Choose To Make More Beauty

Being on modified bed rest has been a great opportunity (looking for the good) to go through old yoga notes. Yesterday I was reading my notes from the Anusara-Inspired teachers gathering in Tahoe during Wanderlust, during it John Friend said, “Every day we get to choose to make more beauty, to make more light, to bring more love into the world, or not”. This really stood out to me. We have a choice! Meaning we can choose to bring more beauty + light + love into the world or we can choose to bring more ugliness + darkness + hate into the world. I hadn't thought about the flip slide of this before. I just thought laa dee daa I am bringing more beauty into the world. I didn't think that all those times I don't feel good, don't hold the door open for someone, flip someone off driving, make rude judgemental mental comments in my head at the market, gossip with friends about someone, be in self pity, or just leave the house in a bad mood. In all those examples I am choosing to negatively impact the world we live in and share.

This made me think about emissions. We are all emitting energy all the time, it is often called our aura or the energy field that surrounds our body. Think about what it feels like to be physically close to someone who is happy and how it makes you feel to just being near them. Now imagine what it would feel like if that person was sad, or angry. The energy they are emitting and you are experiencing just from being in their field is drastically different. In this way just by choosing our attitude we are choosing to either add more love + joy + enthusiasm to the world or we are choosing to add more  hate + sadness + angry to the world. (Not to say we should never experience these feelings it is healthy to experience the full spectrum of emotions but not healthy to stew in it... another topic for another post.)

When I think of things that emit in a way that brings more beauty and love into the world I think of the sun, artists, flowers, happy dogs, color full leaves, rainbows... when I think of things that pollute the world I think of smoke stacks, cars, oil spills, garbage, cigarette smoke.... Which do you want to be? I want to be a bright flower that makes people smile + feel better.

WHAT ARE YOU EMITTING?

 OR...

This simple yet profound teaching has struck a chord in my heart and now I am so much more aware every time I open my mouth to speak (or sometimes too late, and I notice it after I have already spoken...change comes at first with awareness).  I am a big fan of the gratitude practices, of writing in my journal, often at night, a list of things I am grateful for. I do this especially when I am feeling sorry for myself. Well I am starting a new practice! A Shri (beauty) practice! I write down how I added beauty + light + love to the word for the day. It has been making me feel really good to look at the list and brings happiness to my heart as participate in creating a happy earth for all. I invite each of you to become more conscious of the ways that you contribute more beauty to the world each day.

Look, touch, speak, and breathe beauty!

Definitions:
E·mits: To give or send out (matter or energy).
pol·lu·tion: The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.

Practice.

I have been practicing a lot lately. As my head and my heart have felt heavy with gossip on all social mediums regarding Anusara. Practicing has helped a lot. It gets me out of my head, off the computer, into my body, and into the practice that has transformed me in so many ways. I try to remind myself that the universe doesn't give me more then I can handle, and as long as I walk through the many feeling instead of around them I believe that this process will continue to teach me and assist in my  healing. It almost feels like a test can I still practice the principles: open, hold fast, go in, anchor, and extend out to help others during these trying times. 

My practice on the mat has been full of passion. Passion to hold steady, to go deep inside and remember why I practice and the many blessings that has happened as a result. The way I have taught this week has also been full of passion too. I want so badly for the students to be able to move past the labels, the confusion and instead move deep into the practice.

The hardest thing for me has been to see so many of the senior anusara teachers that I have studied with on-line via blogs, yogaglo, tele-courses... and local anusara teachers who I have learned the method from leave. I have also seen so many teachers come together together, it has encouraged people to turn inside, because although we can stand together we each have to individually turn in and see what is right for us.

Certified Anusara Teacher Abby Tucker's write on face book "I feel this with all I am. Anusara is a Shakti. It is not a man, not an organization, not even a method. It is a pulsation of energy. Align to that!"

This past week I subbed three classes for my teacher Adam while he was in Montana teaching an immersion. I felt really confident teaching for him and got lots of positive feedback all the classes. I have been studying, practicing, reading, journalling... all these things i have been doing are improving my teaching and people can tell!

Namaste

Namaste is said in greeting and in parting in India and Nepal. It is also said frequently in the yoga community often at the end of a yoga asana classes. I often translate Namaste to mean "the divine light in me bow to and honors the same divine light in you". 

As a yoga student and a yoga teacher I have been saying this sacred word to students and teachers for many years. But recently it has been feeling more meaningful ripe with appreciation. When I say namaste and bow my head to my teacher I think "I am so grateful grateful grateful to you and everything I have learned from you." I pause in full thanks for the teacher and for the tradition of yoga that has been passed down though the years. When I bow my head to my students I go through each student and silently say the students name, cultivate gratitude for them, and send them a personalized prayer wishing them well.

