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PRATYAHARA, KARMA YOGA, AND SUFFRAGETTES-
WHAT COULD THEY POSSIBLY HAVE IN COMMON?
The term “pratyahara” is composed of two Sanskrit words, prati and ahara. “Ahara” means “food”, or anything we take into ourselves from the outside. “Prati” is a preposition meaning “against” or “away”. “Pratyahara” means literally “control of ahara,” or “gaining mastery over external influences.” The term is usually translated as “withdrawal from the senses,” but much more is implied.* But more on that in a bit.
Recently I had the privilege of watching the New York Times digital theater performance of Finish the Fight, which celebrates 100 years of women’s right to vote. The author, Ming Pfiffer, showcases five women who tirelessly worked to further the cause of women in the 19th century United States. These are women who are unsung heroes, who’s stories may not be as prominent as Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but who, none the less, deserve to be acknowledged and remembered.

Mary McLeod Bethune 1875 to 1955

The first performer honors Mary McLeod Bethune who lived from 1875 to 1955. Mary was an African American daughter of South Carolina slaves who developed a passion for reading. From a one-room black schoolhouse, Mary made her way through Scotia Seminary and became a teacher. She went on to become a states’ woman, educator, civil rights activist. As a fearless advocate for negro’s women’s rights, she founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, was the national advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Federal Council of Negro Affairs and founder of Bethune=Cookman College in Daytona Beach. She tirelessly fought for the rights of negro women in many areas including healthcare.

Frances Watkins Harper 1825- 1911

Second to be showcased is Frances Watkins Harper 1825- 1911. Frances was born free in Maryland. She became a civil rights activist, abolitionist and helped free slaves in the Underground Railroad. Speaking at the 1866 National Women’s Rights Convention, she demanded equal rights for all stating, “We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse in its own soul….you white women here speak of rights. I speak of wrongs.”

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee 1896-1966

Third on this honorable list is Mabel Ping-Hua Lee 1896-1966. Mabel was an ardent Chinese advocate for women’s suffrage in the United States. Born in Guangzhou China, she was raised in a missionary school and immigrated with her parents around 1905 and eventually majored in history and philosophy at Barnard College. Although Mabel was a suffragette and wrote extensively for the equality of women, when women were granted the right to vote in 1917, she could not vote even then due to the Chinese Exclusion Act which was not repealed until 1943.

Zitkala-Sa “Redbird” 1876-1938

And then there was Zitkala-Sa “Redbird”, a Yankton Native American Indian 1876-1938. Born on a reservation in South Dakota, Zitkala was recruited by missionaries and education at a Quaker school in Wabash, Indiana. Although forced to strip her Indian heritage she embraced reading and writing and music, learning piano and violin. In June 1895 she was awarded her diploma, and at the graduation ceremony Zitkala gave a speech on the inequality of women’s rights and subsequently founded the National Council of American Indians. An activist in the 1920’s women’s rights movement she was eventually chosen by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to aid in the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. She continued to work for civil rights for women and to improve health and education for Native Americans until her death.

Jovita Idar 1885-1946

Last on this esteemed list is Jovita Idar 1885-1946. Born in Laredo, Texas, Jovita was one of eight children to well-educated parents who strove to advance the civil rights of Mexican Americans. After graduating from the Holding Institute in Laredo, she became a teacher and was frustrated due to lack of basic student supplies. About 1920 Jovita turned from teaching to journalism as a means of working towards a meaningful and effective way of exposing the poor living conditions of Mexican=American workers. She became the first president of the League of Mexican Women, an organization that offered free education to Mexican children. It then developed into a social, political, and charitable organization for women. Jovita was a journalist, activist, and hospital interpreter.

These few sentences have only touched on the lives of these dedicated women. I encourage you to watch Finish the Fight and see their life’s stories that they may be an inspiration to you.

