The Beauty Is In The Breath.....

Pranayama. In traditional yoga, the breath is known as prana, or universal life-force energy within all of us. Thus, your pranic body is your vital body, also known as your energy body. Breath is life. Yogis have known the amazing benefits of breathing practices for thousands of years, but scientists in the Western world have only recently established a clear connection between deep, controlled breathing and improved health. And someone recently told me how important it is to get plenty of oxygen to your brain, thus inspiring the topic for this post.
One of the greatest health benefits in our culture is stress reduction. We know that stress is linked to a number of health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression. Just learning how to breath deeply, on and off the mat, can reduce, or even eliminate, many of the symptoms triggered by stress.
Classic yoga breathing techniques, known as Pranayama, are used to control the breath and harness the prana within and surrounding your body in order to create a state of inner peace. And it just so happens that the many health benefits can be a by-product of a regular diaphragmatic breathing practice.
It is common during everyday life to use only the upper third of our lungs. This kind of shallow breathing is generally caused by tension or stress. Because there are more blood vessels in the lower portion of our lungs, we need to use our entire lung capacity to get enough oxygen into our bodies, and to release the toxins that are eliminated as we exhale. The increased oxygen we breathe in gives us more physical energy and improves our concentration and mental clarity, which is one of the first things we lose when we are under stress. Something I have been a target of recently.
So my purpose with this post is to explain some simple breathing techniques that can be used throughout your day to clear your mind and reduce your stress level, while releasing those toxins, leaving you feeling peaceful and calm and better able to handle the weather that you have created in your life.
Traditional yoga breathing practices are done exclusively through the nostrils rather than through your mouth. Breaths taken through your nose warm and filter the air coming into your body. These breaths keep your body warmer while you work out as well, which is necessary for your muscles and connective tissues to stretch safely and effectively. It is also more efficient for your heart and lungs, which is why many professional athletes practice this technique.

Ujjayi Breathing:
Before beginning this technique, take 3 or 4 deep breaths in through you nose and out through your nose. Focus on inhaling all the way down to the bottom third of your lungs, making your inhalation match in length with your exhalation.
Next, to begin Ujjayi breathing, also known as "Darth Vadar" breathing, inhale deeply through your nose and then place your hand in front of your mouth and exhale with your mouth open pretending that your hand is a mirror that you are trying to fog up. Do this for several breaths and focus on the sound and sensation that you feel in your throat. Then finally do this breath with your mouth closed and still produce that whisper sound in your throat as you exhale. If you can hear your breath, you will be able to recognize when it is becoming rapid or shallow, or if it is staying steady and deep. Ujjayi breath also gives you a focal point when your mind begins to wander. Once you have mastered this technique while sitting at rest, try using it when under stress or exertion, such as when driving in LA traffic or jogging.
Three-Part Breathing:
The Three-Part breath is the simplest and most rewarding of all yogic breathing exercises. It is both purifying and energizing, and if done slowly and evenly, can produce a great sense of serenity and balance. As mentioned earlier, we often breathe using only the top portion of our lungs. Breathing in and out at full capacity even just a few times can greatly increase blood oxygen levels and decrease carbon dioxide. Three-Part breaths are great for increasing your awareness of your breathing and help you use the potential depth of your lungs. In Three-Part breath you use your diaphragm to fill your lungs completely from bottom to top. To practice this technique, first focus on expanding your belly, then your ribs, and then your chest, before exhaling completely.
Relaxation Breathing:
Relaxation breath is a slow-paced technique used to induce a state of deep relaxation and centeredness. It helps reverse the physiological symptoms of stress, including lowering the heart rate and decreasing blood pressure. Although it is not as deep as the Three-Part breath, this technique also focuses on matching the length and depth of the inhalation to that of the exhalation. To do this, lie down on your back and relax completely. Place your right hand on your chest and your left hand on the upper part of your abdomen. Breathe so that only your left hand rises during the inhale and falls during the exhale. Your right hand should not move at all. Give an equal amount of time to your inhale as you do to your exhale. Breathing this way should not be a struggle. And you should do only what you are able to do calmly and comfortably.

Whether you choose to use these techniques or not, remember that when it comes to breathing, if you are breathing consciously, you are doing yoga. Nameste.

Dreaming My Dreams.....

Dreams.....in my opinion, that's what life is all about. I was very fortunate to have spent my teenage years with a dreamer who inspired me everyday for 5 years to be a dreamer and be passionate about what interests you. Teaching young children was one of those passions for me and has sustained me for many years. But as I head into the second half of my life I feel my natural teaching shifting in another direction. One that can still include young children, but may also include a whole other audience as well.

The picture I have included in this post is of a place known as Farmville. And NO it's not the virtual place made so popular by Facebook. But rather a real place where real food is being grown. I include it here because it has become a place very near and dear to my heart for many reasons. One of them being it is where I find myself rolling out my mat and doing Sun Salutations every morning. Being the daughter of an avid gardner, I grew up knowing how hard people work to produce the food we eat everyday. So it's not unusual for me to find solace in my yoga practice in the middle of a vegetable garden. But this particular garden represents more than just good, healthy food. It is also representative of someone who knows how to keep his passion close to his heart. And for that he will always be someone close to my heart. So my message today is this: search in your soul for your dreams, and if need be, dust off the cobwebs and start living them. Life is about dreams. So dream on......

Peace, Love, Joy, Gratitude.....

