A LITTLE R&R TO RE-CHARGE

I returned Monday from a long weekend in Idaho -- a little R&R to re-charge the batteries, so to speak.

It's interesting that many times the 'return' from such a trip is laced with challenges.  I choose to believe that's simply to remind us that it is really nice to be home.  This trip, I had a short connection time in Salt Lake City.  When we left Idaho Falls, we were delayed by 20 minutes as the flight crew asked for more gas and for air traffic to clear. That meant that I would have 25 minutes in SLC to get to the next flight. Once on approach to SLC, the airport put us in a holding pattern due to weather (this also delayed us another 15 minutes).  Now, I have 10 minutes to get to my connecting flight.  Once off the plane, I waited 2-3 minutes for my bag and, once on my way, I looked at the clock -- 4 minutes until departure.

Fortunately, the connecting gate was reasonably close, other planes had been delayed, and I made it onto my flight.  SO GLAD TO BE HOME!

When I leave town, I also leave my students in the care of substitute teachers.  I've been hearing that all had a good experience, and enjoyed the teaching they received.  Many teachers will tell their students when they are leaving; I choose not to (unless circumstances warrant).  Why?  Some students will 'skip' their classes if their regular teacher is absent.  They may also 'skip' some great teaching.  Hence, my way of handling a guest teacher's presence.

Since my return, I've been teaching, teaching, teaching.  And, practicing.

Wisdom Warriors Del Mar, yesterday, was fun -- so good to see and work with the friends I've cultivated through that practice.  We are experiencing a 'sub' situation for the next 6 weeks, as Desiree is in Europe teaching.  In her absence, Mary has taken the helm (with some help from Geri, I think).  We had fun, and I am wondering what poses we didn't do -- well, I watched at times.  It was a challenging practice - physically and mentally.  I was able to really relate to my own students, as I worked to maintain my 'beginner' mind.  That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it (the practice), it means that I had to remind myself that Desiree wasn't there and, instead, Mary is our guide -- her teaching is different, no less challenging or skilled, just different.  I am glad I was in the class; good to see how others teach, practice some different poses, sweat a bit, have fun.

So, today?  Teaching at 12:30 at Yoga For Life; then Wisdom Warriors at Living Yoga (2:30).

Hope you all have a great Thursday,

FLIP SIDE OF 'CHAIR YOGA'

I have taught Gentle Yoga classes for 10 years now.  The longer I am in one spot, the classes grow and flourish -- even when I bring out the props.  The one 'prop' that can send people running, however, is the CHAIR.

The CHAIR denotes something to some people that is truly unacceptable.  

For me, it brings up a vision of a chair yoga video I purchased many years ago - when I was looking for ideas.  That video included about 10 people in a circle, seated on chairs, flapping their arms in the air.  I looked at those 10 80-year-olds and thought, 'oh my, what is that doing to their shoulders' and immediately turned the video OFF.  Maybe that's what other people visualize, as well, ya think?  

Well, I have news for those 'some people' and myself -- CHAIR yoga with Desiree Rumbaugh is as hard, if not harder, than many yoga classes I have tried.  And, I saw 50+ year olds in yesterday's practice working on the chair, doing poses like urdhva dhanurasana (with feet on the chair); scorpion (bring feet down to the chair); and shoulder stand (shoulders on a stack on blankets; hips on the chair seat).  

We spent 2 hours, in which almost every pose involved the CHAIR.  

I need to quickly sit down and write a list of the creative ways we used the CHAIRS, so that I can once again bring them out, bar the doors, and give students a dose of this fun way to open, align and support themselves in their yoga practice.  Interestingly, as hard as we worked, I am not sore this morning - yet. We'll see as the day goes on and I move around a little more aggressively.  

What else have I been up to since writing 21 days ago in this blog?  Teaching, teaching and more teaching.  I also am still taking guitar lessons, and I have squeaked in a workshop with Doug Keller, as well.  

Wow!  I thought Doug's books were good; he, in person, is great!  I'm going to go back to the books and re-read them -- much of what I read will have greater impact/meaning now that I've seen things in action.  

Today?  Teaching Gentle Yoga at Yoga For Life; then Temecula's Wisdom Warriors will gather at Living Yoga Center.  For both classes, there may be CHAIRS involved.  Fair warning.  

