Saturday, July 10, 2010

Let's resume the dialogue!

In May I travelled to Naples, Florida to visit my parents who live there half the year. Each day, I'd sit by the pool and study dialogue until noon and then head out to practice at Bikram Yoga Naples. I was able to get a good grasp of postures 1 to 4 (Half Moon to Eagle). The teachers at the studio down there were really dialogue driven. It helped reinforce what I was learning.

Five months before I would leave for training and I had a head start on the dialogue. I was thrilled!

Then life took over. When I got back, work was busy, my social calendar was full, and I no longer had the time to devote to the dialogue. So I put it on the back burner.

And now...

Teacher training is only two months away! My dialogue studying must take centre stage. I'll need to learn at least two postures a week if I want to know the dialogue fully by the time I board the plane to San Diego.

Yesterday, one of my teacher friends gave me his copy of the dialogue (bound and laminated!) that I can use to study. Starting tomorrow, I will concentrate and mediate and think very deeply about the dialogue. It'll be my one point of focus over the summer months.

I've found that studying the dialogue line by line and repeating it until it's committed to memory is most effective. I'm also going to record myself saying it and listen to it continuously on my iPod. Do you have any other tips or tricks to share?

7 comments:

  1. Find out very quickly with method works for you and stick with it. Changing methods will slow you down.

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  2. I also read it repeatedly and pay attention to each word. I try to memorize one paragraph at a time and then I type it in my computer. When I am done, I compare it to the original. If it matches, I continue with the next paragraph. If it's different, I start all over again. Lots of typing !!

    I recorded it, as well, and play it on my way to work, at the gym, when I go running, when I go to bed.

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  3. Good idea Chrissy! Line-by-line! I was going paragraph by paragraph and had begun doing the pose while I recite it. Crazy?

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  4. Imagine how the posture works/moves on an imaginary body [or maybe even yours] with each line -this technique also works if you have uber-strict dialogue teachers so you can mouth the postures mentally while in class :D

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  5. I got nothing to add about memorization. I'm just glad you're coming to SD training! I can't wait to take classes in the SD-equivalent Big tent with you!

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  6. Hey Chrissy!
    My folks live in Naples as well and I will be going there 2 weeks before TT to get over jet-lagg and to train with Jennette at BY_Naples. I grew up there! I'm coming from Sweden where I live now. Can't wait for the TT, I will see you there.
    Joe

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  7. Joe: Jeanette is awesome! I loved practicing at her studio. All the teachers there were dialogue-driven and no nonsense. Jeanette helped me a lot in my practice. Especially with locking my knee. I didn't realize I wasn't locking my knee until she pointed it out. Enjoy BYN! See you in SD!

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