Here is a fun story I came upon doing research on Namaste:

Einstein would read the newsreels fascinated and intrigued by Gandhi, who often had his hands folded in front of his heart (anjali mudra). Einstein wrote Gandhi to ask what he was saying and Gandhi responded, Namaste. Einstein again wrote inquiring what that word meant. Gandhi responded, "I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the place in you of light, love, truth, peace and wisdom. I honor the place in you where, when you are in that place, and I am in that place, there is only one of us". How wonderful that these two great minds were drawn together by this word!

Light

There is a light inside of us that is always shining that can never be diminished and is NOT dependent on anything. I often think that my past behaviors have lessened or extinguished my light, but that is not the Truth. Nothing I could ever do could lessen the light inside of my heart. This is one of the many gift the practice has given me. I can now see that I have a light that is always shining peace, bliss, and love. I know that the light is within me even on my most depressed horribly tragic days. I have yet to be feeling miserable and say to myself "how about you just shift to feeling the peace and bliss inside yourself" and than I whala! am happy, however I do remind myself of this although I still experience the variety of emotions I still know what resides inside of me.

Christina Sell used a great example of money, "You can take a dollar bill, crumple it up, stomp on it and even send it through the washer, and still that dollar bill maintains its value. So, too, as we examine our own history and the ways we may have been crumpled, stomped on and put through the rinse cycle more than a few times and still we remain valuable." This brings me comfort!

I used the example of a lamp while teaching this week. The light bulb shines light and emits a radiant brightness. There is a shade to cover the bulb which makes the light appear less bright. I like to think of the shade as my mood. What commonly happens is I miss my light and connect instead with my mood. When I am sad I connect with that sad feeling. When I am happy I connect with that happy feeling. When I just see the shade my mood bounces around like a ball in a pin ball machine. I am learning to see that the light is always present shining behind my mood, and to recognize and start connecting with the light more. When I am practicing this I remain more stable because instead of hoping around from lamp shade to lamp shade I am connecting to the essence of the light bulb that shines behind any color of shade.

This reminds me of the last two lines of the Anusara Invocation + translation from JF:

Nisprapancaya Shantaya

Niralambaya Tejase

Is never absent, full of peace

Ultimately free and sparkles with a divine luster

LIGHT- Elena Brower Speakeasy at Wanderlust VA in 2011

This is one of the most amazing talks I have watched. I love Elena Brower. She teaches truth. She talks about things I experience but am to afriad to say.

Leaving behind in 2011 and heading towards in 2012 + mantras

The end of one year and the start of the next calender year is a good time to contemplate on the past looking at what you want to let go of and leave behind in 2011 ("from") as well as what you want to cultivate and head towards in 2012 ("to").

My to and from's:
from selfish to selfless service
from impatience to patience
from my will to god's will (opening to GRACE)
from lies to true
from fear to vulnerability
from flightiness to steadiness
from drinking to sobriety
from self hate to self LOVE
from yoga to ANUSARA-INSPIRED yoga teacher

One of my favorite people and teachers Elena Brower's to and from's:
from being a slave to my memory - to REMEMBRANCE of my Divinity
from Commentary to Effortless Vortex
from Everything 'Yoga' to Making Space for New Understanding
from Temperamental Tripper to Brilliant Calm
from Defenses to Softness
(Want more of Elena? Check out art of attention and her mindful smack video blog)

While you are thinking moving from and to here are two mantras to use that Adam Ballenger taught this morning in his class.

To let go of. This mantra can be used with something specific in mind or in general:
Om Pat Swaha Swaha Swaha

To cultivate. This mantra is used with something specific in mind:
Namah Shivaya Namah Shivaya Namah Shivaya Namo Namaha

Finished Anusara Teacher Training-- My final project-- tears

I just finished Anusara Teacher Training with Adam Ballenger. Wow happy it is done. These past few weeks I felt very stressed and overwhelmed. I talked to a friend about how I put so much pressure on myself, she reminded me that teaching is a refining practice. That no one expects me to teach the perfect Anusara class, so I should give myself a break. Our final project for TT was to plan a 90 minute class, with a apex pose, a principle of emphasis (P.O.E), and a heart quality. It was a different experience for me. Normally I come up with the class planing the day of or day before I teach. Inspired by my own practice, something I have learned, an experience I had.. So it was different to be planning a class for two months.

