Jay Peak yoga

I have been wanting to teach yoga at Jay Peak for a while and tomorrow at 7am I will get to fulfill my wish!





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Veni Emmanuel

I am really into the meanings of songs. When I hear one that particularly moves me, I tend to research it, listen over and over. Much like a passage meditation. I did it with Love Rescue Me. and now I have heard O Come O Come Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel). What a beautiful song! I don't think I have heard it before, or at least I did not know about it. Until we sang it in church this morning. It's the first song I really raised my voice to sing aloud. Once I figured out how it went.

And I looked up the full prayer. There are so many contexts and facets to it, that I think I will spend years rereading it. It is about the coming of "God among us" (maybe Jesus, maybe not) and how he is said to help people out of their misery and show us a way to peace. And although I try to see life universally beyond a prophet of this world, the idea of an Emmanuel does not have to be a person, place or thing. I think it is the idea that there is a spirit or movement of God Among Us that brings us hope because that spirit lives eternal, where as nouns have a shelf-life.

Oh Come Emmanuel

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.

Passage meditation

Eknath Easwaran is known for helping establish Passage Meditation. Pick an inspirational passage, memorize it. Say it over and over when you need guidance the most...it's a concentrated effort to find peace. It's a form of dharana, focus with concentration.

CPR/AED certified

For the job at S&FE I am required to be CPR/AED certified and I got that today! Hooray! I feel that this is an important thing to know anyway, to be prepared in an emergency. The class was taught by a wonderful instructor and everyone there was eager to learn as was I. I'm going to miss my dummy...I think I was growing fond of him by the end of class.

Yoga is the evenness of mind

I began reading the Bhagavad Gita in August. In September, I opened up an emotional floodgate. My svadhyaya was taken in a new direction, away from yoga books. I was, and am still, unsure where that new track is taking me. But I'm trying to do explore it with the utmost care and personal awareness that I think I can extend. Meanwhile, now that I am getting a grip around my new path, I picked up the Gita again.

And, of course, Self-realization is the second chapter (the first being the one that describes the setting of the Gita). It's the chapter that helps set up the rest of the Gita, starting with learning to detach from desire and aversion, and control the senses of the body. And break from Ego. This Summer, I feel as though I was getting there. Taking steps to be more involved in my community, to concentrate on the things important in my life. Keeping my mind steady, calm.

Now, I will continue to strive for Self-realization, but it seems I need to get into my Ego a bit and enjoy some kind of desire to live my life right now. My mind is not steady, but I come to the conclusion that I am experiencing waves...like of yin and yang...too much of something I was not ready for exploded into a new mindset. Once that paradigm is undercontrol, I can refocus back to what I was doing so well before. And now with a new awareness that I will strive to act on my desires in a way that celebrates the Universal Self.

Branching

I have many pots stirring on my yoga stove. I currently teach at Yoga Vermont. Next month, I plan to offer a community yoga class to benefit my son's primary school PTO. I also plan to offer classes at my friend's health club again (as I did last Fall).

AND I'm trying to get classes at another health club! I have an interview tomorrow. I'm not nervous, funny thing. The Wheel turns as it Will.

I am getting CPR/AED certified THIS Friday and going to another yoga workshop on Dhrana/Dhyana. In March I plan to get my Yoga Alliance registration to be an official "RYT" (read as: paid money tot he big conglomerate that everyone recognizes as a funtional body but it's really not).

Next thing I need to do it MARKET MYSELF. I think I can do that.

Call us out!

This morning, Rev. Mary's Prayer of Confession seemed to ring a bell for me. Something that I strive to do for myself, and try to refrain from getting deep into with others around me:

"...we are so caught up in our own agendas that we cannot see your bigger picture...Call us out of ourselves, and direct our attention above the turmoil and drama of our own small lives."

One thing I attempt to do often is not get "sucked into" the drama of other people's lives. Oh, I'm not good at it yet. It's hard to not listen when someone begins to gossip. And I have started it myself, aching to tell someone something that I learned, even if it has no significant bearing on anyone's life! I reflect back to the post I wrote last year on satya, truthfulness. Many times, I do not feel good about it after, and I try to remind myself from refrain the next time I find myself seduced by juicy gossip.

There is also drama around us all of the time. My most memorable instances are when I'm shopping, and women are shopping and just talking inanely about ...nothing! It is something to them, maybe. But the drama about it is intensified when they begin to make their own assumptions and twists to stories. Or, if I am in a meeting, invariably, someone has to add their own personal story to a point of business we are discussing. Everyone is polite and lets that person go on about something irrelevant to the meeting. And it takes us of track.

Just like getting off track when you are trying to be steadfast in your meditation, or your humanitarian efforts, or anything. I just continue to keep in mind what is the bigger picture for me; getting in touch with my Universal Self.

And I thank Rev. Mary and the families at MBCC for helping me form a path toward my goal.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for...

• My loving husband. Who has finally come around to his senses about his health and my hyoga...and we are connecting more now, than ever.
• My children. Sometimes I get frustrated, I think about how easy it would be to do whatever I wanted if they were not here. But then I think about how empty my life would be without them. My love for them is fulfilling and all-encompassing. I live for their hugs and kisses everyday.
  
• My mother is in a good place. Good job, good relationship. I am happy for her.
• My sisters and brothers finding their own happiness in different ways.
• My in-laws who sometime irritate me, but have hearts of gold and love my kids (almost) as much as I do.
• YOGA...oooooom. I am thankful that I found yoga, its philosophy, and am practicing it regularly.
• Dancing and singing. I enjoy dancing almost as much as yoga, and I don't care who catches me singing aloud out of tune.
• Reverend Mary. I am SO thankful that a pastor can listen and help put my thoughts into a meaningful order, without criticism or "preaching". I can talk WITH her, and not be talked "at" by her.
• My cat Phoebe, who has more patience than ANYONE I know. And her undying love for me. And how she follows me around the house.
  
• Lake Champlain. A large body of water that provide serene meditation opportunities, and lots of fun with the boys in the Summer!
• Warm coats and mittens. I am thankful for a home, food on the table and warm clothes to get me through the Winters.
• Wood stoves. Oh, man. They rock!
  

Love, Rescue Me

A song I have enjoyed in my high school days, and am enjoying again that I heard it sung by a young church choir in Ireland. Writen and performed by U2, inspirational in its own way.

Love rescue me
Come forth and speak to me
Raise me up
And don't let me fall.
No man is my enemy
My own hands imprison me.
Love rescue me.

Many strangers have I met
On the road to my regret
Many lost who seek to find themselves in me.
They ask me to reveal
The very thoughts they would conceal.
Love, rescue me.

And the sun in the sky
Makes a shadow of you and I
Stretching out as the sun sinks in the sea.
I'm here without a name
In the palace of my shame
I said, love, rescue me.

In the cold mirror of a glass
I see my reflection pass
I see the dark shades of what I used to be.
I see the purple of her eyes
The scarlet of my lies.
Love, rescue me.

Yeah, though I walk
In the valley of the shadow
Yet, I will fear no evil.
I have cursed thy rod and staff
They no longer comfort me.
Love, rescue me.

Sha la la la etc.
I said love, love, rescue me.

Yeah, I'm here without a name
In the palace of my shame
I said love, rescue me.

I've conquered my past
The future is here at last
I stand at the entrance to a new world I can see.
The ruins to the right of me
Will soon have lost sight of me.
Love, rescue me.

Straying...away on track

The past two months have been tumultuous. I felt a real calm around me this Summer with my yoga, reading, thinking, writing. But coming out of my introspective Self was a hunger. Something I could not put my finger on. Something was happening inside. Angry talks with my husband shifted my focus to getting out of my shell. And lo, and behold! My husband began to support what I was looking for.

Being a wife and mother come with an image of what everyone expects. And I was living in that image. But it was not MY image. I know the girl I was, the girl inside this woman. She's a bit crazy, and wild. She is caring and passionate. I am now learning to merge what I need and want together in a way that celebrates my family and my inner Self.

Beyond your self

"A human being is part of the whole, called by us "universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." -Albert Einstein

Easwaran's comments: None of us see life as it is, the world as it is. We all see life as we are. We look at others through our own likes and dislikes, desires and interests. It is this separatist outlook that fragments life for us - man against woman, community against community, country against country. Yet the mystics of all religions assure us on the strength of their own experience, if only we throw away this fragmenting instrument of observation, we shall see all life as an indivisible whole.

I am continuously amazed at Albert Einstein's insight into existence despite the contribution he made to physics that overrides humanitarianism.

