Good Company, Great Yoga

Well, it is Wednesday and I am here in Tucson, Arizona. Today we had Day One of our Teacher Training. It is the third week of our three weeks of teacher training and it is the sixth week of the six weeks of the whole 200-hour program we started this January. What a year it has been. Wow.

I do not think I know anyone who had a mellow and relaxing year this year.  Seems like 2012 packed a punch no matter who you are or what you do. And yet, as the year is coming to a close,  Darren and I are looking back with gratitude and ahead with anticipation for our work together. And personally, I feel in the middle of some important contemplations about authenticity, boundaries and I feel very hopeful about my ongoing direction.

I spent last weekend teaching an intensive down in San Marcos which was a highlight of the season for me. Coming on the heels of a great Thanksgiving week, the weekend workshop was a new offering for me in San Marcos. Up until now I have been teaching mostly intensives there. By intensives I mean longer-term programs where full attendance was the only option for enrollment. I love that format because a solid bond is formed among the  group and, with  everyone there for every session, we can capitalize on the sequential and progressive nature of asana instruction,  lay a foundation and build on the basics. So I love that.

AND that format leaves a lot of people out who have families and 9-5 jobs and so on and people have been asking me to offer a program in which they could come in parts and parcels. So I did just that. I offered 6 sessions in the weekend- 3 sessions were all-levels classes and 3 sessions were instructional group practices where I practiced along with the group. I had so much fun and I really learned a lot as the teacher. And with no travel expenses and very little overhead I could offer it at an affordable price which I also felt good about.

On the whole it was a rich a deep weekend for me. I always love watching people relax on the property, work hard in the asana and generally soak in the intention of the School which is all about connecting to one's Heart through asana, chanting and the simple joy of being together with a common interest. I was also reminded how much I love to work on the poses and to explore my own boundaries in group practice. It really is like my favorite thing these days.

Here are a few scenes.