I can see it all now.....Welcome 2013

So I made a vision board for the new year and so am ushering in 2013 with these goals and dreams in mind:

1. Connect more deeply with my family.

2. Be kinder and more compassionate towards myself.

3. Be kinder and more compassionate towards others.

4. Write often and also more often.....get back into the habit of writing at least once daily.

5. Develop more upper body strength to use rock climbing and arm balancing. :)

6. Take a sexy, tropical vacay with hopefully new husband.

7. Learn more about teaching yoga and deepen my own practice.

8. YOGA RETREATS! Would like to teach one and take one!

Slow Down and LIVE

40 day meditation challenge is under way!

One of the most recent emails received from my teacher, Jen, was inspired by a highway road sign that a student/friend had seen on his vacation travels. It read, "SLOW DOWN AND LIVE" and was probably meant to protect highway workers and drivers from having an accident in areas of construction, but struck him in a new way. To be mindful and slow down in your life allows you to truly live in the moment!

live one breath at a time

I realized when we are able to be present in each moment, we feel more content in our lives. Rushing around and multi-tasking, living our lives jam packed with stimulation and information leaves us feeling empty and disconnected. To tune in and notice the small things, appreciate the little special moments, is truly to live wholly and fully. Try taking a mundane activity like doing the dishes and begin to tune in to the senses, the smell of the dish soap, the weight of a bowl in your hands, the feel of running warm water. Slow down.

It's alright....

Have had a busy few weeks.  I have had some ups and downs, but the thing that stands out to me the most from these chaotic days is my general shift in attitude. I have been able to let go, if even a little bit, more than normal and take some space around situations that make me uncomfortable. 

"Little darling, the smile's returning to their faces,

It seems like years since its been here...."

Finding a way to step back for a while and give myself time to process why I am uncomfortable with a particular situation allows me to approach it with more understanding and peace. There is truly so much to learn from these uncomfortable places and so much light that you can bring to others when you try....

Today I am grateful for taking time, for the opportunity to grow and for savasana under the trees.

Big Fun

I haven't had a chance to blog because of a busy week and some big fun....mainly our new BIG, fun puppy...Duke (short for Marmaduke). He is a Great Dane mix, about 4 months old, and was living at the humane society and needed a home. Yeah, so that's that. He's a sweet, large pup with a very cute face and very very large feet. Our old dog, Bear, is coping well...we are proud of both!

Bear and Duke

The last week or so I have been teaching everyday. What made this daunting week a little easier was the love and sweet thoughts of my family and friends! I had so much support this week...received flowers two different times, gifts of special soaps and candles, concerned text messages and emails and so many sweet smiles and hugs. It was an amazing show of love and I am truly humbled all around! Namaste!

Still, it would be okay if everything just mellowed out for a minute...

climb it out (and up)

Then I treated myself to a little gift (more like a little therapy): went climbing today with 'Drea, Kristen and Tim at Upper Limits, West County, talked Tim into buying me a nice, new prAna yoga mat, and even had homemade pizza topped with homegrown veggies from my student's garden afterwards!

It was an absolutely perfect finish to a full week.

2 thumbs up!

Dreams Be Dreams....

So I took a class with a teacher, Sat Inder, this week that I have been looking forward to meeting for some time now. I have been hearing his name in the yoga community, as well as many differing descriptions (and opinions) of this character, for months now. We  are facebook friends, I follow his blog and enjoy it very much and due to some studio business I have had to email him a few times but I had never met him in person. Actually that's not true...I saw him once in the hallway at a studio where he teaches and said hello.


