Alegria....Happiness

My teacher Arturo Garcia was in town this past weekend....and of many things touched, I'll just mention a couple....

VRKSASANA - Tree Pose, held until we slip out of it, other side, then seated

I stood for probably as long as I ever had...time only relative. The sun shone on the right side of my face....and the shadows of leaves and branches dancing and flittering constantly. Noises of cars passing and dogs and children running and playing....I noticed the weight shifting in my foot, the pressure of my other foot on the inside of my thigh, the rooting and then the swaying of my upper body. I giggled. Just when my mind settles, my giggles arise, amidst the activities of people in the city, in the park on a Saturday morning. I sat after changing sides, but that time the sun was shining on the left side of my face, warming me to the cool breeze. Focusing on senses...noticing, but not owning them, just observing them and letting them go. Noticing emotions, and letting them roll away. My physical sense was that of my left leg slightly overworked having held the posture more on the left than on the right.....and I tried not to notice, as I sat.....if it hadn't been for another session to commence, I probably could have sat until the night fall bringing me a whole new plethora of senses.

My word to meditate on during karma yoga was ALEGRIA...HAPPINESS. Upon opening the folded piece of paper, my first reaction was a huge smile...well this will be easy! With each fold of the yoga schedule for the studio, I repeated the word Alegria. After a time, the word started to fade and I tried to embrace it...recognizing what happiness means and how and when I feel it. I was stuck quite in the present moment and reflected on relationships with others. When we root ourselves in happiness, we are then able to extend that to others...of course there are moments when this feeling is not so ever present, but how can we learn to cultivate happiness? and how can we learn to share that? how do we plant that into our practice?

So this was my reflection for this morning's class. I started teaching early morning (early morning being 8am here in Mexico!) in the downtown area. We practiced the makasana (asana of the face)....SMILE....for 5 minutes. Have you ever done this? Putting a huge smile on your face, an intentional one, for 5 minutes?! Give it a try! See what happens! And let me know!

Workshops in Queretaro

From the humid and warm air of the beach, I find myself searching for all possible layers of clothing, blankets, whatever to additionally trap in the heat.....exactly, work presents itself in Queretaro, Mexico. However I am quite content here in this city......and excited to announce two workshops that I will be parting in the next two weeks. An all day workshop on February 13: Incorporating Vinyasa, covering areas such as breath control, sequencing, and bringing creativity into one's practice, and the basics of Vinyasa Flow; Opening Heart and Hips - Backbends, where we explore the glory of diving into these rejuvenating and powerful asanas, complete with preparatory poses and counterposes.

The following weekend, February 19-21, I will be partnering with a friend who has been a dance instructor for many years to offer a Release Dance / Yoga Flow workshop for 3 days. The workshop is structured around the sensibility of the body and mind, grounding and moving organically through yoga and dance. We will practice individually as well as use props such as the wall, floor, and other bodies.....

In the off days I have found a couple studios to offer a few classes and am busy taking advantage of what the city has to offer.....

What we put forth

Bali is 'where spiritual life permeates daily life'.....the words resonated from a documentary I saw upon returning from Bali this fall. I remember the first morning stepping out onto the sidewalk and intrigued by the women setting out offerings. These offerings are made anew each day...out of palm leafs, 4 different colors of flower petals to represent the 4 directions and elements, incense, and holy water....the three latter due to the Hinduism trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. These offerings are generally prepared by women and set out by women...each day in front of temples, doorways, shop entrances, everywhere. Traditional set with the new...I chuckled at the mini ritz pieces that the dogs would come eat.

That day we continued walking into the rice paddy fields just on the periphery of Ubud.....The mountains were in the distance of the closer palm trees and the glorious rice paddies dazzled with small temples. Men working early mornings at planting, transplanting and caring for the rice. This is the Balinese's peoples staple...families for generations and generations have been taking care of the land, giving thanks as they harvest.

Our walk ended at a textile and art cooperative supporting various communities of Bali. There the processes of batik and ikat are easily understood, however not so easily done!

