Anatomy, Laundry, TT preparations

So Kelly has been gone all weekend which has been a lovely opportunity for me to have some alone time, so long practices and get a ton of work done. I have refined my Immersion trainings, I have created an anatomy workbook for Immersions and TT's and I refined my TT outlines and created more structure, learning aids and experiential aspects. It must be the Saraswati tattoo because I have been feeling totally inspired and creative lately.

Along those lines, a Vedic astrologer once told me that most people invoke Lakshmi looking for blessing of prosperity wealth and abundance. He said that the smart thing to do is to invoke Saraswati instead. His reasoning was that if you have inspiration and creativity you have the means to manifest abundance. Also if you have money but no inspiration or connection to your creativity you are a rich yet unfulfilled person. (And rich is that, really? Having lots of money but no juice?)

Along those same lines, my spiritual teacher gave a talk about money once and he said, the solution to being worried about money is not having more money per se- it is having confidence in your ability to earn money. For instance if you are broke today but know how to earn money (and you are willing to work) your current state won't seem so desperate.

I suppose we should not forget Kali. We cannot afford to have her upset or feeling ignored. Kali is that seed of potential in us, our power in its raw form that slashes away at all standing in the way of Reality. Like Shiva, her masculine counterpart, she destroys our illusions and kills off what is no longer necessary without regard for how we are going to feel about it! But keep in mind- when something is really painful and it ends, we feel happy. That, too, is Kali.

Kali is goddess of raw power, of destruction who destroys time itself and the potentiality of Life.

Saraswati is the goddess of the arts, music, writing, creativity, inspiration.

Lakshmi is the goddess of abundance, wealth, refined beauty

So I hadn't planned to write anything about the goddesses today but as I am writing, I am reminded about how useful these archetypes are to keep in mind. Each one of us tends to operate under a certain archetype more than others and also we may find that we draw inspiration from these ideas differently as we go through the different cycles of our lives.

So I have been in a period of great inspiration these days, I really have...I am in the zone of Saraswati. I am having some of the most amazing conversations with people and some of the most inspiring experiences in my teaching work and my inner life feels rich and full. (See -- inspiration leads to the abundance of Spirit, which is really Lakshmi's gift anyway. The richness of spirit, that is.)

So anyway- today I am finishing up on my preparations for the next two weekends of Teacher Training, doing A LOT of laundry and I will practice some asana this afternoon. Tomorrow we have Focus on Form and Level 2/3 on deck so please come if you can.

ALSO- a reminder- this weekend I am teaching three public classes at Breath and Body Yoga:

Friday 4:30-6:00

Saturday 10:00-11:30

Sunday 10:00-11:30

So, please come join the fun. The room will not be heated. Also, keep in mind that Desirae offers a discount to yoga teachers so you can come to class for $10 if you are a yoga teacher.

Sunday Morning

So we had a most excellent time at The Shakti Shop yesterday. I was going to take some pictures but then I got so into the practice and to teaching a bit throughout that I didn't take any pictures at all. We went through about 15 minutes of sun salutations, handstands, pinca, headstand and then into some standing poses in flow followed by a great foray into urdhva danurasana, dwi pada viparita dandasana, standing up from urdhva danurasana, dropping back from tadasana to urdhva danurasana and then into hip stretches, twists and forward bends. We had time for a brief shoulder stand and then a lovely savasana serenade by Wendy (who, by the way, has a voice like an angel.)

It was a really fun time. Gioconda and I were talking about it a bit at the end and I was telling her that really, so much of the advanced asanas I learned came through these kinds of practices either with John, Desiree or leading them myself. There is something really potent to me about Group Practice and there is a particular way, as a leader of one, that I lend my energy to the endeavor that is decidedly different than either workshops or classes. There is something about being in the mix in that particular way that I really enjoy and think opens a different door for everybody. I know I benefit a lot from the energy of the group and the shared focus and intention.

It was certainly the case yesterday- we had lots of people stand up from Urdhva Danurasana for the first time alone, many people try drop backs for the first time. We had first time padmasanas and even a few tears were shed. (...like I always say, its not an Ansuara Yoga workshop till some cries! Kidding. Sort of.)

But really, the emotional body does get a big workout in advanced practice. The physical work is only one aspect of what is going on. Our emotions go through a full-spectrum practice also. We go from heights of joy to depths of despair to frustration to delight through grief through self-confidence to fear, to gratitude and back to resentment and around again to relief and so on and so forth. I mean really, long timings on one leg are kind of the least of what the challenge can be in just one class or practice! Make it a 3-hour endeavor and rest assured you get to go on a ride of epic proportion.

So anyway- thanks to the folks who could make it yesterday. You all inspired me in a big way.

more tomorrow. I have work I want to do.

Here is a short clip of Wendy blessing us with her lovely voice.