Fourth of July

Well, it was a great Fourth of July day. Kelly and I woke up early and went down to San Marcos. We spent about an hour on the river boating which was super fun. I had some great spins in the wave and Kelly pulled off a few cartwheels and the rains never came which was great.

We came home, ate lunch and then I did a little follow work to the storefront for the Christina Sell Yoga Podcasts. The first one is up so you can go buy it. More to come. We will be refining them and working out some of the production kinks as we go along so keep tuning in. (Also, if you order one you will get two emails with the purchase. One will be a receipt and the second will have a download link.)

All right, then we made our way over to Clear Spring Studio and had our practice. I had a really good time. There are some pictures posted on Facebook if you want to see a few scenes. What was really great was that we had a fun mixture of people who practice primarily flow, a few great Iyengar folks, some Ashtanga Vinyasa practitioners as well as the Anusara Yogi's. I love it when diverse yoga communities come together and share what we all have in common- asana, laughter, love of the practice and a dedication to the the heart. To me, these things transcend labels, methods and conventions associated with each.

We did a sequence that didn't have a lot of flow in it at all but used some very deep and careful preparatory work to get to urdhva danurasana, dwi pada viparita dandasana, natrajasana and the eka pada rajakpotasana and other fun excursions like kapotasana, drop backs and so forth. I really did enjoy the time and my practice felt great. People seemed to do a good job of going for it and also resting when necessary.

All right, that's about it for now. more tomorrow.

Fourth of July

Good morning!

I got up yesterday and did my morning practices and then met Gioconda at Bodhi Yoga for Chris Rossbach's class which was a lot of fun. Chris is an avid Ashtanga Vinyasa practitioner and so his flow classes convey his commitment to that style of yoga- not just in the forms of the psotures or the sequencing as he certainly varies from that a fair amount- but in the mood and attitude he brings to class as a teacher. I really enjoy his classes. He holds the energy well and yet he is very much out of the way. He is kind, funny, compassionate and asks for a fair amount of work in a respectful and patient. Good fun.

Gia and I met up with Kelly at Whole Foods (this is becoming my favorite Saturday morning ritual when I am in town- class with Gia or Chris and then a lunch date with Gia at Whole Foods.) We had a great time and then Kelly and I did our grocery shopping and came home for an afternoon of study (Kelly) and work (me.)

Speaking of work, I got the first audio podcast uploaded a ready for sale! This is big news. You can get it at www.shop.christinasellyoga.com. If you click on the title of the product you can see the sequence. Keep in mind, this is audio only from a live yoga class- no frills, no embellishments, nothing fancy, nor am I trying to hit every mark on a video assessment so don't email me and tell me how it wouldn't pass a certification video assessment! (kidding. sort of!) Anyway, the idea is to invite you into the good clean yoga fun with the Wednesday Night Gang- (who by the way, are kind of bad ass, so be ready.) As time goes by, I will also post the Thursday night class (who are also a hard-working group) but that class is a level 2/3 class as opposed to level 3/4. Think: All the same hard work you have come to know and love in one of my classes, just not as deep into the syllabus as 3/4. Anyway, download the class, practice with it, let me know what you think. More classes to come.

All right, Kelly and I are gonna hit the river before the crowds and before the rains. And if you are free this afternoon, please come to group practice at Clear Spring Studio at 2pm. Think deep backbends (eka padas, natrajasana, kapotasana, etc.) with a somewhat mellow approach. (Meaning, not lots of flow or fanfare today, just deep preparatory work for the most part.) I would love to see you there.

Travel Hell

A few scenes from my practice Thursday before class. Lotus handstand. (those of you in class for all that opening up lotus work, this is part of what we are doing with that.)On the way down...
kukkutasana. (Yes, Scott, one day I will press back up...)
Classes were fun Thursday night. I recorded them both so hopefully they will be downloadable soon. After class, Kelly and I went to dinner over at Celeste and Shannon's which was fun. I came home, did some work and then packed. Late night and an early morning today. Which brings us to today's saga.

