Happy 2011 blogverse! Long time no see. I had fully intended on posting between Christmas and New Year's...and then the universe decided to dump a massive amount of snow on the east coast and turn everyone's travel plans (including mine, alas) upside down! Long story short...I was without access to a computer and frankly, without access to much zen! Things weren't so bad, though, and we eventually made it to our destinations safely.
And now I'm back in my favorite city for one of my favorite, favorite, favorite times of year! I'm such a New Year's Resolution geek. I always want to write a list of them about a mile long. I've tried to shy away from that, afraid that I'm setting myself up for failure, but my beautiful friend and fellow yogi and yoga teacher Katie Hartke had an inspiring and positive way of looking at it. Instead of being afraid you're setting yourself up for failure, just do what you can and after the year (or whatever 'deadline'), congratulate yourself on what you've done instead of letting what you haven't yet achieved block your view of your accomplishments.
As I sat at my journal to start 2011 and to suss out all I want to achieve, I did what I usually do around the new year and looked at my January 1st entries of last year and a year or two further back from that. I noticed something rather startling - a tradition I hadn't even remembered starting! In 2009 and 2010, I made two lists in addition to my resolutions (I'm a listing nerd): one in which I stated things I was proud of myself for accomplishing (or things I survived/dealt with) for the past year and one in which I stated things I was not so proud of or happy with.
This seemed like such a cool and rewarding and enlightening idea that I couldn't believe I forgot about it!
Something else I noticed - my number one resolution last year was to "get back on the meditation wagon," which I fell off spectacularly after falling head over heels in love. Needless to say...that resolution didn't quite work out. So top of the list again this year - daily practice, or sadhana.
In journaling, I realized that although I have a lot to be proud of in the past year in terms of working on and growing my career as a yoga teacher, along the way I lost a bit of just being a yogi. Being a teacher depends on being a yogi, but you can do one without the other. You just probably won't teach as well or authentically. Anyone can stand in a room and call out poses, but that would be an incomplete representation or embodiment of the whole practice.
I'm getting a little ramble-y here, but my point is this. My career as a yoga teacher is deeply important to me on a personal level and on the obvious level where I need to make money in order to pay for food and my rent and my bills. But I started as a devoted yogi, in love with the practice and in love with the positive changes I've seen it create within myself. Like anything else, though, you either use it or lose it. That doesn't just apply to the flexibility of your muscles, it applies to the flexibility of your mind, your spirit, your patience, and your feeling of yoga - union - with yourself and all that is around you.
To get myself started in my daily meditation, I decided to really specify it at first. Part of what can keep me from the mat is the intimidating vastness of possibilities in meditation. Should I do a silent mantra? Should I just focus on my breathing? Should I do a visualization? Even answering one of those questions leads to a billion more. What kind of mantra? There are ZILLIONS! What kind of visualization? Unless I make a decision and stick to it, I'm potentially doomed to sit and debate my method of meditation and then let my mind go off and do its natural thing - planning - until my timer goes off and I feel bad about myself for being a bad meditate-or. So unbelievably silly.
So here's my plan. Using a mala, I've chosen a mantra for my japa practice (basically meaning a practice where you repeat a mantra). A mala is a necklace with 108 beads (or a bracelet with 27) plus an extra bead to mark the 'beginning/end' of the necklace. You sit in a seated meditation, hold the mala in your hand, and repeat your mantra once for each bead, moving on until you hit that 109th extra bead (there's usually a tassel or charm at the end to let you know you've gotten there), which completes your practice. Most teachers recommend 40 straight days of a japa practice to get all the spiritual punch you can out of it.
The website I linked to is run by a fellow Karma Kids teacher and absolutely lovely yogi, Camy Becker. She started making malas this past year and they are simply stunning. She hand makes each one herself and can custom make a mala for anyone. She can be found at http://www.mala-madness.com.
So that's my starting plan. 40 days of my mantra - I started that specific practice on Monday, so I've got until February 12th. After that, we'll see what further sadhana adventures lie ahead for 2011.
Anyone else have any yogi-fied resolutions, or anything to share for the new year? I think it's going to be a beautiful one!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
40 + 90 + 14 = 26
This past weekend and week were both very special for different, yet oddly related reasons.