Hope you all have a great Thursday!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

I have often been heard to scorn the person who tells me they are 'too busy' when asked to do something important to their journey.  I might have to eat some words here (stale words), since I've been using the exact phrase on many occasions in the past month or two.  Why?  Well, let me tell you:

About a month ago, my Certification with the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga was finalized.  This monumental accomplishment, while tarnished by the antics of JF, has me standing taller and more confidently in my teaching.  I am good at what I do and completing the Certification is living proof!  (just needed to say that . . . )

Since then I've taken on a couple more classes to teach, including an Intro to Yoga.  Teaching 20+ new students how to 'do' yoga is a challenge.  Not that I need to know how to teach them poses, but I also want to instill an enthusiasm -- how do I do that?  I decided that one of the things I valued most in my early years was feeling noticed.  With that in mind, I did a number of things differently from prior Intros, which has certainly kept me 'busy'.  Not sure what I will do for the final class, but I'm thinking about it.  I could easily say 'busy' after this.

Then, there are my 'regular' classes - which are up to 8 each week.  I never thought I'd teach that much, but it's now or never, I'm thinking.  And, at the ripe age of 63, I need to get busy and cram a lot of teaching and learning into the next years.  So 'busy' again.

My personal practice has gone up and down; fortunately, I have Wisdom Warriors to keep me motivated and stimulated.  I missed two weeks (how can one miss 4 hours of practice with Desiree Riumbaugh - DUMB!).  Nevertheless, the damage was done.  I returned yesterday, wondering how I would do; could I keep up?  I did pretty well.  I'm not saying everyone should take 2 weeks off from their practice with Desiree, but sometimes a few days away gives us an unexpected boost when we return.

What did we do?  Rather, what didn't we do?  Standing poses, backbends, balance, upside down, plus an experiment or two -- all part of 2 hours spent with Wisdom Warriors.  Our motto -- keep moving while you keep your ribs contained, your belly engaged, your tailbone moving towards your heels, and your gaze lifted -- something like that.  (actually, I just made that up -- early morning mind unravelings).

On the home front, we just returned from our cabin in Idaho.  Had planned this 4-day trip for a long time, but didn't realize that it would coincide with the replacement of our roof.  Poor dogs, had to stay here with a house sitter, who endured the pounding and stomping on the roof for those days.  We are back, roof is almost done (as with many house projects, it took longer and more $$$$$$$ than expected, but what can you say about that).  Life might be back to normal at the Fallbrook house soon.

And, Idaho -- wonderful 4 days spent in front of the wood stove reading.  I even cooked every night we were there (a remarkable accomplishment).  Nice to get away, nice to be home.

Today, up to Temecula to teach -- Gentle at Yoga for Life; Temecula Wisdom Warriors at Living Yoga Center.

Hope you have a great Thursday!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

First thought this morning was it's Valentine's Day -- need to write in the card I bought and write in my blog. Interesting. Two very different processes, but both valuable.

I've taken care of the first, now the blog which has been sorely neglected over the past weeks/months.

Not sure why. Busy, I guess. Doing what, you ask?  Teaching yoga, reading about yoga, preparing for and presenting workshops on yoga, marketing yoga, and - on the side - learning to play the guitar (lessons, even), spending time with family, cleaning house (literally; lots of dog hair in this place), and trying to finalize an important segment of my life - Certification as an Anusara Yoga Instructor.

That last task - achieving Certification - was completed yesterday.  A nice phone call, a flurry of internet 'paperwork', a welcome e-mail in my inbox, and - TaDa - I'm Certified.  I wish this had happened 14 months ago, prior to the Anusara debacle, but it didn't.  It happened 2/13/13.  The process, which had been ongoing for several years, went into 'hold' mode over the past 12 months, was awakened 2 months ago, and finished, finally.

Certification is quite an achievement. Not only does it mean I've really finished something, but along the way I've learned so much about the body, life, people; that, to have missed it, would have meant you'd be looking at the old Leslie (this blog probably wouldn't exist).  I'd still be concerned with cars, clothes, status.  And, still feel a bit 'lacking'.  No more.  Today and yesterday, and the day before, and the day before - I know I have more to do and be than what I was.  Certification is "icing on the cake" (if you are a student of mine, this phrase sounds very familiar, right?)  So enough.  It's done.  I'm Certified.  And I'm proud of it.