So, what do these awesome women, dedicated to suffrage and women’s rights have to do with yoga? I say everything!

ahara

One level of Pratyahara, or ahara, is our associations, the people we hold at heart level who serve to nourish the soul. As a twofold practice, it involves withdrawal from wrong food, wrong impressions, and wrong associations, while also opening to right food, right impressions, and right associations. We control our mental impressions with the right diet and right relationships, but its primary importance lies in withdrawal from sensory impressions, which frees the mind to move within and therefor to move forward.

karma yoga

This of course, turns to karma yoga, outer action or service—doing the actions necessary to life and avoiding those based on desire and self-gratification.
The practice of Karma-pratyahara manifests in surrendering personal rewards and doing everything as a service to God or to humanity.

Pratyahara involves much, much more

Here in this context, I feel that the women described in this text had to have gone “inside” at some point. They had to distance themselves from outside influences to allow the quietness of their mind to expand to enable them to explore the possibility of change, within themselves and their situation. I do not believe they acted (karma) out of personal gain or accolades. But instead acted out of a true desire to move the rights of women forward, freeing them of a bondage longer lasting than chains, and that is a voice to be heard around the world.
Blessed Be.
*Yoga International

As you probably know, Yoga studios throughout all of Florida will be allowed to open on Monday, May 18th at fifty percent capacity. Details are here: https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/05/15/ron-desantis-gyms-will-reopen-starting-monday/

I know many studio owners are allowing more time to prepare for this opening- deciding on protocols, gathering necessary supplies and re-working classes among other things. Please let me know about your opening dates so that FYTA can promote you on social media- or you can post your Open House event on our website. Just login and visit the Members’ Only Page for instructions.

I want to share with you a guidebook on best opening practices from Yoga Alliance:
https://yourya.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Guidebook_Opening_Up_Best_Practices-1.pdf

Some key points include:

• The need to modify how you did things before the pandemic, either by relying more heavily on virtual classes or by altering the configurations of your space or the size of your training or classes. You might need to obtain new or different equipment or implement a new disinfection and cleaning regimen.
• The need to communicate with your staff, teachers, volunteers, students, and other patrons. For many yoga professionals and businesses, we imagine that this may mean that you may want to consider a phased approach to re-opening your business that allows you to grow into your old practices and some new ones, over time. While we understand the serious economic and social toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge yoga schools, businesses, and professionals to be realistic about their capacity and capability to re-open and quickly resume operations safely. It is likely that many yoga businesses will not be able to readily implement some or all of the health and protective measures that will be critical to protecting each other and our communities.
• Components of an Operations Plan When you decide to re-open which should account for all aspects of your school, business, or practice, including those related to:
  • Studio, worksite, or practice space cleaning and sanitation protocols
  • Implementation of protective measures to promote employee and public safety, including temperature checks and social distancing protocols
  • Structure of classes or practice that take place in person
  • Management of reception, boutique, and bathroom spaces to limit surface contact
  • Staff leave policies
  • Continuity of operations if staff or teachers cannot come to work
  • Provision of protective equipment and the availability of handwashing and sanitation stations
  • Training for staff and teachers and communication with students and the public
  • Incident response protocols in the event of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case
  • Incident response protocols in the event of non-compliant students or practitioners
  • Maximum class size and duration
  • Space configuration to maintain 6 feet social distancing
  • Rules preventing or regarding hands-on adjustments or other touching
  • Pre-class health screening of employees and students (e.g., taking one’s temperature)
  • Pre- and post-class cleaning regimens
  • Face-covering rules
  • Rules on the use of mats brought from home and on the sharing of mats
  • Rules restricting or limiting the use of blocks, blankets, straps, and any other communal equipment
  • Personal protective equipment requirements for teachers and students
  • Rules on the use of facilities including lockers, changing rooms, bathroom, and showers as well as the storage of personal belongings during class(es).
• Ask Screening Questions: When individuals—staff, teachers, volunteers, students, or practitioners—arrive, ask questions of each person: have you had a cough? Have you had a fever? Do you live with anyone who is sick or quarantined? If anyone answers affirmatively, send them home.
• Require Face Coverings: The CDC has recommended that all individuals wear cloth face masks in public and areas where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain in order to protect themselves and those around them. According to recent reports, roughly 25 percent of people with coronavirus are thought to be asymptomatic, and people who contract COVID-19 usually don’t develop symptoms until four or five days after being infected. Require teachers, students, and practitioners to wear protective masks at all times when not in yoga practice; encourage them to wear them to the extent possible while in practice. Consider providing masks to all students and practitioners. Sanitize all reusable masks regularly and between each use.
• Provide Advance Notifications: Inform students that they should not sign-up or come to the studio/class if they have a cough, are running a fever, or have been exposed to someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
• Promote (and Require) Hand Washing and Good Hygiene: Require staff and volunteers to hand wash with soap and warm water for a minimum of twenty (20) seconds before and after every registration period. Require teachers to hand wash with soap and warm water for a minimum of twenty (20) seconds before and after every class. Hang signs and encourage all students and practitioners to practice hand washing best practices. Post signs in each bathroom and around the studio with respect to cough-and-sneeze etiquette (cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and then throwing it away, using upper sleeve if a tissue is not available, refraining from touching your mouth, nose, and eyes, etc.). Make tissues available to the extent possible.

