Thursday Morning

So, I am up and getting ready to go up to Breath and Body for a morning vinyasa class. Speaking of morning vinyasa classes I went to Desirae's class yesterday morning at 8:15 and it was super fun. Kelly and I rode our bikes up there, he did some homework while I practiced and then we rode home, with a pit stop off at Mellow Johnny's.

My afternoon slipped away with all kinds of work- planning, promotions and writing.Speaking of which one thing I am working on with Desirae is a book signing party for Dr. Phillips. One week from tomorrow, Friday May 22nd, at Breath and Body from 4 - 7:30 there will be a variety of activities and festivities organized to honor and celebrate his latest book coming out. The name of the book is Yoga, Karma and Rebirth. It is great. Come to the book singing, do some asana, drink some champagne and get a signed copy and support Dr. Phillips, our local Sanskritist extraordinaire! More details to come soon.

I headed up to Breath and Body for my 4:30 class which was great fun. We had so many returning people but also a nice handful of folks new to me and new to the studio also. I always love that. Right on my drive up the highway I got a twitter message from John Friend and it was a quote about ritual and how they are means by which we can express our Divine Beauty. And so I worked with that themes last night. I kept the pacing slower and was a stickler for detailed transitions and form since these details can be seen as either tedious do's and don't or as a ritual acts in and of themselves, each dedicated to remembering and creating beautiful form as an expression of our own Divine Beauty. It was a great class, I thought. We worked deep into the hips and shoulders with some arm balances and clasping poses.

I taught my first class at Bodhi Yoga last night which was fun also. I got to meet so many new people as there was only one person in the whole room of 20 folks that I knew at all. I introduced them to Anusara Yoga (previously that class hour was Hot 26) with a breath-based flow incorporating basic actions we do all the time. I used the theme of Entering into a Greater Flow- Grace in the big picture but in the smaller picture our breath, the forms of asana, the optimal flow of energy within our bodies as accessed through optimal alignment. It was fun. The students there were totally game and really open and easy to work with.

I always find it interesting how different yoga studios have different flavors. I see it all the time because I travel to so many different studios for my work. Whether it is the owner, the method that is featured at a given studio, the location, the teachers, the facilities or some magical combination of all of those things, every yoga studio has a certain flavor that is unique. Personally, I find that phenomenon fascinating. I know lots of yoga studios are opening up in town and there is lots of buzz out there about competition and so forth, which I can appreciate. Really, I am a realist, if nothing else. But having said that, I think, at least in some ways, studios mostly compete for someone's first visit because maybe that someone will just stay and practice at the first studio they go to. That certainly happens. Especially with a beginner. But if anyone is shopping around studio to studio they are going to see that there are unique offerings at each studio, there is a certain mood that is distinct at each studio that is bigger than who teachers there and what method is taught and so on and people will find what suits them best. Of course I do not own a studio at this point in my life and so its easy for me to say!

Anyway- time to head out to Breath and Body Yoga. Vinyasa class this morning and then this evening is group practice. If you are coming, I recommend either a big lunch or a late afternoon snack since we are practicing when you might normally be eating and you will need some energy. (no, not a threat...just sayin'.) We will probably start with the room on the cooler side since the sweat factor, while good for somethings is not so great for other things. But do plan on sweating!

Anyhoo-- have a great day. Stay in touch.

Tapas and a 40th Birthday Sweatfest

I got home on Wednesday afternoon in time to take a short bike ride with Kelly, get cleaned up and make it to Breath and Body for the 4:30 class. I used tapas as a theme and talked about heat. There is this idea in the Upanishads, I believe, that talks about how yogic practice is similar to rubbing two pieces of wood together in such a way that the fire that was hidden in the woods is revealed. For each of us, there is a spark of divinity that is hidden or latent inside of us, much in the way fire is latent inside a piece of wood. When given the right kind of friction, heat, intensity- tapas- that spark can be revealed. So we worked with strong standing poses, arm balances and some basic backbends using muscular energy principles to create tapas.


More on the subject of heat another time.


Yesterday, as many of you know was my 40th birthday and it was really a great day. I taught a vinyasa class at 8:15 and decided in the morning traffic to explore the options of riding a bike rather than driving to teach that class. 30 minutes on a bike would be fun. 30 minutes in a car is not. Susan has already been researching my commute-route for me so that is something to look forward to.


