Learning to teach the body how to relax is key to health. We all have stress, it is a fact of life. What most people don’t realize is that staying in a heightened state all the time puts a strain on your body. The chemicals involved with the fight-or-flight response are responsible for high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, digestive problems, weight gain and more. Teaching your body how to sit still, how to shut off the mind, and let the breath slow down and release can give you more energy, improve digestion, lessen fatigue, balance hormones, calm your nervous system, improve blood flow to heart and more. Learning to meditate can be a good way to teach your body to relax.

The trainees sure needed it. When they all woke up from our relaxation time they didn’t speak or move. They earned a relaxing end to their weekend and they left in their zen zone! I am so proud of them.

The truth is we are put on this planet to be social creatures and share our light with each other. This becomes clear especially seeing how 9/11 effects us all as so many lights were taken from us. I appreciated the students excitement, motivation and inspiration for a great day. They were truly a light to me.

Disclaimer: This post can potentially be offensive. Please take it with a grain of salt! It’s all in good fun

Do you look in the mirror and think blah?

“Nah Nah Nah Come on!”

Pinch the imaginary muffin top and frown?

“Nah Nah Nah Come on!”

Beat yourself up for eating a cookie?

No guilt involved!

“Nah Nah Nah Come on, come on, come on!”

Ahimsa applies not only to how you interact with the world, but especially so to yourself. We often forget that piece of the puzzle. So many times, truly gorgeous people both inside and out give in to the vanity fair and decide to torture themselves with insulting thoughts.

“They think that they’re bad when they’re perfectly good”

If you feel like you have some jiggle to tighten, or fluff to lose, being BAD to yourself isn’t going to help. Those imaginary problem areas won’t disappear from negative self commentary. 5 more pounds will only lead to 5 more. For better or for worse, you’ll have you forever. Love yourself NOW. Life will be so much the grander and the inner and external beauty much richer.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but mats and straps excite me!”

Show yourself some love today and take classes at Joschi NYC, develop this mind and body connection. Yoga helps formulate the link between vanity and sanity. Got a goal to look fabulous this summer? Then attend 360 Pilates or better yet, schedule some private sessions. The Joschinator will teach you the true meaning of “all the pain is for pleasure”.

“Nah Nah Nah Come on, come on, come on!”

You can’t love anyone else until you love yourself.

In honor of National Eating Disorder awareness week.

See you on the mats, Yoga and Pilates excite me!

Namaste,

-Mj

P.S: Oh and Ladies? Last time I checked, Men liked curves. Badonkadonk, enough said

Lyrics courtesy of Rhianna’s S & M:

 Once upon a time, there was

 a beautiful bride to be

 in the midst of the big apple, NYC.

Her name was Jean and her heart was flaming,

She had found her prince charming.

 Soon to be wed,

With a gorgeous wedding dress

She needed some help to look her very best.

So she wished upon a Body Bodega

“Help tone my body, oh to be lean,

My dress is strapless… I need a body of dreams!”

 Ask and you shall receive.

The knowledge of Joschi

is naught to deceive!

They smiled and they laughed

They worked and they played

 Finally, it was the big day!

Success

With joy in their hearts,

And a bod that turned heads,

The beautiful Jean

Was Lovingly wed.

Congratulations to Jean and Andrew! You look gorgeous,  may you enjoy your Happily Ever After. 

Are you seeking a “Happily Ever After”? Wish upon the Joschi Body Bodega, enjoy some private sessions, and make dreams reality.

However, as I get more comfortable and all the Sanskrit terms, the Sutras and the five-parts of the rotator cuff (INFRASPINATUS, SUPRASPINATUS, SUBSCAPULARIS, TERES MAJOR AND TERES MINOR) begin to sink-in, so does the New York neurosis!  Already, I’ve caught myself on Craigslist, looking postings for yoga gigs at work, wondering whether my yoga head-shot should be in a bikini on a beach or doing crow pose on a mountain-top…okay, maybe I’ve gone a LITTLE too far.  Even as I’ve taken myself towards crazy-town, Monika, Joschi and Angela have managed to pull me back to reality. Each time we meet, they’ve made sure to ask how we are feeling, and in the words of Monika, remind us to: “Keep it simple, keep it simple.”

The importance of keeping things simple began to make sense on Sunday morning when Monika discussed teaching beginners.  After the class discussed the positives and negatives for about an hour, I began to think: “Wow, I totally can see myself teaching beginners.  I will be so good at that!” Then, Monika looked up with a smile and a twinkle in her eye and said:  “Hi! I’m Monika, and I’m a beginner.  Teach me some yoga!”   I then realized I was probably in over my head.

