INTERESTING & INSPIRING READING (some not for the 'faint of heart')

From my list of favorite blogs and websites, I check in almost daily with two: Christina Sell's and MariaCristina's. I also frequently read Bernadette Birney's. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Karen Sprute-Francovich, whose writing is much less frequent but enriching and eloquent when it appears.

These women all write for my benefit (and yours), and each has a different style. Examples:

• Christina's are filled with good teaching tips, sequences she has used, and - on occasion - rants that are entertaining to read and well thought out. Take her latest post - her topic was the benefit of all yoga styles (if taught well). A gentle reminder for those of us in the Anusara® world to not get too wrapped up in our 'video-qualified' mentality. I recommend reading it.
• MariaCristina is inspiring, gracious, and over-the-top smart. Take her recent post comparing the development of the embryo to the Tattvas!?!?!? Who would have made that correlation? Now, I know who -- MC. And, as importantly, her writing continually reminds me that it's not just about how well I (we) can teach or do the poses, it's about the students - their needs, their desires; and my (our) relationship with them. Another way of pulling me (us) back from the 'video-qualified' precipice.
• Bernadette Birney's blog is, to say the least, irreverent. Filled with spicey language (language I naively thought I'd never hear coming from a yogi's mouth); yet, also filled with lessons to be learned. One of her recent posts was a letter to me (us) as a 'wanna-be-Certified' teacher. A cautionary note from her, written in letter format, reminding me (us) to savor the process, not rush, not get too wrapped up in my (our) 'video-qualified' goals. This process of Certification is meant to teach me (us), as well as propel me (us) onto the next step of my (our) journey.

Are you noticing an energetic theme here?

• And Karen's? All good stuff, from stories of her son's travels to how to build the pose, Garudasana. I've followed her through her last India journey, and, when I am visiting my family up north, I try my best to get to one of her classes in Coeur d'Alene. A teacher's teacher, happy to be where she is, enjoying what she is doing, loving her students; 'satisfied' would be a good adjective for Karen, I think.

Each is different. Each has chosen to share their knowledge with me (us). Their path has inspired me to write this blog, which - when compared to theirs - I might describe as 'comfort food'. I write the way I ask questions at a workshop. Huh? I ponder a question; hesitate to ask it; then remind myself that there are probably 15-30 people in the room all wondering the same thing; why not ask it? Why not write it?

Not sure if that makes sense, but my blog is my blog -- my thoughts, my correlations, the story of my journey. That's one of the reasons I try to stick with "I, my, me' rather than "you, ours, us" -- it might not apply to you and I certainly don't want to sound like I'm preaching to anyone. So, I read, I learn, I - in turn - share my thoughts.

It's a teaching day - 2 classes; one in Carlsbad, one in Temecula. Better plan.

Hope you have a nice Thursday,

THE WEEK, IN REVIEW

Granted, it's only Wednesday, but a 'week in review' post seems in order. It seems it has been a full 5-6 days (that, plus, I haven't written for a few days).

You know about the dog. A brief update: he's perkier each day, still gets along with other dogs, still views cats from afar, eating more eagerly, and has even managed 2-hour stays at home alone with the other dogs without incident. As to bonding, he still stays close but I'm not so sure he won't 'go to the dark (husband) side'; there are signs -- just sayin'.

Step back, now, to the day before the dog was adopted - to Friday. Friday is a 'no class to teach' day; unless I'm subbing for someone. I did, however, travel in to Carlsbad to help with a little sprucing up of that studio (Carlsbad Wellness and Yoga). We have an influx of students and new-to-us teachers this month, and the place needed to look welcoming and warm. Thanks to Michele and Debra (and Robert, the owner), we knocked out some decent work in a couple hours. Increased mat space, wall space for our practices and general ambiance.

Saturday was 'Claus Adopted Day' - see previous post for that story.

Sunday was a lazy, lay around the house kind of day. That is, after a walk in the park with dogs and a pancake breakfast at a 'roadhouse' in Rainbow. I have always tolerated pancakes. After tasting the pancakes at this particular restaurant (a favorite of the motorcycle crowd), I found myself craving them (what's that about?). Let's just say, pancakes (of this type) at 9am mean there is no need for another meal until 6pm - after a long nap.

Monday, with dog following me everywhere, I did housework before heading into the Library for my community class at 3pm. This is the one volunteer class I teach since arriving in California, and it's growing! I am up to 10-11 in the last 3 classes! This is rewarding, and I love to see the effort being expended by students and the improvement and general enjoyment happening.

I decided my theme this week ought to be 'remembrance'. Why? Well, on Sunday morning, Howard walked into the room and announced that Claus (new dog) was our anniversary gift. What, I thought? As usual, he (Howard) and I had both forgotten that it was our anniversary Saturday. And, not just any Anniversary -- our 30-year Anniversary. So why remembrance -- shouldn't I be embarrassed to admit this? Yes, I should. It just goes to show you that you can make a theme out of just about anything, including forgotten anniversaries.