Okay, so wow- today is kind of what we, in my family refer too as a day of "travel hell." Mom came to pick me and Kelly up this morning at 9:30 to take us to the airport. Our flight to Houston boarded on time and then as we sat on the runway, they announced we would be de-plaining due to delays and re-routing in Houston. We would borad again within two hours. Which we did. And we got to Houston. But our flight was cancelled. And the second flight was cancelled. And then all flights to Albuquerque were cancelled until late saturday afternoon. And the earliest flight back to Austin was at 9:30 at tonight tonight. But it was probably going to get cancelled as well, they said. So, long story short, we rented a car, drove home and 11 hours after we left home, we are back in our house, checking email and unpacking our bags and so forth. Whew.

I am a bit bummed because I Was really looking forward to spending the weekend in Santa Fe and being with my friends Darren, Brownwyn, Wendy and Halid. I also was expecting to see so many other folks like Sundari and Michaela and Bea who all told me they would be there. But anyway, it was not to be. Maybe another time in the future we can reschedule. I hope so.

But I am also a bit delighted to see a whole weekend stretch out in front of me to dedicate to launching the pod casts and to having more time to practice and rest. So this is a case where lemons will become lemonade pretty easily. I have already filled up the weekend in my mind with things I want to do now that I am home.

And the day was not a whole waste. I spent some time talking with the wonderful Melanie Smith, owner of Yogaphoria about collaborating on some future projects. That was fun. She is smart, funny, sincere, direct, passionate and committed to transformation- all things I love in a person- and we had a very inspiring talk about health, diet, wellness, yoga and how to assist people in their journey through diverse and complimentary modalities. It was really cool to talk to her and to hear about how she is shifting the focus of her work and her business to be even more aligned with Inner Health and Wellness. Very cool. Very timely. Very visionary.

Also, I had a great time in the car talking with Kelly. We talked a lot about how important it is to have faith when we are in the process of growth and change and embarking on new journeys. He is in school right now and so the perennial question people ask him is 'What next?" which is a very sincere conversation starter and such. But what is next, is really, just the next test, the next concept, the next learning challenge for the stage he is in- which is school. How it is all going to play out and what it is going to look like in terms of "the job after school" is just hard to know exactly right now.

But the mind, the intellect, wants to know. Inquiring minds always want to know. And all that is fine. What isn't fine, is when we turn on ourselves when we do not know. It is not always so easy is to have equanimity in the "not knowing." And not just equanimity but a sense even of faith and trust that it will work out. I wrote a while ago that I am not really a planner. I mean, on one level I am. I make plans all the time, I pour energy into projects, many of which are successful, some of which are not, and so on. And so I make plans and I get things done and so on. All that is true.

And yet, equally true is that life holds surprises and unforeseen opportunities present themselves and connections get made in ways that cannot be planned or predicted. I do think we can prepare ourselves but the preparation, I believe, is really in just mastering the tasks that are right in front of us, not in some big organized plan of preparation. And many times, we are in the dark about what our current challenges are preparing us for.

For instance, over 20 years ago I was in treatment for bulimia and depression for 18 months in a residential program and the "snapshot" of my life at that time was pretty bleak. Seriously, it was not a pretty time. I had no idea then, that the time spent in all that group therapy, in all those deep discussions and sobering confrontations with myself and others, were for anything other than just saving my life. That was my focus. Get my head out of the toilet and live another day.

But 20+ years later, I can see that those days started me on a path of self-reflection, honesty and vulnerability that prepared me to facilitate deep and profound discussions in the workshops I teach and gave me a depth and insight into myself and others that could never have come from just reading about inner work in a book. I lived it. I walked the path and in doing what was immediate, Real and necessary to that phase, I was led to the next phase and the next phase and the next phase. I seriously think I am good at what I do, not because of what I know about trikonasana (Although I do know some good stuff about that pose, let's be clear!) but because of what I learned all those years ago in treatment.

So, I have a lot of faith in the process of living authentically. I really do. It has led me great places. It requires tremendous effort and I am not in anyway light about what it means to me. But I really believe that the fullness of each moment seeds the next moment and so when we engage our current situation clearly, fully, and authentically, the momentum we create for the next moment is optimized. And I believe then, the Universe moves on our behalf. ANd it is usually better than what we planned.

Now there is one more thing I must add to the discussion before I close for tonight. I not only trust the process of living authentically, I have tremendous faith in the longing to Serve. I mean, if what we really want is to Help--not just to look good, be famous, get rich, be noticed and validated and so forth-- but if we really want to Serve, the Universe will move mountains- internally and externally- to give us opportunity and to prepare us to make use of it. The opportunities may be grand or small in scale, according to our purpose and depending on our temperament, etc. But no way, no how, will the Great Supreme consciousness overlook anyone out there willing to work for the Light. No way. Why would it?

