it's been a long time since i happily rolled out of bed and onto my mat. i admit it. i look at my mat, and think "do i have to?" then my back, shoulders, and hamstrings tell me "yes! you have to!" so i do. amazing that once the mat is actually rolled out and i start to move my body how instantly happy i feel. every time.
my standing backbend is not like this. maybe some day it will. maybe it will never be so. either way, i LOVE back bends. which is why i was oh so glad when Gwen "prescribed" lots of backbends for me in order to open my heart every day. this morning i needed it. discouragement bombarded me last night as i began the search for a job. ugh. the list is grim--in so many ways. i have a feeling i'll be doing lots of backbends in the next few weeks and months as i try to make my way in this capitalist world.
photo by me. april 2009.
This morning's mantra:it means: om-the jewel in the lotus-hum
"It calls on the bodhisattva Avalokiteshwara, whose name means "the cosmic being of pure consciousness who looks down in loving compassion on the world." He exists within each of us in our potential to feel heart-melting compassion for ourselves and all other living beings." - Christopher D. Wallis
have a compassionate weekend.
image via yoga journal
I'm feeling like I ended my yoga practice a little too soon this morning...I can't quite figure it out. So I'm making it a goal today to truly practice yoga in the rest of my day's activities...even as I type I am finding the meditation in that...I will find a connection with the water in my shower to the water that flows through me. I will find breath and movement united as I ride my bike to meet my husband for a picnic. I am extending my yoga practice more deliberately today into ALL that I do. You might like to try it too!
photo by me. 3.15.09
This morning's classes were awe-some. We did a very yin, restorative class. To an observer, it would have looked like we weren't doing much of anything at all. But we went deep. We tapped in to what we were really feeling...and we let it go. We went deep. There were tears of relief, and bright eyes filled with hope. You never know how much you feel until you take time to listen and to be still. Read more about it here.
I am oh so grateful to be able to be teaching yoga right now. It truly is a gift. It's also nice to teach in my own home. Sometimes I wonder if I'd like teaching at a studio...I guess it would depend on what was "expected" of me. There are some wonderful women who come to my classes. They are so open to learning and trying new things. I wish I knew more people in Sacramento so that I could do something similar when I move back in May. I love charging only $3. And I love teaching in such an intimate and safe setting. I am oh so blessed.
Starting Monday January 26, 2009 I will be teaching yoga for $3 per person per class. Below are the details.
I've been thinking this morning of a conversation I had a couple weeks ago with a dear friend and fellow yoga instructor. We discussed our feelings about not being able to find a yoga studio that really quenches our thirst for learning and progressing (among other things). I am hoping that things open up, and that I am able to find a place to teach and to learn as well. Until then, I'll just keep doing teacher trainings year after year, and workshops month after month. I truly enjoy the journey of learning.
I find that I am most present in my practice when I am in a difficult pose, or when I am asked to stay in a pose for a long period of time...which made me think: Often in life, I am most present when things are difficult or uncomfortable. I am not concerned with what is going to happen. I am concerned with my broken heart, my confused brain, etc. Why is it that when things are going so-so in life that we tend to get distracted, and lose focus? Interesting. I am oh so grateful for difficult and uncomfortable moments.
