Yoga Job! Glory, Hallelujah!

If you haven't heard via my other blog, I've got myself a job teaching yoga. It really is a miracle. Amazing how moments of light immediately follow moments of doubt. I will start teaching a couple time a week, and then as more people start coming I will be able to teach full time. It's at a health & wellness spa, and they're just beginning to bring yoga into the scheme of things. I'm excited about this job because it will allow me to teach in a way that is intuitive and personal. It will allow me to continue to learn and grow as I teach. Blessed be.

photo via: danusunt, flickr, see it here.

Gratitude & Reverence

Last night I did my own yoga practice at home. It's been too long since I've done this. I've been going everyday to a studio. After last night, I think I will do more personal practicing at home...there is nothing that compares to solitary exploration.

Anyway, last night I practiced a sequence that went back and forth between postures that opened my heart in gratitude and postures that brought me bowing forward with reverence. I think I held uttanasana for 25 minutes. An experience that was undescribable. I needed that reverence. You should give this a try.

photo via: www.davidsanger.com

Hoping

I just got news that Syl will doing an encore Thai Yoga workshop in September! I was so bummed to miss it this month because I was already signed up for the one I am currently in. I'm hoping that the stars will align and I will be able to attend. This would be a fantastic learning experience!

photo via: White Mountain Yoga

1 Weekend Down, 25 Hours To Go

This weekend I spent most of my waking hours at Zuda. I'm completing their teacher assisting and anatomy training. It's been an interesting experience, full of learning. I am definitely learning some things about assisting and anatomy. But more importantly I am further defining what direction I want to go in as I work towards teaching full time. I am meeting lots of yoga teachers, and finding that the way I want to go in is not the norm. I am feeling strongly that I will be doing a lot of study on my own...but that doesn't mean I will stop going to teacher trainings...I hope to attend more. I also am feeling that I need to get my Yoga education from more than just studios...I need to take University classes that teach me about Hinduism, the history of Yoga, Hinduism, and other Eastern Religions. I need to get another degree from a University. Can you get a second degree once you've already graduated? Anyway, I'm happy to be learning a lot.
photo via: www.zudayoga.com (Anne Marie & Bill)

Guru Purnima

Yesterday was a holy, faith-renewing day for Hindus. The day is Guru Purnima. It is the day that you honor your guru(s)...your teachers. It can be anyone who you have learned greath things from: a mother, a friend, a teacher, etc. It is also a day to honor the lineage of great teachers all the way back to the ancients and those who took time to pass on tradition. I was introduced to this day by a wonderful yoga teacher, Gangotri. She led us through some chanting and kirtan. When she sang it was so other-worldly. Truly, sound is the quickest way to the divine.

This is a story Gangotri shared with me in relation to Guru Purnima.
There is a beautiful story told about a man who wanted to walk on water. He begged his guru to give him a secret mantra or a special boon so he could complete this remarkable feat. The man was extremely pious and devoted, and he had been in his guru's service for many years. Therefore, the guru gave him a leaf, folded many times until is was very small. He told his disciple, "Within this leaf is a secret formula which will enable you to walk on water. However, you must not open it because the formula inside is a secret."
So the man agreed, and he takes the folded leaf carefully in his hands and begins his journey across the river. He is walking fine when suddenly he is overcome by curiosity. What could be this secret formula? Is there really a secret inside? Is it a powder or a stone or some holy mantra printed? Where did his guru get it? His doubts get the best of him and he begins slowly to open the leaf as he walks, careful lest any of the secret formula should spill out into the water. As soon as he unfolds the last piece to unveil the secret, he suddenly sinks into the water and drowns. Inside the leaf was written the simple word, "faith."
It was not the leaf, nor any secret powder or mantra that enabled the devotee to accomplish a miracle. It was the strength of his faith in his guru and in the "boon" his guru had given him. As soon as that faith wavered and doubt crept in, his life was lost. This is the power of faith.

photo via http://jeffreykishner.com

Ubiquitous

I can't go anywhere without hearing about Eckhart Tolle and his fix-everything books. I've been hearing about him for over a year now, but the past few months it seems everyone is talking about him at all times. I hesitantly bought The Power of Now book last week and have read the first fifty pages. It's good. Why the hesitancy? It feels too much like a fad. Yes, I'm being way too judgemental here. What I've read so far is good. He words some things very nicely and with clarity. I guess I am uncomfortable with the unquestioning attitude that everyone seems to have. It is a bit irksome that if Tolle says it, it is truth. I think that a lot of what he says is truth...at least it feels that way to me. But there are some things that don't sit as well. How come no one else is questioning? I know a lot of you have read his stuff...what do you think about him? What do you think about my thoughts on him?

