Jai Ma

Another amazing week in Asheville. The college newspaper here, The Echo, has chosen me to write a bi weekly wellness article. My column is called The Wellness Cricket, and focuses on what events are on campus, tips on how to stay healthy, any fantastic events coming to Asheville, etc. I feel extremely blessed with this opportunity to make my vision a reality! I could not have made it thus far without all the beautiful people in my life who have helped me along the way. Jai Ma, or as my community at Omega Institute used to say, Bless Up!
I am screening the new movie, YogaWoman at my college complete with ayurvedic dinner. Stay updated for details.
The weather is gorgeous here now that the humidity ceased. Yesterday our soccer team went to Kentucky to play a game, and it was the hottest I think I have ever played in ranking in at nearly 100 degrees. Life here is hectic and worthwhile.
Tip of the Day: Go to your yoga mat, find Child's pose, and give thanks for this day. Offer your practice to all the teachers you have had along the way.

The Wellness Cricket

These 2 weeks have been incredibly inspiring! I am so grateful to be back in college. This evening I was writing in the library for my poetry class (which I love) and looking around at all the students reading all sorts of material. It is a beautiful thing to be in a place of focused students bettering their minds through their studies, nose in the book, brains pumping away to open channels of knowledge and creativity. I have been writing so much (yes, that is my major), more in one week than I have in three years!
My job on campus is more than perfect: I am research assistant to Professor Bob Swoap, an amazing psychology teacher and wellness advocate. He was one of my favorite teachers when I attended school here 3 years ago. He approached me and after discussing my interests and what I have been doing in time away from college (which is wellness/yoga research and experience) invited me to work with him. Thus I have taught my largest yoga class of over 50 students to the men and women's soccer teams (and a few stragglers), coordinated yoga classes with the wellness crew, working on bringing awesome events to campus, researching wellness initiatives, and assisting Bob as he writes a book. Absolutely a manifestation of what I wanted to be doing on campus.
My classes are wonderful (except math, but thats how that goes), and I am thrilled to be here. I do miss Jesse (my boyfriend) and Siva (our pup!) immensely, but we are all doing great and that is what is important.
I am playing soccer again, getting the rust off my cleats so to speak. It has been so awesome playing on a team again! Love the girls, exercise and laughs we have on and off the field. There are some fantastic people on campus.

Tip of the day: Be courageous. Submit an article to a magazine and join a team... Creativity and community are key components to happiness.

Down in the Valley

I have found myself back in the swannanoa valley, North Carolina and wondering what the hell just happened! It has been 3 years since I have seen these mountains, coffee shops, mountain bikes... and it feels like I have spent a lifetime and no time at all now that I am back. Asheville has some great new scenes that I have witnessed thus far including; an awesome bar in the River Arts district that has a huge backyard on the French Broad River with delicious beer, and the Asheville Community Yoga Center. All classes (and there are many with all types) are donation based that goes right back to the studio. Michael is the owner, a very enthusiastic yogi about not paying for yoga and that his studio is doing very well and looking to expand. My thought is that they should be paying the instructors a bit, but it is nice that the students do not have to pay if they cannot. Beautiful space to practice.
I had the physical trainer here look at my knee, which he proceeded to put pressure on my knee and make me push up or down left or right. I could not do it with my left leg, but my right could. However, when he pressed down on certain points in my belly it was like magic and my leg could do whatever! More updates about how this process goes, pretty amazing stuff.

It has been thunderstorms every afternoon. Very different weather than Berkeley.
I have also been hanging out with a dear friend who graduated WWC last year, and she is leaving today. So grateful to have had that while I am back in a new place trying to plant my feet down.

Tip of the day: Go take a dip into a river.

360 Degrees back to Asheville

The truth of the matter is before me- Asheville, NC is two days away! I have decided to join the soccer team (yes, it has been 5 years!) and have high hopes for a beautiful connection with teammates, love of the game, kick myself into even better shape, and not blowing my knee out along the way. That being said, I am also the yoga teacher for the team! Each Wednesday will be a power yoga class for the 20 ladies, and maybe I will teach to the other sports teams as well.
Exciting times ahead! I am thrilled to be back in school. This flow of life was unexpected: to leave California, be back at Warren Wilson, to take some space in my relationship, for my dog to be with my parents until December... and I am so grateful for it all.
I miss teaching yoga, and feel bliss to know I am to teach Off the Mat into the World at school. Creating grounded leaders to inspire the world is an opportunity to be taken seriously.
I have decided with my new schedule that I will update this blog from here on out every Sunday- mark it in your calendars! Blurbs about my life, how I perceive the world and challenges to come, and tips to stay grounded.

Tip of the day: Write something, even if you are not the next James Joyce.