I had the awesome opportunity to take Prenatal Yoga teacher training this past weekend with Juliana Secches, a physical therapist, yoga teacher, Mom to beautiful little Bruno, and an excellent teacher with a wealth of information about the birth process, pregnancy, and the body and soul of prenatal and post-natal women! It was so eye-opening in so many ways, and I am so eager to continue delving into the process of empowering moms-to-be through yoga.
And then speaking of birth...
It was my birthday on Monday, and Marc's on Wednesday. I taught my Community Yoga class at Karma Kids, which is usually full of rambunctious boys. Only one boy showed up that day, however, and when I asked him to guess how old I was turning, these were his answers:
"40!"
"A little lower."
"90!"
"A little lower..."
"14?"
I can't express how much this deeply tickled me. It was a very classic, "Kids say the darndest things" moment.
It also really got me thinking about the saying that you're only as young as you feel. And all the other 800 sayings that basically say the same thing in a different way. As cliche as it is, it's so true. I don't feel 26, but what does 26 really feel like? Some days I feel as giddy and silly as a 14-year-old (I was a particularly silly 14-year-old) and some days I feel very adult and responsible - perhaps closer to a 40-year-old. But then again - I'm still me. I like to hope that when I'm 40 I'll still have access to the giddiness and silliness that is (almost) as much an accessible part of me now as it was when I was younger.
It's all a balance, I suppose. Juliana said repeatedly over the course of the training weekend that you need both the Ha and the Tha - Sun / Moon, Light / Dark, Strength / Flexibility, Effort / Ease. It's the key to a successful yoga and meditation practice as well as a balanced life. I hope I don't ever let the "grown-up"-ness completely take over my silly supply. It's my hope for everyone, in fact!
And now I'm off to prepare for one of many wonderful holiday celebrations at my friend's cozy, probably-warmer-than-mine apartment. Next week, if I'm able to write, I'll be coming to you from Grandma's in Florida! Happy holidays, everyone :)
I had the awesome opportunity to take Prenatal Yoga teacher training this past weekend with Juliana Secches, a physical therapist, yoga teacher, Mom to beautiful little Bruno, and an excellent teacher with a wealth of information about the birth process, pregnancy, and the body and soul of prenatal and post-natal women! It was so eye-opening in so many ways, and I am so eager to continue delving into the process of empowering moms-to-be through yoga.
And then speaking of birth...
It was my birthday on Monday, and Marc's on Wednesday. I taught my Community Yoga class at Karma Kids, which is usually full of rambunctious boys. Only one boy showed up that day, however, and when I asked him to guess how old I was turning, these were his answers:
"40!"
"A little lower."
"90!"
"A little lower..."
"14?"
I can't express how much this deeply tickled me. It was a very classic, "Kids say the darndest things" moment.
It also really got me thinking about the saying that you're only as young as you feel. And all the other 800 sayings that basically say the same thing in a different way. As cliche as it is, it's so true. I don't feel 26, but what does 26 really feel like? Some days I feel as giddy and silly as a 14-year-old (I was a particularly silly 14-year-old) and some days I feel very adult and responsible - perhaps closer to a 40-year-old. But then again - I'm still me. I like to hope that when I'm 40 I'll still have access to the giddiness and silliness that is (almost) as much an accessible part of me now as it was when I was younger.
It's all a balance, I suppose. Juliana said repeatedly over the course of the training weekend that you need both the Ha and the Tha - Sun / Moon, Light / Dark, Strength / Flexibility, Effort / Ease. It's the key to a successful yoga and meditation practice as well as a balanced life. I hope I don't ever let the "grown-up"-ness completely take over my silly supply. It's my hope for everyone, in fact!
And now I'm off to prepare for one of many wonderful holiday celebrations at my friend's cozy, probably-warmer-than-mine apartment. Next week, if I'm able to write, I'll be coming to you from Grandma's in Florida! Happy holidays, everyone :)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
It's a yoga practice, not a yoga perfect
That's something we say to kids at Karma Kids if there's ever anxiety or jealousy about not being able to do a pose as well as they'd like to, or one they "can't" do. Honestly - I think we adults need to hear that far more often than the kids!