Partner Yoga Poses

I was browsing Sugar's blog recently and found a bunch of nice partner yoga poses. I want to remember them: http://www.fitsugar.com/tag/Partner+Yoga

Esp. for the Girl Scout yoga I am teaching in a few weeks.

MAHA MRITYUNJAYA

(Victory over the great death):
Aum Trayambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pusti Vardhanam
Uvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrtyor Muksiya Mamrtat

Translation: I meditate on and surrender myself to the Divine being who embodies the power of will, knowledge and action. I pray to the Divine Being who manifests in the form of fragrance in the flower of life and is the eternal nourisher of the plant of life. Like a skillful gardener, may the Lord of Life disentangle me from the binding forces of my physical, psychological, and spiritual foes. May the Lord of Immortality residing within free me from death, decay and sickness and unite me with Immortality.

Meaning: It is a healing and nourishing Mantra - the heart of the Vedas. The healing force awakened by this mantra sends forth its ripples from the body to the mind to the soul. It strengthens power of will, knowledge and action, unblocking the flow of enthusiasm, courage and determination. The vibration of this Mantra awakens the internal healing forces while attracting nature's healing agents, creating an environment where the forces of both converge. This Mantra is an invaluable resource for healers and teachers. It connects us to the healer within and helps us receive the full nourishment from food herbs or any discipline undertaken for our total well being. The mantra removes physical, mental, and celestial ailments. It gives victory over Death, suffering, and disease. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra removes obstacles and brings happiness to life.

The change of boiling points

Why is it that change only occurs after a boiling point has been reached? Why do people have to get to a point where anger, emotions, turmoil occurs before they will change?

More on Asteya

I'm up early. 3:30am. Abundant energy. I look in my inbox and there is another thought from Easwaran that is a great follow up to yesterday's thought.

"An attitude to life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth--in short, materialism--does not fit into this world, because it contains within itself no limiting principle, while the environment in which it is placed is strictly limited." -E.F. Schumacher

Easwaran's comments: The very air we breathe is not inexhaustible. If we love our children as we profess to, we should remember that the air is limited, exhaustible, a perishable member of the family of life. Treat it gently. Treat it with care. Don't blow fumes into the air or dump poisons into the rivers and oceans just because it increases profits. Don't fan overconsumption by buying things you do not need. It is not only corporations who carry the responsibility for pollution. Insofar as we tell them, "Produce all you want! We'll buy whatever you make," the rest of us are responsible too.

It is a wise commentator on today's world who points out that we do not inherit from our parents: we borrow from our children. Let us do all we can from today onwards to ensure that our children's children will live in a world unthreatened by radioactive waste and chemical pollution.

Need I say more? Practice asteya. Practice non stealing.

Asteya: the more you give, the more you get

Easwaran's daily thought today reminded me of Yoga Sutra 2.37: wealth comes to one practiced in non-stealing

"Unto those that hath shall be given, and they shall have abundance: but from those that hath not shall be taken away even that which they have." -The Gospel according to Saint Matthew

Easwaran's comments: This is a strange paradox, a little-known secret. Jesus isn't speaking of worldly goods. He is speaking of a very rare kind of treasure: the more you draw on it, the more you will have. The more patient you are with people, for instance, the more patience you will have. The more generous you are today, the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become. The principle can be stated in the plainest of terms: if you are selfish with your love, the scant security you cling to will be battered by life. But if you give of yourself freely, your security will be unshakable. Your joy will be limitless. You will always have more to give.

Non-stealing is a concept many people only practice on a material level. It is considered a sin, or unethical. And there are punishments and laws against most material theft. But what about stealing from Nature? We only have a finite amount of air to breathe, or clean water to drink. Sure there are laws on how much pollution can be pumped into our environment, but it does not keep people from using too much, not giving back.

And what about stealing someone's else's time and energy? Many people do not realize that they steal energy. They talk too much without letting you talk, also. Or they constantly ask to come over and visit. They find that people stop wanting to be with them because they are sapping people's strength.

Once you practice non-stealing on all levels including material, spiritual, emotional...you will start to find peace in yourself. Give out to others without seeking something from them. A smile, to start. Maybe someone will smile back. When you show that you are trustworthy, people will put trust in you. When you love others, you will be loved back.

More methods of Yoga

Found an email Kathy sent last year. More forms of yoga you can practice...although I will have to research some more to understand them all (ie taraka yoga?)

• karma yoga: the path of self-transcending action
• bhakti yoga: the path of self-transcending love-devotion
• jnana yoga: the path of wisdom
• raja yoga: the royal path of meditation
• hatha yoga: the forceful path of bodily transformation
• mantra yoga: the path of numinous sound
• taraka yoga: the path of light
• tantra yoga: the path of ecstatic realization
• sahaja yoga: the path of spontaneity

Mallet's Bay Congregational Church

Several weeks ago, I attended a birthday party of a neighbor and friend. At the party, I met her church pastor. Young, pretty; I would never had guessed she was a Reverend. Later that evening, whilst I was into my cups, I recall having a conversation with her (and others) about God. I don't
remember everything I said, but I remember passionately saying that we all worship the same God, it's just Religion that puts filters on and separates us. Rev. Mary said something about, we should talk again. Then I remember later telling her "when I'm sober, I'm coming to your church!" What a drunk-ass!

Anyway, I kept my promise today. I got the boys ready and off we went to Mallets Bay Congregational Church. My neighbors were there (thankfully) because my boys were restless. Their only church experience is my in-laws' Roman Catholic church. My 5 y/o at first was not happy, but when his friends came in, he was. And they were SO GOOD! They colored and kept voices low. (For the most part, my 2 y/o has only two settings: off and very loud).

It was not a typical day, it was a hymn sing. We sang...a lot. But my neighbor warned me and I went anyway. I was determined to keep my promise, and going to church is one of those things that I have been saying I will look into, but kept putting off. It was time to make use of willpower and act. Reverend Mary greeted me warmly. The church members greeted me warmly. I "re-met" people I had met before. Certain sense of community. I look forward to more days and sermons.

Why am I going to church? Seeking inspiration in my yoga journey, in my own personal journey. Seeking community. Now my boys are in school, I feel this is a part of their education. Much like the public school, I will monitor the messages and lessons and ensure they are hearing and absorbing things I think are correct and enriching to them.

I have shunned church for the last 25 years because of Religion and how it separates people. I think Reverend Mary may receive openly and allow for other Religious teachings to inspire her congregation without filtering us out.

Travel within

I started getting another inspirational message to my email account from the author o the Gita book I am reading, Eknath Easwaran. This quote below was particularly interesting to me...

"There are many going afar to marvel at the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the long courses of great rivers, the vastness of the ocean, the movements of the stars, yet they leave themselves unnoticed!" -Saint Augustine

Easwaran's comments:
Today many people who enjoy traveling are not content with visiting London or Paris; they want to travel by camel in the Sahara, or kayak in the Antarctic. But no matter how exotic, this is horizontal travel, where we stay on the surface of life. Much more fascinating is vertical travel - that is, meditation, which takes us to the Land of Love in the utmost depths of consciousness.

For a long time we may not get very far, but if we insist on traveling deep, meditation will become a daring adventure. We will pass through level after level of consciousness, just the way one travels from one country to another. There is this difference: when we pass from the United States into Mexico, we know when we have crossed the border. We must stop and speak to the guard. Then the language changes. We know we are in a new land. In meditation, it is rather different. The changes are likely to take place so gradually that we may not even be aware of it immediately. But slowly and surely we will begin to have a strong feeling of coming home to our native land.

As I delve into yoga, I am becoming more aware of aspects of my life that help or hurt our environment be it Nature, relationships, or the growth of humanity. I used to think it was an item of success to be able to travel the world, visit new places. But now I think about the Carbon Footprint I leave--the jet fuel, the dumping of waste by ships in the ocean, the special small packaging items I buy so I do not have to carry so much with me. Or how about the layers o sunscreen that wash of at the beach, destroying coral reefs? Oh, there is much damage. Am I really going to be a better person by travel distant places to learn? I wonder...

Moments of bliss

The last three evenings, my kids and I have gone swimming at or after sunset. The water at the beach is calm, no one is running about, and the sun setting behind the Adirondacks is beautiful.

The first time I took them, my 5-year-old kept asking if his friends would be there. He usually plays the older kids and thought he'd be bored without them. But when we arrived, he was thrilled by the fact that he was at the beach "kind of late" and he played in the water with his little brother. It is the best they have played together in several weeks.

I forgot to bring a life jacket for my 2-year-old to swim in. At first I was afraid of the risk, but he adapted well. He's been swimming better and better every day. By the third evening, he was showing me how he can "go underwater." He holds his breath and tries to go under. He only goes up to his nose, but it's a start and I was happy he was finally going under without sucking in water.