At the beginning of the teacher training we talked about our strengths as a teacher. Adam encouraged us to teach from our strength another quality. For example some of my strengths are that I am fun, fiery, and playful. It is easier for me to teach these kinds of classes. Adam said it would be really powerful if I can learn to teach a more serious, or grounded kind of class from my strengths. Not that I would let go of my strengths I don't know if I could let go of my playful attitude if I tried. But Adams point was it would make me a more powerful teachers. I thought hard about this as I planned my final project.

I decided on kindness for my heat quality. Working from the personal to the universal, in the beginning of class I said that it takes effort for me to be kind to myself. that it is much easier for me to be self criticizing, judgemental and rude to myself. However in my experience when I put effort into being my friend rather then being my enemy my life feels lie it goes more smoothly, I am a happier person, and I interact with others in a more meaningful way. I game an example of looking in a mirror, saying "do you look at your reflection like an enemy or a best friend. I would never say some of the things I say to myself that I would say to my friend."

My principle of emphasis was shins in thighs out. The effort to be kind to yourself is shins in. The outer shin muscle tends to be a lot weaker then the inner shin muscles so we used our awareness and effort to engage what I was calling "our kindness muscle" which are really the peroneus longus and peroneus brevis muscles. (These muscles pull the foot outward when we spread our fourth and fitht toes.) The first poses I taught was all about getting the students to experience this action, of shins in.  After that was established I started to teach them how with the resistance of shins in they can broaden their thighs out. Just like we only get the expansion and self softening when we put effort in being to being kind to our self. When I am my worst enemy I experience a contraction and a hardening of myself, when I am kind to myself I experience a softening and an expansion.

In one of the many pages of notes I created thinking up this class I had written in big letters. HOME RUN! Where am I going to nail the link of kindness to S.I.T.O? Most of the class my link was emotional but I also wanted to make a literal link of the theme to the heart quality. Adam loves the literal links. My home run was: I pointed out that doing S.I.T.O is a very therapeutic and kind thing you can do for your knees, hips, and low back. (My critique in the end was to link it more, explaining why it is therapeutic. When you draw the shins in and widen the thighs you are aligning the knees in such a great way and you are training your body to be able to hold that alignment. This therapeutic alignment also creates space in the hips and low back that rarely gets the chance to move and often becomes fussed (non movement possible) with age).

The apex pose was parvrita ardha chandrasana chapasana. We moved through some Surya Namaskars while squeezing a block between the shins. Did some lunges. We moved to the wall to get our quads really open, Did splits up the wall and splits on the floor with the foot pushing into the baseboard. We got the hips, legs, shoulders way open.

I had planned planned planned (my main mistake thinking I could be perfect). As the final teacher training approached the more nervous I became. When it was my turn to teach I felt myself freeze up. I have been teaching yoga for five years and have built up some confidence as my role of the yoga teacher. But teaching to a group of teachers and teaching to my main teacher, Adam, was hard for me. As I taught I could feel part of myself go into auto pilot. One of my main auto pilot modes it teaching commentaries instead of actions:

•  arms circle out around and up vs. reach your arms out around and up
• hands frame the foot vs. place your hands so they frame your foot
• feet move back as you lower down chataranga vs. step your feet back, bend your elbows and lower down

After I taught the class and got feedback. I did good at: giving the students ways to measure if they were doing the action, clever sequence, fun attitude... Main things to refine were: linking the theme to the principle of emphasis, giving action commands instead of commentaries... Listening to the feedback was great. I love hearing what I am doing good and what I need to work on. While Adam was talking instead of saying "you talked about how it takes effort for you to be kind to you self" he was saying "you talked about how sometimes you are not kind to yourself". Its the same thing but hearing someone else say it that way was hard. It was a vulnerable topic for me to teach, and although I taught it to myself many times, and practiced with my husband. After I got the reviews I felt this wave of emotion hit me.

After the training I went home and sobbed my eyes out. I think this was a combination of things: how vulnerable my topic was, how much effort I put into it, and how I compare myself to others. After one of the other teacher trainees taught their class Adam got excited saying "wow you are so great. I could easily inspire you, Like inspiring you wouldn't be a problem. That was great" so I got it in my head that I really wanted Adam to say that to me. I also think the tears were just a result of a long journey coming to an end, I started the immersions with Adam 2 years ago and I have grown so much as a result of these training. It was a great experience. Adam is such an outstanding teaching I have learned so much from him and am excited to continue to learn from him.

I have all the requirements now to be inspired I just need a  Certified Teacher to sign off on my class. I was getting my confidence up to ask Adam. Now I think I will wait.