I know there is so much to think about here, but once you do set a plan, it is important to make sure that you implement it consistently and effectively. Failure to do so could lead to injuries, illness, or even potential liability. Consider how you will implement your operations plan. It may be helpful to develop written policies and procedures that govern how you will handle certain situations or accomplish specific tasks. It will also be helpful to post signage, both on site and online, to instruct and set expectations for staff, teachers, students, and other patrons in your school, studio, and/or other physical location.

Please visit Yoga Alliance’s COVID-19 Resources Website for information on business and financial support, including guidance for transitioning your school, business, and/or teaching online.
  

Also note that FYTA is here to support and promote you- especially during this unprecedented time!

Take care and be safe.

Letting you know that during these unprecedented times that your gifts and talents are more important than ever! Our students are probably under a tremendous amount of stress and uncertainty and we as teachers should find a way to be available to them- whether it’s private classes with face coverings and social distancing or video classes. Using the power of Yoga to increase mindfulness and release anxiety is something that is truly needed at this time.

If you are doing video classes, FYTA would be more than willing to post information about your ongoing classes on our website. You can list special Live Stream classes as an event and/or you can send us information about your studio and teachings along with a link to your YouTube or other videos. When you log in to our website, floridayogateachers.org, go to our Members’ Only page for instructions on how to send in an Event or Blog Post for your info and videos. If you have problems logging in, please contact our webmaster: elaine@floridayogateachers.org. Once you post your videos, please let me know so that I can promote them on the FYTA Facebook page.

Creating Live Stream classes is a great way to build community among your students. Many teachers are using Zoom video streaming and sending links to their students via email or through a private Facebook group. Punchpass is software that integrates with Zoom so that you can offer class passes to your regulars. There are also many low cost alternatives to Zoom, and this link Livestreaming on a Budget: How to Get Started comes from the group WordPress St. Petersburg, which Elaine is a member of.

Florida may relax the restrictions on gyms and Yoga studios beginning in May. Studio owner and board member Wendy O’Lenic Santiago has come up with a few ideas for re-opening:

1. Along with your regulars, gather your list of past customers or those who have shown interest in your studio.
2. Send them a special offer to get them in your studio- perhaps have an open house event that FYTA will help promote for you!
3. Offer a starter and/or re-starter package when they come to redeem your special offer.

Of course you will need to be cognizant of our new reality. Make sure your studio has a clean, newer feel so that it will appear as a safe space. Insure a six foot rule between students with masks as a requirement. Classes will probably need to have less capacity in order to stay within the CDC guidelines. Will you still offer props, and if so, how will you go about cleaning them in between students? There is a lot to think about.