Seriously, it may be a bleak hour in our own or in someone we know's life right now. But how do we know that we are not being purified, given the opportunity to clear some baggage out of the way so that we can grow into who we are meant to be so that we can be of greater service. Todays troubles, when faced squarely, when engaged fully and skillfully, become tomorrow's compassion and the very source of the Light we offer to others.

So like that.

So like that

So, I got this note in my email today and I asked the sender if I could reprint it here and she said yes.

Dear Christina,

I wanted to share a cool story with you (or at least I thought it was cool) its slightly anecdotal so prepare yourself:

My prayer life has sucked for a long time. Just really not feeling it. And yoga has been helping me really set my heart aside to work though some stuff with God. But yesterday I had a breakthrough.

A friend of mine from high school died last Wednesday hang gliding. I was pretty tore up about losing John, and I was unable to attends the funeral yesterday because I'm teaching art this week in seguin at a spiritual leadership camp ( the funeral was about 4 hours away). But I felt like I needed to set the time of the funeral aside and really remember John and pray. So I found a quiet room and I did 26 suryanamaskar A. One for each year of his life. And with each one my intent was to thank God that John had been here. At the end the light in me bowed to the light in John. Afterward not only did I feel like I had been connected in prayer but I was truly thankful that John had been here instead of bawling that he was gone (although I still miss him).

So thank you for helping me find an honest way to commune with God again. And anytime a teacher is afraid of stepping on Christians' toes please, please, please reassure them that there is far more in common than they think and that prayer is prayer is prayer.

So -like that.

I got up this morning and met Zoe for Maricarmen's flow class which was a lot of fun. Great music, precise instructions for the inner and outer body, creative sequencing, great students all held together with Maricarmen's very delightful and loving presence. And what fun to practice with Zoe and Sam and just be together on the mat. Always a good time.

I came home, had lunch with Kelly and spent the afternoon doing a lot of work on the computer. I am compiling a mailing list and I would love everyone who reads the blog to be on it. The easiest way for me to include you is for you to go to Christina Sell Yoga on Facebook. And then from there "like" the page. After that, click on the link for E-news and type in your email address. Then, in about a month, you will get my first e-newsletter! Easy as pie.

After an afternoon of computer work, I met up with Gia for her class at Bodhi Yoga. Anohter fabulous foray into fun flow and some freakin' awesome back bends which was delightful. There was a nice amount of heat in the room, a great lead up with twists which usually really help my back bends (not to mention all the deep groin work from the weekend) and a rockin' sound track and voila, into the back bend zone I went. After class and a shower, Gia and I got some food at Whole Foods and talked for a while which was lovely.

As I was taking a bath at home tonight I was reflecting on my day and I got to thinking about this text I got from a student/friend. Some friends are not students and some students do not become friends and yet, in a few cases, friends are students and students are friends. (This would probably be a great thing to post about. Anusara Yoga has no strict, defined code about such things as with us, it always depends, right? For instance, I have had wonderful friendships with students over the years. I have had success at teaching my friends who wander into may classes. And I have also had great students who I never had a friendship with. I have had great friends who never do yoga with me. I have also had students with whom I have tried to have a friendship and it didn't work well at all. Really, I think it depends on a lot of things how well it has worked. But this is not the point of the story.)

In this case, this is a student who I am also friends with and she saw in Yoga Journal that I was on the teaching faculty for the Estes Park Conference in September. So she texted me with congratulations and she said, "All your hard work has paid off." I read the text and while I knew what she was saying, it hit me in a really funny way.

Now don't get me wrong, I am honored to be invited to present at the Grand Gathering. I really am. I am so pleased that I get to participate in the event and I am super psyched about it because it is a really cool thing. Think about it-- 800 people in Estes Park, all there to delight in the art of asana, the creative pulse of community and the breathtaking scenery that is Estes Park, Colorado! (Seriously, sign up now. And come to my classes!)