In the evening I attended a dance performance set to the captivating gamelan music. The dancers were incredible, intricately moving their fingers and eyes in ways that seemed almost unhuman. I was engrossed at the intent of having such control over such subtle yet profound movements.

What struck me most that day was the artistry and dedication that I was witnessing. The art of the offerings, the rice fields and the dedication, the processes of the textiles, and the symbolic dancing was so evidently a way of life.....I believe the Balinese are truely artists and weave in such beauty represents their every day life....being gracious and grounded to that which is so much more than what is physically here.

I tried to incorporate elements of this art into my practice....moving and exercising my eyes, focusing on mudras, stepping and moving with grace, but more importantly with dedication....I reflected back to Ishvara Pranidhana of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. We in a sense 'surrender' or 'devote' to what is greater than ourselves. For me that means dedicating my asana practice, being intentional, and furthermore letting my spirit shine, limitlessly.....what I experienced in that first day is what I try to cultivate on the mat...offering grace.

Grateful Winds

I was blessed on the rooftop by the fresh ocean air and warm afternoon sun of Santa Cruz del Miramar, Nayarit, Mexico. The air was still and the awnings above dimmed the sunight just enough to shade the intensity. Supta Baddha Konasana, relicing in the glory as my hips began to open and I assessed my body, my breath mimicking the sounds of waves....what followed were the 5 Tibetan Rites, historically holding the great power of energy rejuvenation. I interspersed the dynamic exercises with related asanas: supta padangusthasana, navasana, ustrasana, dandasana, purvottanasana, adhomukha savasana, bhujangasana.....and finishing with sirsasana, for what i had anticipated to be 10 minutes, but was only 7. My world turned upside down, allowing my heart to rest and rejuvenate and my feet reaching for the limitless sky. I came down. I purposefully slipped into meditation. I stood. The winds grew strong. The calm ocean was now choppy, leaves of the trees rustled wildly, and I smiled. Changing winds directed at me.

I thought back to a tibetan bowl meditation I attended in Ubud, Bali. The lyrics of one song struck me in particular and continue to resonate.....'Changes, changes, changes.....everything I was searching for I only had to look inside.' The procession our lives takes is never static, not our bodies, not our feelings, nor our surroundings. We meet change and evolution depending always on time, place, and circumstance......and I am grateful for blowing winds.

These winds have allowed me to have spent the summer and fall at home with dear friends and family in Viroqua, WI and for partners accomodating a migratory life by teaching yoga at the new Tapestry Yoga Center and at Vernon Memorial Hospital; October to Bali to begin planning for a new yoga retreat this coming June; the new year guiding a group in the Copper Canyon; January in Nayarit, offering yoga primarily to the 'snow bird' community; and the months to come partnering with a dance instructor to offer specialized workshops of dance and yoga.

We sway and splay in the winds...however I stay grounded, and grateful.

Awakening the Senses

I awoke about 4:30 in the morning.....the stillness of the warm air was remarkable. I took a quiet seat facing sacred Mt. Agung, closed my eyes and welcomed the day. The prior 24 hour travel slowly was moving out of my body as I began to prepare myself for new experiences. I stepped onto the mat recognizing it had been a very long time since I'd practiced before the dawn of the day. I stood in Tadasana, welcoming the unfamiliar ground below me and invited the morning to carry me intentionally into the bliss of Bali. What arose were standing and balancing asanas, grounding me and preparing me for the transition of new experiences......

My senses were so alive and reacting to new surroundings.....my eyes were curious to the colorful sarapes and people in the streets, glorious architecture and enchanting landscape. My untrained ears were delighted to the sounds of Gamelan music in the evening and a new language. My nose was enamored to the smells of fresh flowers and incense from the daily offerings. My mouth relished in the flavors of cocunut, ginger, fresh vegetables and delicious fruits. And my body was ever so welcoming and open......

I found an heightened awareness to my body's reactions to the early morning meditation and asana, assessing and reassessing every moment and every movement. The external stimuli around me was facilitating an amazing ability to tune in....exactly that, tune in and allow myself to lead and be lead into the day, preparing me to embrace the newcoming.