Each YogaFit training session always ends with a "share circle" on the last day and level 4 was no different. The idea of a "share circle" is for all of the participants to share in one word what this training has given them. Each day we were asked to focus on things, either people or events, in our lives that bring us PEACE, LOVE, JOY, & GRATITUDE and given the events in my life recently this was a very easy task for me. So it seemed only fitting to make these 4 simple words sum up the past 4 days.
Our last day together began with our final masters class led by Brett. And because he is a physical therapist by trade I think he intuitively knew that our bodies needed a break. He led us through a very restorative class that gave us a lot of opportunity to listen to our own bodies and tailor our workout to what it was telling us we needed and at what pace. My body was screaming slow, rhythmic deep stretches laced with lots of deep breathing. He did guide us through a series of shoulder work in preparation for inversions such as headstands and shoulder stands. Something I don't spend enough time doing in my personal practice. His knowledge of the human body and what it is capable of doing was amazing to say the least.
After our lunch break we spent the rest of the afternoon comparing the two majors texts we had been studying for the past 4 days: The Gita and the Yoga Sutras. We did a variety of activities with partners and in small groups where we had to look at a Sutra and then find a parallel Sloka (or verse) in the Gita that went along with it. This was no easy task, given that both of these ancient texts are not the easiest pieces of literature to comprehend. In fact, Brett told us that he has been studying the Gita for 7 years and still doesn't totally get it.
We also spent a little bit of time talking about meditation and how this practice fits in with the Yoga Sutras. One more thing to add to my growing list of things to look into a bit more.
By the end of the day my concentration had completely broken and I started to do what I always do when I get overloaded with information, which is the one thing I tell my students to NOT do: I stopped listening and started talking to the people around me. Fortunately, their brains had reached their saturation point as well and they more than welcomed the chatter. I spent more time than I should have talking to a woman named Tina who gave me lots of valuable information on how to turn my yoga training into a real business. Including how to set up a website and apply for a business license. Am I ready to take that leap? I don't know. But after spending 4 days doing nothing but yoga, I think I am ready to at least try. So some time before 2010 comes to a close look for Om To Home to go to the next level. I'll keep you posted.....

Joy To The World....

Day 3 started off with the " Peace, Love, Joy, Gratitude" dance again led by Beth. I love this dance! I think I'm gonna have to do it with my Kindergartners in the fall. What a great way for them to start their day. Then we danced out of the room and made our way to our level 4 training which started with another one of those insane 3 hour Masters classes. This one focused on hip-openers which happens to be my strength so I didn't struggle too much with the poses. But I do have to say my inner thighs are burning right now as I type this. Each day our trainer has had a theme for their masters class that also carries on throughout the day. Our theme today was JOY. Hence the title of this post. In fact, we ended the masters class dancing around the room to the song Joy To The World. Not the christmas carol version, but rather the cool one by Three Dog Night. I remember that being my favorite song when I was in like the second grade. And as we danced around we had to hug 5 different people before we could leave the room and go to break. We also did our warm up stretches to Bob Marley's "Don't Worry, Be Happy". So you can see it was a very JOYFUL day.
Today was also a day filled with not only lots of music and singing and dancing, but with a lot of chanting as well. Something I have not had a lot of experience with until this weekend. We chanted our mantra for the day which was "Lokah Samastha Sukino Bhavantu" which means: May this world be filled with a sense of well being and happiness, and may my thoughts, words, and actions contribute to that happening. But my favorite chanting activity we did was one called Kirtan. That is where you chant a mantra like singing a song in rounds while playing a variety of musical instruments. My favorite one was one that included a phrase from each of the major religions of the world. As we sang them at the top of our lungs you couldn't help but feel the barriers that separate these organizations dissolve as we were all interconnected in song. It was so cool. And I also got to play an instrument called a Tibetan Singing Bowl that made the most amazing sound just by running a mallet-like tool around the edge of the bowl.
We also practice more Sanskrit words by playing games and doing partner yoga activities. But my favorite Sanskrit activity was when we got to do what our trainer Kristen called YogaFit line-dancing. Of course being one of those people who was borderline obsessed with Country Music line-dancing back in the early 90's I was totally into this. We did a fun version of the Electric Slide that included a yoga pose for 4 beats of the music. Great way to practice the language and the movement at the same time.
We ended the day with another session on the philosophy of yoga that included a very interesting discussion about the word and symbol OM. Here's the deal. It is the sound of the universe, and it represents our oneness with everything in the universe. It carries the 3 energies needed to have a full life. The first energy being that first breath you take when you are born, the third one being the last breath you take when you die, and the second one being all of the breaths that make up your life inbetween. That is why it is the most sacred of all the mantras and so important in the yoga philosophy.
We also learned about the deity known as Ganesha. That is the elephant-headed statue that is so often portrayed in pictures pertaining to yoga. He is usually sitting surrounded by lots of mice and eating dessert. This deity is symbolic of the idea that you can live among the peasants of the world (the mice) and still live a life full of joy (I guess that's what the eating desserts part symbolizes).
As I drove away from the resort this evening I couldn't help but realize how all of the organized religions of the world seemed to all be saying the same thing. And how they all seem to have similar stories and symbols to represent the same concepts. And it just goes to show you that we truly are more alike than we are different.

Feel The Strength of The Mountain and The Heat of The Desert

Day 2 started with a warm up class with Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit. I've been looking forward to this conference for many reasons. One of them being to finally take a class from Beth. She started her business in the mid 90's peddling it out of the trunk of her car, and is now the head of the largest yoga training method in the world. Pretty amazing. She was a marketing major in college and it shows. Class with her this morning was beyond inspirational. She oozes peace, love, and joy from her very being. She just got back from India and shared with us some fun techniques. My favorite one being her flying bird flow that ended with you giving yourself a hug.
After an hour with Beth it was time to begin the second day of level 4. We started off with another Masters class that lasted for 3 hours. Yes I did say THREE HOURS! This was probably the most challenging yoga I have ever done, yet it somehow was the most enjoyable as well. Our trainer, Brett, has an amazing style with just the right balance of intensity and relaxation that makes a really great yoga instructor. He had us doing such complicated acrobatic combinations as Down Dog to Wheel and a walking Scorpion down the wall. Intense, I'm telling you. If I get a chance to practice these insane postures I might even be brave enough to post pictures by the end of the weekend.
After lunch we spent most of the afternoon talking about the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras. Neither of which I have even begun to wrap my mind around so I won't even try to explain them yet. But I will say this, I think the Gita is becoming one of my favorite pieces of literature. The interpretation we were required to read for this training included several stories about the many lessons to be taken from the Gita. Our homework assignment last night was to read 3 of these stories and then discuss them in small groups today. I know, it sounds kind of boring. But get this, after we discussed them we got to act out one of our favorite stories. So of course my group decided to act out the one called "The drunken Boatmen." The moral of the story is that you can practice something all you want, but until you practice detachment you will never get anywhere. And I got to play the wiseguy bathing in the River Ganges who points this out to the intoxicated boatmen. This was definitely the highlight of a very long and tiring day. As far as the Yoga Sutras go, I will need to spend A LOT more time reading and re-reading it to be able to explain it to anyone. But this much I know so far: Sutra 1 shows us that yoga is about being present, and Sutra 2 shows us that yoga is about clearing the mind. Both are really important things that we all need to bring into our daily lives.

