WAYNE'S CLASS

Subbing Wayne's class yesterday was fun and re-invigorating for me.

First, I had been in his class last week when he reminded the group he would be gone for the Certified Teachers' Gathering in Denver; second, he did tell that class that he anticipated I would be the sub on Tuesday. Result: A class normally attended by 8-15 people had 11 in it! Not bad -- in fact, wonderful!

There were people of all levels attending this Level 1 class. People who had been practicing for years, plus a few newer to the practice. My message, therefore, was that it would be appropriate for everyone to put their 'beginner mind' on, step back a bit and focus on their mindfulness in practice.

A challenge to teach: Keep the veterans interested, while not letting the newer students get lost and/or discouraged.

We worked towards parvritta janu sirsasana; not an easy pose, but one we can all get into the general shape of (unlike some arm balances or backbends that might leave a newer student wondering 'why in the world did I come to this class?').

The most fun for me, tho, was using tree pose in a circle (The lead-in: what is the largest organism? Why, it's a grove of Aspen trees right here in Utah!). So, we made our own Aspen Grove. Veterans and newer students can take the pose, link with their neighbors and experience that fun opening while leaning back and gazing up at the ceiling. So far every time I've used it, people appear to be enjoying themselves (that, or they are really good actors!).

So, feeling even more back on track -- teaching Gentle Yoga this a.m., then go to the Jail for a class, then subbing for Sam at 5:40 pm.

Enjoy your Wednesday,