Gratitude

Its thanksgiving week so I have been cultivating, thinking, talking, and teaching about Gratitude. I taught a few classes focusing on an aspect of first principle, side bodies long. Having long side bodies gives us more room to fill our self with thanks (and thanksgiving food). We also did some refinement work in the shoulders. One thing I often see is when students lengthen their sides they also take the shoulders up toward the base of the head. This fires the upper trap muscles and adds to stress and tension. We worked on keeping the side bodies long while keeping the neck long, cultivating and holding our self full of gratitude while not adding more stress to our life.

The Velour Music Group and WAnderlust Festival sent an email out that included statements from some of my favorite teachers sharing their thoughts on Gratitude. It was such a pleasure to read I wanted to share:

"When I count my blessings over the last year I always consider who and what helped me to know myself more clearly, including that which has helped me to see my shadow because it empowers me to more effectively transform myself. Even some of the painful events of the year can be seen as gateways to connect to the very essence of my heart. I see all of these as blessings, as the revelatory power of Grace, as the principle of the Guru. I give thanks to all of my teachers, to my students, to the full spectrum of my friends, and also to the challenging people in my life."John Friend

"Gratitude is a state of being. When I'm in the state of gratitude, I'm in my heart, I'm focused, I'm open, and ready for everything. I'm able to give so much more of my listening and my attention, and I feel heard and received. When I'm grateful, I feel connected to myself, my kid and especially my parents. Plus Dr. Emoto has proven that the sentiments of Gratitude and Love together create the most symmetrical and beautiful water molecules(!). Consistent levels of gratitude might be my proudest feat this year." Elena Brower

"Gratitude is one of the greatest healing emotions for bringing your brainwaves and heart rhythms into unison. It can melt the toughest situations and heighten the ordinary moments to profound realization. Gratitude opens the chambers of our heart so we can really feel while we are alive - our beloved, our kids, friends, each morsel, where we rest our head, the beauty, the transforming difficulties, our teacher's grace. The passing moment is the soil of gratitude that helps us wake up and appreciate what we have now before it is gone. That is why Thanksgiving is such a favorite holiday. As the earth goes into its fertile retreat, let us take time to remember, celebrate and taste the core of all that we love." Shiva Rea

"I'm grateful for all the ways that my yoga practice continues to inspire and amaze me. The global yoga community is a growing presence of peace on the planet, I give thanks every day for all the yogis, students, teachers, artists and musicians who are helping to usher in this emerging renaissance of Love and Spiritual Understanding. Peace." MC Yogi

Sleeping

I have a fascination about body posture. I find it so interesting that body positioning can either create more discomfort and disease in your life or it can cultivate ease, better health, and a better attitude. The more I study alignment the more I worry about my sleeping position. I toss, turn, sleep on my arm, tweak my next, bend my knees awkwardly... I have wanted to ask a Certified Anusara teachers if they have any recommendation for sleeping but either didn't have the courage to ask or I forgot.

Source:

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thebluevinecollective.org

I was watching my Anusara Teacher Training DVD's with John Friend and this topic came up! John said that he gets asked this question a lot. He said no he doesn't recommend a certain mattress or pillow (darn that would have been to easy). He said that when we get misaligned during our sleep that is a result of some misalignment's that happen during the day. He said these misalignment's should be addressed during the day, and at night JUST SLEEP. This is not the answer I wanted to hear. During the day I work my alignment but still at night I toss and turn and wake up with some kinks and soreness.

I did a practice with my teacher Adam Ballenger last Saturday and he talked about how hatha yoga is two parts. It includes the action, one definition of hatha is to strike. He also talked about how the "tha" in hatha means a receptivity, a pause where you see your results of your action. I have heard Adam teach something similar to this in a public class relating it to car singles. You car will let you know when the engine needs to be worked on, or when you are low on gas.. But we have to "tha" we have to listen to that information.

So this gives me an opportunity to practice the "tha". The results, misalignment while sleeping tells me that I need to change what I am doing during the day. Although I was hoping John would give an answer like ____ pillow and you sleep perfectly. But now I just have another way to "tha" to notice the effects of my practice. 

Awareness: Looking For The Good

One of the many blessing of a yoga practice is just that, practice. We get to roll our our mats or meditation cushions and practice for life. One quality we can cultivate is awareness. I have been thinking about awareness a lot this week (and wrote a few blogs about it). I remember when I first started cultivating awareness on my mat I started to notice everything I was doing "bad" or "wrong". My hips lowered to fast in chataranga, my mind couldn't stop thinking, I kept collapsing in my back... Then I would leave my mat and my awareness was still turned on for looking for the bad around me, in my relationships. and in myself.