Seeking Your Own Truth....

That's what became the mantra for Day 1 of my level 4 training at the Mind & Body Conference here in Palm Springs. "Seeking your own truth." Could possibly be the mantra for my life right now I suppose.
But let me start at the beginning, which began at 4 am this morning when my alarm went off signaling me that it was time to head off to my first YogaFit conference. I made the drive in under 2 hours and was blessed to watch the sunrise over the mountains of Southern California. When I arrived in the desert the temperature was already 94 degrees, an indication of what was to come later in the day.
Because this training is at the conference the location is not at a gym or a yoga studio, but rather at a resort in the older part of town. As I walked through the resort I was amused at the stark difference in the decor. The interior appeared to have been decorated by Liberace and looked like what I could only imagine hell would look like if it were an old-fashioned resort. Lots of red and black furnishings straight out of a movie from the 50's. The landscape outside looked more like what heaven would look like in a Hollywood movie, with lots of peaceful gardens to meander through if you like the heat.
Because I was not staying at this resort and because I did not want my laptop nor my perishable produce to be ruined in the heat of my car all day, I schlupted my way through the entire resort with my computer and a small ice chest along with my regular training supplies: yoga mat, bagful of books, pillow, blanket, and anything else I felt I couldn't live without for the next 8 hours. Unfortunately I forgot to grab the new bottle of red wine that I had picked up to enjoy later on that evening. And when I went out to my car at the lunch break I was horrified to find that the heat of the desert had uncorked my wine. Looks like I will need to attend more remedial wine-care classes with a private tutor perhaps.
After checking in and shopping in the boutique we were ushered into a room to meet all of the trainers and hear opening remarks from Beth Shaw herself. After her inspirational words we did the "Peace, Love, Joy, Gratitude" dance and then headed off to begin our 4 day training of level 4.
Our Masters class began with chanting and then warm-up stretches done to a tune called "Do you ever find yourself walking down the street with a big smile on your face?" Again, could possibly be the soundtrack to my life right now. I can tell this training is going to be right up my alley. The warm-up was followed by a series of Sun Salutations done without any verbal cueing which was a nice change of pace from the previous trainings I have been to these past few months.
After getting my butt kicked in this challenging class we settled into some pretty heavy-duty learning.
First we learned about the Sanskrit language, which is the language of yoga. Something cool about it is, it's what is known as a vibrational language. Meaning that the sounds are based on vibrations that are meant to bring out the energy within us in qualities such as being flexible and easy going or very strongly grounded. So that also means that some of the words do not have a direct translation. We practiced the vowel and consonant sounds first and then quickly moved into more complicated words such as: adho and supta, which mean downward and supine. Then we ended this session practicing phrases such as:
Adho Mukha Svanasana which means Downward Facing Dog, one of my favorite poses.
Another cool thing I learned was that about 5000 years ago the Earth made a slight tilt on it's axis that caused the gravitational pull to change. This made the ancient yogis feel the need to add movement into their personal meditation practice to help them become more balanced. So they looked to animals and how they moved to create the poses. And that's why we have poses such as Downward Facing Dog that look just like what a dog does every morning when he wakes up. When we do this we are simply connecting to the energy of the animals. Cool huh?
After lunch we continued with our study of the philosophy of yoga with a very lengthy yet interesting discussion about Koshas which are 5 different layers of your body that include your physical body, your vital energy body, your mental or emotional body, your intellectual/intuitive body, and your bliss body. It was interesting to talk about how our behavior can come from us acting from any one of these bodies. Made me think: what Kosha am I acting from?
We finished the day with an introduction to the Bhagavad Gita that included a homework assignment that is calling my name even as I type this post.
But before I get going on my homework assignment, I just want to finish up with one of the many great quotes I heard today:
Life should not be the pursuit of happiness, but rather the experience of happiness.
I was told that level 4 would be life changing. I think I can feel that already.

Do you feel something pulling or is it just me?

I already know the answer to that question. It is just me. And it's a really strong pull. After playing yoga games all day in Sacramento at the Healthy Habits studio I felt like my entire being was being pulled farther and farther away from the bureaucracy of my public education life. And I know yoga isn't the only thing pulling it.
Since I always talk about where my trainings are held let me talk about Healthy Habits first. It was an old Victorian house that had been converted into one of my many dreams. I say many because I have quite a few. There's the horse ranch complete with the hunky cowboy wearing wranglers and boots, there's the funky little bakery attached to a funky little used bookstore with a sign hanging on the door that says: "gone hiking.....please put your money in the coffee can next to the plate of chocolate chip cookies", and there's the driving around the country side in an RV camping in every state along the way. And then of course there's the yoga studio. This one had it all. Two studios downstairs along with a Zen Den, which I'm guessing was used as a meditation room. The upstairs had at least 4 massage rooms that I think were rented out by the month to local massage therapists. Another profession I thought about pursuing. Out of all of the trainings so far, this location is definitely my personal favorite for many reasons besides just this cute victorian.
Rose, the owner of Healthy Habits, was our trainer for the YogaFit Kids class. She had just the right balance of bubbliness and that calming persona so prevalent with yogis. We pretended to be six-year-olds and played games such as "bowling for butterflies". I was totally in my element and finally had the opportunity to share my own personal experiences with teaching yoga to my own students. By the end of the first day my desire to bring yoga to children and perhaps others was firmly cemented into my soul.
And then came the Anatomy Class. Two very long days of too much sitting and listening and not enough doing. Our trainer's name was Theresa and she really knew her stuff. By lunchtime on the first day my brain was on complete overload and I felt like it was going to implode at any given moment. I found myself playing with my iphone and wishing I could be somewhere else. Fortunately we got to finally move on the second day. We did an hour-long class where all of her verbal cues included words such as lateral flexion and for the first time in two days it started to make sense. Now that that class is behind me I can plow through the 3 manuals and absorb the information at my own pace. Hopefully most of it will sink in before I attend Level 4 on the conference in Palm Springs. But for now I will continue to take it slow and steady and enjoy my glorious summer vacation from public education.