I feel like this is my first week back after The Cold That Would Not End, and I've been feeling some stress and pressure about being back in the game. Momentum is a powerful thing, and I've been feeling very much like mine went missing at Thanksgiving and is stubbornly keeping itself from being dredged back up. I've been teaching a lot at the Matrix gym by my apartment, I had a challenging but very fun class at Karma Kids, and I'm setting up as many Thai Yoga Massages as my calendar can handle. The momentum is coming back, slowly but surely, along with my confidence.
One of my favorite teachers in the world, Joe Somodi, started his class yesterday by talking about this time of year. The first biting freeze of winter, the beginning of all manner of holiday madness, and the speeding rush to the end of the year. For me, this time of year (which also happens to include my and my boyfriends' birthdays - the 13th and 15th) causes absolute mental chaos. So many parties and appointments to keep track of, so many cards to write, presents to get, travel plans to finalize. Pair that with the fact that I'm physically just starting to settle back into my normal strength and stamina, and I've been feeling a little bit like a crazy person this week.
Normally in Joe's Tuesday class, I'm his assistant. I get to go around the room and assist all the students in various postures as he teaches. Last night, however, there were only a few of us and he looked over at me and asked if I wanted to practice. He must have sensed how badly I needed it, and I said yes!
He offered a class of forward folds and twists - designed to energetically to ground the body and bring the mind into a one pointed focus. It was slow, deliberate, low-key, and absolutely beautiful. It was just what I needed and suddenly I felt like a yogi again! I was so down on myself this week for getting stressed, but the de-stresser I needed was always right there in my breath and my body - and it always is.
The practice is everything. Theory and pontificating (and even writing) will take you only so far, and the amazing feeling you get from a class probably isn't enough to keep you grounded and peaceful for the whole rest of the week. Practice as much as you can, even if it's just 3 minutes in child's pose. Practice doesn't mean breaking a sweat or mean that you have to make it last for a long time. Grab what you can, when you can. If it's a tough day and you just don't feel it - give yourself a break. If you're in a class and a challenging pose you've recently mastered is suddenly out of your reach for some reason, don't sweat it. It's a yoga practice, not a yoga perfect. Our minds and bodies go through so many spectacular changes during a day, a week, a month, a year. You will never have the same mind and body in one moment as you will the next moment. We're in a constant state of change.
So off the mat, what does this mean? Take a deep breath before getting stressed about December and all its joys and parties and time with old friends and family. Give yourself a break if you're just too tired to go to one more holiday party, and kick back and take care of yourself instead.
I feel like this is my first week back after The Cold That Would Not End, and I've been feeling some stress and pressure about being back in the game. Momentum is a powerful thing, and I've been feeling very much like mine went missing at Thanksgiving and is stubbornly keeping itself from being dredged back up. I've been teaching a lot at the Matrix gym by my apartment, I had a challenging but very fun class at Karma Kids, and I'm setting up as many Thai Yoga Massages as my calendar can handle. The momentum is coming back, slowly but surely, along with my confidence.
One of my favorite teachers in the world, Joe Somodi, started his class yesterday by talking about this time of year. The first biting freeze of winter, the beginning of all manner of holiday madness, and the speeding rush to the end of the year. For me, this time of year (which also happens to include my and my boyfriends' birthdays - the 13th and 15th) causes absolute mental chaos. So many parties and appointments to keep track of, so many cards to write, presents to get, travel plans to finalize. Pair that with the fact that I'm physically just starting to settle back into my normal strength and stamina, and I've been feeling a little bit like a crazy person this week.
Normally in Joe's Tuesday class, I'm his assistant. I get to go around the room and assist all the students in various postures as he teaches. Last night, however, there were only a few of us and he looked over at me and asked if I wanted to practice. He must have sensed how badly I needed it, and I said yes!
He offered a class of forward folds and twists - designed to energetically to ground the body and bring the mind into a one pointed focus. It was slow, deliberate, low-key, and absolutely beautiful. It was just what I needed and suddenly I felt like a yogi again! I was so down on myself this week for getting stressed, but the de-stresser I needed was always right there in my breath and my body - and it always is.
