Month: December 2016

Things change

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So, today I was talking to one of my friends who also comes to my yoga class, and I was asking her what makes her keep going on her personal yoga journey.  She said a few things that were interesting to me, but she also said that she likes it when I say, “try it on the other side, the other side could be different”.  We chatted about that for a bit, and it’s really true.  One side may be easier from the other, and what’s more, what is hard or where it is difficult may change from day to day.  For example, a balance pose may work on your left side, but not on your right.  And, another day, it may be beautiful on your right, but not on your left.

Now, this may seem obvious to some of you, but we can really apply this advice to life also.  One time, having a house full of children will be easy, and another time miserable.  Sometimes dinner pans out great, another time, it may be uninspiring.  You can’t judge it from one experience, because as my friend Kyczy says, (paraphrased a lot here) our best will be contingent on the sleep we’ve had, the food we’ve eaten, and a million other factors depending on the day and the task at hand.

So, let’s be compassionate with ourselves and one another, and give ourselves the space to not have to be perfect each and every day.  Sometimes, our bodies may be stiff, sometimes our minds will wander, and sometimes, we just didn’t sleep enough or we’ve had bad luck.  In your yoga practice, learn to give yourself the room to grow and put the ego aside enough to do something even when it’s hard or unsuccessful, and maybe, with time, this compassion will extend to other areas of self-care in your life.

December News

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The last few weeks have been nuts.  Colds, fevers, stomach flus, relatives, and…I’ve signed up to go back to school!  I am going to become a certified Yoga Therapist through the Niroga Institute, which basically means that I’m still a yoga teacher, but I am going to undergo some really in-depth training (about 5 times more than I currently have), which will take two years, and give me some deep anatomical knowledge and more understanding about how to work with people with special conditions.  Some examples of jobs Yoga Therapists do are specializing in yoga for people with cancer, chronic pain, PTSD, Trauma, addiction or those with learning or behavioral disorders.  The more I read about the possibilities of who I could help, the more excited I get about it.  The possibilities are endless…and friends, I do believe that yoga can heal the world.  It can’t fix our problems, but it can certainly help to put them in perspective.

Last week, I was subbing a class for someone, and the homily I led with was from a quote by Judith Lasater, and paraphrased, it said something like “when we have expectations, we can’t see things for how they really are.”  So much of our suffering has to do with how us less enlightened people ascribe so much expectation to how things should be, or how we think they are, for good or for ill.  Yoga can’t fix our current realities, but more mindfulness, more seeing the truth and being present, more conscious breathing and being in the right now could go a long way.

In addition, next month I will be adding two more classes at Willow Glen Yoga, teaching Level 1 Beginner’s Yoga (Yoga Basics) a total of three times a week, which is exciting.  If you think you’d like to come to a class, but are nervous (or know someone who would like to try, but is unsure), you can email me.  I am always happy to answer any questions.  And moving forward, my knowledge base is going to be growing, so I can always find better ways to serve my students.  Thanks to all of you.  And, if you are launching into a new and awesome venture, or if you’ve managed to break through your expectations, let me know about it in the comments.