we weave postures together with presence, the transitions between postures is just as important as the posture itself right? It's the journey not the destination.
GO AHEAD AND - I think you get it..
DON'T
- "Don't" gives the same effect as "should." It is a judgment. Create invitations to move them where it's better for them instead of don't do this or don't do that.
BUT
Leave this out of your teaching verbiage altogether. This is the number one stagnant word of the English language and devalues anything you stated before the placement. Exchange for however, furthermore, and etc.
CAN'T
- Same as with "never." Every time we say can't, it's a declaration that whatever it is we aren't yet able to do is ultimately out of reach. The truth is, how do we know? Tell yourself you can, always. And keep practicing until you get it.
WRONG (OR RIGHT)
- If you're breathing, focusing, and staying fully present, you're doing yoga. Obsessing over doing Warrior Two "right" implies there's only one way to do it. Fact is, none of us look the same in Warrior Two, and even the same person may look different on any given day. Every yogi is unique, bringing to the practice his/her own genetic code and fascinating yoga journey. Instead of right and wrong, how about safe and unsafe.
PERFECT
- Coming to yoga class allows you to fail (first attempt in learning), to be imperfect, with no repercussions. Our practices grow stronger by playing on the edge of our limits, falling out of poses, and letting out our emotions. Perfection doesn't belong on the yoga mat or in life, and no one is perfect. We practice every day to serve the self to serve others.
FIGHT
Fight or flight is part of life. Using the word fight in life allows "fight" to manifest. I even avoid using the word "warrior" although feel the need in the warrior series. Why are we a warrior? Is there a fight? How about we all put down our swords and pick up a feather or a flower instead. I'm even tired of being told I'm so strong, and hearing things like I don't know how you do so many things. Fight and warrior makes me feel tired. How do you think your students feel?
F#!$?%!*
- Cursing is a direct route into frustration and even anger. Notice what happens to your heart rate, your breath, and your jaw when you inwardly curse. Even if you aren't cursing aloud, those in your energy field will surely feel the negative energy. So flip it around and choose love.
Sooo..What is trauma-informed language in yoga?
In trauma-informed yoga (TIY), the teacher does not use directive language, but instead (very intentionally) uses invitational language in an attempt to make the practice more of a choice. The people that we work with have had a lot of trauma and very little choice - especially those who are incarcerated.The words you use have power. Even if it's unintentional, your words can have a profound negative impact on your yoga students. When used consciously, words can be an incredibly positive force. Substituting high vibrational verbiage for discouraging or abrasive language can be the difference between spiritual awakening and triggering trauma.
TRAUMA WORDS
- There so many..lists and lists and if you really want to, then you can do a google search. Two that may not seem triggering but that I hear teachers using all the time are..spread & drop. Instead of putting over a hundred or more trauma triggering words here of what not say, instead I'll end this here and invite you to focus instead on what to say that IS high vibrational. Happy teaching, you've got this!!
You know those little combinations locks you get when travelling, to keep the contents of your luggage safe and secure? Well, your body has similar locks, called bandhas. ‘Bandha’ literally means lock, to tighten, to close-off and block. There are four main bandhas in the body:
What is the point and purpose of closing off the throat, contracting and lifting the abdomen and of drawing inward at the centre of the pelvic floor? Both separately, and all at once?
Essentially, bandhas are engaged to gain control and lock your energy – prana, or life force – the way you want. The locks are employed to attain control of your energy system, to direct this energy to the parts of your body you desire it to go to.
The root (Mula) and throat (Jalandhara) bandhas’ function is to seal the upper and lower end of the spinal column. Jalandhara bandha temporarily prevents prana from moving up, while Mula bandha blocks the downward movement of energy and pulls it back towards the navel region. When both are engaged at the same time, it’s like two sticks being rubbed together – with the application of the stomach lock as well, magnifying it to produce the fire of heat.
Bandhas are often first learned and engaged during practices of kriya and pranayama and once mastered can be used in asana practice as well. Bear in mind, it may take some practice until you’re able to engage them to the most refined degree.