You know what?  I just realized a correlation.  On Tuesday, 2/12/13, I taught the second class of my Intro series with 25+ students in the room.  I boldly decided to ask them to chant with me, to 'name' Ganesh, to call him into the room, to help cross a threshhold to this new movement practice called yoga.  I prepared a handout with Ganesh's history and the chant taught me by Eric Stoneberg, in a past workshop series. Participants repeat the short chant 11 times, breaking old habits and crossing a threshold.  I demo'd it to this new group, asking them to chant with me. I took a deep breath (tip from Adam, here) and began. From beginning to end, I heard voices chanting with me. Ganesh joined us (and perhaps was helpful to me, even, as that last little 'push' to cross my threshold).  Just thinking here.

NOW, ABOUT WISDOM WARRIORS -- that part of my life and teaching you've really been waiting to hear about.  Trekked (drove, actually) to Del Mar.  I'd missed last week, so was not feeling particularly 'strong'. I did want to share my Certification news with Desiree, who had encouraged me to finish (along with Sundari). Arrived, settled in.  "We're going to take care of ourselves today." she says.  We think, oh good, gentle practice.  It was, in some ways.  It was also challenging and opening, in many others -- hips, hamstrings, twisting, arm balancing, to name some.

One thing I've learned from this Lady (Desiree), is that the great teachers are not afraid to wander away from the 'script'. To teach to the energy room; pushing where necessary, asking for more if needed, leaving alone if that's called for.

Result:  I felt strong the entire practice; got a good neck adjustment (neck was stiff, no longer). And, I was surprised by how much I was able to do.

Today?  Teaching in Temecula.  Gentle at Yoga For Life, 12:30; Temecula Wisdom Warriors at 2:30pm at Living Yoga Center.  Looking forward to it!

Have a great Thursday!

TEMECULA'S WISDOM WARRIORS

Each week, since April, I have chronicled the activities of the 'flagship' Wisdom Warriors in Del Mar.  You see, that group is guided by Desiree Rumbaugh (with some help from Geri Portnoy & others), and I have made the trek (40 minutes to and fro) almost every week.

Today, tho, I'd like to focus my writing on the Temecula Wisdom Warriors -- a practice I began to guide about 8 weeks ago.  It's an offshoot of the Del Mar Group (Wisdom Warriors is now trademarked by Desiree, due to its popularity and a growing awareness.).

Eight weeks ago, the first Temecula meet-up happened with about six in attendance.  It was fun and I thought "wow, good turnout; this is gonna be great".  After that first class, attendance wax'd and waned; never reaching the original attendance number, once there was no one!  I'm about to think 'throw in the towel'.  Then comes 2013.

Attendance begins to grow - first six, then seven.  Who knows what the future will bring.  What am I thinking now? Hang in there for a bit, see what happens.

I think the shift happened when students realized that it wasn't a class for 'old' people (something like chair yoga), but rather a class for students, aged 50 and older, to come together, refine their yoga skills and push their 'envelopes' a bit.

So, who does attend Wisdom Warriors Temecula at this point -- 50-, 60- and 70-year-olds.  And, what does the practice look like?  Warm-up, sun salutations, standing poses, twists, balance poses (arm and leg), some backbends, some inversions.  Sound familiar? Sound like a 'regular' class?  It is -- it's just attended by 'older' students, willing to laugh, groan, etc., together.

Today?  To Temecula to teach.

Hope you have a great Thursday!

Oh, and what happened at the Del Mar Wisdom Warriors?  Well, a full spectrum of poses; focusing on balance.  Not just standing on one leg, but also balancing energy between left and right.  Always fun, always challenging (Desiree is on a mission -- urdhva dhanurasana is her goal for me; I better get used to it, and practice it!)

EVERMORE WONDERS . . .

Many blog posts ago, I wrote about the correlation of effective listening to the 3A's of Anusara Yoga -- attitude, alignment and action.  At the time, I thought that was a pretty good comparison and I could make a good case for using those A's for many of the things I do.  I still can.

Though these days, I'm a bit less vocal about shouting the wonders of Anusara from the rooftops. I still reflect on all the good lessons and happy times I shared in the almost-fifteen years I've studied Anusara.