What's Next?

No that is not a picture of me after 2 glasses of wine, although I have probably been known to resemble that posture on more than one occasion. It is actually a preview of what is in store for me next with my Yoga Fit journey. After my last day of fourth grade I will be making the all too familiar trek up to Northern California. But this time it won't be to see family. I have a 3 day yoga marathon planned that includes a day of Yoga Fit for Kids and then two days of Anatomy and Alignment. Sounds like the opposite ends of the spectrum of my knowledge of yoga so far. I've been doing it with my Kindergartners for several years so the kids class should be a no brainer. It's the anatomy one that has me mildly concerned. Especially since I haven't finished reading the textbook yet. I'll just try to fit that in between the other 3 books I am currently not finishing. So this picture is from that unread textbook that includes sentences such as:
"Contracting the anterior fibers of the gluteus medius internally rotates the hips and releases stress at the sacroiliac joint created by contracting the gluteus maximus." That's the description they gave for the picture above. Hmmm, I think I might need to study a bit more.

Because I have one of those brains that constantly requires mental stimulation I have to admit that I am excited about the anatomy class. After enduring levels 1, 2, and 3 completely in the dark about muscles and bones and how and why they move the way they do I am eager to see if this class will help put all of the pieces together for me. Of course my trip up north is exciting in more ways than just my love of yoga but I will stick to that passion in this blog for now.

Then in July I will be heading to Palm Springs for the big Yoga Fit Conference. It's a 4-day training that includes only level 4, so I'm thinking it's going to be pretty intense. But more about that in July.

Super Foods and Whatever Else I Like.....

Okay, I'll admit that I got a bit sassy on that last post when I talked about eating muffins. It's just that I find it interesting that it's okay to comment on how a person looks when she is thin. I can't tell you how many times I've been called "skinny bitch". If I ever said something so rude to someone who is battling their weight it would be considered, well, rude. And I find it really annoying when someone calls me that while eating their second bearclaw for breakfast. Okay, done venting. So here's some more useless advice for those of you who have asked.
I said in that last post that what you look like is directly related to what you eat and how you move. So I'm going to reveal to you my secret weapon when it comes to food. Get over it! The purpose of eating is not to feel better. The purpose of eating is to give your body the nutrients that it needs to survive. And when you view food from that perspective you let go of your need to medicate yourself with it. We all have "holes in our soul" and everyone finds their own way to fill them. Some use drugs or alcohol, or shopping, or sex. And many people use food. Either in abundance or, in my case, the lack of. That's right. I have struggled with an eating disorder for most of my adult life. I won't go into the details of it here because that could go on for days. But I will say that I have had a very unhealthy relationship with food for a really long time.
One of the games you play when you struggle with an eating disorder is the "good food/bad food" list. And everything you eat fits neatly into one of these categories. You'd be surprised what makes it on the good food list. With the help of a very good therapist I learned how to manage this game by replacing my "good food" list with what you probably know as super foods. And if you don't know what super foods are, you should, so google it.
So here is what now makes the "good food" list for me on a regular basis:
Oatmeal with fresh blueberries, an orange, a boiled egg, and a cup of green tea. That's my breakfast pretty much everyday Monday through Friday. On the weekends I eat whatever happens to come along.
Lunch is where I pack in most of my nutrients. I usually have a really big salad of fresh spinach, with whatever fresh veggies I have picked up at the farmer's market that weekend. So lots of broccoli, carrots, big fat juicy tomatoes, red and orange bell peppers, or any other brightly colored veggies that happen to catch my eye. This salad usually has at least 3 or 4 different kinds of vegetables in it. I always throw in some form of protein such as salmon or tuna, or sometimes black or kidney beans. Then I have some type of fruit with my salad. Usually apples that I buy from the cutest little Japanese lady, but sometimes some type of melon or berry depending on what's in season.
Then for dinner I usually have my lightest meal. Maybe a bowlful of steamed veggies from the market with or without some form of protein like chicken or fish.
And then sometime throughout the day I snack on something like yogurt or cottage cheese.
You will notice that I do not mention any bread. That's on the "bad food" list. See, I still play the game. Actually I love bread. That's the problem. Too much of anything that refined is not a good thing for me. So I always try to keep it real when it comes to food. By that I mean eat real food. You know, the way it comes from nature. The more it's processed the less nutritional value it has for you. And remember, getting nutrients is what eating is all about.
It's not that I don't think eating should be a form of pleasure, it's just that that shouldn't be the primary reason for doing it. And besides cooking and sharing a meal with someone has a lot more to do with who that someone is than what it is that you're eating, right?
A few other words of advice when it comes to food:
It's more about what you eat on a regular basis that counts. So an occasional brownie isn't going to kill you.
Go for fresh, colorful foods that don't come in a box or a can.
Front-load your meals. That means eat most of your food before 3 in the afternoon.
Reduce that amount of "white food" you eat. Stuff like white flour, white rice, and white potatoes. That's how you get that muffin top.
Throw out that scale in your bathroom. It doesn't matter what the number on it says. What really matters is how you feel.
And lastly, always remember beautiful people come in all shapes and sizes. And it's not who you are on the outside that counts, but who you are on the inside that's going to make a difference in this world.