These evening swims also allowed me some time to read. Usually when I come down other families are there so you socialize. But I was able to sit at the water's edge and watch the kids while reading. It was a wonderful atmosphere with the difference in lighting and the stillness of the waves to remember how blissful is life.

Methods of yoga

• Jnana yoga:Yoga of Knowledge. Followers use will and discrimination to dis-identify from the body, mind and senses until they know they are nothing but the Self.
• Bhakti yoga: Yoga of Love. Followers identify with love and devotion to God to find the Self.
• Karma yoga: Yoga of Action. Followers dissolve identify with everything in life, going beyond the finite self, and the body and mind, to discover the Self.
• Raja yoga: Yoga of Meditation. Followers discipline the body, mind and senses until mind fluctuations are stilled and they merge into the Self.
  

Bhagavad Gita

I have recently begun to read the Bhagavad Gita translated by Eknath Easwaran. According to his web site, Easwaran "is respected around the world as the originator of passage meditation and an authentic guide to timeless wisdom. His method is a practical approach that fits naturally into any faith, philosophy, or lifestyle, enabling us to bring universal ideals into daily life."

I am still reading his introduction. He is setting the reader up to be able to understand the ideas presented in and teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. He discusses the background of the Gita, from the Upanaishads, and explains concepts of Inidian/Hindu spirituality such as atman, brahman, maya, karma, and dharma. He also discusses the yoga psychology that weaves throughout the Gita such as seperating purusha, spirit, and prakriti, everything else including mind and matter and the forces that bring prakriti together.

I am now reading a section that describes the essence of the Gita. In this section, Easwaran says the Gita is "a text book on the supreme science of yoga." But, he declares, yoga has many meanings. He defines four of them: jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, karma yoga and raja yoga. I have read of these many times before and glossed over them, seeming to be out of my ability to grasp. But either I have finally come to a point where I finally have comprehension, or Easwaran just makes good examples I can understand. No matter which yoga you follow, the Gita offers something for everyone. The essence? Selfless action.

A few more pages to read on the higher image of the Self, and faith and spiritual evolution will conclude the introduction and I will delve into the battle Arjuna must fight and the fundamental answers Krishna provides his questions on life.

Feeding the Dog: new asana sequence

Yesterday, while browsing the handbook Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, I came across a series of poses that included vajrasana, balasana, and adho mukha svanasa. I wanted to create something that would link the breath and motion with each exhale and inhale. I came up with this gentle sequence below. I call it "Feeding the Dog" as in giving energy toward the downward dog.

1. Inhale to Vajrasana (or Virasana)
2. Exhale to Balasana with extended arms above head, palms on floor
3. Inhale to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (or Bhujangasana), roll toes under then
4. Exhale to Adho Mukha Svanasana, bend knees to floor and repeat
   

Notes

• Poses flow so that you should not need to change placement of feet and hands. They should land in the same place in every cycle.
• In vajrasana, your feet are together, toes touch, and your buttocks are rested on your heels. In virasana, the legs are open, feet spread slightly to allow buttocks to rest on the floor. Which one you choose will change whether your balasana is a deeper hip stretch, or you are rested up on your legs.
• If chosing bhujangasana, practitioners may push up onto hands and knees before pressing up into adho mukha svanasana.
  

Teach through yourself

Every once in a while I think, "Am I teaching yoga well?" as though there is a standard for teaching yoga. Yoga Alliance has given a loose standard to how teacher teach yoga, and what must be covered. But there is no lesson plan. If you know 10 asanas well, you can teach yoga. But the styel and delivery of any yoga class will be different from teacher to teacher. Each of us is different and focus on some aspects of yoga different than another teacher. You will not ber perfect for every student. I think back to an article I read last Fall, "As a teacher, you have the right—and some might say the obligation—to bring all of your talents to the table and express the teachings through yourself." The students have an obligation to themselves to find the right teacher for them. And if that teacher is not you, so be it.

Satchidananda's Words this week center around being a humble teacher. "Don’t pose as an all-knowing person. That’s the problem: Are you going to teach or preach? Preaching is not important. Practicing is what’s important. In fact, nobody is a teacher; we are all learners. Sometimes, we learn from the students themselves. So be humble and gently impart what you know. Say: ‘This is all I know; this what I’m hoping for. You try. You may even get it before me.’ That kind of humility is important."

And as Pattabis Jois said, "99% practice, 1% theory"

For what do I search

Why yoga? Why now? After spending years ignoring religion and the existence of God, I have only now, through yoga, begin to sort through my thoughts about my feelings and ideas of what is God and purpose of Life. I may never get that answer. But, through yoga, I seek to learn how to stop and listen to my thoughts, become aware of my consciousness and comfortable with the idea that God (whatever it is) truly does exist, even if I can not touch it.

Practice Karma Yoga

Serve others are Satchidanada's words this week, lead a life of selflessness. This relates to the practice of Karma Yoga, or "Union by action." The action is done without attachment. Thus, the actions have no expected outcome save that of doing good for others without need of recognition or reward. Selfless action leads the practitioner closer to loving all that is divine (God's love).

When you these practice selfless acts, it connects you with your true self. This connection grows, and, over time, you develop an ongoing communication with your true self. Getting "in touch" with your true self brings you closer to the Universal Self, or God.

Each day, be cognizant of what you expect from your actions. Learn to shed the attachment to recognition and you will also become less disappointed in your world.

Yoga on the Beach

This morning I woke my kids up early to go to Oakledge park where Kathy and the 7-day intensive class was practicing yoga. I shot video and pictures and put them together in this video which was a practice run for me to try and put together a chanting video.

Certified!

The seven-day intensive training is going on this week at Yoga Vermont. I only had a few hours left to do, so I went today. I realized that my 200 hours (more specifically, my 180 with Kathy) are in! She gave me my certificate today.

But as I told someone...this is not a destination, it is a journey. I plan to continue attending classes as long as Kathy with have me.

"The Truth about Bottled Water"

I liked this article on Yahoo! main page today because it listed everything I did not like about bottled water...price, demand for oil, toxins in water, waste....etc.

The Truth about Bottled Water
Imagine you’ve just been given a choice: You have to drink from one of two containers. One container is a cup from your own kitchen, and it contains a product that has passed strict state, federal and local guidelines for cleanliness and quality. Oh, and it’s free. The second container comes from a manufacturing plant somewhere, and its contents—while seemingly identical to your first choice—have not been subjected to the same strict national and local standards. It costs approximately four times more than gasoline. These products both look and taste nearly identical.

Which do you choose?

If you chose beverage A, congratulations: You just saved yourself a whole lot of money, and, perhaps, even contaminants, too. But if you picked beverage B, then you’ll be spending hundreds of unnecessary dollars on bottled water this year. Sure, bottled water is convenient, trendy, and may well be just as pure as what comes out of your tap. But it’s hardly a smart investment for your pocketbook, your body or our planet. Eat This, Not That! decided to take a closer look at what’s behind the pristine images and elegant-sounding names printed on those bottles.

• You may actually be drinking tap water.Case in point: Dasani, a Coca-Cola product. Despite its exotic-sounding name, Dasani is simply purified tap water that’s had minerals added back in. For example, if your Dasani water was bottled at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Philadelphia, you’re drinking Philly tap water. But it’s not the only brand of water that relies on city pipes to provide its product. About 25 percent of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources, including Pepsi’s Aquafina.
• Bottled water isn’t always pure. Scan the labels of the leading brands and you see variations on the words “pure” and “natural” and “pristine” over and over again. And when a Cornell University marketing class studied consumer perceptions of bottled water, they found that people thought it was cleaner, with less bacteria. But that may not actually be true. For example, in a 4-year review that included the testing of 1,000 bottles of water, the Natural Resources Defense Council—one the country’s most ardent environmental crusaders—found that “about 22 percent of the brands we tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits.”
• It’s not clear where the plastic container ends and the drink begins. Turns out, when certain plastics are heated at a high temperature, chemicals from the plastics may leach into container’s contents. So there’s been a flurry of speculation recently as to whether the amounts of these chemicals are actually harmful, and whether this is even a concern when it comes to water bottles—which aren’t likely to be placed in boiling water or even a microwave. While the jury is still out on realistic health ramifications, it seems that, yes, small amounts of chemicals from PET water bottles such as antimony—a semi-metal that’s thought to be toxic in large doses—can accumulate the longer bottled water is stored in a hot environment. Which, of course, is probably a good reason to avoid storing bottled water in your garage for six months—or better yet, to just reach for tap instead.
• Our country’s high demand for oil isn’t just due to long commutes. Most water bottles are composed of a plastic called polyethylene terepthalate (PET). Now, to make PET, you need crude oil. Specifically, 17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of PET water bottles ever year, estimate University of Louisville scientists. No wonder the per ounce cost of bottled water rivals that of gasoline. What’s more, 86 percent of 30 billion PET water bottles sold annually are tossed in the trash, instead of being recycled, according to data from the Container Recycling Institute. That’s a lot of waste—waste that will outlive you, your children, and your children’s children. You see, PET bottles take 400 to 1000 years to degrade. Which begs the question: If our current rate of consumption continues, where will we put all of this discarded plastic?
  

