The Sweetest Thing

"My dear friend and mentor, Seane Corn, once told me, “I wish you plenty of pain.” Once I got past the “but I thought we were friends” reaction, she explained what she meant. Pain and injury are what allows us to grow. If we were to skate through life without a care, we would breeze past so many beautiful nuances that make us who we are. It’s the pain and struggle that give us power and stability; the strongest trees bear the deepest roots and can endure anything. So in that sense, injury isn’t always this dark angel out to get us—often it’s the perfect recipe for allowing us to experience empathy, growth, and compassion." -Kathryn Budig about Seane Corn

This past week was full of surprises that threw me off balance, stressed me out, and made me feel slighted. It is easy to get caught up in the drama of life, to feel like a tornado picked you up and spiraled you into chaos. It is also normal to wonder why certain things happen to us. Why did that person treat me that way? Why did this negative interaction happen? But here it is, laid out by 2 of my mentors. It is through these moments that we grow, that we learn and move forward as a stronger and better person. After the emotional torrent passes a bit, or maybe in the morning, your eyes can feel a little softer and your brow relaxes a bit. Every moment is for you to understand another aspect of people, interactions, and overall, life. It is a matter of perception and compassion for the self and others. Whether you are experiencing an emotional or physical injury keep in mind that it is just another moment to learn from. We are all here to support one another through it.

This week when I was teaching (I teach in a big space on campus) my dog decided the best place to lay down was on my mat. It was hilarious, he would not move.The small moments that make you smile are sometimes the sweetest thing.

Tip of the Week: Think of what 'injury' you are are working through. Spend a few minutes to cultivate strength through the pain. Then, go do something that makes you a happier person!

Let the Good Times Roll

Life can easily pile up on your plate, and though you want to digest everything, there is point where stopping is necessary. This week reminded me what I have in store: a full schedule teaching power yoga workshops in myrtle beach for spring break (posted below!), instructing yoga teacher training this semester, 18 credit class load, writing for a few different places, taking care of my pup...and oh yeah, going to the gym, practicing yoga, spending time with friends. You know, those commodities. In Savasana today after yoga my mind would not stop making plans. No matter what breathing technique I used, relaxation method, etc, my mind was rolling on my schedule. Interestingly enough, I went to a power yoga class and the teacher was absent so a sub stepped into the room. It was a very, very slow class. I wanted it to speed up! Why is this? Maybe because I feel like if I rush through my yoga practice I am that much closer to completing my schedule. But then, aren't I missing the point of yoga? I wonder if the yogis up in the himalayas have a schedule like mine. Non stop. Luckily it is full of wonderful things, and I am so lucky to be able to do so much with my life. I think sometimes city life still roars throughout my body and mind even though I live in the mountains now. Well now, isn't that just the darndest thing. I try to leave the city, and I bring it with me. It is certainly a practice to review one's schedule with deep breaths and to live in the moment of each item on the list. It reminds me of a poem I wrote a few months ago. Goes like this:

Thoughts by the Stream

Time rolls forward and I’m stuck in it
like gravel in a tire, we move on.
Driven attempts to to reach out my hand, and
stop traffic but the Sun also rises.

Sometimes it is all right when the leaves float
down the stream and the hours pass me by
and the tasks before me sit on a shelf
collecting dust as the Day becomes Dusk.

My body refreshed and eyes lift up
white clouds paint a blue backdrop, and I walk
beside the trees all fear drip drops away
the crisp wind catches my breath and time ticks.

Steamy tea warms my face and I breathe soft
the cows scream for their babes, who’ve been taken
my pen lurks over a blank striped sheet and
I smile at the beauty of it all.

March15-  6~7:30 Advanced Power Vinyasa with Inversions and Arm Balances

This class will make you sweat. A steady practice of a year is encouraged to be able to participate fully and enjoy the challenging asanas. We will workshop inversions and arm balances using the wall and each other for support. This is the class to come with questions about making it up into handstand, if your low back hurts in wheel, etc. Will be a fun, sweaty flow set to music!

March 16- Classes 9:30-10:45 Corepower Vinyasa Class 

All level power vinyasa class focused on abdominal work and the benefit using your core in each pose.

12-1    Hot Vinyasa  with Twists to Detox

Heat is a tool we can use in yoga to go deeper into a pose and detoxify the body. Detoxifying flow with lots of twists and forward folds.

5:30-7pm   TagTeam Teach ~ Yoga Fusion Vinyasa

On the Road Again

3 of my favorite people eating the most delicious food at Life Alive Urban Oasis in Lowell.

Wake up call- it is Sunday. Tomorrow I drive back to Asheville!! Luckily I will be stopping in Richmond, VA to see my good friend Noah, have a beer and then continue on to North Carolina Tuesday morning. This will be a very different semester. I will have my pup with me again, which is AMAZING but definitely adds some finagling to make sure I am spending as much time with him as possible. He will certainly miss being he head honcho of the huge house in Andover and spending time with Grandpa and Grandma. However, it is time to be reunited. On another note, I have an 18 credit semester ahead of me full of journalism, poetry, philosophy, human bio, and grammar. Oy! Will be a lot of work, but I am finally doing exactly what I love. Studying for hours on the work that means something to me, and that I will be able to give back to everyone else. Education is a beautiful thing. 2012 will be a year of cleansing for me. I am working hard to maintain my yoga practice and trips to the gym, bicycling, running, hanging out with friends, making good choices... I am excited for what is ahead, grateful for what I have, and blessed with the past. Boston, I will miss you. Family, you are the best.

Tip of the Week: Go drink a smoothie with spirulina. It is delicious and healthy.

ALSO: Check out my new gig blogging for Carolina Power Yoga- I will be updating every Friday. www.carolinapoweryoga.blogspot.com

Resolutions- but really?

The current issue of Yoga Journal peaked my interest. Instead of reading the suggestions for a healthier you and saying "Yeah, I know about that", I actually took charge and completed the prompts. Elena Brower suggested writing out all your doubts. This was an interesting concept because I was always told not to write down doubts because you are putting it out into the universe and it could come true. But there is a flip side to that. What if you are ignoring your doubts, ignoring the shadow part of your self? Intrigued, I wrote down my list of fears. Then, taking the man who made Lululemon's advice, I wrote down all my intentions. Interesting enough, my goals are my fears. This reminds me of the quote by Marianne Williamson:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?"

This year I am making resolutions that I have mapped out to attain. What are you doing? And are you truly believing in it?