Today, I include different stuff in my study.  Carefully evaluating a presenter's qualifications and material before making a decision to invest.  And, I've found the webinars are a great way to go in this new world.  No packing, no airports to traverse, no husband (or pets) to leave behind.  It's just a more comfortable, yet still effective way of study, and a way to explore new and previously-unknown-to-me instructors.

I've wandered -- back to the title; which comes from this quote:

"If you’re really listening, if you’re awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; its purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold evermore wonders." 
~ Andrew Harvey

So, for 2013, I've decided to use the word 'listen' as one of my guides.  I will continue to learn, I will absorb more, and my heart will hold 'evermore wonders'  (LOVE those two words).

Oh, and I was listening yesterday during Wisdom Warriors, as we prepped our way into some backbends.  Comes the dreaded phrase, 'lie on your backs'; which always happens before the dreaded pose -- urdhva dhanurasana (aka backbend or wheel).  I gave it good effort for the first one, and got on top of my head.  Then, she (Desiree Rumbaugh) says:  "give me a number between 5 and 10."  We do. She picks 13.  I know, it doesn't make sense, but it's Desiree; who are we to argue?  13 what?  You got it, 13 Urdhva's.

So, we begin.  A roomful of 50+ year olds (and three 60+ year olds and one 70+ year old) counting down 13 urdhva's.  Each one, my friend (Desiree) is standing over me.  Each one, she grabs my shoulders (and shoulder blades) and helps me up. Each one, she directs by heart (which is about to hold 13 EVERMORE WONDERS), over my hands.

I'm not tired, I'm not even thinking about NOT doing all 13, and we finish.  13 Urdhva Dhanurasanas, with some help from a friend.  Be still my heart.

Today?  Teaching in Temecula:  Gentle/Therapeutic at Yoga For Life at 12:30pm; then practicing with my own group of Wisdom Warriors (which is growing!) at Living Yoga, 2:30pm.

Hope your Thursday is a great one,

WE WILL ROLL WITH THE POSES . . .

I know that title phrase works better with the word 'punches'; however, it would not have adequately described our Wisdom Warriors' practice yesterday.

Our guide, while Desiree is on holiday, was Geri -- the YogaDelMar studio owner, a wonderful yoga teacher, and - now - a MELT(r) instructor. Lucky us -- we got a practice that blended our yoga with some "MELTing".

What is MELT(r)?  The letters stand for Myofascial Energetic Lengthening Technique.  Our muscles, organs, tendons -- everything has a layer of connective tissue that basically holds everything in place and ready to work.  It used to be that this layer of fascia (connective tissue) was thought to be just that, nothing more; and it was often discarded and/or overlooked when working with clients and patients.  In recent months/years, there has been an awakening to the power of the fascia.

With that awakening has come some innovative and effective ways of massaging, re-hydrating, re-enlivening the fascial layers of our bodies.  One of those is MELT(r), and Geri introduced us to it in yesterday's practice (along with some good yoga).

We began with the hands, squeezing small balls with our fingers, then rolling the balls on top of and underneath the entire hand.  We compared how our hands and fingers felt before and after -- interesting and powerful.

Then, some yoga -- standing poses, a few handstands, some balance work.

And, back to MELT(r) -- this time with a long cylinder (but somewhat squishy) roll that we maneuvered along our hamstrings, then along the IT band (a tough group of fibers that runs from gluteal muscles to knee on lateral aspect of thigh), and then a bit of work on the TFL (tensor fasciae latae - a muscle that begins at our pelvis and connects to the IT band).  ISN'T IT FUN HOW ALL THIS FITS TOGETHER!?!?!?)

So, there you have it -- yesterday's Wisdom Warriors practice; finished off with a wonderful savasana.

On my schedule today -- back to teaching.  First, to Yoga For Life for a Gentle Class; then to Living Yoga for Temecula's Wisdom Warrior practice.

I wish everyone a Happy and Safe 2013!  Keep track of the good things that happen; re-frame the rest.

p.s.  I use "re-frame" a lot, both in teaching and in life.  I took a moment to look it up:  
       re-frame:  frame or express (words or concept or plan) differently.  
       
       It's a keeper.