Dharana

One of the eight limbs of yoga is dharana or concentration, developing a focus on one thought, one idea, one object. When this happens, you begin to learn more about it than you ever knew before.

This week's Weekly Words talk about a one-pointed mind...same as concentration. Satchidanada's words say “When the mind is concentrated, it gains more strength...If you gather all the thought forms and concentrate on one idea or object, the mind will reveal the inner secret of that idea. That is what inventors do. They are deeply concentrated, their minds are one-pointed, so nature reveals its secrets to them."

Satchidanada concludes his weekly thought with the line: "With that (one-pointedness) you can gain anything you want in this world." It is true...pretty much whatever you want to gain can be attained with focus. But that focus can be dangerous as well, destructive. If you focus your energy on hatred, you bring negative energy to yourself and those around you.

But the concept of dharana is more divine and should be used as a tool toward meditation and, ultimately, samadhi--unity with the Divine. If you focus on positive energies and love, and uniting with your True Self, dharana helps brings peace to you and those around you.

The Road has been Served!

A few weeks ago, Satchidananda's words were about finding opportunities to serve, and he specifically pointed out serving things...like the road. Well, today, I found an opportunity to Serve!

While driving home from teaching yoga, it began to rain. I came around the Winooski circle and saw a screwdriver in teh road. I avoided it and thought I should pick it up. Traffic stopped for the light--my opportunity! I opened my door, and there it was!

But, I picked it up and threw it off the road. I did not think so far as to put it somewhere safer. Where it is, it could get sucked under a lawnmower blade, and hurled back into the road, or worse, into a windsheild.

I think my service has been cancelled out.

Yogis of Tibet pt 2

I finally finished watching the Yogis of Tibet. The second half of the film shed some light on the secluded yogis and offered more interviews with monks and nuns and even The Dalai Lama. Several were shown offering their interpretation of the meaning of "what is a yogi?" Answers varied, but all loosely came back to being one who follows a path toward finding his or her true self.

I did not get the impression that Tibetan yogis practiced mush asana...more that they retreated to the mountains and did a lot of meditation. Many participated in some elaborate types of kriya or other posturing rituals to show devotion to the Divine. The film showed yogis talking about the health benefits of certain posture and rites; the narrorator always said something about the fact that the yogi has very reluctant and cautioned people not to copy the actions without a true guide or they might cause themselves harm.

The other message of the film focussed on how the Tibetan monks and nuns were able to keep their compassion knowing how the Chinese brutally destroyed their home and their people. It just seems so unfair for this invasion to have occured to the most peaceful people in the world. I have thought about this, too. Esp when I learn more about The Dalai Lama. He says your enemy is your greatest teacher...you learn patience and compassion from finding your way to work with your enemy. A young Monk in the film said that it might be because he is young, but he still can not fogive the Chinese, and he is too young and did not witness the atrocities.

Another nun (Western) said that if it weren't for the Chinese going to Tibet and driving people from their homes, the rest of the world may never have had the chance to participate in the religion and culture. The Chinese went to Tibet to eradicate their culture and Religion, but instead, drove the issue to the highest levels of visibility throughout the world and brought a great amount of attention to Tibet and its people.

Yogis of Tibet

I started watching Yogis of Tibet. It is a film intended to communicate and preserve the life of Tibetan yogis, who, since the invasion of the Chinese, have dwindled in numbers and begun to lose some of the tradition that has been strong for a thousand years. My children have been watching it with me, but, as their minds wander, so does my ability to watch due to their activities. So far, the film has presented a brief history of Tibet from the time they were spiritually united by a Buddhist monk to the Chinese invasion, and interviews of yogis and monks about their experiences of the invasion. It has just started to interview yogis in retreat...I must pause.

Doing something right?

Tonight at Vinyasa I thought no one was coming. At 7:40, I hear footsteps. Two people come in for class. I teach what I thought was an invigorating class...but at one point the man walks out. Hm, OK. I continue. He returns. After class, I finish the intake for them and the man asks me a question. "Do you have any of your classes online?" I was not sure what I heard, but he continued, saying that it was a great class and he'd like to do more. I said I was not at that point in my yoga teaching yet, but would consider it. It was a compliment! I was happy!

Composting

I have wanted to compost for a long time. More and more I find people who are doing it. I just found this on the Chittenden Solid Waste District Web site: http://www.cswd.net/composting/

An affordable composting system! And lots of great info on Composting.

Eating is Yoga

Satchidananda's Words recently were not particularly eye-opening...but struck a (good) chord with me. I have always thought about how I eat. I notice that I eat rather fast, and I find myself hurrying my children. Since my journey into yoga, I have tried to be a better example for my kids.

Instead of standing to eat (which I did often) I remind myself to sit at the table with them. I try to always eat WITH them and not after. I encourage them to try everything, and if they do not like it, they do not have to eat it. I do not encourage a "clean plate" but they do have to eat the dinner if they feel hungry later. I provide small portions. I provide healthy food often. And although I want them to enjoy eating and eat within a reasonable amount of time, I try not to rush them.

Sometimes I find myself inhaling my meal. I have let my mind wander so much that I forget to feed my body, to the point that it is lusting for food. Then, it does not taste the food, but suck it down and give me a stomach ache.

As Satchidananda said, "God gives us thirty-two teeth. Why? To chew well."

Control your Happiness

Another weekly words from Satchidananda...on the vein of linking happiness and detachment. He talks about how you should just accept things that happen to you and do not complain. It is "God's Will" so to speak. It's a very interesting thought. Where do we learn how to complain? Right from birth...complain about a diaper, gas pain...basic needs! But once they are satisfied, we are happy.

But then we learn to complain about unnecessary things. My purse does not match. My car's not new. Then we learn to be unhappy. Once we become attached to things, our unhappiness begins. Satchidananda says to stop complaining and start accepting. "The simple way to be always happy is to accept everything: profit or loss, pain or pleasure, praise or blame. Nobody needs to give you happiness. It is your own. You are happy, but if you want to make yourself unhappy, go ahead until you learn to be happy."

The Company you Keep

It is easy for us to veer off course when striving to find our True Self. Desires and attachments bombard us, layering thick upon our koshas throughout our daily lives. But even if we can not keep the path clear, reading inspiring words or seeking advice from those that have attained spiritual transcendence or wisdom through Divine study can help boost our own spiritual transformation.

The Weekly Words this week touch on keeping holy company. "The first foundation of spiritual practice is satsanga, or good company. Through satsanga, your mind will dwell on good ideas and, slowly, you will be transformed. Your bad habits and all that is undesirable will slowly go away and give place to new, holy ideas."

When you listen to negativity everyday, you fill up with this, and it leaks out of you. If you find yourself in a bad place, change scenes. Seek to find something more divine to surround you and absorb. Imbibe happiness and exude bliss.

Getting harder to keep up

It is getting harder to keep up with the yoga blog. As my training winds down, and my teaching schedule ramps up, I'm already finding that I've stopped thinking and started doing. Less thought, less "meditation" on ideas. And I have to get cranking on my research project.

We're also coming to the half-way mark on the year. 6 months and have I kept with my resolutions? Time to check in and get it going. Still practicing nauli often and neti as needed. Like now with my nasty cold.

Serving humanity

I'm thankful to have the weekly words from Satchidananda coming to my inbox once a week because it reminds me to write in my yoga blog!

This week the newsletter talks about being prepared and finding opportunities to serve. The service is not just to God, but to Humanity, to Nature. By serving everything, you serve God. Satchidananda's words add that it can be as simple as picking up a banana peel...you may be saving someone's head. "You can serve not only people. Serve the road, for example. If you see a piece of glass on the road, pick it up and put it in the right place."

And put effort into serving. For example, if you borrow something, and it is not working properly, serve it by fixing it. Even though you did not break it, fixing something makes it better for everyone. It's a kind payment for borrowing.

I think Satchidanada would also agree that when you serve, serve without expectations. You serve from your heart without attachment of recognition. Not with the thought that you will receive gratitude or payment for serving.