The practice is everything. Theory and pontificating (and even writing) will take you only so far, and the amazing feeling you get from a class probably isn't enough to keep you grounded and peaceful for the whole rest of the week. Practice as much as you can, even if it's just 3 minutes in child's pose. Practice doesn't mean breaking a sweat or mean that you have to make it last for a long time. Grab what you can, when you can. If it's a tough day and you just don't feel it - give yourself a break. If you're in a class and a challenging pose you've recently mastered is suddenly out of your reach for some reason, don't sweat it. It's a yoga practice, not a yoga perfect. Our minds and bodies go through so many spectacular changes during a day, a week, a month, a year. You will never have the same mind and body in one moment as you will the next moment. We're in a constant state of change.
So off the mat, what does this mean? Take a deep breath before getting stressed about December and all its joys and parties and time with old friends and family. Give yourself a break if you're just too tired to go to one more holiday party, and kick back and take care of yourself instead.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The hard part of "Listen to your body"
If you attend yoga classes, you've no doubt heard the phrase, "Listen to your body" once or twice. If you attend regularly, you've probably heard it a billion times.
It's the kind of thing that I find I hear so many times, I run the risk of letting it go in one ear and out the other without really hearing it - and more importantly, really listening.
As somewhat of a vinyasa junkie in my yoga practice, I've become accustomed to being highly physically challenged in my yoga classes. Always working toward the next seemingly impossible pose, always working toward going upside down in new and exciting ways. There's nothing wrong with that, by any means, but it does get you into the habit of pushing yourself. That's a habit that's really important to learn how to break at certain times - most importantly, when you're sick.
The day before my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, Marc and I both got head colds at the exact same time. As I sit here writing 8 days later, I'm better, but frustratingly, still not 100%.
Let me start out by saying - it could have been a LOT worse, and I added that to my long list of Things I'm Grateful For This Year. We could have had pneumonia or fevers or the stomach flu (god forbid!) or been so ill we were bedridden.
But as active people, it's really frustrating. What made it particularly frustrating was that I had planned to offer a free Thai Yoga Massage to any willing member of the LeVasseur family I could get my hands on to offer metta and to give myself a chance to practice and stay sharp in my technique. Needless to say, no massages were given.
It didn't kill my yoga practice, however - it just changed it.
This is where the "listen to your body" comes in handy. Off the mat, it forced me to lay down instead of running around the kitchen making a more elaborate dinner than necessary the other night. It made me listen when my very generous boss at Karma Kids let me go early on Tuesday, lest I cough on the children and make myself and others worse.
On the mat, it changed my home practice from a juicy vinyasa exploration of poses and my limits, to, well...a kind of blissful 45 minutes. (Many poses taken from my earlier blog post, Take it Easy) Being a compulsive planner, I decided the best way to save myself from going overboard and chasing down more challenging and stimulating Sun Salutations would be to plan out my practice.
15 minutes - Very mellow free form vinyasa. On my back, hands-and-knees, and a couple of low lunges and on-my-belly backbends.
7.5 minutes - Supported fish pose with legs in supported bound angle (butterfly) pose. This opened up my poor lungs and chest and helped wake me up a little. In a really restful way, of course.
7.5 minutes - Supported Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold). I put a pillow under my knees, a blanket under my seat, and stacked blocks up until I could fold forward, resting my forehead on the blocks, with comfort and the gentlest of stretches in my hamstrings. This is a pose where I tend to have anxiety and overdo it, and I think this was one of the most enjoyable poses of the bunch. Having my forehead supported was soothing and kind of massage-y, and it helped encourage me to relax my belly, which has been endlessly contracting the last week with the all the business of coughing and nose-blowing.
15 minutes - The queen of restorative poses, in my opinion - Viparita Karani, or legs up the wall. My legs wanted to bend before the 15 minutes was up, which often happens for me, so I alternated leg positions for the last 5 or so minutes. I also found I was kind of ready to get up and write before the 15 minutes were up - I can't decide if that's a good sign or a sign that I need to work harder to quiet my thoughts.
The moral of the post: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Be good to it. It probably feels good to get a little sweaty or a little adrenaline rush if you've been laid up with a cold for a few days, but you're just going to prolong your recovery. Use the opportunity to CHILL OUT, something I know I rarely do.
