Blogroll

So... If you look down on the side bar you may notice that I wiped off a bunch of blog links. There were several blogs there that were not current and I also realized that many people who keep a blog without a link there. So- if you have a blog, and you would like me to link to your blog on this site, please send me your blog address this week as I am going to be re-constructing the blog roll soon and I would like it to be somewhat current.

Yesterday was a mellow day, for the most part. Anne and I walked around Town Lake and went to the club for a soak and a steam. I ate lunch, worked on a bunch of projects, had a lovely talk with my friend and colleague, Emma Magenta up in New Jersey then went to Peggy Kelly's Iyengar Yoga class and then went to Jess G.'s class to review it.

Kelly and I used to live in Austin when we were first married and I used to go to Peggy's class then- like in 1997 when she and Devon had studios above what was then Whole Foods but what is now REI. What was fun is seeing some of those same people in class still. Longevity. Dedication. Commitment. These things inspire me.

Jess G. is one of our many fine soon-to-be-certified teachers here in Austin. Her class was sweet, funny, soulful. She has a great rapport with her students and is knowledgeable about and committed to the method. Her theme was authentic and easy to relate to. And it is obvious her students enjoy her class. So that was fun.

I got to thinking that the folks who live here who really want to take their teaching to the next level should form a group and work together. (Or actually, people who live anywhere, this is a good idea!) There is a tremendous amount of wisdom and knowledge among a group of seasoned practitioners and I literally do not have the time to individually walk people through the process and fine tune videos, as much as I would like to. (Which is why I started the online mentor program so that I can have the conversation one time rather than 20 different times. That is my goal for 2010- work smarter, not harder.)

Someone asked me recently about what they need to know about what the assessors are looking for and after we talked I realized that the thing is, none of it is hidden. The form and the standard we use is available on www.anusara.com (Go to curriculum, go to certification curriculum, download the packet) and what is SO COOL is that there is no secret form or secret standard that we do not tell you about.

I love that about Anusara Yoga. We want you to succeed. Your success is the success of the method and the method's success will create your individual success and so on. Teacher Training and Certification Assessment is about helping you understand and meet the criteria not a way to identify or "catch you" on the many ways you fall short of it. Again, its a new paradigm.

All right well, time to cook some dal for lunch and some Cream of Green soup for dinner. I am brimming with ideas these days but I am still working out some of the logistics so stay tuned.

AND reserve the date- November 29. Group Practice. Love Shack. 3:00-5:30. All are welcome but be ready to work and make sure you know "when to get off the bus" because I plan to go for it.

(Just sayin'- really, I do not mean it to be a threat or anything harsh. Just if having to back out of advanced postures makes you feel bad about yourself then shift that mindset or do a different practice that day. Sounds harsh but I totally mean it nicely- it breaks my heart when people come to group practices or classes and other people's ability to bend negatively affects them rather than inspires them. It is unnecessary. It really is. It is a waste of time and it is a violence toward one's self. Keep in mind people like me can do scorpion pose on a good day but I cannot program a computer, speak a foreign language, parent a child, fix a flat tire, make crepes, change a lightbulb- okay I can do that- but you get my point, I hope.) And we will have lots of "professionals" there so we can help each other a lot. Whew.