Step back many, many posts to one where I described banter between John Friend and Darren Rhodes about the topic of remembrance. John's message: that we remember the things that are important to us. Granted, our anniversary is important to us; more important, is remembering every day to be loving and kind to one another.

Yes, we do remember what's important; and remembering the anniversary is a good thing -- but only if we've remembered the other 364 days of the year to honor our commitment to one another. How does this relate to yoga? Teacher asks us to do something to improve our pose. We do it, it helps. The task now is to remember - not to come back next class and be reminded over and over of the same improvement tip. All these 'little things', like placing hands strongly and mindfully, having feet parallel, etc., add up to great poses! I used the same theme in yesterday morning's class -- as I said "Place your hands with commitment, don't forget to claw the floor. If I were to walk by and try to lift a finger, it won't budge!", one student looked up and smiled. I, of course, asked why -- to which she said "I heard John Friend say that on a video!" Well, he is one of my teachers.

Today? It's Wednesday, another 'no class to teach' day. That means housework, grocery shopping, computer work, practice - yoga and guitar (Yes, Leslie bought herself a guitar. Now let's see what happens -- will she learn to play? Let's hope so, that's the goal.)

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

ABOUT A DOG (not yoga)

We own 2 dogs (that was yesterday). Today, we own 3.

I love dogs, and I would own many - if it were feasible. I have selected each of our dogs since our first, in 1983 or 84. Each has had it's good qualities and not-so-good. They have all been good dogs - calm and cooperative, friendly (except for one who didn't like little white dogs) and loving.

The problem? Each time I select a dog for me, the dog bonds with my husband. I see why. He loves them and his affection knows few boundaries. If the dog is nearby, he has his hand on it. He walks them each day (unless he is traveling), and most days feeds them. You might be thinking 'well, why don't you (Leslie) get in there and handle the dogs, walk them, feed them. I do. It's no use -- once a dog decides their preferred 'person', I've found it's useless to try to persuade them otherwise.

One caveat to this -- the dogs love him, they follow my instructions better (does that mean I'm the alpha?).

So, a few weeks ago, we began to think in terms of adding a 3rd dog to our 'pack'. We currently have a German Wirehaired Pointer (runt of a litter), and a Corgi/Australian Shepherd mix. After owning the hunting dog (named Tucker), we've decided 'no more hunters - too much desire to roam and run'. The shepherd mix (named Driggs) is smart as a whip, yet unassuming and undemanding. We decided another type of shepherd might be the dog for us.

We explored border collies. Nice, beautiful dogs, but with a different style of herding; one that often doesn't mix well with small, running grandchildren (not good for our situation). Then, we were sitting at a stoplight last week, looked ahead at the vehicle in front and noticed the man driving was carrying on a conversation with his dog in the passenger seat - a German Shepherd. I said "I think those dogs are beautiful. My husband agreed. The research and search began.

Found that the German Shepherd is loyal, good with children, and trainable (all good things). We (I, actually) hoped to give a home to an older dog; one that might have trouble finding a place, otherwise.

Well, we found Claus - an 8-year-old, who had been rescued 9 months ago with severe pneumonia, underfed, neglected. We took our dogs to meet him yesterday (on neutral territory). All went well; we brought him home with a short stop to drop off a birthday present. For being the new dog, nervous, etc., he handled himself well -- calm and unfazed by the 3 children (ages 2-5) moving around him.

Once home, he was equally unfazed (in fact, almost a bit leary) of our cats - as they were of them. Age has its benefits.

18 hours in -- this is a good thing. Oh, about that bonding thing -- so far, Claus follows me everywhere. Maybe this time . . .

Have a great Sunday!

IMAGINE (this is NOT a song)

The classroom is quiet and dark. I am at the desk waiting for students for my 4pm class - almost worried that no one will show. Then . . .

In bounds a young girl followed by her sister and her mother. They sign in, remove shoes, head into the quiet classroom. I follow . . .

These will be the only students in my class today (Thursday). And, they set their mats up in a strange configuration -- 2 in back corner and the smaller girl in front. As we sat for a few moments, I struggle with that form and decide that the better set-up would be a circle; so, we switch things. Class begins.

Teaching young people is a challenge. I've discovered over the years that (in most cases) the 10-year-old is a more focused student than the 13-year-old. Why? Not sure. At age 10, they don't embarrass as easily; at age 13, they are becoming painfully aware of their 'image' and drama begins to enter their persona. Maybe that's the reason. No matter, on with my story . . .