Veni, Vidi, Vinyasa

I came, I saw, I practiced yoga. I gentle twist to Ceasar's famous quote.

I held vinyasa this evening to 4 young women who I think enjoyed the class. For me, It felt wonderful teaching a harder class and playing around with more poses.

Bio at YVT

My Bio is also available on the Yoga Vermont instructor directory.

Mommy duck is at Yoga

I have not written in a while. But this morning my son had a conversation with himself that made me smile. He was in the bathtub with his rubber duckies: mommy duck, daddy duck and baby duck.
Baby duck asked, "Mommy Duck! Where are you?"
"I'm going to yoga."
"Oh! Can I come with you?"
"Yes."
"Daddy duck, we are going to yoga. Bye!"

Mourning

This week's Weekly Words of Wisdom states "Do Not Mourn". Satchidananda says that by grieving, "the soul becomes unhappy. It feels: ‘I am free. I am moving freely. I am happy; but, in my name, he or she is sad.’ You make that soul sad by your feeling sad." He suggests that we instead be happy for that person and recognize that death is a liberation from the body.

I understand his rationalization, and the concept that death ("maha samadhi") frees our soul from the constraints of the physical body. But I disagree that we, the souls in bodies still in Earthly form, should not mourn. I think mourning is a natural response to losing a loved one. People should let themselves experience grief. It is only through knowing sorrow that we know what is happiness! It is the same as feeling love for another human...only through love can we know true love of our True Self.

If someone lived a full life, and they have a terminal illness causing them pain, then when they die, accepting their "release" is easier for others. A loved one of that person has watched the pain and felt the pain of that illness and may be able to find happiness in their loved one's death. But if someone dies in quick accident, ripped suddenly from the many lives of people around them, then a period of mourning is a fundamental rite to allow for healing.

I also disagree with Satchidananda's explanation that our sadness causes the dead soul to be sad. If the soul is dead, they are free from emotions. Once dead, a soul ceases these feelings...so mourn all you want without guilt!

Vinyasa

Taught my first vinyasa class for YVT today. One person, a friend, participated. Thank you Mike!

Communion

Satchidananda's Weekly Words this week are about how to find real communion with God. He basically says that to find true communion with the Divine, one must first seek communion with others on Earth. It is by seeking fellowship with other humans, other beings and everything in Nature, that we can find a way to communicate with and be closer to our Universal Self. If you can not love others, how can you love your True Self?

Teaching at Yoga Vermont

I'm finally on the schedule, officially! The Summer 2009 Yoga Vermont schedule is firming up and my name is listed not once, but twice!

Kindergarten Yoga

I taught yoga to kindergartners at the school that my son will be going. I had a plan...which was immediately thrown out the window when the fire drill occurred. *sigh*. But then we got them back in and settled and began again. Then I realized in the movement, I lost my "outline" that also had the story on it. Luckily, I found it halfway through and I finished will a little more confidence. I did forget to do a breathing exercise, but in retrospect, that would have disrupted the flow. This is what we did...

Took a deep breath (through the mouth)
Deep breath through the nose. Reminded them to keep breathing through the nose while we did yoga.
Hands on ribs, felt rib cage open and close.
Coordinated head movement to breath
Standing poses: mountain, crescent moon, tree, eagle
Transition poses: cat, dog, gate, arm/leg balance
Seated poses: butterfly, turtle, frog, boat, bridge, relaxed
Flight of the arrow sequence: warrior 2, 1, 3
Read a story with poses, children did the poses when I came to it in the story.
In relaxed pose, a mom brought ducks. Put ducks on their chest so they could see them rise and fall with their breath.
Q&A

The activity that I wanted to do but forgot, was to blow a cotton ball around using a straw. Oh well. The kids were giddy enough, this would have not been a "relaxing" exercise.

The Return of Weekly Words

For a while, I lost the Weekly Words newsletter by Satchidananda in my inbox. I thought it may have been cancelled. I accidentally clicked on my spam folder last week; I saw one there! For some reason, I had a spam filter on it. I removed the filter, and now here is the return of Satchidanada's Weekly Words to my inbox. I am complete again.

The Best Form of Meditation
“Some people meditate on food, constantly. Even as they are eating their breakfast, they meditate on their lunch. And while eating their lunch, they think of dinner. They have nothing else to meditate upon. Some people meditate on money: how to make money, money, money. Some people think of the body: beauty, beauty, beauty, how to make the body more beautiful, day and night. That’s also one form of meditation. But the better level of meditation is to think: Who am I? Meditate on that. That is the best form of meditation. Try to know your Self. Meditate on that. Find your Self—who you really are."

Chair Yoga

It's been almost a year since I narrowed down my research paper topic for completing the 200-hr YVT instructor course. And I have changed my mind. I was so enthusiastic at first, but after teaching yoga, taking over the Seniors class, and having my FIL ask for yoga exercises for him to do where he does not have to sit on the floor...I thought chair yoga would be interesting.

Without any research, I think I could discuss yoga for wheelchair-bound adults, yoga for Seniors with limited physical ability using a chair as a prop, and yoga for office workers in a confined space (cubicle) or on an airplane. I would focus on how the chair is used in different situations.

Chaturanga and Chocolate

Over the last few months I have noticed that "potential energy" is being stored around my belly. I'm feeling a little heavier. No big deal. I thought that I'll just practice portion control and get more active. But then I do things like make a nice dark chocolate cake. Mmmm...it is hard to resist chocolate cake (aparigraha, aparigraha, aparigraha...).

Last night during practice, I felt it: my belly hit the floor during chaturanga dandasana. The first time, I thought, oh, my arms are getting weary. Be strong! Then it happened a few more times. Hm. Damn. My belly is dragging.

So, I have decided to make a bigger deal of "getting back in shape." Right after I finish that delicious chocolate cake.

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois passed away today.

He leaves behind an incredible legacy of yoga teaching. He touched so many lives although he never met most of them. Although his physical body his gone, his spirit stays within all of us. I hope his family will find peace in their sorrow.

Primary Series in Sanskrit

OK...here goes what I memorized last night:

• dandasana
• paschimottanasana a,b,c
• purvottanasana
• ardha badha padma paschimottansana
  
• trianga mukhaikapada paschimotanasana
• janu sirsasana a,b,c
  
• mariachyasana a,b,c,d
• navasana
• bhujapidasana
• kurmasana
• supta kurmasana
• garba pindasana (roll around 9 times)
  
• kukkutasana
• badha konasana a,b
  
• upavishta konasana a,b
  
• supta konasana
• supta padangusthasana a,b,c
  
• chakrasana
• ubhaya padangusthasana
• urdhva mukha paschimottanasana
• setu bandhasana
  

Mother Teresa

I recently checked out of the children section of our library the DK Books' Biography of Mother Teresa. I know, pretty lame for a learned adult to use something so remedial. But really, I just wanted the facts. And DK books do a good job of presenting facts.

Now that I have ready this, it has given me ideas for other books to look into reading about Mother Teresa. Now that I know who she was and what she did, I plan to look into A Simple Plan and No Greater Love.

Universe in a Single Atom

Wow. It will take me a long time to read this book. I took it on vacation, but it was way to heavy for such a lighthearted excursion from reality.

I do like the analogy that science and spirituality are but two fingers on the hand of humanity.

Relating chakras to Maha Gayatri

While learning the Maha Gayatri last July, Kathy talked about how it relates to each of the seven chakras.

I thought about this again recently, and decided to take a look into chakras a little bit again, as a reminder, using the book Chakras: Energy Centers of Transformation by Harish Johari and relating them to the Gayatri. The gayatri addresses the ruling planes (lokas) of each chakra as follows.

Om Bhuh
- refers to the first chakra at the root (mul) of our spine, muladhara, which is responsible for the physical plane: Bhu Loka
Om Bhuvaha
- refers to the second chakra in the reproductive region, svadhishthana, which is responsible for the astral plane: Bhurvar Loka
Om Savaha
- refers to the third chakra at the navel region, manipura, which is responsible for the celestial plane: Sva Loka.
Om Mahaha
- refers to the fourth chakra at the heart, anahata, which is responsible for the plane of balance: Maha Loka.
Om Janaha
- refers to the fifth chakra at the throat, vishuddha, which is responsible for the human plane (where great spiritual darkness ends): Jana Loka.
Om Tapaha
- refers to the sixth chakra at the third eye, ajna, which is responsible for the plane of austerity or penance: Tapas Loka.
Om Satyam
- refers to the seventh chakra at the crown of the skull, sahasrara, which is responsible for the reality or truth plane: Satyam Loka.