Inspiration and Peace on the Path

Fireworks have been going off in my head about my new direction in life. I went back to Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck,NY (where I worked 4 years ago) to participate in Seane Corn's workshop Off the Mat Into the World. It was a trip to be roaming again on the Omega campus, where my life was enriched with life as yoga years ago. Now again I am back to reboot my life as yoga- this time through true meaning. I have been practicing and committing fully for the past 4 years to study the 8 limbs of yoga. The last 3 I have also been teaching, which has been an incredible journey. Now I find myself back in the seat of the student, and am completely humbled and grateful for this opportunity. A boddhistava is one who dedicates their life to service and helping others; the most famous being Gandhi,Wavy Gravy, Martin Luther King Jr, Jesus, etc...This is the path I vow to embark on. I will be teaching yoga and service, the mission of Off the Mat, at Warren Wilson College this fall where  I will study as a full time student. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but my vision for life bright and fulfilling. I will be writing about my life as a yoga student, teacher, and conscious activist on this blog and hopefully many publications to come. There is so much work to be done, so many flowers to smell and paths to walk, the light is so bright for many years to come. So much gratitude to all my teachers and friends in my life.
Tip of the day: Go watch the new Wavy Gravy video and take a Kripalu yoga class. Also, give some love to a friend in need.

Boston yoga and Amma

2 highlights of the week: Master class with Natasha Rizpolous at Back Bay Yoga and attending the Amma experience. My friend and fellow yogi Vito Napolitano (teacher at many studios in the Boston area including Kismet Wellness in Andover, where I sub for the summer) told me about Natasha and highly recommended her class. On Friday I took the train into Boston to Back Bay Yoga. The studio is located right off the T and in the upstairs to a nondescript building. The room we were in was really long, and not as wide, with a beautiful statue of Shiva. The class was 2 hours, not heated, with about 50 students in attendance. Natasha is in her 40s or 50s, a very well practiced yogi who has spent years studying and practicing alignment. Her class reminded me of Kofi Busia, which made me so happy. I also corrected my up dog (make SURE your wrists are under your shoulders, not pitched forward like mine = really sore wrists). No music, all yoga. Loved it.

My other highlight is Amma, the hugging saint from India. I have heard great stories about her from several of my friends, and she was in Boxboro, MA yesterday, just 30 minutes from my house. It was certainly a sight! I arrived early to wait in line next to the chlorine filled pool at the Holiday Inn. Half an hour later I was inside the huge function room with booths of clothing, jewelery, Amma dolls etc. We received tokens to wait our turn to hug the saint. A half hour later Amma came in and sat on the stage on a cushion where she would stay for 6 hours without a break while she hugs people. We opened with a short meditation and then commenced the hugs. I was N1, which meant I waited for about 2 hours until it was my turn. I walked around outside, laid down in the grass, looked at stuff for sale. I did find it ironic that there were clothes for sale when she advocates for buying only one outfit a year. The crowd there was interesting to say the least. Some cool folks, but also a lot of Indian families, and a plethora of middle aged white women. I was skeptical of the hug- I almost left a few times. However my turn arrived and I waited in line and came up to her where her helpers sat me down on a chair and pushed me into her bosom. She smelled AMAZING because they brushed some stuff on her before each hug.
I melted. Literally as soon as I touched her I felt like I was melting into her and my judgment of time was gone, my judgment of her dissipated and I felt wrapped in a love so great my heart ached for her as soon as my turn was up. She put a hershey kiss in my mouth that honestly was the most amazing thing I have eaten. As soon as you see her, smiles abound. As soon as you touch her, you melt.
After that I made a donation to her funds (of which there are thousands of communities she helps including orphanages, educations, building houses, etc. Check it out) and got a delicious Indian lunch.

Great day. This next week I am working at Beyond Soccer teaching at risk youth the love of soccer and moving your body. Of course, the forecast is nearly 100 each day this week.

Tip of the week: Give someone you love a huge, heartfelt hug. And go take an alignment focused yoga class, it will help prevent injuries.

Post Kripalu blues!

I woke up this morning ready to go to  630 am yoga followed by a simple breakfast in silence. I opened my eyes to remember I was not at Kripalu anymore (www.kripalu.org). I spent this past weekend participating in Toni Bergins and Wah!'s "Divine Journey: A Weekend of Journey Dance and Chanting". The name of the workshop captures most of what it was; a divine journey. Two yoga classes daily, dancing and chanting, eating DELICIOUS veggies, and spending time with my mother. It is so beautiful to be able to share and enjoy yoga, dance and chant. Kripalu yoga is wonderful I highly recommend attending a workshop or Rest and Relaxation (no workshop, you simply get to enjoy being there and the daily classes offered which include yoga, Qi Gong, art, etc). The yoga follows the tradition of Swami Kripalu: 3 levels offered of gentle, moderate (with meditation) and vigorous. I chose vigorous every time because it was the right level for me, and the classes included pranayama, a few chattarungas, and an intelligently sequenced quickly paced flow. Each class had a peak posture, and the class built the foundation to get to it. Very solid classes, hour and 15 minutes.

Toni Bergins, creator of Journey Dance, is an amazing dancer, person and friend to all. I fully support her mission to "make everyone fall in love with each other". Love love love her and dancing with her.
Wah! is a character for sure, a yogi and amazing voice. She played bass and harmonium.

I also met Donna who has the clothing line B by Donna M (http://www.bbydonnam.com//home.aspx). She is a really sweet woman who lives in Venice (was there for the start of the yoga superstars Bryan Kest, Seane Corn, etc) and was visiting Kripalu with her clothing line for sale. Organic, chic and made in California. Definitely cute clothes, and good people to support. She will be at Omega next week selling her clothes, check it out Omegans!

Definitely missing Kripalu! Will return for sure.