This family has been coming to the studio for a while. I wonder if they are Korean or Chinese, and I am not sure that all I say is understood (I hear whispering in another language at times). I decided to begin with some easy banter - like 'do you like yoga?'. The younger-appearing girl answers 'no'. The other says 'yes', and the Mother clearly enjoys the practice. With this in mind, we begin. More questions about any pets they might have. The 'do you have a dog?' question brought giggles from all, so I pursued -- 'do you have a cat?', 'do you have a 'cow?', like that. (BTW, they don't have any of the animals mentioned.) More giggles from this up-to-now stoic group. My goal? To have the younger-appearing daughter at least look like she was enjoying something about the class.

Class proceeds. A little unorthodox sequencing - wanted them doing something fun, so we worked into some variations of vasisthasana (2 of 3 doing fine, the 3rd so-so). Got to "wild thing", more giggling. The girls are piano players -- the song 'wild thing' (of which I can do a crazy air band demo) is NOT in their repertoire. But, they had fun trying the pose, Mom & older-looking daughter doing great -- even the one who doesn't 'like' yoga was giving it a go.

Once that was over, then - knowing they spend a good deal of time each day at the piano - we did some stretches that they can do at home, at times when the back or the wrists/hands are tired and aching.

The class that began with a 'no' to my 'do you like yoga?' question, ended on a good note. Progress from the one who doesn't 'like' yoga, and the other two had fun, did some challenging work, learned some things to do at home when fatigue sets in. BTW, I found out as they left, both girls are 13 (tho one looks 13 and the other looks to be 10); they are fraternal twins.

They'll be back.

The Universe keeps throwing me curve balls -- it's fun trying to catch them; tho, some days, I wonder why. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate each and every one of them. And, I find in myself a gift to just 'roll with the punches' -- I actually enjoy these challenges.

Have a great Friday!

SHARING GRATITUDE

There are many times I think "I sure appreciate what that person does/did for me." Few are the times I have stopped to verbalize or write my gratitude. I am changing that.

I recently took the opportunity to thank one of my teachers (Adam Ballenger) for his advice on accepting feedback. What was it? "Just listen. Don't be defensive, don't offer excuses; just listen." This advice has served me well. I use it every time one of my mentors or reviewers, a student, a fellow teacher -- anyone -- offers me feedback. I 'just listen'.

Interesting that, if the feedback is other-than-complimentary, I know what will be said. Tough to listen to it being verbalized, tho. Sometimes, like when I am told about my 'parrot words', I haven't a clue that I've been saying the word 'bring' or 'take' or 'gently' over and over, ad nauseum. Add to that the feedback moments when you get a gem handed to you; for example, 'just listen'. All good stuff, whether we want to hear it or not.

No matter the content -- good or otherwise, the next step is to say 'thank you', without offering explanations, excuses, reasons, etc. Example: Comment: "That's a nice outfit." My old response: "Oh, it's just something I've had forever." My new response: "Thank you". This is not easy for me. I am not very good at accepting compliments. This trait became painfully clear after the videotaping of my recent classes -- people telling me how good I was, how much they enjoyed the class, how much better they felt. My response? I said 'thank you', but inside my head there was a voice telling me this can't be for me. What's that about? Why is it so hard to accept praise? to accept this gift. A contemplation, for sure.

A contemplation that Sundari would like me to embrace more emphatically, accept the praise, accept that I am doing a good job. I am getting better at it, still some work to do. I thank Sundari for pointing that out to me and challenging me to just say 'thank you', to accept (and embrace) the praise.

So, 4 words to live by -- 'Thank You" and "just listen".

I have many more teachers (too many to name here) and each has offered me 'gems' of knowledge that I treasure. I pull them out frequently and share them with my classes. Sharing them is one way to honor my lineage of guides on this journey.

Thank you all!

Have a great Wednesday,

PEER PRESSURE

I've felt it, that pressure to do more, be more, maybe act differently than my comfortable nature is willing to. It happens sometimes without my awareness, but often I know what's happening. Then the challenge is to keep moving in the direction I'm being moved (that is, if it's a healthy direction).

It's the reason I took my first teacher training with Desiree Rumbaugh (a good thing), 8 years ago. I succumbed to peer pressure from one of my friends and fellow teachers, Jen Hecht. She 'dragged' me to Arizona, to a week-long training with a woman I had never met, telling me that 'this is good for us; we need to do this'. It turned out to be one of the best weeks of my life, a time of expansion, a time of stepping out of my comfort zone to meet new people, the first time I have kicked up to headstand (thank you, whoever my partner was). And, thank you, Jen.

I started this post without a clear destination; therefore, I am going to take a slight detour, before coming back to the title's topic. Where are we going? To the land of quotes. It seems that every quote I read this week on Facebook is about comfort zones, meeting ourselves, not quitting -- not that I want to 'quit' anything, just all very relative to my thoughts on moving forward and change. The one shared recently from Gil Hedley is very appropriate:

"The tension and holding in our bodies reflect the tension and holding in our lives-at-large. To expand and open our bodies, it helps to open up your life a bit. This will mean something different to everybody of course. And if you open up your life a lot, your body may change so much you'll hardly recognize yourself~ It'll still be you though. And once you've done all that, you're still not done. There's always more."