Surya Namaskar B in Sanskrit

How silly...easy to add a few steps for surya namaskar B in sanskrit.

1. Tadasana (mountain pose)
2. Utkatasana (fierce pose)
3. Utanasana (intense stretch, forward bend)
4. "Flat Back"
5. Chaturanga Dandasana (four-limbed staff/spine pose)
   
6. Urdva Mukha Svanasana (upward-facing dog)
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog)
8. Virabadrasana A, Right (warrior A on right side)
   
9. Chaturanga Dandasana
   
10. Urdva Mukha Svanasana
    
11. Adho Mukha Svanasana
    
12. Virabadrasana A, Left (warrior A on left side)
    
13. Chaturanga Dandasana
14. Urdva Mukha Svanasana
15. Adho Mukha Svanasana
16. "Flat Back"
17. Utanasana
18. Utkatasana
19. Tadasana

Surya Namaskar A in Sanskrit

As I am trying to learn poses in sanskrit, I decided to memorize surya namaskara A in sanskrit.

1. Tadasana (mountain pose)
2. Urdva Hastasana (upward salute)
3. Utanasana (intense stretch, forward bend)
4. "Flat Back" (can't find the sanskrit for this, Iyengar describes this as the first of two utanasanas, the second one being the forward bend done in step 3)
5. Chaturanga Dandasana (four-limbed staff/spine pose) a low plank pose
6. Urdva Mukha Svanasana (upward-facing dog)
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog)
8. "Flat Back" (ie utanasana "A")
9. Utanasana
10. Urdva Hastasana
11. Tadasana

Effort in Asana

Everything in life has equilibrium, the “happy medium”. I believe this is also true for the amount of effort one places on their asana practice. Effort may be in the form of the physical strength necessary to keep muscles and bones steady in a posture. Effort may also be exerted to control the breath and ensuring long, deep, inhales match long, deep, exhales while practicing. And effort may be exercised to still random thoughts and in steering the mind to focus and concentrate during practice.

If I do not put enough effort into my practice, my posture wobbles, my breath is uneven or my mind wanders and I lose touch with my practice and my self. If I exert too much effort, I could tear a muscle, get dizzy or forget where I am and what I am doing. Although, it is very rare (if ever?) that I would exert too much effort on stilling my thoughts—my mind is a very wild place that needs much effort to control.

Another point that is also true of effort is that it changes each time you practice. The effort I put into the physical asana when I began practicing yoga several years ago was very weak compared to the effort I exert now, mostly because my body was untrained, or I was unsure of what I was doing. My effort then was on watching the teacher, trying to see what she was doing and copy it. Or I would back off on a pose because I did not feel good in it. Now that I know more about the poses after practicing them for years, I exercise less effort on how “correct” the pose looks and more effort on how I can settle into and enjoy the posture. The focus of my effort in asana has shifted.

I also exert more effort in engaging muscles and bandhas and also more effort into controlling my breath than I did when I began. Again, practice makes it easier, but as my practice matures, I discover new things about my practice to which I explore.

For instance, I recently began focusing more on my lungs. I learned more about the lungs and how they work, so I have begun to put effort into feeling and investigating my lungs. I learned that the lungs have three lobes. While lying in bed one night, I took several long breaths, filling and emptying my lungs. I realized that there were two very subtle pauses in both the full inhale and full exhale, separating my breath into three sections. It was like driving a car over small cracks in the road—if you did not see them and know they were there before, you otherwise would never have noticed the light "tap" of the wheels over them.

I also learned about pulmonary pressure and how the diaphragm works. The diaphragm also has a happy medium. Full inhale creates effort on the diaphragm to contract, and when it relaxes, it brings the lungs to a neutral breathing area. Effort on the ribcage muscles (I think) to contract allows the lungs to exhale completely, then it relaxes back to equilibrium.

Too much effort, too little effort? It is a question to apply on effort in asana from day-to-day. One day I may find it easy to do a pose, the next day difficult! It depends on my energy and how my body, mind and breath are tuned together. Every time I practice, I adjust levels of effort to ensure the equilibrium is maintained.

Memorizing Sanskrit: Standing Sequence

Yesterday, I spent time memorizing the Sanskrit names of the poses in the standing sequence in order. I used David Swenson's book to look at the parts of the names (i.e. pada = foot, hasta = hand, uttana = intense). Once I recognized the patterns, I could put the names together. I said them out loud over and over. By the evening I was able to stumble through without looking at the book for hints.

This morning, I went through them again. Then, in practice this evening in the studio, before I did each pose, I whispered the name into my hands. Here they are in order from my memory:

• Padangustasana
• Padahastasana
• Uttitatrikonasana
• Parivrittatrikonasana
• Uttitaparsvakonasana
• Parivrittaparsvakonasana
  
• Prasaritapadattonasana (4)
• Parsvottanasana
• Uttitahastapadangustasana (4)
• Ardabadapadmasana
• Utkatasana
• Virabadrasana (2)
  

Asana Saturday Session

Today was another workshop with Kathy for YVT Teacher Training. We started off with an Ashtanga second series class. Kathy asked if anyone would be willing to teach Ashtanga Primary series for Scott who was not feeling well. I hesitated a moment; Shannon, another teacher who teaches Ashtanga was there. I expected she would cover. But she did not speak up so I said I would do it. Kathy was grateful.

When I got to the class only one person showed. I was very happy to take it. We had, basically, a personal session. I assisted her when I could and showed her a few things to try. She knew the series well enough, but it was a challenge for me to get it in the right order.

When I came back, another student had given a presentation on anatomy.

We did some partner yoga/acrobatics for fun.

Summer feeling in the air

Today the weather was wonderful. It makes me think that we are going to pay for it later and have lots of rain. We do need some for the new sprouts.

But the weather was great for a 5 year old chomping at the bit to play outside. By the end of the day, the neighborhood was full of wet kids having fun in the sunshine and warmth with sprinklers and squirt guns. It's a chaotic, yet beautiful, sight to behold.

YVT Methodology&Practicum Tuesday Session

I attended a Tuesday workshop on methodology and practicum today at YVT. It was during my Seniors class, and sure enough, 4 seniors arrived for regular class! They had been away so did not get my message that class was canceled for that week.

Asana is sometimes referred to as "seat". As in a "seat" for meditation. Grounding, rooted. Ready to meditate. We practiced for about an hour, trying different things. Kathy asked us to think about how our mind wandered or stayed focused during practice. And did we wonder about some of the "easy" postures? Most of the time, they would be setting us up, getting us ready for, something that took more concentration and effort.

We did a lot of backbends. Tried different things like "pushups, jumping, holding legs up. The funny thing is that I was too tired from class the night before. I really wanted to try the handstand into back bend and back over...but my body just said, "NOPE!" so I assisted others.

Assisting handstands to backbends. TWO PEOPLE. As the person goes into handstand (legs bent) and coems down, guide them gently down, but allow their own force to bring them over. Then, place one hand on their back, the other on their hamstring. Then give them the "omph" to get over. Throw their legs if necessary.

We broke up into groups talking about the 21 day experiment and another talking about asana.

I spoke about the insurance options that I researched.

Saturday we'll get into some anatomy stuff.

Yoga insurance

Information on yoga teacher's insurance that I researched recently. Each individual may have specific needs and should call for specifics if they see a provider that appeals to them.

1. Health Providers Service Org (1-800-982-9491)
Coverage: $1M per occurrence / $3M aggregate
- No deductible
- Professional liability coverage
- Personal Injury coverage
- $500 / $10K property damage
- $2K / $100K medical expenses
- NO sexual abuse liability coverage
- Disability insurance option available separately
Proof of certificate or license required (Yoga Alliance accepted. If not Yoga Alliance, you may submit other certificate to HPSO for review)
Required HPSO dues: $1.00 (one dollar)
Full-time annual rate: $150.00
Part-time (teach less than 24 hours/week) rate: $100.00
Underwriters: American Casualty Company of Reading, Pennsylvania, a CNA company

2. Fitness and Wellness Insurance (1-800-395-8075)
*NOTE: Yoga Journal Benefits Plus and NAMASTA use Fitness and Wellness Insurance; coverage outlined below. You can get the same F&WI as a member of Yoga Alliance, Kripalu Yoga Teacher's Association, Integral Yoga Teachers Association, Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States and others found on www.fitnessandwellness.com
Coverage: $2M occurrence / $4M aggregate
- No Deductible
- Professional liability
- Personal Injury
- $100,000 property damage
- $2500 medical expenses
- $100K / $300K sexual abuse liability
NO Occupational accident insurance option available. It is stated on their PDF files online, but I called and spoke directly and was told it is no longer available. Call your membership organizations for other disability insurance options.
Additional costs: Must be a member of one of above mentioned organizations. (i.e. NAMASTA dues are $99, Yoga Alliance is $55 for basic RYT).
No proof of certificate required (but may be required by membership organizations)
Full-time rate: $205/year
Part-time rate (teach less than 6 (six) hours a week): $145
Underwriters: Philadelphia Insurance Company

3. Yoga Journal's Benefits Plus (Fitness and Wellness Insurance)
Coverage outlined in F&WI above except disability insurance from Northwestern Mutual option available separately.
Required Benefits Plus annual dues: $55 (see Yoga Journal online for list of benefits)
Fitness and Wellness insurance "discount" rate: $185/year (less $15.95 if you decline the subscription to Yoga Journal)
Part-time rate (teach less than 6 (six) hours a week): $125
No proof of certificate required.