After class I went to the kombuchery to see Kathryn's set-up there, which was pretty amazing. Canyon Spring kombucha is really quite something. After that, I met a friend for coffee, then hooked up with Anne for yoga at Castle Hill. I went to Juan's Mysore class which I must say is just fantastic. He is very knowledgeable and helpful and patient. Anne went to Gillian's Iyengar Yoga class and then we went to Whole Foods and Lululemon. We then picked up her dogs and brought them to visit Moshie, who really needs dog play dates as he still seems to be missing his girlfriend a lot. Then we made it up to Breath and Body for the Birthday Party/Practice.


What a fun night it was. we had 33 people in the room, it was a sweatfest of the highest order and what I loved the most was that there were folks who have been studying with me since I moved here in the room practicing with people I met for the first time last night. It was a great blending of practice communities and a fantastic coming together. We did a good steady flow to get to urdhva danurasana, dwi pada viparita dandasana and eka pada rajakapotasana. Such fun. Lots of people told me they had breakthroughs last night. I really believe that group practice is one of the best ways to take your practice to a new level. Having that much support, combined focus, time, help and intensity yields such amazing experiences. It really does.


After the practice we ate snacks, drank kombucha and champagne and lots of water and then enjoyed good merriment together. I was so very generously gifted and honored and the day was quite special indeed. I can't imagine a better way to enter into my 5th decade of life than surrounded by long time and new students, friends, and colleagues in the spirit of yoga and celebration. SO FUN!


Here are some pics:

Anne, before the sweating.

Baby Dancer
William. His 5th yoga class ever. So everything is going to seem easy from here on out.

Brienne, rockin' it.

Jeremiah, enjoying the ride.

And then some more frolicking.

First time eka pada raja kapotasana!

Another first!

Catherine- Austin's back bending queen...

Me, showing how my new bamboo outfit grew two sizes and was hanging off me like a rag! However, I still maintain that it is very comfortable and snazzy looking!

Me, lighting the cake candles

Me, again.My cake being delivered to me by my husband who was shirtless, which I thought was pretty fantastic.The cake, the singing, the glee...Yes, I got all 40 candles in one breath- pranayama, baby!

Thanks to everyone far and wide who helped make it a great day!

Sunday Morning

Several things have happened recently that have called my attention to the "fun and danger" of a blog. I am thinking about some kind of disclaimer at the top of the page that reads-"The following are the day-to-day, moment-to-moment opinions, experiences and perspectives of Christina Sell. She is known to be quick-witted, sharp-tongued, insightful, opinionated and occasionally inspiring. She fails miserably at political correctness and try as she might she does not wait before publishing these posts to consider their implications. Read at your own risk and with a sense of humor." But it probably wouldn't help!

My teacher sometimes says the internet is the Anti-Christ. I wonder sometimes. There can be so much good and bad accomplished, it seems. But anyway...

There is lots to write about these days. In the haze of my cold- which is much better today which makes me wonder if it is actually allergies and we had some rain last night which may have washed away some pollen and I may not be better just the pollen might be temporarily cleansed- I taught the Immersion yesterday. We were very reduced in numbers but had a great practice reviewing a lot of the fundamental principles and working particularly in opening the front groins without straining the psoas. That took us to some solid work on standing up from urdhva danurasana. We spent the last part of the afternoon with Patanjali's sutras which was great. I feel like we got a pretty good sense of the first two padas in this Immersion.

I came home and Kelly had made Indian-style chick peas and greens and rice which was fantastic. We watched a few Arrested Developments- my new favorite show- and then I went to bed early.

I woke up feeling a lot better today and I can hardly believe that today completes Part Two of this cycle of Immersion. It has gone by pretty darn fast.

Since it came up in the Immersion yesterday I thought I would mention it here also. There are a few Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Opportunities with me in 2009 here in Texas.

April 1-5, 2009- (30-hour Level One Teacher Training at YogaYoga)
April 23-28, 2009 (30-hour Asana Intensive/ Teacher Development with Christina Sell and Noah Maze in San Marcos, TX)
Sep. 18-20, Oct. 16-18, Nov. 13-15, Dec. 11-13- (Teacher Training Program in Corpus Christi,TX. Must be taken together.)

All right- I am going to go practice a little asana before teaching and see if I cannot clear the rest of this sinus stuff with some inversions and chest openers. Have a great day.