Also, I have no problem with Yoga Journal. I think these conferences are amazing opportunities for people to come together and share the love of yoga. I think they are great times for people to experience a wide variety of teachers and expose themselves to some of the best of what yoga has to offer. And I think its great to have an industry magazine that is growing, changing and doing tis best to reflect the ever-changing landscape of Yoga in America. So I am good with all that.

But I have to say, neither of those things is in any way "my pay off for hard work." Not by a long shot, nor do I hope they ever become my pay off. The fact that I have this great friend who I occasionally get to teach is a pay off for sure. And the fact that there are many more people I teach and share my life with and explore the practice with is a pay off. The fact that I have work that reminds me on a daily basis about what matters to me is a pay off. The fact that I have a healthy, strong and capable body is a pay off. The emails I get from people who read this blog and find some anecdote, story, or teaching in here that makes life just a little meaningful are my pay off. I do make my living this way and having work I love so much pay my bills is a pay off for working hard but let's be clear, I am paid way before I ever get a check and long before I was ever invited to a conference to teach.

And I know this person knows that because she is smart and insightful and she knows my heart. I know what she was trying to say is that she was happy for me and proud of me and how hard I work. And believe me, I am happy about the acknowledgement. Of course, that is lovely. (And when you are friends with a writer, unfortunately, your innocent comment becomes a blog topic more than once so you have to know that also!) But it got me thinking about how as yoga teachers, very few of us are on a big stage. Most of us in this clan are serving in very meaningful, quiet and profound ways quite under the radar.

As a yoga teacher, we witness the ups and downs of our student's lives. We are there as students graduate from college, get engaged, get married, deal with pregnancies, divorce, job changes, injuries, illnesses, bankruptcies and windfalls. And those same students watch as we teachers grow, change, mature, refine and purify ourselves so that we might answer our heart's calling to teach yoga with greater integrity, skill and efficacy. Any yoga teacher who maintains a regular ongoing class --week after week, year after year-- may never be acknowledged in some magazine but is, nonetheless, part of the fabric of many people's lives and serves to bear witness to a community, its growth and the individuals who make up that community. And any student who regularly attends classes literally support the teacher financially and also assists in their evolution as a person. It is an important and amazing thing to be in this work as a student and as a teacher. And the pay off is not fame. The pay off is not acknowledgement on a grand scale. The pay off is not a piece of paper you will hang on a wall that says "certified" nor is is a lot of Facebook friends or followers on Twitter.

The pay off is in our relationships. It is in the ways we are encouraged, cajoled and even forced into growth when we teach yoga. The pay off is when one person chooses a deep breath over outrage based on something we taught them in a yoga class. The pay off is in being able to chose kindness over hatred- towards ourself and towards others. The pay off is in watching our friends, colleagues and students shine more and more. The pay off is that we start to know our Light- not in theory, but in actuality, because of this work. And that Knowledge is all the pay off there ever was anyway.

so like that.

Sunday Night

So, it was a great weekend all in all. We had a sweet potluck gathering at my house after the workshop last night and then this morning we met for the last session with Laurie. It was a wonderful walk through some pranayama preparations, some handstand and pinca mayurasana work, sarvangasana and variations and ended with some awesome revolved uppa vista konasana, revolved janu sirsasana and revolved pascimottanasana, a foray into akarna danuarasana and ekapad sirsasana. Fun stuff. Nothing easy, nothing casual, nothing haphazard. I really enjoy her teaching so much and I got so much help and insight for my practice. Great stuff.

I came home at noon, at lunch and Kelly and I drove out to Barsana Dham. As I drove out I was aware that we weren't talking much and I realized I was really tired. Then I got to thinking about the folks at the Texas Yoga Retreat and how they had been there with round the clock classes since Friday and I thought, "Wow, I bet they are gonna be tired!"

I was the last class scheduled AND it was supposed to be a back bend class and I thought to myself, "This may not be a great idea..." (those of you who know me know that is rarely a restful event.) Anyway, I checked in with the group who confirmed my intuition (they were wiped out) and so I proposed a change of topic. We did restorative yoga and pranayama instead. It was lovely and just the right thing. What with the long weekend, the heat and the intensive study and immersion they had been doing, the last thing they needed to do were back bends. The class was great and by the end the folks had light in their eyes again and color in their faces and were relaxed and alert and better prepared, I think, to go home and take the yoga off the mat and into their lives. I even had Kelly take pictures because I thought some of you might enjoy photographic evidence of restorative yoga in a class with Christina Sell!