Muffin Tops and Bat Wings?

I was standing in line at the grocery store catching up on all of the negative publicity that the headlines at the counter had to offer when a women's health magazine caught my eye. On the cover were blurbs of what I am assuming were meant to be helpful articles for women in regards to developing or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But I couldn't help notice that all of the headlines were about the way a woman should want to look. Titles such as: "Get Bikini Ready in 10 Days" were splashed all over the cover. And then down at the bottom in very small print was something about "The 5 Foods You Should Eat To Avoid Cancer". Seems to me that article might be more important for maintaining a healthy body than any of those bikini articles. Mind you this magazine was called Women's Health not Women's Shape. I though it was interesting that most of what is being marketed to women in regards to our health still has to do with how we look. Ladies, have we learned nothing?
Then I was flipping through a magazine that my friend loaned me that had an article about yoga and how it can help women banish their "problem parts" such as our muffin tops and our batwings. Seriously? If you don't want your waistline to resemble a muffin top then don't eat muffins. It's not rocket science.
Anyway, that's what lead to this next series of posts. People are always asking me what I do to stay so thin so I thought I would just share my secret here with you once and for all. It's really quite simple: It's all about what you eat and how you move. Below this post you will see two series of photos (thank you to my personal photographer Jay) of a basic series of yoga poses that I do everyday. Yes, everyday. It only takes a few minutes. When my alarm goes off in the morning I head downstairs, fill up the tea pot, and while it's brewing I roll out my mat and run through these poses. You've gotta wait for the water to boil anyway right? So you might as well be doing something productive while you're waiting. Remember my post about Chakras? Well guess what, doing these two series of poses helps to maintain balance in almost all of the chakras. Cool huh?
You will notice that I split the photos into two series. One is called Sun Salutations and the other is simply a series of standing poses that I put together to do in addition to or in the middle of a sun salutation. You will notice as you watch the Sun Salutations series that I step back with my right foot, and then step forward with my right foot. That means this set of poses is only one half of a sun salutation. You have to do all of the poses again stepping back with your left foot to complete one round of sun salutations. As your watching the slideshow of pictures wait for the one where I am standing straight with my arms down to my sides. That's the beginning of the series. So while I am waiting for my tea water to boil I do at least 5 complete rounds of them. In fact, I know just where to fill up the water in my tea pot so that it will start to whistle just as I finishing up my left side of my 5th one.
So tomorrow morning start your morning brew and then roll out your mat and start working on getting rid of your muffin top. Who knows you just might do something that goes way beyond what your waistline looks like as well.

Sun Salutation

Standing Poses

Be, Do, Have

First I feel the need to explain the lull in posting to this blog. Simply put, distractions. Having been told by a therapist several years ago that I display many signs of an adult with ADD, distractions tend to be fairly common for me. Not the hyperactive, swinging from the rafters kind of ADD; just the space-cadet variety that can delve into several projects at once and forget to complete any of them. Not saying that I agree with this diagnosis, but I will admit I am one of those people who is usually reading 4 different books all at the same time and doesn't always finish even one of them. My motto has always been: too many books, not enough time. Needless to say, college was a bit challenging to say the least. With the "dog and pony show" of Open House behind me I now have a little bit of time to devote to this project before report cards and end of the school year festivities take over my waking hours.
Another reason for the lull in posting is that I haven't been to another training since Mother's Day at Camp Pendleton. So I am working on putting together a post that will include pictures but haven't yet coordinated the logistics of the photo shoot. Too busy reading those four books I suppose. And then of course, there's the blissful fact that my life is starting to resemble something like a Hallmark Card commercial, but that is for another blog (or maybe even a book) someday. So in the meantime I will ramble on about other things that interest me.

Be, Do, Have. The title of this post is something I heard along the way several years ago and have tried to keep in spirit as I am on this journey of life. What does it mean? Let me try to explain by saying what it does NOT mean.

In our fast-paced world we tend to live the opposite: Have, Do, Be. Meaning our focus is on what we have or can acquire. Things like big houses, expensive cars, or whatever material items give you the illusion of being happy. We have that tape playing in our head that tells us that we are what we have. Streams of consciousness such as "If I HAVE the big house then what I can DO with it is entertain and have great dinner parties and then what I will BE is happy and admired by all of my friends." Another example that might resonate with others can take on the form of a car. If I have the BMW I will impress all the neighbors and then I will be happy and important.
What if you were to make a shift and reverse that thinking? What would it look like? Maybe something like this.
BE, DO, HAVE. What will you be? Will you be peaceful or confrontational? Will you be kind or hurtful? Respectful or judgemental? Truthful or dishonest? What will you do with your virtue? Will you take care of a sick or elderly family member? Or maybe something as simple as letting that girl in the gutless hybrid be in front of you on the tollroad without raising your blood pressure flashing finger language at her. Trust me, I've never been flipped-off so many times since buying my little golf cart they passed off as a car.

How can we make this shift happen? Find some way to quiet that voice inside your head so that it will stop talking and just listen for a change. I heard someone say once that the difference between prayer and meditation is that prayer is when you talk to god and meditation is when you listen. Whether you believe in god or not doesn't matter. I'm sure most of us realize the value of just listening. So take the time to find a way to listen to your inner wisdom by connecting your mind, body, and breath. Running, walking, gardening, and of course doing yoga are great ways to stop the mind chatter so that you can just listen.
Give it a try. Lace up those tennies or roll out that mat and focus on only your breath as you move through whatever your body is doing. See what happens. Feel what you will become. Let it guide you into doing what feels right and natural. And enjoy the pure joy of what you will have. Just relax and breath and enjoy the experience.....