For me, it's true -- I do hardly recognize myself. I think my family, at times, worries that I may change too much. Fortunately, Howard (my husband) sees the 'before and after of Leslie' and also sees that I've struck a balance. Perhaps that's because I do see people get too in one direction; forgetting the past or casting it aside for a new and 'better' life. The new 'better' life may not materialize, it's certainly different, but new and better? maybe not; just different issues to deal with. So, I work with the old Leslie (first 47 years) and the new Leslie (the recent 14 years). I'm still shedding things about old Leslie that are not appealing to me (hard work), and adding in new qualities that I've always wanted in my life, just didn't realize (also hard work). I would be remiss if I didn't thank my husband for accepting and pushing on occasion.

So, detour over -- what about peer pressure? It's visible in all my yoga classes -- the mother that brings her child/children to class; the friend who brings the friend; and - recently - seeing a student on the precipice of 'giving up' on a pose, only to look at her friend and become re-motivated when she observed that friend doing the pose.

What I see are great things, great exposures that people are offering their friends, family, loved ones. But, not all will 'take', not everyone will see the benefit of the practice, that's the plain truth. I have to accept that. That's a difficult pill to swallow, because I know the benefits, I know the beauty, I know the new awareness I have. I want that for everyone.

Enough with this. Some topics get to the precipice (love that word) of 'heavy' and I back off. Another growth moment? Out of the comfort zone and into the world! (New mantra material)

Enjoy your Tuesday,

THE THINGS WE TEACH (AND LEARN)

I taught two classes yesterday - back to back - a basics, then a mixed level. The basics, because it was earlier (10am) was better attended; 11 in the room. The mixed level, because it started middle of the day (noon), suffers from that start time; just 6 attended.

As I wrote that last sentence, I thought "never should I write 'just 6 attended'". What I would give to have 6 consistently in my weekday classes! But, that's another subject.

Because neither class is named "Anusara®" or "Anusara-Inspired™", I am trying to figure out if I felt more free or if I felt more constricted (like, what do I teach?). Interesting dilemma. As I went into the room, I asked Ashley how she handles this situation -- response: "I always chant and teach Anusara®". So, that's what I did -- chanted and taught two pretty solid Anusara-Inspired™ classes, without getting too wrapped up in details about the UPA's or Anusara's® philosophy. Simply asked for the alignment elements we expect to see in our Anusara® classes -- feet parallel, fingers spread comfortably, hands shoulder width apart, like that.

The first class (the larger one) was impressive. Several were either new to the studio or new to yoga; yet, mid-way through the class, I took a minute to comment on two things I saw: (1) Each person had straight, strong back legs in their lunges and (2) When coming out of vrksasana (tree pose), each person calmly released foot to the floor and simply stood in tadasana -- no jumping around or ankle shaking. Be still my heart!

FYI, later in the evening, while going through a stack of papers, I found a set of notes from session #11 of Christina Sell's first on-line mentoring series. In that, I had written "In the warm-up, articulate what is going well; in the middle of class, articulate what everyone as a group is doing well; then move to what individuals are doing well". I was pleased that pausing to comment (above paragraph), fell in line with these notes -- and I know, I was doing the individual thing all along. I even remembered names!

Class #2 (smaller, but no less skilled), was attended by 6, 5 I had never met before. For some reason, it felt a bit more 'stilted'. I was not as relaxed with this group, even tho they were very nice people. (Maybe that's 'safety in numbers'.) One woman had practiced quite a bit and jumped right in, taking poses a bit farther than I intended. Her alignment was o.k., so I made a decision early on to just leave her alone. I think my tendency with these students is to jump in, try to fix everything; maybe to just show them that I see the places that need enhancement (ego?). This would be consistent with the 'testosterone' competitions you witness on freeways around the world -- like, who can drive the car faster, more adeptly, more daringly. I held back, we moved through the class. At the end, she spoke up, telling me that she had never attended a class like mine before. (How does one take that?) Fortunately, she went on to say that something about my teaching had propelled her to places she had not visited before in her practice. (Whew!) So, it was a win-win. By holding back, I didn't embarrass her or get in a 'battle of wills'; by letting her watch, listen, move with moderate guidance, she progressed.

We teach and learn; interesting, especially when you write it out.

Today? It's the big birthday celebration for my son (Derek) and Grand-Dude (Brady), who turns 3. But, first, I travel back to Temecula for another 2-hour Expansion Class. This time, the topic is "Contraction to Expansion". Hope to see some people there; so much to choose from right now at that studio, we'll see.

Have a great Sunday!

AHH, FRIDAY !!!

One busy teaching week, this one has been! Taught two classes Monday; 3 classes Tuesday; no classes, but worked on getting video off camera on to a DVD, Wednesday; then 3 classes on Thursday.