Perhaps not the most revelatory or original moral, but it's one that bears repeating and re-listening.
There's plenty more going on in my yoga-verse, but for now I'm going to listen to my body and call it a day.
Namaste and take care of yourselves! Fight cold season with all your might!
It's the kind of thing that I find I hear so many times, I run the risk of letting it go in one ear and out the other without really hearing it - and more importantly, really listening.
As somewhat of a vinyasa junkie in my yoga practice, I've become accustomed to being highly physically challenged in my yoga classes. Always working toward the next seemingly impossible pose, always working toward going upside down in new and exciting ways. There's nothing wrong with that, by any means, but it does get you into the habit of pushing yourself. That's a habit that's really important to learn how to break at certain times - most importantly, when you're sick.
The day before my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, Marc and I both got head colds at the exact same time. As I sit here writing 8 days later, I'm better, but frustratingly, still not 100%.
Let me start out by saying - it could have been a LOT worse, and I added that to my long list of Things I'm Grateful For This Year. We could have had pneumonia or fevers or the stomach flu (god forbid!) or been so ill we were bedridden.
But as active people, it's really frustrating. What made it particularly frustrating was that I had planned to offer a free Thai Yoga Massage to any willing member of the LeVasseur family I could get my hands on to offer metta and to give myself a chance to practice and stay sharp in my technique. Needless to say, no massages were given.
It didn't kill my yoga practice, however - it just changed it.
This is where the "listen to your body" comes in handy. Off the mat, it forced me to lay down instead of running around the kitchen making a more elaborate dinner than necessary the other night. It made me listen when my very generous boss at Karma Kids let me go early on Tuesday, lest I cough on the children and make myself and others worse.
On the mat, it changed my home practice from a juicy vinyasa exploration of poses and my limits, to, well...a kind of blissful 45 minutes. (Many poses taken from my earlier blog post, Take it Easy) Being a compulsive planner, I decided the best way to save myself from going overboard and chasing down more challenging and stimulating Sun Salutations would be to plan out my practice.
15 minutes - Very mellow free form vinyasa. On my back, hands-and-knees, and a couple of low lunges and on-my-belly backbends.
7.5 minutes - Supported fish pose with legs in supported bound angle (butterfly) pose. This opened up my poor lungs and chest and helped wake me up a little. In a really restful way, of course.
7.5 minutes - Supported Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold). I put a pillow under my knees, a blanket under my seat, and stacked blocks up until I could fold forward, resting my forehead on the blocks, with comfort and the gentlest of stretches in my hamstrings. This is a pose where I tend to have anxiety and overdo it, and I think this was one of the most enjoyable poses of the bunch. Having my forehead supported was soothing and kind of massage-y, and it helped encourage me to relax my belly, which has been endlessly contracting the last week with the all the business of coughing and nose-blowing.
15 minutes - The queen of restorative poses, in my opinion - Viparita Karani, or legs up the wall. My legs wanted to bend before the 15 minutes was up, which often happens for me, so I alternated leg positions for the last 5 or so minutes. I also found I was kind of ready to get up and write before the 15 minutes were up - I can't decide if that's a good sign or a sign that I need to work harder to quiet my thoughts.
The moral of the post: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Be good to it. It probably feels good to get a little sweaty or a little adrenaline rush if you've been laid up with a cold for a few days, but you're just going to prolong your recovery. Use the opportunity to CHILL OUT, something I know I rarely do.
Perhaps not the most revelatory or original moral, but it's one that bears repeating and re-listening.
There's plenty more going on in my yoga-verse, but for now I'm going to listen to my body and call it a day.
Namaste and take care of yourselves! Fight cold season with all your might!
Monday, November 22, 2010
A quick pre-Thanksgiving note...
I'm not planning to write too much tonight - it's been a wonderful and busy couple of weeks and my body is crying out for REST!
My Thai II Intensive was this past Wednesday-Sunday. What can I say? It was magical. I love Lotus Palm, I love my teacher and her assistants, and all the wonderful souls who came together to learn to spread metta and joy (and stress relief!) to others!
Here are a few pictures of the Intensive...off to Massachusetts tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with Marc's wonderful family. It should be fun and delicious. I'm definitely excited about my favorite of all holidays!