I'm A Blue.....

I first became intrigued by the idea of auras several years ago when I saw a guy on Oprah talk about how he survived a plane crash. He described the final moments of his fateful plane ride and a moment when he looked back into the plane and caught a glimpse of the people who would not be so fortunate to survive. He claims he saw a colorful glow that radiated around each of them. He said that some of them were very bright and some were very dull. His parting words to Oprah were: "When I die I hope my color will be brighter than the sun." That though has stayed with me ever since. And it got me thinking about colors and how they affect us. My favorite color has always been blue. Almost every car I have owned has been blue, including my current hybrid. I'm even one of those people who names her car. Only they have all had the same name: Beloved Blue. My snowboarding equipment is all blue, even down to my gloves and the bindings on my board. And for a time there if you were to look in my closet what do you think you would find? You guessed it, mostly blue clothing. But looking in there now I see a trend happening. You know how some artists go through their color phases? Well I'm no artist but I have a tendency to go through color phases with my selection of clothing. There's definitely the "blue period", and then there was the "pink phase" (a very short-lived one at that), followed by the "orange phase". Each color coinsiding with a different summer. Probably due to the fact that having summers off makes shopping for clothing more frequent. Not that I spend a whole lot of time shopping. In fact, I'm a disgrace to my gender because I cringe at the mere thought of having to go to the mall. My shopping sprees tend to happen each summer when I go on my annual getaway with a group of friends to the desert. They always somehow manage to kidnap me and get me to go to the outlet mall with them. Usually bribing me with a some form of a decadent chocolate dessert at dinner that evening. Once there I quickly purchase an article or two of clothing in the color of that particular summer and then head over to the kitchen gadget store with all of those unusual trinkets to wait out the torture of being trapped in a mall with a group of shopaholic women. Ooppss, I think I got off-track here.

Anyway, a few years later when I had an extremely difficult student in my Kindergarten class I spent a lot of time on the internet researching anything and everything that might help me figure out a way to reach this little boy. And in my research I stumbled on a philosophy known as Indigo Children. As I read into the wee hours of the morning, I was amazed to see such an accurate description of the child who was so consuming my time at work. Not only did I learn a ton of information about Indigo kids but it sent me off on another one of my tangents of devouring anything I could on my latest weird obsession. Thus leading me to a book called "Life Colors". Now what does this have to do with yoga and why am I rattling on about it here? Hang in there, I'll tie it all in eventually I promise.

The idea behind "life colors" is that we all have one and those of us assigned the same color tend to have many characteristics in common. Some believe that your life color is your aura, that magnetic field that surrounds you and can be seen by only a few intuitive people. And of course in the back of the book was one of those quizzes that you can take to see what color is you. I usually view these things with an open mind. Afterall, anything's possible right?
So I took the very lengthy quiz and guess what color I am? That's right, BLUE. And I didn't even cheat. The damn test was too long and I'm way too ADD to keep track of it to cheat. That would be like counting cards at a Black Jack table. Not something I would have the patience to do. So I answered all of the questions honestly without trying to read too much into it and it revealed that my "aura" just happens to be my favorite color. Coincidence? Maybe. Probably. Heck, I don't know.

So what is a BLUE? Blues are the hopelessly romantic. Blues love almost to a fault. They tend to stay in unhealthy relationships way longer than they should because they don't want to hurt the other person's feelings. In healthy relationships they are loyal to their partner, family, and friends, and need to bond emotionally with their mate. They tend to be teachers, nurses, or are in other occupations where taking care of others is the primary focus. Gee, does THAT sound like someone I know!

What does this have to do with yoga? Remember my earlier post about chakras? Well it turns out that each chakra is assigned a corresponding color. Yeah, see where I'm going? So my thought is this: If I really am a BLUE what does this say about the energy centers along my spine, if anything at all. The throat chakra is represented by the color blue. And remember when it is out of balance it can manifest itself in the form of either extreme shyness or someone so chatty that you just want to stuff a sock in her mouth to get her to be quiet. Those of you that know me well have seen me teeter on both ends of this continium. But as I have grown over the years I have been told that I am a good communicator and that I listen well. Both good signs of a balanced throat chakra. So maybe these two weird philosophies are related. Or maybe not. In any case, I find them intriguing. And I have found that as my yoga practice has deepened, so too has my ability to keep my dominant life color in balance. More about how I do that in a later post.

Teaching for free......

As part of my level 1 training I was required to do 8 hours of community service. Which means teach yoga for free. And we were encouraged to try to bring it to a community that doesn't already have a personal practice. Easy peezie I thought. I know plenty of people right at my school who could benefit from some form of relaxation but who would never take the time to do it for themselves. So I put out an email and got lots of eager takers. Afterall, the price was perfect.
I have to admit going into it I thought it was going to be a cake walk. I teach everyday right? So I'm used to being the center of attention. In fact, I probably went into teaching to fulfill some deep-rooted need to always be the center of attention. Or so my self-appointed therapist nameless family member would say. But teaching a roomful of kids is way different from teaching a roomful of adults. In numerous ways. The adults listen to your directions......the first time. And they don't hit, or kick, or spit or bite each other.
My first class was in the multipurpose room. Our plant foreman, Denny (who is the sweetest man and will do anything for me probably because I make oatmeal cookies for him) got the room all ready for me by vacuuming the carpet and dimming the lights low enough to make this big space actually feel warm and inviting. I got there early to cue up my ipod and do a warm-up stretch alone before my new students arrived. As they slowly started to wander in I was suddenly filled with the overwhelming sensation of wanting to go somewhere and throw up. What was I thinking???? I can't do this! I quickly glanced at my notes, took a few deep breaths and started class by telling them how and why I was here bringing yoga to them.
I think that first class was more of a learning experience for me than for them. I learned a lot about myself in that hour. I learned that I am a kinesthetic learner. Which means I process information by doing and touching and feeling. I had always suspected that was my learning style, but there's nothing like putting yourself in a completely new experience to really see that it truly is. I needed to do the yoga with them in order to be able to tell them how to do it. I needed to feel that strain in my quads or my hamstring to be able to relay that information to them. As the weeks went by I found it easier to get out of my own personal space and into theirs. And by the last class I was actually able to walk around the room and give verbal cues with out even having to get into the pose myself.
Now, 8 weeks later, I look back on that first class and can truly say that I get that message that I have preached to all of my students over the years:
Practice makes progress.

