AHHH, PAINTERS

Gotta love 'em, tho. I would not want to be doing any of this myself. What do I mean? That, even tho the inside of my house is coming back together; now, the painters are on the outside.  That should be easy; but, only if you have no dogs.

I came home last night (gone from 9-6, while painters were doing their thing - sealing & staining the deck, touching up the trim paint, preparing doors for painting). My two dogs had spent the day in the basement (or lower level). I released them from their confinement, ready to set them free in the back yard, only to find the sliders to the deck tarped over! What does that mean? No traffic on the deck allowed. My alternative, now, is to walk them every so often so they can relieve themselves.

We used to do this 24/7 in San Diego, because of the living situation we were in (condo with patio, no yard). Funny how you fall out of patterns and into easier ones.

Up early this morning to two 'hoppin' dogs ready and eager to relieve themselves. What? A mini-walk at 5:15 am? You've got to be kidding me! We did it, tho, and I can now enjoy my coffee, my time.  We'll take a longer walk in a couple hours when the sun begins to rise.

What does this have to do with teaching yoga?  Nothing!  Just taking the opportunity to vent a bit.

Except that there may be some stories and themes in here. Let's go back and examine.

1. Do we have habits? Yes. Habits we ought to change? Yes. Well, there you go - a theme. A favorite quote that might apply: "we make our habits, then our habits make us". Now, why do we want to change?  (attach a spiritual/philosophical reason here).
2. Push the envelope, but not too far. In several instances, I've stressed these two dogs to their limits -- yesterday from 9-6, and last night. We do want to grow, expand, but not at the risk of resultant negative consequences (you get my drift).  Why?
3. Obviously, they needed a little more time to run and play during the day. Not one of the two main reasons we do yoga (chit ananda / awareness & beauty), but a good one in my book -- play.  Usually these dogs wake up a bit slowly; this morning, they were excited and eager to get out of this house -- and, I found, not just to relieve themselves.  More to get a breath of fresh air and move around a bit -- play.  Why?
4. If I take care of my business or the practicalities (walking the dogs), I have time. We could stretch this a bit and apply it to our yoga practice; like - if I approach the practice with purpose and love, I will align more skillfully. The poses will become more accessible.  Why do I care if this happens?

Notice I left the 'whys?' blank. I could have filled in my reasons, but we each have our own and they will ultimately bring us back to a connection with our heart and the divine, but I will say it differently than you.

Things went almost as planned yesterday.  Class with Wayne was great -- the urdhvas get easier and easier. I even think my arms are becoming straight, and I was able to lift one heel, then the other, on the third urdhva dhanurasana. Think hyoid bone. Curious?  Ask me. (All I can think through this past few weeks, is about the difference one small adjustment or piece of knowledge can make -- think 12 years of working at this pose.)

The semi-private turned into a private, and just a short one. One of the duo must have knee surgery; so, they will put yoga on hold until after that happens - doctor's advice. I'm disappointed; there are many things we could do that don't involve the knee and would be beneficial - especially in the shoulder/neck region. But, it's their decision.

Yoga Hour was fun; a small group and - for just the second time - I taught urdhva dhanurasana. One student had not been able to push up the previous time. This visit, using hyoid bone technique, urdhva #1 was done with slight pressure in the shoulder blade region from my fist; #2 and #3 were done without help. Hoo-Ray!  Another student commented that, even though she has been able to do the pose, the way out of the pose has always been a mystery to her. We cleared that up; how? (from Sundari)  chin towards chest, bend elbows, head and shoulders to floor, hips to floor - smooth.

Interesting that students don't know the way OUT of challenging poses.  Something to think about.

Today's schedule:  

• Gentle Yoga, 10 am, at The Yoga Center
• My own private with Adam, early afternoon
• Home time

Have a great day,