My Thai II Intensive was this past Wednesday-Sunday. What can I say? It was magical. I love Lotus Palm, I love my teacher and her assistants, and all the wonderful souls who came together to learn to spread metta and joy (and stress relief!) to others!
Here are a few pictures of the Intensive...off to Massachusetts tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with Marc's wonderful family. It should be fun and delicious. I'm definitely excited about my favorite of all holidays!
Performing Cow Face II on my lovely partner for the final day, Buffie.
Chopping her back...feels so good and it's so fun to do!
Performing the Diva Twist, the most intense of the 3 twists (at least up to this point in my education!)
Vivian, who runs an amazing healthy living center in Harlem, performs Kneeling Side Arc on Marianne, a lovely yogi and Mom (who I pictured in my entry on assisting Thai I in September!)
Lots of yummy stuff - in the back corner, Buffie is pulling me into a Long Stretch; forward of that, Natalie is performing Scapulla (yep, with two l's) on Beatriz, and on the right, Tama is palming sen line #3 on Jeanette's leg.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Adventures in the Fancy New York Yoga Blogger World!
It's been kind of a weird week. For the last two weeks I'd gotten into the rhythm of going to Karma Kids almost every day as I was covering for my lovely friend Laura and helping out with other various events. Now that she's fully back in action, I've had some space in my life this week to bounce back to the grown-up end of the yoga spectrum a bit.
As I mentioned at the end of my last entry, I was quit honored to be invited to an event called Wake Up with ATHLETA. Bright and early on Tuesday morning, I went to Yoga Sutra studio on 39th (which is a gorgeous space, by the way) and was greeted by several insanely nice and lovely Athleta folk. The other bloggers and I had our pick of several Athleta clothes to wear for the class, taught by one of their models, the lovely Drisana Carey.
Now I have to admit...I had never worn Athleta clothes before Tuesday. For all my love of beautiful yoga-wear, the reality is I have been in massive penny pinching mode for awhile and can no more afford brand name yoga wear right now than I could...well, anything else that isn't food and rent. I have some lululemon clothes I cherish that I have by the grace of a gift card, and some Be Present pants I treated myself to last year. The benefit to "designer" yoga clothes - they can last you a REALLY long time!
So I was very shamelessly and girlishly excited to play fashion show, and I have to say...oh my WORD, their clothes are so unbelievably comfortable. Some yoga clothes can make you feel like you're vacuum sealed in (which makes breathing a bit of a challenge), but these fall on the body so softly it feels like you've got nothing on. I chose for myself the Udaya tank in Vintage Violet and, my new favorite article of clothing of all time ever, the Harem Pants in black. The material is so smooth and soft...it's almost like cotton and silk had a baby and sacrificed it for the supreme joy and bliss of wearing Harem Pants.
(By the way, when I told Marc what they were called, he said, "How are you not offended by that name as a Thai Yoga Massage practitioner?" I told him anything this comfortable could never offend me. )
We all eventually got ourselves dressed and into the practice room, and Drisana led us in a lovely hour-long practice that helped all of our yawn-y selves wake up and join the living.
Afterward, they provided a delicious breakfast for us and a chance to chat and get to know each other.
I couldn't stay long, as I did have to get on to Karma Kids, but I am so thankful to have been invited.
Speaking of Karma Kids...I'm off for some Downward Doll Yoga! I'm pretty sure it'll be the cutest thing in the universe.
As I mentioned at the end of my last entry, I was quit honored to be invited to an event called Wake Up with ATHLETA. Bright and early on Tuesday morning, I went to Yoga Sutra studio on 39th (which is a gorgeous space, by the way) and was greeted by several insanely nice and lovely Athleta folk. The other bloggers and I had our pick of several Athleta clothes to wear for the class, taught by one of their models, the lovely Drisana Carey.
Now I have to admit...I had never worn Athleta clothes before Tuesday. For all my love of beautiful yoga-wear, the reality is I have been in massive penny pinching mode for awhile and can no more afford brand name yoga wear right now than I could...well, anything else that isn't food and rent. I have some lululemon clothes I cherish that I have by the grace of a gift card, and some Be Present pants I treated myself to last year. The benefit to "designer" yoga clothes - they can last you a REALLY long time!