No teaching today, taking son to lunch -- it's his birthday. 37 years old; oh my! Happy Birthday, Derek -- you make us proud!

Back to teaching. Lots of elements to enjoy, to think about, to learn from. Among them:

• My library class in Fallbrook was attended by 7; 5 of whom were new-to-me students (one new-to-yoga). It will be a challenge to teach many different skill, age and ability levels. I think, tho, this is my kind of teaching. I do enjoy it.
• Teaching meditation is interesting; never have done it formally, just as a sub. My practice has taught me that it is a slow learning process. However, students come to class (first class) expecting to reap immediate benefits. It is hard to sit for 2, 3 or 5 minutes; no matter how much yoga or exercise you've done. That's a fact; but, try explaining that to someone who is sleep-deprived due to stress and searching for an avenue to find relaxation -- NOW!
• Tuesday's classes brought scoliosis into my vision -- 2 classes, both with young women who have the condition. Both very body aware and yet searching for ways to deal with this condition. I also got a chance to teach my first formal prenatal class. Whew! This will be a learning opportunity for me.
• Wednesday - video off camera and on to DVD. Hooray!
• Thursday - Subbed a gentle yoga class (truly 'gentle', not like I teach it), so I tried to stay in line with the regular instructor's format. New group; first comment "I do more movement stretching to get out of bed in the morning!" Whoaaa! I usually don't encounter such honesty and outspoken-ness; but, having heard that and re-evaluating the group -- I kicked it up a notch.
• Also on Thursday - in my own morning class, I was able to help a newer-to-yoga student get her legs up the wall into "L" pose. Good, empowering move for her! And, also wonderful for me, was the fact that 7 attended my 4pm class! Once again, all different levels with a 10-year-old thrown in. Fun, even when the cell phones started ringing (including mine !?!?!)
• Another Thursday Highlight: DVD in the overnight mail to Sarah. Waiting . . .
• Friday - we'll see what lessons I have to learn from this day.

Hope your Friday is a great one!

FEELING 'INSPIRED' (and a little 'tired')

So far, the week has been a good and busy one, and it's only Wednesday!

Monday's Library class was one that saw growth. There were 7 in the room - 2 repeaters & 5 new-to-me. All seemed to enjoy the class, despite the piano playing on the other side of the divided space we were occupying. The music, while nice, was a bit distracting. Each time I thought that, I wondered how he (the piano player) felt -- also competing with my voice. (FYI, the room has previously been devoted to this yoga class; Monday, however, the room was divided and on one side was the piano, on the other - us. I do admit that I found my voice accelerating in volume as the piano got louder.) Teaches us something - not sure what, but something. Perhaps the lesson is to hope this competition of noises doesn't happen next week!?!?!?

Hopped in the car and sped (drove carefully) up to Temecula, arriving in time to take Ashley's class, which I enjoyed -- a change of pace in that she offered a flowing with the breath type class, no handstands or urdhva's to deal with (tho there were a couple camels thrown in - but then, I like camel).

Then, wait and wonder if people will attend the evening meditation/basic yoga class that I had offered to sub. It's not the most well-attended class (hence the wondering). Be still my heart -- in walked one gentleman, then another young woman, then the man's wife, and - as we got started - a 4th student joined us. Only one had tried meditation before, so we did a blend of gentle movement, a short sit, then a restorative pose, another short sit, then some pranayama (supported by a bolster), and a final sit - which was a couple minutes longer (FYI, a 60 minute class). I think it went well. The experienced meditator may not have gotten what she hoped for, but she was smiling as she left. And, to ask 3 new-to-sitting students to sit for extended periods of time is just plain unreasonable (my opinion).

Tuesday -- in to Carlsbad for my 10:30 class. Still small -- just one young woman with scoliosis in attendance. She had yoga experience, none very detailed, so she was perfect to experience "Leslie's Nit-Picky Private Yoga Session". We lengthened, we talked, we moved, we refined. She left with some new knowledge; we'll see if she returns to my class.

The Therapeutic/Gentle class in Temecula also was attended by a young woman with scoliosis and a woman (almost 80!) with some joint issues. Wide age spectrum, but both with yoga experience. Interesting that, as we worked -- more and more came out about each, in terms of their physical stuff. Each time I turned around, there was something else that had been bothering them that they had forgotten to tell me! It did give us something to laugh about, tho.

My first formal Prenatal/Postpartum Class was also a private. 8 months and counting. Well-schooled (her); needing to become more confident (me). Another learning opportunity.

Today? In to Carlsbad to the Apple store. I did download my video to this computer; cannot get it to a DVD - I've forgotten, need a little help. Had hoped to have it in the mail on Monday, it's Wednesday, no DVD yet! Maybe today.

Add to the above a house to clean, a morning spent taking grand-dudes to karate, laundry to do, errands to run, and I'm feeling it -- a bit tired, that is, but it's been fun (except laundry and cleaning).

