Sue Flamm (Puja) - Restorative yoga with assists : a manual for teachers and students of yoga

Table of Contents

Copyright 2013 Susan Beth Flamm (Puja) RYT

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the author.

Editors: Deborah Klosky and Kalindi E. Trietley

Photographer: Pablo Latorre Garcia/Valencia Spain

Book Design: Carie Oltmann

E-Book Interior Formatter: Tugboat Design

Self published

Second Edition

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the following people for their support of me and of this book: First, my dear husband Ren for his continual love, encouragement from the beginning to the end of this project and his ideas to make this book even better. My sweet and beautiful twelve-year-old daughter Elena who helped me with spelling and editing and for her support and patience waiting to use the computer while I was busy writing and researching. My editor, Debbie Klosky, for her positive attitude, support and invaluable help with the editing process. Carmela Escriche Mengual for her support and generosity in using her elegant studio for the photo shoots. Pablo Latorre Garcia for his excellent photographic skills, patience and attention to detail. Ella, for her attention to detail in the photo shoots and, with Alma, for their loving support during the photo shoots. Jenny Susan Kaiser and Julia, my amazing models who gave their time and wonderful energies for the photos. Mabel for her assistance in hair and makeup for the photo shoot. Arti Ross Kelso for her continual support, friendship and time with editing the bodywork chapter of the book. Susan Rubin for her encouragement, ideas, editing and continual support for my teaching and especially my Restorative Teacher Training. Kalindi for her editing and general support for the project. Carie Oltmann for her genorousity and expertise in design. Eileen Muir for introducing me to restorative yoga and for her wonderful work in the yoga world. My mom for always, always supporting me in everything. And all of my students, teachers and fellow seekers on the yogic path who have each in their own way been the inspiration for the creation of this book.

Introduction

My life has been a continual journey of learning, self-discovery and service. I took my first Transcendental Meditation course at 12 years of age, and my first Hatha Yoga class at 16. They both felt somehow familiar to me and laid a foundation for my journey with yoga, so with many steps along the path of yoga, Ive felt taken back home to my essential self.

About 28 years ago, my practice deepened significantly as I began to walk on the path of love with Kripalu Yoga. I chose to live at that Center for six years to immerse myself in the yogic lifestyle. After that, I studied a variety of different yoga styles Iyengar, Ashtanga (Mysore style), and Anusara all with wonderful instructors. I directed and owned two yoga studios with all levels of classes including ongoing restorative classes.

In my second studio in Amherst, MA, USA (about 15 years ago), my business partner and I invited a number of teachers to give intensive workshops there. One of those teachers was Judith Lasater. She had just completed her book, Rest and Renew. Although I had practiced and taught restorative yoga before, I had never experienced anyone with Judiths mastery. I became absorbed deeply in her methods of instruction, especially during those times when she took my hand and pointed out nuances with student after student. What a wonderful experience. From that time on, restorative yoga has become an integral part of my yoga practice and teaching.

It seems to me that the potential of this special line of yoga is far reaching. I have had the opportunity to patiently and lovingly guide a wide variety of students, and Ive seen some amazing things. One woman who had been my student for several years became seriously ill with a rare form of cancer. She asked me to work with her privately. Unfortunately there were not very many private sessions, because she soon left this world. During that time though, I held the space for her while she rested in restorative poses, and her process was an absolute gift for me. She taught me about relaxing not only into life, but also into death (another significant deepening for me).

I have also worked with students recovering from serious illness, students with a variety of disabilities, and students who are simply stressed out. Each one had a particular need and a particular gift to give. Each seems to have opened and changed to one degree or another. I think most yoga teachers discover this dynamic.

Over time, I found that I wanted to share all I had learned with other teachers. I began to focus on the art of teaching in various teacher-oriented workshops and training sessions, but still I felt the desire to create something more in-depth, more comprehensive something that included both the heart and the intricacies of this unique style of yoga. Now Im ready to take the next step with this book. I have integrated much of my learning from bodywork and years of yogic practice into a restorative yoga practice that I have come to call the Puja Method, or as it has sometimes been referred to, Puja Yoga.

There is a part of this book that is not written, which is the ongoing, constantly changing internal perception and experience of the practitioner in the restorative asanas. I use as a tool to encourage my students these four steps in which to be with the pose:

Enter: Enter inside of your body.

Perceive and investigate: Become perceptive to what is happening inside and investigate.

Accept: Accept your current state with compassion and loving kindness.

Relax: Relax around all that you feel on the physical level, all that you have perceived in your body, mind, emotions and on any other level of your being.

I invite you to use these steps with your students and with your own exploration of this beautiful and transformative practice.

Before I go on, I want to say that it has been an absolute honor to work with so many students and teachers throughout the years, and to share the life journey that yoga provides. I hope some of you will enjoy seeing my progress. May you all receive many blessings in your teaching, exploration and practice.

A note on references: I refer to different books and websites throughout the book. The reader can find the complete references used for each chapter collected at the end of the book.

Chapter 1

What is Restorative Yoga?

Never perform asanas mechanically.
B.K.S. Iyengar

I would like to give you both a very small overview of yoga in general and where Restorative Yoga fits into that world. Yoga, as a more than 5,000-year-old tradition, has a history that is vast and ancient.

Patanjali, who is described as a writer, physician, philosopher and saint, is considered by many to be the grandfather of yoga. His Yoga Sutras, originally written in Sanskrit, are one of the most widely respected texts on yoga. There is some controversy over exactly when they were written, though 200 BC is quoted in many texts.

The Yoga Sutras are a series of 196 sutras or aphorisms about yoga and have been translated and interpreted by many. The first four are: