Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Love is all around

Whew - this has been a rough week! There was an avalanche at Stevens Pass on Sunday that took the lives of three people - including a close friend of mine. Then the next day I found out another friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and is having a masectomy in two weeks. It's always hard to watch horrible things happen to wonderful people. Normally I am an optimistic person and try to look for something positive in tough situations, but this time I just couldn't do it. That made me feel even worse because it seems very un-yoga-like, ha ha! As an instructor, shouldn't I be able to handle this with wisdome and grace rather than bawling my eyes out and cursing?

The thing that is carrying me through the week is the incredible love I feel from the community. I was talking to a friend today and she said "Facebook has changed the way we grieve." That sounds really strange but it's true. As soon as the news broke about the avalanche, people started posting pictures and telling stories in rememberance of the three victims. I was instantly connected to all these people I had never met before by sharing this moment together. A page was also started for my friend with cancer where people are posting inspriational quotes, pictures, and favorite memories to make her smile. It's amazing how people from all across the country, and even internationally, are coming together to show support and caring for one another. I've been blown away by all the kindness and love that surrounds me, so that is the theme for my class today: love is all around.



Friday, February 17, 2012

Ski Bunny

I had the cutest Valentine this year - my sweet little niece! I took the day off work to take her skiing for the first time (she turns 4 next month). She loves sledding and playing in the snow, so she was excited to try out skiing. We had a wonderful time together and she was much more adventurous than I expected. I tried to show her how to slow down and make turns, but she just wanted to go straight down the hill as fast as she could! Ha ha, a girl after my own heart :)







Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Full moon

Yesterday was a full moon, and like all things of a watery nature (we are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The energy of a full moon corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong and vulnerable to push beyond our limits.

You may notice that it's more difficult to balance during a full or new moon. This can be frustrating when you fall out of poses that you can normally hold steady. Often times when this happens, we try to push ourselves harder...and when that doesn't work we get mad and say things to ourselves like "what's wrong with me? why can't I do it? I should be better" etc.

We tend to attach our self-worth to outcomes: achieving a certain pose, getting good grades, winning the match, etc. The trouble with this is that the satisfaction of victory is only a tiny moment in time. By telling yourself "I'll be happy when__fill in the blank__" you are setting yourself up for days, weeks, months, even years of feeling inadequate. 

The next time you find yourself in a situation like this, take a deep breath and let it all go. We are infinitely more powerful that we think we are - it's our thoughts that limit our abilities. 

There are a few different yoga principles that come into play here:
  • First is ahimsa which means non-harming. We tend to think of ahimsa in relation to others - not harming another individual. However, it also applies to how we treat ourselves - when we beat ourselves up and tell ourselves that we aren't good enough, we are causing ourselves harm.
  • In yoga we also practice vairagya which is the Sanskrit word for non-attachment. It's easy to become attached to an outcome or to our thoughts about a situation. Thoughts are just thoughts - they only become real when we believe they are true. Take a moment and see if you can detach from a thought and see it for what it really is - separate from you.
  • Finally, we are contantly looking for balance in sthira sukha. Sthira means strong, steady, stable; and sukha is comfortable, at ease, relaxed. Finding a blend of strength and ease leads us to a place where we can establish harmony in mind and body.
Here is the playlist for class today


San Fran

This past weekend I was in San Francisco visiting friends. Our original plan was to go skiing in Tahoe but there wasn't enough snow to make the 4 hour drive worthwhile. Instead we stayed in the city which ended up being better because I got to see a lot more people!

On Friday, Kelley picked me up from the airport and we went to Rainbow Grocery. Kelley has been telling me about Rainbow for years and I was super excited to finally go there! It's the biggest natural/organic market I have ever been to - I could have spent hours there. If you are ever in San Fran, make sure to check it out!

Then we went back to Kelley's apartment and had lunch before attending a yoga class at Urban Flow. The studio was beautiful - huge windows, brick walls, and hardwood floors. I loved having the sunshine pour into the room and we even got to watch the sunset towards the end of class. The studio is entirely donation based which I think is amazing!

Saturday morning we went to the farmer's market and loaded up on fresh produce that we later used to make dinner. Kelley is an awesome chef so I was spoiled with delicious food all weekend! My favorite stand at the market was Mariposa Baking Co. which had all gluten-free baked goods that were incredible! It definitely rivals New Cascadia in Portland for the best gluten-free bread I've ever had.

Saturday afternoon I met up with Dasha (friend from Bali) at Gracias Madre for amazing vegan Mexican food! Dasha lives in Sacramento so it completely made my day that she drove an hour to come see me!!! We had the best time together - I couldn't stop smiling :)
Sunday I went for a long bike ride with Kelley & Roko - my friend Ali was nice enough to let me use her bike! We rode from their apartment in the Mission, across the Golden Gate Bridge, up and over the Marin hills to the Pacific Ocean, through a tunnel that led back to the Bridge, and then back to their apartment. It was about 30 miles - a fun ride with lots of hills, but we were rewarded with beautiful scenery. We met up for dinner with Ali & Morgan at Source which was another great restaurant featuring local, organic, and seasonal food. Yum!







Monday was my last day in town and I was happy to meet up with more friends from Bali! Eliette, Melisa and I went to a yoga class together and then out to brunch so we could catch up. I had such an amazing time, I didn't want to leave! Luckily it's just a short 2 hr flight away so I'm sure I'll be back again soon :)

Whistler

Oops, I'm a bit behind in my blog posts. Two weekends ago we went up to Whistler for the weekend with a group of Marc's classmates. There were 15 of us total and we had a great time skiing, shopping, and eating at great restaurants. Here are some pics from the winter wonderland