Seven people showed up for morning yoga on this warm Saturday morning, and 12 showed up at 5:30. It was a stellar day: sunny, highs in the 70s. I would have had a hard time showing up on such a splendid day, but they didn’t.
It is hard to wake up, I must say, mainly because I can’t get to bed early enough. Energy management is THE issue. Ran 6 miles after yoga, walked Boomer, went up to the softball game for awhile, then taught the 5:30 class. Pigeon was featured. (Love Pigeon.)
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and Brenna is teaching both classes. I am excited. I have never experienced her class, but I like her. She makes a point to talk to people before class. She knows lots of my yogarians already and we are clear on what’s really important about teaching yoga. I told her about what Swami Kripalu said when he came to the ashram in Sumneytown. He said: “I have not come here to teach you, I have come here to love you. And the love will teach you.”
I’m not so concerned with perfect poses. I am absolutely concerned with the health, vitality and the well-being of he people who come to practice. I think Brenna and I are on the same page in that regard.
I am going to sleep in tomorrow and then make the 5:30 class. I will get to TAKE CLASS!
What a gift.
Inspiration Location 
I received your e-mail about the “Virtual Yoga Challenge” on Thursday. I’ve been feeling rather disconnected from my body, and I reflected on the past and it was yoga that helped get me through.
Today I did 20 minutes in my parent’s living room in Watkins Glen, Ny. I’ve been doing the Sun Salutations and developing a love/hate relationship with the “downward facing dog.”
It’s day three, and I’m noticing something important: I’m moving with my body and not fighting my body. I love it!
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Morgan! That’s awesome! Should I put your name on the chart?? (say YES!)
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Yes, please do!
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30 minutes yesterday, before the craziness of the day began. Did Kath’s default workout. My shoulders and neck we much more relaxed than they would have been otherwise. I was outside at about 8:30 am in some Virgina sunshine with trees and dogs to keep me company. I didn’t need recorded music, I could hear real birds. *sigh*
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**sigh** birdsong and yoga…it really doesn’t get any better, does it?
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Yesterday I did Ashtanga, series A and B I believe. It was wonderful. The room was 80 glorious degrees of pure sunlight with the windows open letting in the hint of ugh, bus fumes. No beautiful mountainous landscapes for me, just helicopters and rush hour. Eventually however, my breathing drowned out the chaos and I was completely focused on movement. On re-awakening. On breath. Today, continuing my intent of re-awakening I went down the list, holding each pose for a minimum of ten breaths, focusing on each tendon and nerve, removing each spiderweb with breath. My spring cleaning.
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Omg. That was beautiful. You are not only a beautiful yogini, you are a poet!
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Not extremely motivated today, but I convinced myself to roll out the mat. Did down dog, dog split, gate, and I am finding that I do not always rememder names of poses…
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Corrin, My teacher told us a story about Iyengar. When he was asked about all how he learned all the poses in his book, “Light On Yoga”, he said, “I didn’t learn them, I made them up!”
No worries about the names, just move and if you don’t have a name for it, make it up!!
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Got in 40 minutes yesterday, good hour+ today. Slow and steady.
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..wins the race. Rock it!
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Blessings to you, Kath, and to all the Yoga Challenge Yogarians on this Day 4 … April 4th …
I’m really enjoying knowing others are likewise engaged in this & also reading their posts – little boosts of inspiration!
30 min., 7:15-7:45, facing West, watching the sun set on the front porch … slower, easier, gentler yoga today as I came down with a cold last night! … Kath, what’s up with that? I’m wondering if I am squeeeezing out toxins? opening up some spaces? … I am trying to embrace this cold as a positive sign of something!!! … I don’t have allergies, so I don’t think it is that issue … or is this just a coincidence? (there are no coincidences!) …or, possibly Resistance is trying to kick my ass because it knows a serious change is afoot?? … your thoughts?? guidance?? … I believe I need to surely be drinking more water! …
Anyway, I love the fact that yoga is exercise you can still do even when you are not feeling fully up-to-par! It’s so easy to modify it … and, as always, once you just get-on-the-mat and do-it, you FEEL BETTER! YEAH!
* joys during yoga: drinking a half-glass of water mid-way through the work-out while in butterfly pose (fluttering) … adding thread-the-needle (I kept forgetting that!) & lion! (I read that lion, bow & cat are good poses when you are having a cold? is this true? any others?)
* joys after yoga: receiving a bunny sticker from Aria for my progress-calendar; the bunny looks to be in a yoga pose! … hearing her attempt to kick her father off the computer by saying, “Mommy needs to get on there and report to her Yogamama!!!”
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Love this!!! Love the vividness of your description of your practice. Don’t worry about your cold. When I have cold or a headache or an injury I just tell myself: “Today I am doing the Yoga of Injury or The Yoga of the Cold or the Yoga of a Bad Mood. Everyday your practice will be different. There are so many ways to do your yoga!!
(And way to go, Aria! You tell your Dad! Yogamama will not be refused!
(heh)
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