To me this is a cop-out in awareness training. Our society is almost trained to look for the bad, just take a look at the newspaper. It is a lot easier to say 5 things your don't like about yourself, your relationship, your job... then it is to say 5 good things. But it doesn't have to be like that. We can train our awareness to look for the good, just like we can strength an muscle. A great place to do that is on the yoga mat. As I practice now I work on bringing my attention to all the things that feel so sweet, My hands feel strong, i feel such a great opening in my side body, my breath is flowing smoothly, my muscles energy in my legs are helps me feel stable...I can see the ripple effect that this practice has on my life. Now I notice the good things in nature, in my relationships, and in myself.

Looking for the good is one of the teachings that informs Anusara Yoga. Adam has been teaching us in teacher training, to always be looking for the good in our students and to learn how to articulate what they are doing good before offering a refinement.

Last night I taught a class at They Yoga Center with this theme idea. It was a great, 12 students! Studio owners Lydnesy and Sheldon took my class which gave me a few butterflies in my stomach but I was so happy they came to support me. They gave me some great feed back as well.

Teaching To What I See

I have been teaching yoga for almost six years. I started teaching vinyasa. I would show up with a class intention and a sequence. I was glued to my yoga mat and basically did the whole practice with the students. I would say the same alignment ques as I did the pose with out checking to see if the students were already doing what I was asking. Over time I started to stop practicing with the students, I tried to wander further away from my mat as I taught but it was hard! My mat was my safety blanket. A few years later I was able to walk around the room but I was still teaching my class AT students and not TO them.
I just finished the last part of Anusara Teacher Training part two with Adam Ballenger. During these past few weeks I have performed many different teacher training exercises: learning how to scan the room, look for the good first, to see areas where the students could improve, and how to articulate that alignment ques so it is easy to understand and to do. After all of these exercises that caused me some stress during the assignment, this week I really see it paying off. I am no longer teaching at students. Yes I am still planing a class sequence but I am teaching to what I see, I am giving ques based on what the students are or are not doing, and I am not afraid to deviate from my plan if it means helping students.

Not only is this helping me feel more confident as a teacher. I am no longer just saying my bullet points for the specific asana but I understand the alignment and the principles, I understand why I am asking the students to perform a certain action. And even better I have been getting really good feed back from my students. One women told me she likes the way I say things "it gets me to feel with my whole body, and work harder for a reason".

I am so grateful to be learning this system of yoga that speaks to my heart, mind, and body. I (as of this weekend) has completed all of the requirements for Anusara- Inspired status, now all I need is a certified teacher to watch a class and sign off on me. SOOOO exciting!!

Immersion with BJ Teacher Training with Adam

So blissed out from this amazing week surrounded by such great souls. I was so lucky and won the scholarship to take BJ Galvans Immersion 2 at The Yoga Center. It was great to take the immersion 2 a second time from a different perspective. I took it the first time from Adam Ballenger both certified Anusara teachers did a phenomenal job presenting the information to my heartmind and body. My understanding deeps so much as I continue to hear the same teaching over and over and in different ways. Anusara's philosophy of intrinsic goodness touches my heart and influences my practice deeply. Being able to learn/feel these virtues through the gross body is amazing. I wasn’t able to finish BJ's full immersion because I took Adam Ballenger’s teacher training. It was quite a switch going from being immersed in yoga from the aspect of the student to learning to teach this method. However BJ shakti-fied me up so much going into the TT was really lovely, I felt anchored in my center where the heart qualities come more easily.

The immersion was great opportunity to spend more time at The Yoga Center. The owners Lyndsey and Sheldon have created such a great community and have such a great vision for Anusara yoga in SLC and I am so happy to be a part of this community. I also treasured making immersion friends from TYC. When you go through any intensive training where transformation happens you bond strongly with each other in a really sweet way. I will be reviewing my notes and will post another blog about immersion/TT.

I just got back from lunch with BJ before she got on the air plane. Its nice to bond with a teacher and see then not just in the yoga class room. I normally get shy around other teachers who I admire and don’t get to know them better as a result and I am so happy I got to spend more time with BJ. I think I will even be assisting her on her tour next year, possibly Costa Rica (which would be a dream come true)

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA to all the great teachers I humbly bow.

to learn more about these rocking teachers check out their websites:
http://www.heartcoreyoga.com/ BJ Galvan
http://www.adamballengeryoga.com/ Adam Ballenger