Ready to Just Watch

When it comes to Yoga these days I'm feeling like I just want to watch it. I want to read words from my yoga books, and not worry about memorizing anything. I want to attend my workshop and just absorb and observe...not worrying about "performing". This thought is very liberating.

Nervous. Very.

I am feeling very nervous for my Anatomy workshop that starts tomorrow. Why? It's only a workshop...I'm there to learn, right? My ego has kicked into hyper-gear, and I'm worried I'll look like an amateur. Duh. That's what I am, right? I've only been practicing yoga for 3.5 years. I did my first teacher training only two years ago. Of course, I'm not going to know as much as the people who are hosting the workshop. They're there to teach me, and I'm there to learn. I've got to let this nervousness flow through me.

Can anyone explain to me the "science" behind the feeling of nervousness? What happens to our bodies when we are nervous? I would be very interested.

Variety

I tried a new yoga studio yesterday here in Sacramento. It's All Yoga. It is a lovely little studio. I felt very welcomed and felt that I would be taken care of during class. This studio emits love like crazy. The studio I have been going to most regularly, Zuda, is good in its own way too. One word for Zuda would be "invigorating". I think I like variety in my practice though. So I think I'll have to go to both regularly now. Looking forward to it.

Crossing My Fingers...

This weekend I decided to go to a Saturday morning class last minute. Glad I did. I talked with the owner of the studio, and they are in need of some more help. She wants to meet with me this week to see if they want to hire me to work for them! Hooray! I don't have to work in an office afterall! I am seeing that my patience is paying off.

Weekend Homework

Next week I begin my Anatomy Teacher Training at Zuda Yoga here in Sacramento. I can't believe it's coming so quickly. I've got to get through these books before next Thursday (I just found out about this assignment this morning!). I'm looking forward to learning more.

This Weekend: Veggie Burgers

I love veggie burgers, and would eat them everyday if I could. Since reading In Defense of Food I have not consumed a veggie burger because I cannot comfortably classify them as "food" because of all the unknown ingredients in the store-bought, frozen patties. Fortunately for me good ol' Martha has supplied me with a recipe to make my own out of yummy vegetables and quinoa. Looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Too Hot & Polluted

I have cut back my 2.5 hour a day practice to only 1 hour. Why? Because it is oh so hot here and the air is filled with smoke from forest fires. It's suffocating. I think my body needs some down time. Hopefully this heat and smoke don't stay too long.

Om. Namah. Shiva.

One of my very favorite things about yoga is chanting. My favorite chant these days is a prayer to Lord Shiva...the goddess of destruction. Through destruction comes change. I love change. It is oh so liberating. Om Namah Shiva.

Goal: One Week

I just purchased my own copy of the Bhagavad Gita, finally. I have read excerpts and commentaries, but never the text in full. I am going to have it read cover to cover by next Tuesday.

The Bhagavad Gita is an epic poem...a conversation between a warrior and a god. It is a good source to learn Hindu philosophy, as well as good philosophies for life. At least, that is what I am told. The excerpts I've read have been beautiful and enlightening. I'll let you know what I think next Tuesday.

Yoga Outside

For the last few days I woke early to do yoga on a dock at Hayden Lake in northern Idaho. It was truly peaceful and awe-some at the same time. It was so great to feel and hear the water so near. To hear birds singing and water tapping the dock. I hope to do yoga on a dock more often.

Going Away To Breathe

We're going away for a few days to northern Idaho. Should be refreshing to breathe some mountain air, and feel the cool lake water. See you next week.

Ujjayi Breath

The Ujjayi breath is the heart of a yoga practice. It calms the mind, and helps in meditation. For me, the inhale is usually more shallow than the exhale. But when I really concentrate on the inhale I find that I have more strength and will power to get through challenging postures and flows. Truly the breath is like ocean waves. Think of when the waves come into the shore, they have great power and force. When they recede they completely relax, but they relax with power as well. So next time you do your yoga practice really pay attention to the power of inhaling and exhaling.