Also, I liked the peacocks there. Picture below in their glory.

Supta baddha konasana
twist over a bolster
Me, explaining pranayama. (Dana, you can't tell, but I have your lovely River Bend Yoga T-shirt on!)
After class we walked around on the grounds looking for some photo opps but nothing too great came along. I did like the Devis though. So this is Devi with the Devis.
Flirting.
Anyway- I had a great weekend. It really was. I feel like I had a chance to be part of the community here in a lovely way and I met so many new and interesting people throughout the weekend as well as connecting with some folks I have not seen in a while.

More tomorrow.

Rich Diversity

So I have been enjoying my week at home a lot. I just updated my Facebook status to read that 'I am enjoying the rich diversity of the Austin Yoga Community." Oh I also suggested that the tag line for Austin get a small addition. Instead of Live Musical Capital of the World, I am, proposing that we change it to Yoga and Live Music Capital.... just a thought. Maybe we can get a proposal of some kind going!

Anyhoo--

The One Om Event continues to inspire me as I reflect on the many wonderful people who participated in a variety of ways. We had a visionary leader and organizer in Ms. Gioconda Parker , we had wonderful corporate sponsors, we had great students in the room and a great team of talented teachers who guided the practice. And really it was a great time to be together as a community. The next event is scheduled for October 7th so save the date and make sure you are there.

Then Friday morning I went to the wonderful Jenn Wooten's flow class at Castle Hill. If you do not know about that class- check it out- It is a Community Class which means it is priced at $7 which is a bargain anywhere you go but in this case, you get Jenn Wooten. Jenn as many of you know is grounded, earthy, dedicated and passionate about the real-life applications of the teachings and the practice. Not one bit of fluff in this presentation but a whole lot of good info and a lotta heart. Really, you should make it part of your life. I can't think of a better way to spend Friday morning.

So, after that I met with the fantastic Malia Scott to talk about Namaste Light a wonderful company that helps yoga people stay connected and also does wonderful things for the environment. She had so many great ideas and the company does such great work, I am super psyched about it. Check it out if you are looking for an effective way to manage your emails, newsletters and so forth. So I also enjoyed seeing Malia off her yoga mat and in her WebMarketing Guru function. She was quite brilliant and a pleasure to work with. Her passion for service is really put to good use in her position with Namaste Light.

After that meeting I met with Stefania to talk about the upcoming events at Castle Hill. halloween weekend me and Noah are going to be teaching together and so we were finalizing the flyer and making plans for that.

Also, she and I got some details sorted out for my podcast programs I have been wanting to do: Christina Sell- Live from The Castle. Soon, you will be able to download my Wednesday Night Int/Adv. class. Just think 90 minutes (usually more because I never end on time!) of me- raw, uncut and live with the Austin Gang doing what we do on Wednesday nights. There will be some small fee to cover the admin cost and the time getting the sequence posted with pictures and so forth but that is a fun project coming soon.

Talking to Stefania is always fun because she is a great yogi and wonderful person who is also super efficient and good at her job. She is smart, funny, straightforward and really a pleasure to work with.

Last night I went to Clear Spring Yoga for the first night of the Laurie Blakeney workshop which was awesome. it was so sweet, soft and deep. In one class I learned so much and gained so many insights and nuggets about how to practice in a more intelligent and effective way. She is really such a great teacher.

This morning I went out to Barsana Dham for the Texas Yoga Retreat which was a true pleasure. I had about 20 folks in my class and we worked on basic hip opening and made a foray to eka hasta bhujasana. For most folks it was an introduction to Ansuara Yoga and they did great. I was so pleased with the excellent studentship, the sincere questions, the hard work and the great sense of deep purpose there. I had a fun time and can't wait for tomorrow afternoon's back bend class from 2-4.

Anyway- this afternoon, its back to Iyengar Yoga Land and then a potluck here after the workshop. Tomorrow, the workshop and back out to Barsana Dham. Anyway- like I Said, its been a foray into the rich diversity that makes up this yoga community. Meanwhile, I think Seane Corn is in town teaching all the flow folks and so I am sure that is also a great time. Seriously, forget the live music- it's YOGA here in the Heart of Texas.