Hope your Wednesday is a great one!

"COWBOY UP!"

The first time I heard "cowboy up!" was from the lips of a Wyoming yoga teacher -- as in 'let's do some yoga -- Wyoming style' !!! Laughed because it was so 'Wyoming' - so strong, so powerful, so fun in a quirky way. And, I have never forgotten.

Isn't it interesting the things I remember? I think I went through a short list many posts back. The things I remember that I only needed to hear once before they were clearly and forever embedded in my emotional and physical self. Things like:

• How to move your wrist creases to parallel without losing your grip on the mat, or lifting fingertips.
• Why feet parallel is so important, not just in yoga but in everyday life!
• 'Don't answer the question that hasn't been asked.' (Actually, this took a while to embed itself because I was so excited to share EVERYTHING I had learned. It's taken, and these days I wait. Thank you, John Friend)
• Themes are seeds. Plant them and nurture them throughout the class. Be aware of the opposite of my theme and heart quality -- I will be able to more effectively carry through on transmission of my message.
• Use hand to inner knee to draw a leg back to janu sirsasana. Why? Hip flexors stay more relaxed.
• Cramps are often caused by too much muscular energy. When struggling with one, try to extend out organically from that painful spot -- it's hard, I know. Try it, anyway.
• Each pose is a work of art (I frequently ask students to imagine their vrksasana is a painting they've created on the wall. Especially if they begin fidgeting, wiggling from foot to foot, shaking the ankle as soon as they come out of the pose. I ask "What if they took their hand and smeared that beautiful, imaginary painting on the wall?" Same thing. No remembrance of the beauty they created.) Stand still, take a breath instead, remember.
• And, "Cowboy Up!"

These have been just a few. I actually went back through my notes from a level 2 Teacher Training with JF, and was reminded of some of these (imagine how many I could come up with if I went through all the notes!).

Why did "cowboy up" come to mind? As I taught a short meditation class last night, asking students new to meditation to create their seat, this phrase kept coming to mind -- not sure why, and I didn't use it. It just seemed to fit -- here they are creating their seat, their saddle. Now get on it and ride! Silly stuff, but some days are like that.

In this meditation class, I was queried after class by one student -- 'I hope to learn to relax, but I felt so tense as we sat. Is that how it's supposed to be?' I could tell by the comments and the look on his face that he was very intent on finding a way to relax, to sleep. Since he has not done much yoga (or any meditation, to date), I explained that everything we do is a practice. Sitting in meditation comfortably will take time. I offered them 3 short periods of meditation in this 60-minute class; interspersed with mild movement, a restorative pose, and some pranayama. After all, who can sit for 60 minutes during their first meditation experience? I hope he will accept my answer, accept that practice will give him access to the relaxation and calm he seeks. We'll see if he's in class next week.

Today? 3 classes to teach. A new one for me, prenatal yoga, which I have avoided (except to sub occasionally). Not sure why. Going to give it a shot.

Gonna 'cowboy up!'

Hope you have a great Tuesday.

HOME, SWEET HOME

We arrived back in San Diego Saturday afternoon. Easy trip, no delays, no glitches, smooth sailing. Arrived a few minutes early, even. Retrieved our bags, our car and hit the highway. It was 4:30pm. I'm telling you this because the next paragraph will describe our feat of 'highway magic'.

We kennel'd our dogs at a nice facility in Murrieta (about 15 miles north of our house), and our house is about 45 miles north of the airport (60 miles in all). Our original plan was to pick the dogs upon Sunday during pick-up hours of 3-5:30pm. Well, we both had missed them; Howard had been away longer, so his desire to see them was a bit stronger. We hit the highway, drove with the flow (which, according to manuals is what we should do; it also means you are exceeding the speed limit a bit). I'm thinking 'we'll never make it'; he's driving with a determined gleam in his eye. Long story short, we made it. At 5:25pm, I called the kennel to tell them we were 3 blocks away; at 5:28pm, we pulled into the lot. Paid, loaded dogs, off to home. Whew!

Traffic rarely flows so smoothly on the San Diego freeways; we were lucky. We were also fortunate the plane arrived a bit early, the car was easy to get to and load, things just seemed to 'click along'. Some days are like that.

Home, and all is well. The cats survived (I have 2, who were visited on occasion by our son, Derek, who also watered plants for us and checked on the place). It's a bit dusty, but I can deal with that.

Sunday a.m., we walked dogs, then went for breakfast at a local eatery. Back at home to unpack, do a few other chores, then sat down at computer to download my video. Well, it's been over a year since I've done this part. Let's just say it took all of yesterday afternoon/evening to get the 'movie' ready; now, as soon as this is written, I'll burn it to the DVD (this is also a long process, if I remember correctly). My goal: get it in the mail today. Fingers Crossed.