Thank you for being a valued FYTA member. We are here to promote and support you! If you need class or Livestream ideas, please access our free or discounted yoga and meditation videos- also on our Members’ Only page.
Please stay well and safe!
Namaste’,
Susan Wasserman, Director

4.27.20
Dear Yoga Friends,
I hope you are all well and feeling safe. During these trying times, the challenges of adhering to the CDC’s guidelines for safe distancing can be stressful for us all. Even as we wear face masks and gloves when shopping for essentials, even as we work at home, and for some, just trying to get by financially as well as physically, we can become stressed, anxious, and fearful.
Some signs of stress can be insomnia, headache, and a decrease of productivity at work. Stress can affect your thoughts, behavior, and feelings. When left unchecked, stress can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, among others.*
Now may be the time to begin to explore ways to manage stress. Some suggestions are:

1. Get physical! Move around, take a walk, stretch periodically. Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or Tai Chi, or QiGong.
2. Keep a sense of humor.
3. Spending time with family and friends but recognizing the different needs of family or friends.
4. Find a new hobby, read a beloved book again. (for me it is Little Women)
5. Learn something new, try a new recipe.

So how do we get a handle on all of this? Here is my recipe for getting through the pandemic:

1. When I get up, I decide on a goal or goals for the day. I set an “intention” and then focus my “attention” as to how it flows. I try not try to cram too much into one day, keeping it simple and doable.
2. I practice appreciation and give thanks.
3. I try to be kind to myself and others.

I hope these suggestions meet with your approval and help you to live in the moment with a sense of purpose.
As a wonderful teacher advised me:

Go in peace, live gently, love mightily, and bow to the Mystery!

I hope to see you soon at yoga class,
Barbara Shimer

FYTA hosted this workshop which was held on September 6 – 8, 2019 at the Garden Club of St. Petersburg.
The workshop was led by Beth Spindler, C-IAYT, ERYT. Beth is a practicing yoga therapist in the Greater New York Area. She writes and teaches for Yoga International Publications and offers workshops, training and seminars worldwide.

Florida Yoga Teachers Association is greatly appreciative of Beth’s invaluable insights. We’ll certainly want her to return! She has over four decades experience in utilizing yoga as a healing modality, plus the highest certification in the field. Her book, Yoga Therapy for Fear: Treating Anxiety, Depression and Rage with the Vagus Nerve and Other Techniques is recognized in the Yoga Therapy community as essential text for those studying in the field. She is a frequently featured writer and presenter for Yoga International. Beth leads retreats worldwide.


Beth is first and foremost a kind, generous human being with concern for students, teachers and the many folks affected by trauma. Beth knows that many suffer from PTSD, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, anxiety, depression and fear.

I didn’t know what to expect from Beth’s workshop beyond breathing techniques and tension-releasing asanas. (Now I’ve been watching Beth Spindler videos on YouTube.) Beth’s workshop opened my eyes to how observant and educated we yoga teachers need to be, focusing on not only safe asana practice, but also being keenly aware of how trauma effects people. Many, many people.

It’s estimated that over 50% of our students have suffered the trauma of physical, sexual or emotional, abuse. Yoga classes can raise our vulnerabilities. Facing and overcoming our sense of vulnerability is healing, but for many, pain and fear may be overwhelming, leading to avoidance of the practice.

Beth has taught for over 40 years. As a yoga therapist, she is focused on triggers that may cause fear and avoidance in people.

Common Triggers may be:

1. Words and phrases: 
“May I touch you?” “Relax” “Calm down”

   Stillness at the beginning of class (can be a challenge to slow and quiet the unsettled mind)
2. Certain poses: 

   Balasana (Child pose) 

   Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)
   
Makarasana (Crocodile pose)
   
Bharmanasana (Table Top pose)
3. Position in class. Beth has learned that traumatized students prefer to be at the back of the room. One approach is to have students line the room around the instructor, back to the wall if possible. In other words, no one feels stressed by being in front of other students.

4. Straps: One student told Beth, “That was my tourniquet.”
5. Music: Veterans may be triggered by music from locations they’ve experienced. Likewise, victims of any trauma may be reminded of an intense experience when hearing certain sounds.

We are not just teaching poses. We are creating safe places. To quote the introduction of Beth’s book, Yoga Therapy for Fear: 


It offers asana, pranayama and dhyana exercises that help to eliminate ‘worry chatter’ directly affecting the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fearful thoughts. Addressing many components of fear, the book explains when fear is useful and when it is not, and teaches how to reprogram responses to uncertain circumstances so that they can be dealt with in a healthy way.

Real yoga for everyone. Learn to teach everyone in your class.