A few Scenes

So we had a really great day together. For some reason I got inspired to teach very detailed alignment this weekend. I think because the group was already so schooled in the basic principle AND because we had such a lovely array of props and perhaps because it has been on my mind a lot lately but we had a strong morning class of standing poses some arm balances and some deep work to open up the upper back and mobilize the shoulders for a foray into urdhva danurasana. the cool thing is that so many people had success in that pose with a few tweaks to hand placement and using the wall and so forth so that was cool. (Sometimes the difference is in the details!) We worked on headstand shoulder stand and some forward bending in the afternoon class. All in all a great day at the office for me.

Here are some scenes.














On deck today is an int/advanced class with backbends, arm balances and vinyasa. Fun stuff. Good times.

Good Morning

We started the day talking about the connection to having a high vision, connecting your vision with The Highest and how the task then becomes to serve the vision and to serve the Highest. Darren and I started by asking the group for questions and we spent the morning working on a lot of technical applications of the principles and doing some partner work to help ground the ideas int the body. After a short lunch break we came back for a backbend practice with the theme of compassion. (Muscle Energy, embrace yourself totally and draw into the source f compassion within...like that.) We got to some good backbends and the mood stayed soft and tender in the hard work which was quite sweet.

As always, I am having a very fun time teaching with my friend Darren. He and I learn so much from one another and I think what I love most is that since the very beginning of my friendship with Darren (Like 10 years now) I have felt very supported to be exactly who I am and we both share a passion for growth, change and the work necessary to bring these ideas to life. So how that transfers into the teaching environment is that I feel a great freedom and ease which makes the atmosphere quite profound for me.

Also it is a cool thing for the students in the group to have two teachers and to have two perspectives and two sets of hands and so on so that I always just feel so good about what we are offerring together. Part of our intention this week was to mine the syllabus for those poses that do not get covered very often- obviously the inversions but also things like uttana padasana, full bhekasana, supta virasana, parighasana and so we have had a good time with teaching some of the lesser known and weirder poses.

Well, time to finish up and finish getting ready for the day ahead. We have a practice this morning, then a day with Carlos Pomeda and then I teach a public class at Yoga Oasis East tonight. Fun stuff!

Thursday Morning

All right, so 5:30 came pretty early this morning but I made it to the Mysore practice again and so that was great. I just stay after savasana and do my seated meditation practice- which is fantastic after the asana practice I must say- and then home to get on with my day. Well, honestly, first to eat. My god, the early wake up and the strong practice and I am starving at 9 in the morning. Usually my appetite doesn't kick in until around 11 but well in this case, I was ready for a real meal when I got home.

Yesterday was a good day of teaching. I taught three very different classes. I really enjoy the Focus on Form class at Castle Hill. With their ample prop supply, and with the intention there to create a class specifically for the "focus on form," I feel kind of like I am returning to my roots. These classes remind me a lot of how I taught in San Marcos and in Prescott before that. I really enjoy breaking the different poses down, explaining things specifically and working on fewer poses in a class. And it is nice teaching a group of people specifically there for such purposes. So fun. we worked on straightening the legs with inner and outer spiral in uttanasana, prasarita paddottanasana, and trikonasana. It went very well.

The 4:30 class at Breath and Body Yoga was a steady, methodical and slow foray to eka pada raja kapotasana. I minimized the flowing aspects of postures and I minimized the standing poses and focused on hips opening and quad stretching poses while also doing work on getting the arm bones back and the upper back to bend. Everyone did so well and many people got their foot for the first time so that was exciting, as it always is. It was cool because now that I have been teaching there for a while I can see that certain pieces are really taking root and coming alive in people's bodies.

At 7:30 I went to teach at Bodhi Yoga and I did something I really rarely do- I asked for requests. Janelle asked for Handstand and Sheldon asked for visvamitrasana. And so we did both. We had a great time- again, less surya namaskar, lots of explanation and lots of work. The students there were so open and receptive and eager to learn and implement my suggestions. Almost everyone ended up in the final pose and so that was quite fun. Kelly surprised me and showed up for class and he said, it was the best class of mine he has been to in a long time. So that was high praise. He said, "You know I really like flow classes but I also like working on fewer poses to just get a chance to really get better at them." So that was a cool thing to hear.

I have been going on as of late about how I like many formats for classes and practice and I really do. And I really see how they all have their pros and cons relative to what you are trying to accomplish. In terms of wanting to get a practice in and getting stronger in a range of basic poses, nothing really beats a good flow class. But in terms of understanding and applying basic technique to advanced postures and really understanding how best to approach new poses safely and effectively, nothing beats taking some time out to study, learn through demo and repetition. (My opinion, obviously.)

Okay- that is the summary of yesterday. Today I have some prep work to do for this weekend's immersion, an acupuncture appointment and then class and practice. Fun stuff.

On my way home

The workshop went so well. We had a strong arm balancing class this morning which was really fun. People did really well and made lots of improvements on the poses and learned some new ways to approach these challenging postures. I have more I could say aboutthe day but I am pretty darn tired nw. I am looking forward to seeing my own house and sleeping in my own bed for a while. No more trips until Thanksgiving. (Well, maybe one to Arizona, but not to teach.)

I am ready to get back home but have a fair amount of time to wait in the ariport. I have been entertaining myself with Facebook- finding all kinds of High School friends on there which is kind of amusing. It is a veritable Chapel Hill High School reunion there. Kind of fun stuff.

Monday Morning

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatnot/sets/72157607558541902/show/

The fabulous Ari Stiles came and took a few pictures at the asana practice yesterday and that is the link to them. Enjoy... We had a great a practice, which focused on honoring the Cycles of Creation and on clarifying the Seven Loops. So we are 3 weekends into the 9-weekend Immersion and we have covered the 5 UPA's and the 7 Loops. Now what is great is that we have 6 weekends, to clarify, apply to harder poses and to refine. Wow- I love this method. You can outline the basics of it pretty simply and easily and then spend a lifetime deepening your understanding of it and skill with it. It is very cool that way.

Craig Williams came and gave a talk in the afternoon. I asked him to give an overview of the Yoga Tradition and also gave him persmission to talk about whatever he felt like adressing. I have heard Craig talk a few times and so I do know that no matter what the topic he has certain points he always makes. (Craig's rant #1 about following tradition, Craig's rant #2 about yoga therapy, Craig's rant #3 about vegetarianism and so forth. I am teasing him here and have told him as much and being that I am someone with the same list of rants, I can really appreciate the phenomena. Many of you know of what I speak: Christina's rant #1 about flow v. alignment, Christina's rant #2 about studentship, and so forth!) I think the talk went really well- he is fun to listen to and from what I could tell the group got a lot out of it.

I am off to practice, to get some accupuncture, meet Kelly for lunch, meet Anne for Mani/Pedis and then go with her to Peggy's advanced class this afternoon. Big day off. Fun stuff.