This time, the video process has been done with much support -- people I knew attended the class, friends and people I've never met formally have been wishing me well over sites like Facebook or through this blog. Truly a great feeling to have that. I thank you all.

Today will be a busy one -- taking 'grand-dudes' to karate this morning; then run a few errands; then teach my class at the Fallbrook Library at 3pm. Maybe I'll take in Ashley's class after, we'll see.

While I love Driggs and our place there, it's good to be home. Hope you have a great Monday!

AND, HOW'D IT GO?

I obviously have used this title before -- the typing popped into the box even before I was done. Oh, well . . . onward.

It went well. I did as yesterday's post mentioned -- the day was spent doing some house stuff, working on my computer, re-reading my plan. About 1:30, I got on my mat and talked (no, whispered) my way through the planned sequence. Then got ready, hopped in the car with Sundari, drove into town to pick up the 'loaner' tripod, then to the studio. Spent a few minutes setting up the camera, figuring out where it would best capture the room and students (thank you, Sundari, for helping with the camera); briefly reviewed my notes; then people began to arrive.

Eleven people attended this free basic 90-minute class. Of those eleven, five (yes, 5) were Anusara® instructors -- 3 Inspired™ and 2 Certified®. Fortunately, that was not something I thought about until AFTER the class was over and it was mentioned to me.

What can I say about the class, itself? It went very well. I feel much better about last night's teaching than the previous video. What comment comes to mind about the class? The sequence I designed had only ONE chaturanga dandasana (cd). Some might say that's unheard of. I rarely attend a class where there is only ONE cd (I also rarely teach one, unless it's a Gentle Yoga class). But, that's what I planned and that's what we did. Despite the lack of multiple cd's, it still went well -- no one complained openly, and perhaps a few were relieved -- especially those who had put in a long, stressful day at work.

Early in the class I noticed that everyone was doing decent uttanasanas (standing forward fold), but not everyone was maximizing their potential in the pose -- in other words, there were a few lazy hands/arms in the pose. As someone who has always been challenged by many poses, including uttanasana, my fire is stoked when I see the talented wasting their talent. I paused the class, explained that I was watching great uttanasanas (remember, look for the good first), but in several instances I saw room for enhancement. Then, I did an unplanned demo (silent). Hands active and placed outside the feet, elbows bent to the side. Came up, explained that every pose is important, every pose demands and deserves our complete attention. Now, would they do it for me and give me "the best uttanasana of their lives". It worked!

After that, we were off to the races. That demo broke the ice, people were involved, I was no longer nervous. Things flowed. It's a keeper. In fact, I kept the flier the studio had graciously had made up for the class. If this is the video that takes me to Certification, I'm putting that flier on the back of my framed Certificate, as a reminder of when/where/who helped me.

Today? Preparing to return to So. Cal. tomorrow. Hope you have a great Friday!

ANOTHER VIDEO

Not sure if I wrote about this, but - upon review - I decided that the video I filmed 2 weeks ago will not work.

My teaching was strong, there were just some significant errors that will eliminate it from consideration. Your next question? What went wrong? Isn't it interesting that we want to know the negative first. I remember in my first teacher trainings that the emphasis on 'looking for the good' was one of the first things taught. For example, teacher: "What do you see in this pose?" Response from group: "legs too close together" or some other similar comment. Teacher: "Let's take another look at the pose -- tell me, first, what you see beautiful about the pose." Let's just say it didn't take long to absorb that lesson.

No matter what went wrong or right; after you do this for a while, you learn what will fly and what won't. Unfortunately, that video won't fly. So, what next? The class in Driggs. Tonight.

I brought camera, cords, notes; forgot the tripod. Called upon friends, they are bringing one. Not feeling quite so nervous as the last video; perhaps it's the fact that I am more familiar with this studio (after all, I've only studied in Temecula for 4 months; have been going to YogaTejas for infrequently 5+ years).

Will review notes, practice a bit, then head in to the studio with Sundari later today. Class starts at 6pm.

Hope you have a great Thursday. Oh, fishing was great! Animal sightings? Bald Eagle -- magnificent, and he was as curious about us as we were him.

THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS

Sunday, it was an owl serenade as they kept us company. Monday, a moose (HUGE!) wandered into our yard. Tuesday, we were surrounded by buffalo - literally (but, we were in a car; which - to be honest - is not much comfort when one of those looks in the window at you).

I wonder what today will bring.

We are on vacation at our home in Idaho (Driggs, to be exact). Day 4 of 7, in a quiet house surrounded by fields of wheat (barley? hops?) and potatoes; the Teton River flows to the east of us; a panoramic view of the Teton mountains also further to the east. Great place. Love it. Miss it. (FYI, when living in Salt Lake City, we were able to get up here at least once every 6-8 weeks for a long weekend; now, from San Diego, it's a different story.)