Chakras. What are they and why should I care?

The simple definition: a vortex of energy in your body. But I have come to learn that nothing about the many philosophical ideas intertwined into yoga are ever simple. I first learned about Chakras from my first yoga teacher, Amy. I was quickly drawn to her calm, peaceful demeanor at a time when my life was anything but calm. We were working on a series of standing poses and she commented that they were good for balancing your "root chakra". I didn't know what that meant at the time, but was intuitive enough to know that there had to be some connection between my preference for standing poses and my chaotic personal life at the time. So I did what I always do when I'm curious about something; I googled it. And what I learned was mind-boggling.

The word "chakra" is Sanskrit for wheel. There are seven basic chakras, or energy centers along your spinal column. Each of these centers correlates to a major nerve bundle that branches out from the spine and is connected to various glands in your body's endocrine system. It is believed that you can have an excess or a deficiency of energy in these centers, which can affect both your physical as well as your mental well-being. What does this have to do with yoga you ask? It is believed that a regular practice of yoga that includes forward, backward, and side bends keep the spinal column active and can keep these nerve bundles from getting blocked.
So what are the seven chakras?
First Chakra: Your root center. It determines your relationship with the material world, controlling how you deal with money, your body, your family. In other words: the things that ground you. Excessive characteristics can be sluggishness, resistance to change, overeating, material fixation, workaholism, excessive spending, and just being a control-freak. Deficient characteristics can include anxiety, anorexia, flightiness, restlessness, and resistance to structure. Balanced characteristics include groundedness, being comfortable in your own body, a sense of safety and security, and having the ability to be in the present moment.
Second Chakra: Your navel center. It relates to creativity and pleasure. Excessive characteristics can be sexual addictions, excessive mood swings, obsessive attachments, and poor boundaries with others. Deficient characteristics can include rigidity in your body, beliefs or behavior, lack of desire, avoidance of pleasure, and emotional numbness or insensitivity. Balanced characteristics include the ability to embrace change, healthy boundaries, passion, and a healthy ability to enjoy pleasure.
Third Chakra: Your solar plexus center. It is the one that governs your intuition, your gut instinct. Excessive characteristics can be dominating, controlling, competitive, arrogant, stubborn, compulsively driven. Deficient characteristics can include lack of energy, submissiveness, blaming, and lack of confidence. Balanced characteristics include a positive sense of self, confidence, warm and energetic, and able to take risks.
Fourth Chakra: Your heart center. This is the bridge between the 3 lower, more earthly chakras and the 3 higher, more spiritual ones. Excessive characteristics can be jealousy, codependency, and being a pleaser or a martyr. Deficient characteristics can include being antisocial or withdrawn, critical or intolerant, feeling lonely and isolated, and lack of empathy. Balanced characteristics include being compassionate, empathetic, accepting, caring, peaceful and centered.
Fifth Chakra: Your throat center. This is how you communicate and express yourself. Excessive characteristics can be talking too much or inappropriately, gossiping, stuttering, excessive loudness. Deficient characteristics can include fear of speaking, excessive shyness, difficulty putting things into words, speaking with a small or weak voice. Balanced characteristics include clear communication with others, good communication with self, being a good listener, having a full, resonant voice.
Sixth Chakra: Your "third eye" center. This governs our ability to separate reality from delusion. Excessive characteristics can be excessive fantasizing, obsessions, difficulty concentrating, and lack of direction. Deficient characteristics can include difficulty visualizing, lack of imagination, excessive skepticism, and an inability to see alternatives. Balanced characteristics include having a creative imagination, ability to visualize, strong intuition, and a guiding vision for life.
Seventh Chakra: Your crown center. This is considered to be the seat of enlightenment and the ultimate goal of any spiritual practice. Excessive characteristics can be spiritual addiction, over-intellectualization, living "in your head". Deficient characteristics can include spiritual cynicism, a closed mind, a rigid belief system. Balanced characteristics include open-mindedness and the ability to assimilate and analyze information.

After reading through all of that information I quickly recognized myself in many of these characteristics, both excessive and deficient. Do I strive to be that perfectly balanced individual? Sure, don't we all? But in reality I know in my heart that perfection doesn't really exist. So what do I do and how do I do it? I try everyday to be tuned in to what I am feeling by listening to that internal voice in my head. And then I allow that inner wisdom to guide me both on and off my yoga mat. But more about that in another post......

What Am I Going To Do With This?

I have been asked that question a bazillion times since I started my training and up until recently my answer was always the same: "I have no idea." Of course the seed was planted from a reactive place inside of me that day in 2008 when I received my first pink slip. I say first because I got one again the next year, and this year as well. Actually I have already accepted the fact that I will get one again next year too.
Every training that I've gone to so far has been a great opportunity for me to meet new people and talk about how they are fitting yoga into their daily lives beyond their personal practice. And here is what I have discovered so far:
Most of them are already teaching and are getting paid to do so. Am I? Well sort of. I am teaching a weekly class to some of the teachers at my school (more about THAT in another post) but they don't pay me. As part of my Level 1 training I am required to do 8 hours of "community service", which means teach for free somewhere. We are encouraged to try to bring yoga to a community of people who have never done it before. That was easy. Almost all of my collegues are so bogged down with planning lessons and grading papers that they certainly don't have time to do anything for themselves. I have 2 more hours to go to fulfill my 8-hour requirement. So will I start to charge them after that? Probably not. They'd probably stop coming! Maybe at the beginning of next year.....
Another thing I discovered while "networking" with my new yogi friends was that a lot of them are currently teaching in a 24-Hour Fitness gym. Do I see myself doing that? No way. I can just see me walking around some cold impersonal room with one of those headsets on. I don't think so!!!
A few of them are teaching in a small yoga studio somewhere to those O.C. housewives. Nothing against women who all look like Barbie, but I already work in a community like that. And again it would be working for someone else. Don't think I wanna do that either.
So what do I want to do? There's that nagging question again. One yogi I met named Kay told me about how she simply made a flyer and passed it around her neighborhood advertising a sunset class that she teaches in her backyard. That sounds cool. I could do that. Now I just need a backyard. Actually that's where the title of my blog came from: OM to Home. My dream is to bring yoga to others in the privacy of their own home, backyard, or maybe even a beach.
So that's my answer to that burning question: I will become a private yoga instructor. And who knows, maybe even get paid!