So I was very shamelessly and girlishly excited to play fashion show, and I have to say...oh my WORD, their clothes are so unbelievably comfortable. Some yoga clothes can make you feel like you're vacuum sealed in (which makes breathing a bit of a challenge), but these fall on the body so softly it feels like you've got nothing on. I chose for myself the Udaya tank in Vintage Violet and, my new favorite article of clothing of all time ever, the Harem Pants in black. The material is so smooth and soft...it's almost like cotton and silk had a baby and sacrificed it for the supreme joy and bliss of wearing Harem Pants.
(By the way, when I told Marc what they were called, he said, "How are you not offended by that name as a Thai Yoga Massage practitioner?" I told him anything this comfortable could never offend me. )
We all eventually got ourselves dressed and into the practice room, and Drisana led us in a lovely hour-long practice that helped all of our yawn-y selves wake up and join the living.
Chatting pre-class with Drisana (center) and a fellow blogger (left).
Row o' down dogs.
I am absurdly serious here.
Is there anything in the world better than a yummy twist?
Afterward, they provided a delicious breakfast for us and a chance to chat and get to know each other.
DELICIOUS.
I couldn't stay long, as I did have to get on to Karma Kids, but I am so thankful to have been invited.
Speaking of Karma Kids...I'm off for some Downward Doll Yoga! I'm pretty sure it'll be the cutest thing in the universe.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Yoga Fountain of Youth
This is the most amazing article...if you find you need motivation and inspiration on a Monday morning, look no further: "The yoga supergran who can still assume the lotus position...at age 83."
Last week was a great yoga-week. I subbed my first class at the Matrix, my neighborhood gym, and it went really well. I was at Karma Kids a lot, still covering for my beautiful friend and fellow KKY teacher Laura who got married on October 30th. I taught my first Storytime Yoga, which is crazy and fun.
I also, on the subject of yoga keeping you young, was insanely blessed to finally have my one-on-one session with my beloved Thai Yoga Massage teacher, Jyothi. I don't know exactly how young she is, and I'm sure she looks younger than her age, but let me tell you, that woman is FLEXIBLE! She puts her age group to shame, I'm sure. I gave her a 90-minute massage and she critiqued me along the way, and I'm very happy and humble to say that I passed my evaluation with a perfect score. The best part of the one-on-one session? I then got to receive a massage at Jyothi's expert and magical hands. It was like glimpsing heaven!
The next level of my training is in 9 more days, and I can't wait. How appropriate that it's the week before Thanksgiving - what better time to be surrounded by love and light and metta?
That's all for this morning - time to get going on my own work! I'll write again Wednesday though to report all about an event sponsored by Athleta I've been invited to on Tuesday morning for New York bloggers. I was shocked and pleased out of my mind to get the invitation and I can't wait to share the experience!
Happy Monday, everyone! Here's to a beautiful week!
Last week was a great yoga-week. I subbed my first class at the Matrix, my neighborhood gym, and it went really well. I was at Karma Kids a lot, still covering for my beautiful friend and fellow KKY teacher Laura who got married on October 30th. I taught my first Storytime Yoga, which is crazy and fun.
I also, on the subject of yoga keeping you young, was insanely blessed to finally have my one-on-one session with my beloved Thai Yoga Massage teacher, Jyothi. I don't know exactly how young she is, and I'm sure she looks younger than her age, but let me tell you, that woman is FLEXIBLE! She puts her age group to shame, I'm sure. I gave her a 90-minute massage and she critiqued me along the way, and I'm very happy and humble to say that I passed my evaluation with a perfect score. The best part of the one-on-one session? I then got to receive a massage at Jyothi's expert and magical hands. It was like glimpsing heaven!
The next level of my training is in 9 more days, and I can't wait. How appropriate that it's the week before Thanksgiving - what better time to be surrounded by love and light and metta?
That's all for this morning - time to get going on my own work! I'll write again Wednesday though to report all about an event sponsored by Athleta I've been invited to on Tuesday morning for New York bloggers. I was shocked and pleased out of my mind to get the invitation and I can't wait to share the experience!
Happy Monday, everyone! Here's to a beautiful week!
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