About eight of us came up to teach a pose to Monika the Beginner.  After watching as each trainee enters into the activity with such confidence and ease to then almost run away from the hunched-over, puppy-eyed Beginner Monika (who played an excellent new student, I must say!) was definitely a reality check.  When I went up to show her how to get from Uttanasana to Downward Dog, she mirrored for me exactly what I was telling her to do—something totally inaccurate and confusing.   It reminded me that in this transition from student to teacher, I have to re-teach myself how to practice yoga and to do so I must take on the “Beginner Mindset.”

The Beginner Mindset was a phrase coined by one of my early teachers about a beginner’s awareness and purity.  Granted, a beginner can and often does think negatively during their first class, however, when a beginner is finally able to practice and enjoy themselves from the first Downward Dog to final Sivasana without high expectations or impatience–that is the Beginner Mindset.

When I took my first yoga class five years ago, I remember thinking: “When can I get a drink of water?”and “DEAR GOD, GET ME OUT OF CHAIR POSE!”  As I took more classes, however, I began to develop a rhythm and then, one Sunday afternoon that aha moment happened!       I then entered a place where I realized why people loved going to yoga, and yet didn’t know enough to put too high expectations on my practice.  I became content with being a beginner; feeling surprised when I could get lift myself into a crow or when my breath began to sound like the ocean.

To be a beginner is a difficult position, however, it can be so rewarding and serve as a model for how all yogis should be: to be aware and present.   This past weekend of training reminded me to re-visit that place in my mind and fully appreciate what I’ve learned in teacher training thus far and what I have yet to learn.  To be a good teacher, I first need to be a good student by being compassionate towards myself and above all: KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!

xoxo Sam

I would like to take this opportunity to say that considering we are a group of 19 women, the group dynamic remains strong and supportive. From talking to a few different people it seems that we have all experienced a moment of mini-crisis where all the thoughts, words, poses, assists, codes of conduct, anatomy, warm ups and sequencing to name just a few things, have resembled a kind of vortex in our minds, threatening to spiral us into a “what am I doing?” kind of feeling, but happily it appears that this flurry of confusion passes very quickly and we come out of it calmer and more confident.  I think this may be the ‘click’ that Joschi has been telling us about.

In the teaching exercises everyone is stating to let their personalities shine and I always come away from the sessions feeling like everyone Is just really good… of course this “blossoming” (that was for Karen!) is due to the sure and steady guidance of our teachers whose endless generosity and enthusiasm is astonishing.
Victoria G.

You know, there’s definitely this moment where something is just an idea…”Being a yoga teacher sounds cool.” and there’s a moment when it really seems like a possibility. For me this moment came when Monika placed in my hands our Joschi binder. This is the bible of Yoga Teacher Training.  I looked at it, flipping through the pages for the first time, and thought to myself…”Is all this really going to fit inside my head?”

It’s been two intensive weekends, this coming weekend will be the third, and I can honestly say at this point, “Yes!” Every class I observe, every uplifting conversation I share with Joschi and Monika, each oportunity I have to practice leading a group of yogis…the dream keeps getting clearer. And I feel my creativity finding a foothold in the experience.

There have been ups and downs. The end of that first Sunday, I felt so beat. To be quite frank, I underestimated what I was in store for. Yoga Teacher Training was hard! And the words of Sun A and Sun B seemed like they would never feel natural coming out of my mouth.  I was stumbling over the sanskrit, I was forgeting when we inhale, when we exhale, and my pace was a mess. What have I learned since then that makes it better? You are your own worst critic. And if you can find faith in your ability, there’s nothing stopping you. But you have to believe you can do whatever it is you’re attempting. Sun A and Sun B still aren’t perfect, but slowly, slowly, they are coming to me.

And what feels better than working hard at a goal and eventually finding yourself there? Really, answer me! Working hard feels great, admit it! I can close my eyes and imagine the kind of yoga teacher I want to be and that thought is so lovely and beautiful it drives me forward, diving headfrst into the challenges, because I have a inkling where those challenges are going to lead me and it’s impossible not to feel good about it.

Stay tuned into the Joschi blog to hear updates on me and the other girls as we transform into Yoga Teachers over the next couple months…

xoxo,

Penelope C.