The time came for me to finally take his class with another teacher friend of mine. I enjoyed his hour of power and even got out of bed at the crack of dawn to trek over to the city to attend...not to mention the horrors of morning rush hour traffic! Aaaarrgh! But it was all worth it...I try not to form my opinions of others via their experiences and stories. I like to make up my mind for myself...still I had a feeling that I would enjoy his personality and teaching style based on the things that I had heard..."irreverent" "straight-forward" and yes even "vulgar" at times. What can I say? I have a good sense of humor and don't mind a naughty joke once in awhile so this didn't deter me. I also really enjoy folks who don't take themselves too seriously. We also both follow the Law of Attraction, the Teachings of Abraham and he often posts the Abraham quote of the day on his facebook. I enjoy his posts and sense of humor very much.

Sat Inder

His class was great...vinyasa flow with lots of juicy adjustments at a warm 85 degrees. I am completely sore in many places today (the day after) but it was exciting to learn that I am able to bind in ways I didn't know that I could. I liked his no-fuss attitude, although I didn't get to experience any of the irreverent or vulgar during this class. He was a very kind and extremely knowledgeable teacher. The funniest part is...and I couldn't actually tell him because I would have sounded like a complete lunatic... but I had a dream about him a few weeks ago. I think it was because I have been so looking for an opportunity to connect with him in some way. Well, he had this spectacular beard which he would weave into a braid (I've seen pics) and I dreamed that he showed up at a party at my house with his beard trimmed so short! Again, I dismissed this dream as a funny piece of my mind created by who knows what?? (Monkey mind for sure!) When we showed up at his class, his beard was about 6 inches shorter....mind you that it was still much longer than in my dream....but it definitely threw me for a loop. Dreams are very mysterious and trying to decipher them can make you mad as a hatter. So for now I will just let dreams be dreams....

What you've been waiting for...

It's been a busy and wonderful week. Here are the highlights:

My shipment of yoga clothes from prAna arrived this week, a birthday gift from my better half who spoils me rotten. I would never have spent this kind of money on exercise clothes, I mean...I am a yoga teacher...I have no money. So I was a bit skeptical at the prices and whether the clothes would really be that much better quality than my Target and Kohl's outfits. I was so delightfully surprised! Inside of the brown paper package (can't help but sing "A Few of My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music) was the most beautiful, soft and well-fitting yoga clothes I have ever worn. On the outside of the package was written the same thing that was filling my mind....Thank you prAna for understanding.

Exactly!

The weekend was a lovely one. Just hot enough to feel like summer but not so hot that you are glued to the a/c. I taught a wonderful outdoor class on Saturday morning and had a record attendance of 14 people! It is finally beginning to feel like a community class and I couldn't be more pleased. After the outdoor class I taught for another teacher friend so that she could attend a bigger, more attended outdoor class in St. Louis. It must have been a good weekend for outdoor yoga because I was able to convince a few dear yogi friends to join me at our teacher's (Emmet's) outdoor class this morning in Kirkwood Park. It was exactly what I needed and what I had been waiting for all week....I am so glad I got the opportunity to go. I needed Emmet's words, the blue sky and my friend's company so much today. I would not have traded it for the world.

My yoga teacher rides a motorcycle.

Sweet Tuesday Morning

Opportunities are all around us. I have been teaching, or rather trying to teach, a vinyasa class on Tuesday mornings and since I took over the time slot...no one has showed up. I have been taking the time to use the studio for my own personal practice.

My Tuesday morning retreat: Edwardsville Fitness Studio (in lower level)

Although I have been longing for a full vinyasa class, I am patient and it has definitely not been time lost for me. I have been teaching more and more often and have begun to lose the strength of my own personal practice in the last few weeks. I feel the universe is offering up this time and space for me to use and its important for me to be open to the different ways that I can use it.

"Practice and all is coming." 

-Sri K Pattabhi Jois

I have hope that I will have students on Tuesdays eventually...maybe it's because it is summer, maybe it needs to be earlier or later, maybe it should be a community class or maybe... who the heck knows why?? For now, it has been a beautiful sacred time that I have spent in a fantastic and dreamy studio reconnecting with my practice and enjoying some of the best company I know....me!  Come join me and reconnect with your practice!

Namaste.