FRIDAY NOTES DAY

Geeze, I almost missed it again -- Friday, that is. Monday's holiday has thrown me off a bit on the week. Each morning, I've had to look at a calendar and make a mental note of what day it is and what is on my schedule or what needs to be done.  Today is 'notes' day, back on track, here goes:

1.  My week started with a wonderful e-mail conversation with Chris Chavez, Certified Anusara® instructor, from the L.A. area. He had answered a question on the Forum, so I wrote to thank him. I received one of the nicest notes in return; one of those kinds that takes you to tears as you read it.

As a result of the conversation, I decided to return to the Forum and take on the "nerdy yoga quiz", posted by Michael Ward. If you've seen it, you'll remember it's 3 questions about the heart as the focal point.

The Forum is a great resource. It also is a place where we bare our knowledge (or lack of) for all the Anusara® world to see. So, it's scary to participate. After my conversation with Chris, tho, I dove in. Refreshed my anatomical knowledge of the heart, and answered the questions.

It was fun -- I love doing this. Researching, thinking, writing, re-writing, re-thinking. And, I learned more than just about the heart. I learned that the word "equivocal" is one of the most confused spellings in our language -- we try to make it "equivocable".  I also learned that the apex is the uppermost surface, forming a point. Note that in the heart the apex points towards the earth! I'm wrapping my head around the fact that the apex can be the uppermost surface, yet not necessarily point to the sky - it's one of those things I think I understand one minute, and then the next I'm struggling with.

My challenge to you:  Go to the Forum, go into general questions, and find "nerdy yoga quiz". Don't read or look at my answers until you've done your own. We can blow Michael out of the water with our participation in his conversation. (Personally, I think he's given up. I haven't gotten a response from him with enhancements, and his original post is 8 months old! Who wouldn't give up?)

The best part of this challenge?  We will all learn from participating in this conversation.

2.  I remember how to teach after 2+ weeks away. And, after a lunch with Tiffany W. to work with languaging, I even threw a few 'not-in-my-normal' vocabulary phrases into the mix. Practice, practice, practice.

3.  Yesterday, in our Yoga Hour class, a new-to-me student arrived. He didn't talk about injuries, but as I asked students to sit, a grimace revealed a tweaky spot in his right knee. A one-hour class (with others in attendance) doesn't lend itself to much therapy; but I offered some ideas to stabilize the knee, things I've done with my 'tweaky' knee when it has decided to speak to me. Throughout the hour, I used JF's advice to 'see the whole picture' - here is what I noticed:  Right foot weighted to outer edge (this is 'tweaky' knee), right calf more developed than left. In the time I had, I did notice the shoulders were level (good thing); didn't get a sense for the hips, however.

So, this will be the 'tip' for this Friday, per JF (Immersion 3, Park City):  Look at the whole picture, before honing in on a particular issue. 

In the example above, the foot weighting to the outer edge will definitely affect the knee. Can't explain the greater development in the right leg, but perhaps it's due to favoring because of knee discomfort(?). Or, since the student has carried a heavy item on his left shoulder for many years, he uses the right leg to power the left side through (just a last-minute thought). Any additional thoughts would be welcomed.

Today's schedule:
Teaching Gentle Yoga this morning at 10 am, at The Yoga Center
Putting together materials for a Conference tomorrow that we've been invited to participate in
Closing on a re-fi we started a while back
Willie Nelson !!!

Enjoy your Friday,