As part of our training we are required to observe other teachers at the studio.  The other day I had the opportunity to observe Joschi’s yoga class. I have been very fortunate to take many good classes and have many wonderful teachers. As a student it is easy to appreciate a good class that seems effortless and leaves you feeling great. When you observe a class, from the lens of a teacher in training, you begin to appreciate the complexity and level of detail that is involved to make a class seem effortless. Joschi is able to create a welcoming yet challenging environment by using lights, music, pace, sequence, a little bit of humor and sometimes even some singing. To be honest, it’s a little daunting to think that I should be able to do this in a few months!

Recently, I have been trying to compare my yoga teacher training to getting into a really difficult pose. It takes some breath work, focus and faith in yourself but most of all you just have to enjoy the journey and not worry about the end result. I too, may have underestimated the commitment in terms of managing my day job, my personal life and the yoga teacher training. Over the last month I feel that I have really focused on the observing and taking classes but I haven’t studied as much as I have wanted to. I feel like one month into the training is a good time to feel a renewed sense of commitment and really hit the books. I have to remind myself that with practice and time I will get there but that I will only get what I put into the training. That being said it’s all about balance and the training is totally manageable.

At the end of the day, I know that I want to be a teacher that adds value to my student’s practice and that I teach them something new every time I teach a class. I love that I have the opportunity to learn a lot from not only the teachers from the little community of teachers in training. I can already see that each of us has certain strengths that we can borrow or learn from one another. As I am writing this I am excited to think of what we will look like in a couple of months (teacher training wise, not physically)!  I can’t wait to see what happens as I learn to appreciate the journey

Jocelin K.

The initial few weeks of the program have been a flurry of Sanskrit, anatomy, practice, observation, meditation, and teaching exercises.  Though I love to hit the books (and Joschi’s teacher training program offers a lot of information), the biggest challenge is teaching itself. We began doing it from the very first day. I know that teaching is hard, but let me tell you – teaching a body how to move is even harder. It is difficult to say things you’ve already internalized, to communicate the ways in which you need a body to move on the floor, and to do so in a self-assured way, with presence but without pretense. As one of my fellow trainees said, we all came to teacher training with a certain amount of existing body knowledge. If it’s this challenging to teach each other, then it must be really difficult to teach a beginner! Through my observation and practice hours, I have seen how several instructors have dealt with newcomers, and it appears so easy and graceful. I want to be there already, but instead I find myself stumbling over words, describing the smallest gesture, the easiest asana.

The other intimidation factor is the idea of personality. The other day I was reading a popular women’s website online and found an article called “What’s Wrong With How We Talk About Yoga?”*** The article itself was okay, focusing on how terrible and oversimplifying many mainstream media articles about yoga tend to be (“It’s exotic!” “It’s sexy!” “It’s the sure path to self-discovery!”). But the startling thing to me was the sheer number of comments that the article drew — many of which focused on the “yoga voice” and how annoying and alienating it can be to people who want to attend class! In teacher training, we are all aware of the yoga voice and know to avoid it (Monika has made sure of that), and as far as I can tell, all the Joschi teachers are energetic, dynamic, and distinctly different. I’m trying not to obsess, but is it possible that developing a clear, awesome, non-annoying “yoga personality” is almost as hard as teaching itself? Or is it something that will come with time?

Niina P.

Wasn't me

I think it’s super funny someone found the blog through googling “Beyonce’s Booty”. All I can say is if your looking to GET a Beyonce booty, then come try some Pilates but if what you were looking for was her actual badonkadonk… try some pilates.

The challenge is over! My last flow of the 40 days was with Angela, and it was all smiles. Angela was really in her element today, she made us laugh through a hard and super active flow. Can you believe she flew in from Cali this morning and had enough energy to share with two classes and the teacher trainees? She really did bring the sunshine back with her!

40 days later and still no scorpion, but I feel so great. I don’t mind strangers staring at me smile on the subway anymore. What was especially great, was that there wasn’t a single day that I woke up and thought “ugh… have to go to YOGA”. Joschi Body Bodega and the community here are just so awesOMe and welcoming. I actually catch myself miss being able to take more than one class per day! Doesn’t everyone day-dream about Yoga and squeezing magic circles? Take a few more classes and you will too .

A big thank you to Joschi, Monika, all the teachers, and the amazing people at Joschi NYC.  

Namaste,

-Mj

Here are some posts that illustrated this journey. Check them out -”Beyonce Booty” googlers especially, check out bootylicious .
Manly Man Thoughts
Yama Mia
“Superficial” Yoga
Bootylicious
Feel Good, Look Great