Christina Sell

We had such a great time at South Mountain Yoga this weekend. We were laughing this morning that it was kind of a "Tough Love with Christina Sell" kind of event. The group here is so smart, so well-trained and so dedicated that I felt no real need to candy-coat my message or to soft-peddle around the truth. It was a strong weekend of lots of hard work, lots of laughter and lots of learning.

I loved my time with Emma and her students and the folks that came from surrounding areas. I so enjoy the work I do, getting to travel and be part of different communities all over the country. And every time I come to a community like South Orange, I am reminded very clearly of what is truly at the heart of Anusara Yoga- the local studio and the mandala of beauty, commitment and care that it creates, serves and sustains. There is a special bond that exists in and among a group of people who practice so closely together. This is not to discount the bond that exists among us who see each other once a year. that too is something profound as well. But I am always inspired and humbled by the very important work that people Like Emma do in our community.

Yoga studios, in my opinion, are places of sanctuary in a world where we desperately need safe places to learn and to grow into who we most truly are. These sanctuaries exist because of the vision of one person and a team of people who support that vision and teach at the studio and even more importantly by the students who financially and energetically align themselves so that the studio can function over a long period of time. It is a group endeavor and when it is done well, there is a profound wellspring of nourishment for all of the people involved. It is a great and wonderful thing. I know for me, I was deeply nourished by my time with the South Mountain Yogi's this weekend. And, once again, Kelly put together a wonderful slide show as his offering.

Click here to watch it.

We got done with the workshop on Sunday night. On Monday I slept in, did a yoga practice and the Kelly and I went into the city to spend some time with my friend. Elena Brower. Elena and I are working together to create an online yoga conversation called Yoga Convo which will involve and series of conversations about yoga and how the asana practice directly impacts our lives and how the trials and challenges we face on the sticky mat can be a mechanism through which we learn to skillfully engage the trails and challenges of our inner life. We did some initial filming and brainstorming about the program. And as soon as we work some of the details out, we are going to let you know how you, too, can join the conversation. We plan to have an open forum and several ways to engage in more intimate sharing and processing together.

I went to Emma's class this morning which was wonderful. She is a great teacher, she taught wonderful asana with an inspiring message and now I am getting a little work done before I head out to the airport.