4. Sports and Fitness Insurance Corporation (800-844-0536)
Coverage: $1M occurrence / $3M aggregate (call for pricing and sub-limits ranging from 500K / $1M to $2M / $3M )
- No deductible
- Professional liability
- Personal injury
- Property damage
- $10K “no fault” coverage on medical expenses
- $100K/$300K sexual abuse liability
Occupational accident insurance option available separately
Proof of certification NOT required to get insurance. Will be required if a claim is filed against you
Insurance rate: $200
No Part-time rate
Underwriters: Liberty Mutual

5. Venbrook Insurance (800-991-3080)
Coverage: $1M occurrence / $3M aggregate - (call for pricing and sub-limits on options up to $2M / $5M)
- No deductible
- Professional liability
- Personal injury
- Property damage
- $2500 medical expenses
- $100K/$300K sexual abuse liability
No disability insurance option available
No certification or membership required
Insurance rate: $210
No part-time rate
Underwriters: Philadelphia Insurance Company

21 Day - Day 19

This weekend was very busy. I did not journal at all, but I did continue to do nauli every day. Of all of the things I have kept on so far these "21 Days", nauli seems to be my new habit change.

I found it difficult after about two weeks to keep it up. I did learn to become more mindful and compassionate when I drive. Every time I do something I think is not along those lines while driving, I think about it and change my behavior.

Chair Yoga for FIL

BEFORE YOU START
* It is best to be seated in a chair with no arms. If there are arms on your chair, come to the front edge of the seat to do the exercises.
* Wear comfortable clothing that allows you free movement. If you are wearing a belt, loosen or remove the belt.
* For best results, do full routine once a day. Once you are comfortable with it, add another session and do twice a day.
* To begin, pick one or two favorites exercises and do them anytime during the day.

BREATHING
All breathing should be done through nose. Inhale through nose. Exhale through nose.

• Inhale a long, controlled, and deep breath. Feel the air fill your abdomen, your ribs expand, and finally the air fills your neck. Hold air in for a moment before letting air out in a controlled, long exhale. Repeat 5 times.

Use this breathing technique, and be conscious and aware of your breath, for the duration of the exercises. Note: if coordinated breath movements cause dizziness, hold one side for 2-3 full breaths, then do same on other side.

SEATED
While doing seated exercises, be aware of your posture. Sit tall, shoulders back, chest strong. Knees bent and feet flat on floor. Hands relaxed on thighs.

1. Inhale. Exhale right ear to right shoulder, keep shoulder relaxed. Inhale head up, exhale left ear to left shoulder. Inhale up, exhale chin to chest, look at lap. Inhale up, exhale head back, look at ceiling. Inhale up and repeat.
2. Inhale, shoulders up to ears. Exhale, roll shoulders back, sit tall. Repeat 3 times.
3. Keeping hands on thighs, roll your torso around clockwise 5 rotations. Stop and roll counterclockwise 5 rotations.
4. Inhale, bring arms up over head, stretch toward ceiling. Exhale, lean to right. Inhale, straighten. Exhale, lean to left. Inhale straighten. Repeat 3 times.
5. Inhale, arms up, palms facing forward, bend elbows into a right, roll shoulders back. Upper arm is parallel to floor, forearm and hands are perpendicular to floor. Keeping the arms steady, exhale and twist to the right. Inhale back to center. Exhale twist to left side. Repeat 3 times.

For the following exercises, come to edge chair. Straighten legs. Keep upper body strong, seated tall.

1. Inhale, lift right leg, flex foot. Keep leg straight for the duration of 3-5 full breaths. Relax. Repeat left side.
2. Inhale, lift right leg, flex foot. Exhale, point toes (extend). Repeat flex and extend 5 times on right side. Relax. Repeat on left side.
3. Inhale, raise right leg, flex right foot. Roll foot around ankle clockwise for 2 breaths. Reverse direction for 2 breaths. Repeat on left side.
4. “Forward Bend” With legs straight, inhale and look up at ceiling. As you exhale, lower your chest down toward your thighs. Keep arms straight as the hands slide down the front of your legs. Take 3 full breaths.
5. “Grinding Grain” Inhale, arms up in a circle in front of you, clasping hands. Exhale, roll your torso out and around clockwise, arms make a motion as though you were grinding grain. Continue motion for 2-3 full breaths. On an inhale, stop, exhale reverse direction (counterclockwise) for 2-3 full breaths.
6. “Rowing” Inhale, bring hands up to chin level, make loose fists. Exhale, bend torso forward as the arms extend up and out toward your feet. Inhale, your torso comes back up and the arms row down and back up to chin level to complete the “circle”. Be aware of your neck as you row; keep head and neck steady.
7. "Swimming" Inhale right arm up and back chest turns slightly to right. Watch your hand as arm arcs overhead. Exhale, extend right arm long over right leg and begin to turn chest and gaze to the left. On your inhale, left arm comes up, watch your hand arc over your head. Exhale, extend left arm long over left leg and begin to turn chest and gaze to the right. Repeat both sides 5-10 times.

Come back to sitting with knees bent and become conscious of your posture again. Sit tall. Shoulders back, chest strong. Knees bent and feet flat on floor for the following stretches.

1. Inhale, bring right knee up, clasp hands around knee. Exhale, pull knee up toward chest. Take 3-5 full breaths. On last exhale, release. Inhale, repeat left side.
2. Inhale, bring right knee up, clasp hands around knee. Exhale, pull knee into chest. Inhale, flex foot, Exhale extend foot. Repeat 3-5 times. On last exhale, release. Inhale, repeat left side.
3. Inhale, bring right knee up, lay right ankle on left knee. Use hands to hold leg into position. Exhale, sit tall. Take 3 full breaths. Release, inhale, repeat left side.

STANDING
For the following exercises, stand 12-18 inches behind the chair, keeping the back within arms reach for support. With feet flat on the floor, check your posture. The crown of your head is lifted toward ceiling, chin parallel to floor. Back is straight, spine long. Scrunch your shoulders up to ears as you did before, roll them back and down.

1. Soften knees and bounce. Try to allow heels to come off the floor.
2. Inhale, exhale and rock forward onto toes, heels come off the floor. Inhale, rock back on heels, lift toes up off floor. Repeat 5-10 times.
3. Inhale, Exhale and bend both knees, as deep as you can. Hold position for duration of 2-3 full breaths. On an inhale, rise back to standing. Repeat 3 times.
4. Inhale, bend right knee so toes on right foot are barely touching floor. Hold position for duration of 2-3 full breaths. On exhale, relax. Repeat on left side. Do both sides 2-3 times. Eventually, try to get foot entirely off of floor, raised in front of you.
5. Inhale, bring right foot behind you 1-2 feet, toes touch floor. Exhale, bend left knee slightly, press right heel down toward floor. Hold position for duration of 2-3 full breaths. Repeat on left side.
6. Turn to your right; the back of the chair will be on your left side. Place your right foot in front of you and widen the distance between your feet approx 2-feet. Your right knee will be bent. The left leg is straight, with a soft knee. Your left foot may turn out between 45-90 degrees from your body. Feel both feet press into the ground.
   6a.“Warrior” Keeping upper torso straight and strong, lift right arm straight above your head. Hold position for duration of 2-3 breaths. note: for more challenge, lift both arms over head
   6b. “Lunge” Place hand(s) on upper thigh of right leg. Press hand(s) into thigh and lean over right knee. Hold position for duration of 2-3 breaths. Come back to standing and turn to your left with chair on your right side. Repeat exercise with left leg in front, right leg behind.
7. Stand approx 24 inches behind chair, with your feet approx. 1 foot apart. Place hands on back of chair. Inhale, look up at ceiling, pull chest toward chair and roll shoulders back. Exhale, look down at floor, shoulders roll in and back arches toward ceiling. Repeat 3-5 times.
8. Stand approx 24 inches behind chair. Place hands on back of chair. Widen legs so that your feet are 2-3 feet apart. Inhale, look up, exhale fold forward. Hold position for duration of 5 full breaths. Release.
   

REST
It is important, esp. if you have done more that 30 minutes of these exercises, that you find a comfortable position to rest your body. You can just fall asleep on the couch, but I recommend sitting in your chair and do the following with eyes closed.
1. Sit comfortably in your chair as you did in the beginning. Shoulders back, hands on thighs, feet flat on ground. Neck is relaxed, head is steady.
2. Take another deep, long, controlled inhale through nose. Exhale through the mouth, sighing out loud. Repeat once more.
3. Listen to your breath. Feel your breath. Keep your thoughts steady—don’t let your mind wander. Stay present by focusing on your breath.
4. Hold this for 5-10 minutes…or however long you want!

21 Day - Day 16

11:00PM
Watched "Soul of Tibet" this evening. An A&E Biography of The Dalai Lama. It was just a factual timeline of events about his life. One piece of insight from TDL was: without an enemy, you can not truly learn patience and tolerance. enemy is the real teacher.

I also watched some adaptive yoga DVDs to create a routine for my Father-in-Law. One on yoga for diabetes and another on chair yoga.

21 Day - Day 15

8PM
A whole day has gone by and I just am now able to sit down and write. Very good connecting with my boys today.No yelling. They listened well and did things I asked. We all spent time outside cleaning up the front yard of debris. Julien helped me in the Day Lily garden. I made potato rolls for dinner.

21 Day - Day 14

9:15AM
Preparing for Seniors class. Watching Kripalu DVD gave me stimulation and ideas. Had an interesting dream this morning...I dreamed that I was doing the handstand-backbend and back over several times. Effortlessly. I was hovering in Space just above the Earth, no friction, just fluid motion over-back over-over again. As I came back over, I stood in handstand a moment, then I started to fall toward Earth. Sparks burst from my head, like a comet. Flames and light flowing down my body as I shot like a falling star to Earth. My eyes were closed but I had a huge smile on my face. I felt no heat, no resistance, no fear of falling. Then logic took over and I thought, 'wait a minute, if I'm falling to Earth, I would definitely feel heat.' Then I woke up.

11:45AM
Ended Seniors class. Went well. Feedback was that the workout was good. I almost ran out of time! New student joined, from Monday class. She was upset about yesterday's class being cancelled and not being told. I was empathetic and she joined my class. I hope she returns.

8:00PM
My son has been uber-challenging today. I witnessed him pnuch a peer. However it was a part of the game or not, I requested he stop. He continued. I called him over to discuss and he raised his fist at me. I sent him inside. I do not know what to do sometimes. I want to let him outside unsupervised, but if he ignores my please then it's a disciplinary action required and supervised visits with friends.

He acted out again at Soccer tonight. He even said "yay, I get to go home." I know he's not thrilled with soccer, but I need him to continue if he wants to do more things. I kept my cool, but I told him that anywhere we go, no matter if it be shopping, he'll be done for the day.

Listen to your practice

The following is an excerpt of someone else's revelation in the 21 day experiment. I am posting it because it is enlightening, inspirational and I do not want to forget it...

"For my 21 days, I chose to honor my body and really pay attention to how I was feeling and what it was telling me. If I have to pee, I go; If I'm tired, I sleep; and so on. Through this quiet listening, I've also found that sometimes your heart tells you things too - just like your bladder tells you to pee, and your eyes tell you you're tired.
"My heart has always quietly told me that my career...was not the essence of my happiness - and never will be. I used to ignore those questions that popped up when I was working late into the night - is this really worth it? wouldn't I love to go home to see my family? why am I doing this?
"Since I started listening, I realized it wasn't a quiet whisper, my heart was shouting at me - I just ignored it for so long. The same way that my bladder now screams when I have to pee - it's no longer ignorable like it used to be.
"Yoga, in it's multitude of forms, is the essence of my happiness - and always will be. Listen to your practice."

21 Day - Day 13

8:00AM
Woke up a little behind but I found a chance to do nauli and neti today. Got my son motivated to get out of bed and on to school

1:00PM
It is hard to practice compassionate driving when people drive so terribly. Not taking others' lives into account whent hey get behind the wheel of a car.
On my way to pick up Domenick, a young man was driving his sports car, passing another car, causing several of us to veer off the road to avoid collision. I am sure these two cars were racing. I honked my horn and flipped him off--energy wasted as I shoul have been taking numbers and info to deliver to police.

8:00PM
Took kids out to Marie's so I could practice tonight. I felt great. Did a handstand with support in shoulders, legs independently straight up. I also altered my practice a bit. Did primary series and threw in some of my favorite secondary series poses as well.

21 Day - Day 12

Easter Sunday. I took a break from my 21-day assignment.

21 Day - Day 11

10:30PM
Busy today. Went skiing with kids, both did fair. I think they are sick of skiing. Then colored Eggs for Easter. Went to dinner...kids were surprisingly GOOD at dinner.Julien super-excited about Easter bunny. Domenick was more so earlier in week. Less now. He'll be happy to see little legos. And chocolate.

I have done well. A little frustrated when Julien and I came back to condo. I had to carry all gear, and keep him motivated to get to condo. Then, we had a fabulous time riding up the tram after. Julien happy, excited the whole way. He wanted to get off, but I convinced him to come back down. He took a nap when we got back which made dinner great. He went right to be, with thoughts of Easter bunny in his head. He even pulled up the shade to look outside for the Easter Bunny. Domenick was more trying. He had quite an attitude so I gave him a time out on the couch. He got better with direct play-contact. I felt better about his attitude.

21 Day - Day 10

7:15 AM
Practiced nauli, hurt a little-maybe full bowels. My body feels better from doing short asana series yesterday, working out kinks. Busy day today, going to celebrate Easter at Jay. Preschool and playgroup before all of that.

2:15PM
Major infliction on my quest for compassionate driving. I did OK this morning, but on our way to an appointment, I was SO frustrated with other drivers. I did not swear, but I expressed anger. I was also short with the kids, but I think I am doing better at controlling my snippy outbursts toward them. I let them bring their bikes to this appointment and they were very happy for doing so.

21 Day - Day 9

It's a Full moon today at 11AM.

Noon
Made granola all morning--fun; ishvara pranidhana Kids played GREAT together the whole time. I'm still trying to get through the dishes and laundry. We have no plans to go anywhere. Just being a Mom today. Practicing Compassionate Driving should be easy!

4:30PM
Playdate again today here. Enjoyed talking, this time NOT gossiping! was great. We talked more about the community, the schools (budgets, needs). Ate apples, nuts, granola, drank tea. Kids played well. I do feel good about getting the dishes done and cleaning up the kitchen area before they arrived.

Drove to the store. A little too fast on the way there. But made a conscious effort to practice compassionate deriving on way home. JT tired, in front of TV now. D outside playing hard.

9:15PM
Did asana between 5:20-5:40 today. While JT rested. Called D in for dinner around 6pm, he threw a fit, but came inside. He and JT ate very well at dinner (salmon and broccoli) Went up to get redy for bed rather well, too.

Dinner dishes are done!

21 Day - Day 8

9:45AM
Frustrating morning. Stepped in dog poo. Forgot sons shoes. Saw an accident, two actually. Seems to be a crazy day. Moon must be....yep. Almost full. I did not practice compassionate driving well today.

11:00PM
Reflecting on the day. I have had a difficult time keeping up with my goals today. My MIL backed into our garage. I did not feel right at yoga. Discussed the full moon activity with some who said joints and ligaments are not what you want at full moon. I think it is the body's fluids are off balance.

21 Day - Day 7

6:45AM
Still re-living the Girl Scout yoga last night. I feel a little sore, but ready to start the day.
I resolve to not use the computer until after lunchtime. (Broke that promise by 8AM)

11:30AM
Just finished Seniors class. Two women. small group, but getting my feet wet. I made it rather vigorous in the beginning, ending low and restful. So far, doing well with the yamas and niyamas.

6:00PM
We are at Soccer. I spent time with both boys outside today. My MIL watched them while I taught. We talked about our husbands afterward. And how things are frustrating with them. I complained about how Erik treated me last night when I taught yoga: "You have to put you life on hold for 6 years." WTF?? I was upset, but I kept my toungue still. No use arguing wiht his irrationality. My anger was contained and I let him espouse. Someday he may figure out what time wiht his boys is valuable. They are growing up quickly. They won't wait for him.