New Friends

The class in Katy turned out to be great. We had an excellent turn out and the Katy YMCA where I taught was just so beautiful. My lovely host Rhonda had everything arranged so thoughtfully. I was warmly received and even though I was "warned" that they do not chant in Katy, I taught the invocation and it seemed to go over pretty well. (It was a gently warning! Anyway, I asked Rhonda if she wanted me not to chant and she said to just do what I normally do, so I did. Maybe a bit more cautiously then with my group in Austin who by now is pretty used to my unique blend of philosophy, sarcasm and yogic "encouragement".) I taught a pretty strong flow class that emphasized shoulder principles and took us into back bends. The students were strong, willing and were great at listening and applying the lessons to their practice, making the adjustments I recommended and so on. I used The Shrine of the Heart as my theme.

I went back to Friendswood on Sunday and spent the morning teaching an all levels back bend class with the them of "tejas"(Light, spiritual luster, illumination) and the afternoon with the advanced students practicing all kinds of arm balances and preparatory poses and considering the concept of "anugraha" (The bestowal of grace, the type of grace that grabs hold of us, so to speak).

One highlight of the weekend is that Jill came to all the classes, both in Friendswood and in Katy. Many of you in the first Immersion group know Jill- (Funny,blond, pretty, short, opera singer Jill who usually practices in the front row...) I loved having a familiar face in the crowd and at least one person in the room to laugh at my not-so-funny jokes.

Another highlight was meeting the gang in Firendswood and getting to be part of their weekend fun. Valerie and I had some very nice visits/sharings and one of her best friends, Vicky let me stay in her house on Friday and Saturday night. Vicky has a beautiful home that, although it could be in a magazine feature, was actually comfortable and easy to be in. It was elegant but I was never afraid to touch anything or sit down somewhere, if you know what I mean. Kind of like both Vicky and Valerie. They are both beautiful women, inside and out,with such open hearts that you just naturally feel at ease with them. And on top of it all, Vicky has a bathroom about the size of my bedroom and so I was thoroughly indulged in a luscious, elegant soak in her jacuzzi tub. I am and always have been a bit of a bath fiend so this was a great treat for me.

Okay then. Off to walk the dogs and practice some asana.