Not necessarily in that order...

Caught

I just got caught by my regular Yoga instructor, skipping his class and coming from another class. The worst part about it is, the class I went to wasn't really for me. ::Le Sigh::

My first acupuncture needle

I needled my classmate today and she needled me. I am pretty sure we both missed the actual acupoint but it was pretty fun! I want to do it again!!!!!! Super addicted.

The Leave-It-At-Home Practice.

Have you ever left your cell phone at home by accident? The panic hits when you realize it and you feel that drop in your chest. Sometimes I get pissed and most of the time I just live with it...because its actually no big. You continue to go about your day and there is something refreshing about not having to check your phone for texts, emails or even the time. I go about my day with no agenda but what's in front of me. Being so honestly, present.

On a normal day to day this is what I carry around in my purse with me.
(2 sets of flash cards, a book, a wallet, change purse, keys, flash drive, ipod, bottle of alleve, combination lock and lip balm.)

It is absolutely ridiculous, no? Add in sunglasses and a sigg bottle and that's not including my enormous cellphone which I used to take this photo. So I have this practice in which I try to not walk around without ALL my stuff. I am a New Yorker, so don't get me wrong -this is difficult...but when I am going to Yoga class early in the morning I leave my cellphone behind. Sometimes a random lunchtime stroll without the cellphone feels totally amazing. I go for runs with nothing but my door key and ipod. Its complete and utter "me" time. Whatever it is that is happening on the cellphone and email can wait! How else did we used to go about our lives in the 90's right? We still made it...and we can do it now. Or at least practice it even for just an hour. So practice leaving "it" whatever that may be...your purse, man purse, ipad, crackberry, iphone or cellphone. You can survive without it, trust me.

Revisiting the Yoga Sammich

Normally, I do a Yoga Sammich once in a blue moon. Lately, I have been doing them a couple of times a week. Last week I practiced as many as 4 Yoga sammiches!

Practicing them more often, I notice how not only do they make my practices feel deeper, they make whatever I do in between feel more significant. Things that happen in between may only been having tea and reading a book or dropping packages off at the post office but they feel lighter and brighter. My actions come with more ease and I also feel less of an inclination towards being an angry New Yorker. There is a major calming effect that is more intense than just taking a single Yoga class. Try a Yoga Sammich and see how it makes your "in between" feel!

Is it my practice or your practice?

Yogatude is so ugly. People like this idea of being open but sometimes they really want validation. Which is totally cool except when it becomes something that is imposing onto other people. I find in Yoga studios and communities often, instructors who are imposing. This is one of the ugly things about Yoga. Although it is not really "Yoga" but something that people wrongfully manifest as Yoga. I find instructors who really just want people to listen to them. They want to be able to command people and have people follow what they say. What part of instructing does it become the teacher's practice more than the students? I think it can be a fine line and different for everyone.

I find this is what makes me not the greatest Yoga teacher. I truly do not want to make my classes be about me and how I am feeling and what I want to teach people but I try to mold the classes to the wants and needs of the class, which is difficult as its different everytime. Don't get me wrong I sometimes spend too much of a class in my head wondering if people like it, and maybe not enough of my energy towards the people themselves. Too much me and not enough them. Ultimately I want people to have an awesome hour to themselves and feel good afterwards. But if they can't parallel their feet in wheel pose perfectly after I mention it, am I going to keep pushing it? No. If someone can't square their hips off in Warrior I should I force their hips that way? No. Everyone's downward dog looks different and I don't believe I should make theirs look the way I want it to look or the way I want it to be. Where is the line of instructors taking the practice away from their students? On the flip side of this, like I mentioned before maybe this is what makes me OK at teaching Yoga and not great at it. I don't like to think of myself as a leader but as someone that can guide people. The importance in teaching Yoga for me is to guide people to the place where they can heal themselves.

Things to meditate on over the long weekend.

Giving.Receiving.Taking.Value.

Yoga in Times Sq Part 2

Yoga in Times Sq for Summer Solstice webcasts!

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Giving, Receiving, Taking and Value

I always struggle with all 4 of these things in different ways.

Giving is one of the things I rely most on in order to convey to someone that I care. I really feel fulfilled when I know I gave someone something that they really needed, really wanted or just the act of me giving made them feel good. It's super gratifying.

Receiving is sometimes awkward for me. I don't need most things generally and I am pretty close to becoming a hoarder so I REALLY don't need most things. Receiving in even complements or favors is sometimes weird to me. I know that most of the time from friends and family that it comes from a good place but its always uncomfortable for me for some reason. I have worked on this considerably,

Taking is even more uncomfortable. I don't feel comfortable from most people to take something without asking, giving back or paying for it. Maybe with immediate family.

Value is to me so many things. I value my friendships, my own time, what I do, the universe and myself.

Here is where I feel things get confused. When I give its on my own terms, and because I am polite and don't ask for things in return it does not mean there is no value to my favors or gifts. How do I continue to be myself -in wanting to give, without being taken advantage of and also being devalued? Giving so much to people, they return it by devaluing what you do.

YOGA SAMMICH

A YOGA SAMMICH is when you sammich activities or things throughout the day in between 2 yoga practices. Today I sammiched my morning errands between two awesome and pretty challenging Yoga classes. You can sammich the whole day (I did that on Friday) OR you can sammich just a couple of hours.

You can also do a DOUBLE yoga. Which is doing 2 classes back to back.

Both often leads to extremely open hips and sore chattarunga arms. Lots of childs poses are a good thing!

After my Yoga Sammich I treated myself to POP burger sliders. And on that note...orchids in Flatiron District...