Driggs is a comfortable little town -- one stoplight, but development and improvement are creeping in. It has an airport (I've heard Harrison Ford flies his planes in here, then 'copters' to his home in Jackson.); an up-and-coming golf course and resort (some of staff comes from the Del Mar Country Club in San Diego); a wonderful yoga studio, YogaTejas (www.yogatejas.com), owned by 2 Certified Anusara® yoga instructors - Cate Stillman and Bridget Lyons; a reasonable grocery store -- what more could one want? Oh, I forgot to mention the GREAT gift store run by Gooch - sister of . . . (I'm waiting for you to guess). Gooch is Primo Lombardi's sister - what a small world! (If you don't know Primo, he is a Certified Anusara® Yoga Instructor, who shares his teaching in workshops co-taught with Peter Goodman (aka 'THE BLISS BROTHERS').)

In fact, I took a class at YogaTejas on Monday (see yesterday's post). And, I'll film another video there on Thursday night - a free community class beginning at 6pm. When you say 'community class', one might worry about who would wander in. However, in this town, everyone who practices yoga has had an opportunity to study with many of the great ones from our Anusara® community. The studio was built and owned by Sundari for many years; Cate Stillman and Bridget Lyons bought it in 2007. During these years, I've made special trips up to attend workshops presented by Desiree Rumbaugh and Noah Maze (to name a couple). Lots of good teaching going on here.

I am pleased and flattered to be able to offer the class; another example of the communities of Anusara® supporting one another. Where else could you go to have a teacher from the Inland Empire Anusara® Kula teaching students of the Driggs Anusara® Kula; AND have students from the Jackson, Wyoming, Anusara® Kula making a 'road trip' to attend. Good stuff; I am so grateful.

Hope you have a good Wednesday; I'm going fishing!

TRANSFORMATION

Each time I experience an Anusara® yoga teacher who has recently become Certified, I see such transformation. In each case, the instructor is more confident, creative, energetic, just plain GOOD!

I saw it again, yesterday, when I attended Bridget Lyons class at YogaTejas. Strong teaching, creative teaching, fun teaching. Bridget first came to my attention when she purchased YogaTejas, along with Cate Stillman, in 2007. Like me, she stepped into studio ownership with little if any teaching experience. She's moved quickly along the path, becoming Certified in 2010.

Yesterday's class was all about 'watery' hips. Seems a bit of an oxymoron, if you ask me. My hips have never been referred to as 'watery' -- more like sticky dry. Bridget's analogies were creative, the sequence opened and offered space for the hips to really move, and it was fun. I also had an opportunity to watch her skillfully offer individual attention throughout the room. I left feeling good.

We are always growing, even after we become Certified. Good to know -- I am loving this learning and growing part.

Short post - busy day. Hope you have a great Tuesday.

THE RED CAR

We have a new car -- yes, another one. We are the people who are always excited to try the next, newer model. I'm not talking expensive cars, here, tho we have had a few I would have classified as 'expensive'. These days, we look for function, style, then we go to the price; if it's too much, we walk away. What's too much? Well, let's just say our newest member of the garage is a (drumroll, please) bright red Jetta Volkswagon (a station wagon version).

I have never owned (or driven) a red car. When I saw it at the dealership, first thought -- 'it's cute'. When I got in to drive it, the red exterior framed my vision of the road. But, Howard (husband) liked it and the only other option was black at the moment - definitely, no. And, after all, this was a 'spur of the moment purchase'. No waiting, or we might not get it. So, red it must be and is.

Maybe you have driven a red car and know what it feels like. To me, it feels a bit conspicuous at times. I look at other silver, white, tan, etc., autos, being drive by like-aged individuals, and I do wonder 'what am I doing in a red car'? I suppose you might say 'something you've never done before'. It's another growth opportunity, another chance to step out of the comfort zone of conforming to mine and other's expectations.

I must say - before you think otherwise - I am loving the car. Its 'redness' and all. It's fun to drive -- a peppy, yet sturdy, little vehicle that goes from point A to B with no complaints. It has many of the 'bells and whistles' of more expensive models. It has a great radio, my Broadway tunes come in clear at times I'm not listening to my favorite DJ's here in San Diego (Jeff & Jer, 96.5 FM).

What's the best part? So far, I am thrilled to be able to park in the specially-marked spots at the Fallbrook Library, designated for 'energy efficient vehicles'. (This little red car is a diesel, after all! 40+ miles to the gallon. Yes!)

It's a keeper, despite its 'redness'.

After Wednesday, the week calmed. Sundari went to stay with other San Diego friends Wednesday night. I taught 3 classes on Thursday, armed with the knowledge that it's o.k. to step out of the box (or 'off the leash', as she put it). Friday was spent in the yard, running a couple errands (in the white car, this time), and enjoying a fun dinner with Derek (son), Jessie (daughter-in-law), and the grand-dudes - Jack, Brady and Carson.

Have a great Saturday!

(p.s. This has been one of those posts that has nothing to do with yoga.)