While Mula and Jalandhara bandhas can be performed both after inhalation and exhalation, Uddihyana and Maha bandha are only engaged in Bahya Kumbhka – external retention.
So why is this locking up so beneficial, when yoga is apparently all about opening?
Well, bandhas are extremely fruitful for the brain centres, the nadis (channels through which prana streams) and the chakras (energy centres). They purify, remove blockages and harmonise and balance the self.
Bandhas temporarily halt the flowing of blood, so when released there is an increased flow of fresh blood. This flushes away the old, dead cells and activates the organs to strengthen, renew and rejuvenate as circulation is bolstered.
Engaging the bandhas also teaches and strengthens single point concentration, a steady and controlled breath and a clear, calm mind. It helps to regulate your internal systems, from sexual to hormonal to metabolic and digestive.
It’s advisable not to engage Mula bandha during menstruation (the first two to three days) or when applying Ashwini mudra (a kriya exercise where the anus is clenched and unclenched).
Mula bandha – the root
If we explain the bandhas in four steps, Mula bandha is the first. Men can find it by contracting the area between the anus and the testes. For women – contract the muscles at the bottom of the pelvic floor behind the cervix. At first, the anal sphincter will also ‘lock up’, but over time and with practice you will learn to differentiate and hone in on the exact location of the root. And an easier way to find it? Here are three different suggestions:
First: look at the tip of your nose – you will automatically feel the sensation of the Mula bandha taking hold. Second: for women; if you’ve ever worried that you’ve leaked through during ‘that’ time of the month – the lifting sense you make is locking Mula in. The muscles you contract to hold in what is wanting to flow out is the Mula region.
Third (though this may take a bit of imagination!): sit cross-legged and imagine you’re levitating! Instant Mula activation!
Mula bandha also naturally comes into play during many day-to-day activities; climbing stairs, riding a bike, carrying shopping bags home. Engaging your root lock during your yoga practice allows your energy to flow up, not down and out, making it grow manifold and leaving you with that ‘floaty’ feeling. You will be lighter on your limbs, lighter on your mat and lighter in yourself.
Jalandhara bandha – the throat
‘Jal’ means throat, ‘Jalan’ means net and ‘dharan’ means flow or stream. Therefore, Jalandhara can be interpreted as the locking of the energy flow through the nerves and vessels of the neck area. When engaged with Khecari mudra (curling the tip of your tongue back to the roof of your mouth), its effect magnificently heightens.
To find Jalandhara, sit tall and cross-legged. With your palms pressing into your knees, inhale through your nose and bring your chin towards your neck. Straighten your elbows, pull your chin back and engage the muscles there so you feel them tighten, then retain. It’s the double chin you do want!
Jalandhara isn’t often performed by itself; rather, it is performed in combination with the other locks in breathing practices. It compresses the sinuses and main arteries of the neck, putting pressure on the throat to balance the thyroid and regulate metabolism. Plus, it relaxes you and alleviates stress.
Uddiyana bandha – the ‘false inhale’
‘Uddiyana’ means to fly or rise up, and is all about doing just that with your diaphragm. To learn to do so, it’s helpful to stand with your feet shoulder- distance apart, bend forward – with a straight back – and place your hands on your knees (or shins, if your hamstrings allow).
With a “false” inhale (that is, the action of taking a breath without actually taking air in), make an upward movement and feel your abdominal wall and organs push up and towards your back, kind of like a suction back and up of all your insides as if you’re trying to make your waist smaller.
Your ribs should be protruding over and in front of your abs. You hold this for as long as you can, exiting by releasing your hold, inhaling (always through your nose) and straightening up.
Uddiyana moves energy upwards with much more force than a pure Mula bandha alone. It creates a soft massage for the deeper internal muscles of the lower back and is a fantastic remedy for abdominal and tummy troubles, as well as a stimulant for digestive juices.
Maha bandha – the ‘ultimate’ bandha
To do the ultimate of the bandhas? First engage Mula bandha, then fully exhale and activate Jalandhara. Next, bend forward and ‘suck up’ to hold Uddiyana. This is Maha bandha. To release, do so in the reverse order you engaged (Uddiyana first, Jalandhara second and finally, Mula bandha).
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