Teaching as Service

I was reviewing the Ansuara Teacher Training Manual I came across a section that I wanted to share. John did such a great job explaining the role of a teacher, the importance or self practice, and important qualities to embrace. My childhood dream has always been to be an adventure guide, so I also very much liked his compassion to being an adventure guide.
Ansuara Teacher Training Manual 11th edition by John Friend, Teaching as Service (15-16):

Being a yoga teacher is like being an adventure guide leading a courageous group on a challenging journey to a beautiful, secluded place of transformation. The adventure guide has the responsibility to lead each trekker safely to this magical place. The long trek through wild unknown terrain demands faith, perseverance, and an ability to flow with rapidly changing circumstances. The group must trust the guide, since he is the only one among them who has the experience of traveling successfully to this place. He knows the quickest and safest routes, and the best way to deal with obstacles-- both anticipated and unexpected-- they meet on the way. The journey is often intense and frightening, and the trekkers may experience fear, discouragement, physical discomfort, and the desire to quit and turn back. Everyone is challenged--physically, emotionally, and psychologically. The guide must use all his interpersonal skills, experience, and technical knowledge to lead the group successfully and happily to the destination. His success depends on his ability to connect energetically with the body, the mind, and the heart of each trekker.

However, each of the trekkers is unique-- physically, mentally, and emotionally. This presents a perplexing challenge for the guide, since he realizes that the techniques and abilities he used in the past to make the journey alone, don't always work for everyone. Furthermore, instructions and directions that work for one person might not work for another. The guide must summon all his inner qualities, skills, and experience to constantly create new ways to motivate, inspire, and educate each individual at her own level to make the journey successfully. There is a direct relationship between the depth of the guides experience-- the number of times he has made the journey successfully and the number of people he has guided-- and his cultivation of confidence, maturity, authority. The group intuitively senses his level of experience, and their trust in him is directly proportional. His experience provides the guide with strong empathy for the trekkers. Since he has made the journey in the past, he knows what they are going through, and this helps him lead much more effectively. An experience, effective leader deliberately cultivates his ability to connect energetically with a wide variety of trekkers.

Aside from drawing on experience, the guide must also use technical knowledge to be repeatedly successful in his journeys. Technical knowledge helps make the journey easier, quicker, and safer. It is gained through formal training and, to a lesser degree, through self-discovery. If the guide has insufficient technical knowledge, he could put the group in danger. However, by itself, technical knowledge is insufficient for a successful, enjoyable journey. Many trekkers would certainly quit if the guide used only dry technical instruction to guide them. The guide must blend his technical knowledge with interpersonal qualities and social skills to make the journey fun and uplifting.

In a similar manner, a great yoga teacher must combine sensitivity, creativity, and inspiration with technical knowledge and experience, to help facilitate an inner unfolding in the student. It is the fusion of these qualities and skills that give the teacher the capability to connect energetically with the body, mind, and heart of the student. And it is through this connection that a great teacher is able to lead the students to the magical place where every one's heart opens naturally and where everyone feels empowered and fulled with self-love. Truly, the service of teaching yoga is a divine privilege. Each student is a gift!


at the bottom of the page I wrote "Wonderful, this is why I teach yoga 12/2009"

"What Makes Your Heart Sing" a playshop with Tiffany Wood

My heart feels so full of joy after taking Tiffany Wood's "What Makes Your Heart Sing Playshop" at The Yoga Center. This is the first of a series of 5 or 6 workshops she will be offering at The Yoga Center each workshop focuses on each universal alignment principles.

Yesterday we dove into the first principle: set your foundation and open to grace. I absolutely loved Tiff's approach to help each student really feel 1st principle in his or her body and heart. She helped us create our own joy and humility, she helped us dive into the things that make us happy to see at the core what brings us joy is our underlying oneness we share that pulsates with joy.

She is such a skilled teacher of weaving a theme. The whole class she encouraged us to think of what makes our heart sing. Things that I thought of where: my husband, my dog, family, the garden, yoga, sunlight, love, smiles, hugs, snowflakes, biking, relationships to name a few.

Half way into the workshop Tiffany also offered a dialogue meditation partner work (I guess you could call it). We partnered up and asked the question. "What makes your heart sing" the partner responds "_________ makes my heart sing." the listener then says "Thank you. Why is that important to you". ".........." this is 1 level down, keep going down and you will get to this sweet soft place of connection and love.

Here is my dialogue with my partner Jenny

Jenny: "what makes your heart sing?"
me: "The relationship I have with myself"

Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "Because it has improved so much and that is a really good thing"

Jenny" "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "Because it sucks being at war with yourself. Now I feel like I am on the same team with myself and that feels fabulous"

Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "Because when I am in good relationship with my self I feel this deep connection to my heart."

Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "when I feel love and softness for myself my relationship with the whole universe feels more full"
Jenny: "Thank you, why is that important to you"
me: "because it reminds me how silly it is to get wrapped up in my own drama, get to tied up in the mind. When I treat me with love I remember that life really is a pulsating ball of bliss there will be challenges in life but when I am in a good relationship with myself my ability to align and recognize the goodness in life becomes much easier"

This conversation was scary but fabulous to have as the words came out of my mouth in not the best sentences but levels and levels down I found a place to rest in my heart.

(Just got home from a mountain bike ride with the family. Both my my dog Dharma and my husband Tyler made my heart sing)

Be with what is. A great class from Chris Timmins

Went to Prana yoga and took a class from the very talented Anusara inspired teacher Chris Timmins. Tim focused on Attitude from the three A’s of Anusara. He referred to a quote that said life is full of both adventure and ordeals. He reminded us we don’t have to make every moment an adventure we can just be with what is present in our life (or our yoga pose) whatever it is.

Some highlights from the class:
Chris knew I was soar from gardening and incorporated in some fantastic psoas stretches using the wall as a prop.
We also partnered up and did an assisted twisted triangle that was phenomenal. The yogi grabs on to the partners calf and hand and can manually get more length and deeper into the twist.
He offered a great neck stretch done laying on your back pre savasana.
He gave some great essentail oil and light head massage that felt heavenly.

I loved it my great is full of gratitude for Chris and his wonderful teachings.  

Love

Today I went up to Millcreek canyon with some friends and we went on a hike and barbequed. We went on a hike that overlooked that Wasatch mountains it was stunning. The hillsides were so green due to all the water we have gotten this year. I felt embraced by this greenness. I love the color green because that is the color of your heart energy center. Being in the mountains made me feel like I was dwelling in the heart.

Love has also been on my mind lately because I have been reading Sally Kempton’s phenomenal book, Meditation for the Love of it, enjoying your own deepest experiences. There is a wonderful exercise in the book called “Focus on an Experience of Love”.  Close your eyes and focus on your threat and ground and center yourself. Start visualizing someone you feel love for or have loved in the past. To make this experience more real add some details into this image. What are they wearing? Where are you? Let yourself feel love for this. Don’t be specific about the love like why you love them just simply feel that love energy you have for that person. Continue to do this for a few minutes until you can really feel the love and then let go of the person and shift your awareness to the love energy itself. Bath in this loving energy.

I love me some heart space awareness.

Here is a link to Sallys book: http://www.sallykempton.com/products/

Thanks for reading, Om shanty. Be Love
Kim

A Gaelic Blessing

My grandmother whom I called Spoof was a beset friend, adventure leader and teacher of mine. Spoof past away almost two years ago but I feel her Spoof spirit within my heart. Spoof was very intersted in meditation and yoga and I was very lucky to get some of her books. When I opened her copy of The Bhagavad Gita a bookmark feel out that had this Gaelic Blessing on it:

Deep peace of the

running wave to you.

Deep peace of the

flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the

quite earth to you.

Deep peace of the

gentle night to you.

Moon and stars pour

their healing light

on you.

Deep peace of the

Light of the Word

to you.

many blessing xo

Kim

Courageous

I just stumbled upon this flyer of a workshop I taught last year at Lifted Life Yoga Center in Alpine, Utah. I love finding something that reminds me of a past moment. Looking at this flyer, remembering the theme of the class reminds me where I was last year. I was so trying to life from the center of my heart, to cultivate qualities of strength, openness, joy and love while letting go of all the “stuff” that prevents me from being heart centered. It took me 5 years to get to that place last year where I could say intellectually understand the qualities I needed to cultivate and the qualities that got in my way. But now through hard work, pain and a lot of growth I now feel more deeply rooted in myself and in the flow of Shakti staying open, courageous and aware.

This flyer also reminded me of the studio owners of Lifted Life where I taught this courageous flow work. Linda is taking the immersion with me. How awesome! One of my favorite things about yoga trainings is that I always make the most wonderful bonds with my fellow students. I am very excited to get to know Linda more and the other wonderful yogi’s and yogini’s in the Anusara immersion.

Courageous Workshop
led by Kimberly Achelis Hoggan

Date: Saturday, March 6 2010
Price: 15$ in advance 20$ drop in
Time: 10:30am-12:30pm
Location: Lifted Life Yoga Center
60 W main street court Alpine, UT 84004
Register: in person, or call 801-492-3689
Level: all level welcome with modifications for the beginner or advanced practitioner

Courage comes from the French word that translates to: live in your heart. In this workshop we will cultivate qualities to help us better live from the center of our heart (strength, openness, joy, love..) as we let go of the qualities that prevent us from being heart centered (fear, anger, tension, stress..) We will explore opening our hips, shoulder, and heart as we flow dynamically while focusing on alignment, as if we were a child playing on a playground. This workshop will be lighthearted, and filled with smiles.

go with the flow

As I continue to learn more about myself and how to come into balance for me, I have noticed that I need to surrender to life. I like most people have a tendency to want to control life. I don't want to not go with the flow, I just want to be in charge of where the flow is going and when I will get there (hehe). I am learning that this sense of control does not bring me more joy. Instead the need to control and plan has manifested in my imbalances.


On Tuesday I took a really great meditation class from my new teacher Clinton. His view on meditation is different then what I am used to, instead of using various techniques he suggests just open to the divine presence (whatever you want to call it) that already exists inside of us. Although he doesn't discount technique he just recommends surrendering and seeing what happens. Its like the Buddha he sat for a very long time and eventually became enlightened. After he became enlightened many others wanted to as well some were so focused on technique that they tried to lie on their side with there feet stacked in a particular way like Buddha did hoping it would bring them enlightenment. The point is, we can get caught up in technique.

I have taken some meditation classes with Clinton before and had heard his recommendation of doing nothing but wanting to be in control I would use a specific techniques visualization, mantra, and breath. After the meditation I would feel good and like I had been meditating. But on Tuesday I decided to just try it his way. Not sit in my perfect siddhasana but instead relax into the chair I was sitting on and just surrender. Giving up my thoughts, my mood in order to experience the abundant flow of Divine/Universal/God (call it what you want). And I did. I completely surrendered and I got taken into deeper and deeper, finer and finer forms of energy. It was scary it caused a little anxiety but I surrendered to that to.

I am learning it is always hard to let go of our coping mechanisms (in this case incessant thinking, negative self talk, perpetual planning) but once we dare to take that leap we in fact experience peace, joy, and humility. Toward the end of the meditation that Tuesday my body felt like it was moving almost shaking, I felt so much electricity and a soft hmm. I felt like my body was merely a capsule for life energy. I had never felt that way before a few tears ran down my face but not sad tears but tears of a girl who felt totally accepted, loved and content in that moment with so much energy yet so grounded and humble.
 
That way of meditating was so powerful for me and I have continued to do it every day for at least 20mins working up to 20 mins 2x a day. That type of meditation I think was so powerful for me because it was going with the flow without trying to control, or predict, or worry where that flow is going.

A class I subbed integration, midline, confidence

I subbed a class for my teacher Adam Ballenger yesterday at Sugar Space. I was very excited for this class. Sugar Space isn’t a studio but is a community art space that you can rent out for dance lessons and parties. Adam has done a phenomenal job at cultivating a really great group of dedicated students who he used to practice with from other studios he owned. Anyways I was very excited to work with these students and was sup flattered when he asked me to sub (normally he just cancels the class when he goes out of town)


The main theme I wanted to work with was muscular energy with an emphasis on the midline.

I talked about how I recently started going to massage school and how as much as I love it (because I absolutely do) it can be an overwhelming amount of information. At times I feel scattered, defeated and I think I won’t be able to finish the program. But then I remind myself, or my wonderful husband reminds me that I can do this. That I really like it, I am discipline, I have the time to focus on it….. All of these things take me from a feeling of scattered defeat and brings me into a place of integrity with confidence to go on. (This story helped me link into this word of integrity)

Integrity means “the quality or state of being complete, unbroken, condition, wholeness”

“When we know that at our core there is a fundamental wholeness (state of integrity) we can express our self with confidence (feeling quality) because we are lacking noting.”

The plan was to focus on the midline which so many cultures consider a very sacred space. The midline holds the Hara meridian center channel (Chinese), the sushumna and the seven chakras (Hindu) and the spinal cord and the nervous system (western). By integrating our limbs toward the midline, and integrating muscle to bone we can express our self and our poses with confidence. And by practicing this on the mat, it is easier to stay integrated in our midline and maintian our confidence off the mat.

This was the main info I shared before we chanted the invocation. I also told a story of hanuman that is very similar I waited until I wanted them to hold a pose and I shared the brief story (I think I will post the Hanuman story in my next blog)
The class was lots of fun. It was my first time teaching these students but I know many of them because we have been students of Adams for awhile. I was nervous about changing my position from fellow student to teacher but it seemed to go really well. They seemed to really enjoy my sense of humor. I used this finishing analogy for inner spiral that was a big hit (that would be another blog).