Level 3-Mother's Day with the Marines

Less than a month later we made the trek back to San Diego County for level 3. This time we were at a gym at Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corp base. After showing the various required forms of identification at the gate we were allowed to come on to the base. Like a bunch of yoga girls are gonna be a major threat to our nation's security, right?

We drove for what seemed like hours past strip malls and housing tracks (who knew that there was a whole little city beyond those guarded gates) until we came to the gym where we would spend the next 2 days. As I walked into the gymnasium and headed toward the aerobics room I saw a sign with bold writing that said: NO COMBAT BOOTS ALLOWED INSIDE! and I knew this facility was going to be different from any of the others that I had been to so far.

The focus of this training was to learn about the Chakra System and apply yoga to it, and to tap into the surface of meditation and yoga. Both of these topics are something that I have done some research on my own with, so I was very excited for this training. Unfortunately, because I was coming off of 2 nights of very little sleep with a 16-hour field trip to Sacramento sandwiched in-between, I was present in body only. Our trainer started our session with a 90 minute yoga class that included several balancing poses, and I quickly came to realize that there is a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and your sense of balance. Being left-handed my dominant side of my body is my left side, and most instructors tend to cue you to begin balancing poses on your RIGHT side. Thus creating immediate frustration for a lefty who is functioning on less than her required 8 hours of sleep. It took me several rounds of poses to figure this out but when I finally did I was able to give myself a much needed pep-talk that got me through it.

At the lunch break we decided to go for a walk in search of some healthy food to compliment our healthy workout. Did I mention that we were on a Marine Corp base? Apparently healthy food is a rare commodity around here. There was a McDonald's, Johnny Rockets, and too many pizza parlors to even name, but nothing with fresh fruits and veggies was anywhere to be seen. We finally settled on oatmeal with blueberries at the Coffee Bean and vowed to bring our own lunches tomorrow. As we walked around the base I was amazed at how incredibly young all of these Marine's were. Babies, they were just babies. Some of them I am sure were even younger than my son. And with it being Mother's Day weekend I couldn't help but feel for their mothers. I know I would have a hard time giving my only child to the armed forces.

After our lunch break we worked through pose break-down of all the new poses. This is where the trainer goes through each pose and talks about things such as alignment and anatomy. Even with a good night's sleep this portion of the class can be very dry. So trust me when I say I was struggling just to keep my eyes open. Finally she came to the part where we were to go over some of the required reading we had to do on the Chakras and meditation. She put in a CD of chakra guided meditation that I am sure is really good but I have no idea what was even on it. I heard the soft voice on the CD begin to talk about the root chakra and then I was out. The next thing I knew it was 45 minutes later and my instructor was gently ringing the chimes.

I guess I'll have to go through that CD on my own.

On Sunday we got into small groups to team teach 2 flow series: one on balancing poses (yuck!) and the other on deep stretching poses that are used in what is called "mountain 3" in YogaFit. At first I was feeling very anxious about once again teaching others how to do yoga. It's one thing to do it with my kids at school or even with the other teachers at my school. In that situation I'm the only one who knows anything about yoga so I could be totally making it up and no one would even know. But here, with a group of people who are yogis too? That's a recipe for major anxiety for me. But this time I was able to calm myself down with some deep breathing and even visualizing myself going through the poses. And you know what? I had a major breakthrough. I was able to just let the teaching come from somewhere deep inside of me and it all came together. Maybe I might be able to do this thing afterall.........

Level 2-Oceanside

My level 2 training was in April about a month after I had taken level 1.   My plan was to take a weekend training once a month and be finished around October.  I originally thought this was taking "the slow path" but soon found out that it was more like the "fast track".   There's a lot of required reading for each level and I am finding it somewhat challenging to fit it in with my life of figuring out what I'm teaching my 4th graders tomorrow and posting grades online for eager parents.

Level 2 was at a 24-Hour Fitness in Oceanside which is down in San Diego County.  Like I have said before, I am not a "gym girl".   In fact this was the first time I had ever even been inside of a 24-Hour.  It was much larger than the exclusive gym in Newport Beach, but it had a much more "normal people" feel to it.   By that I mean, the people working out on the numerous machines looked like people you might meet in your everyday life.  

 Our yoga training was in an aerobics room upstairs that had the loudest air conditioning unit that I had ever heard.  In fact, I suspect that the air conditioner may have been installed by the maintenance crew from my district because it seemed to be on some kind of an odd timer.   It would blast freezing cold air when we were sitting on our mats trying to listen to our trainer, and then suddenly stop for the entire 2 hour yoga class that was challenging every major muscle group in my body.

Most of the participants in this training were already yoga instructors, mainly at a 24-Hour Fitness facility.  And here I thought you had to be certified to teach other people how to contort their bodies into potentially injury-inducing poses.  But apparently I was wrong.   I felt very inferior to them, especially when we had to break into our team-teaching groups and teach each other.   I was still at the phase where you say things like:  step back with your right foot.....and most of them were using words like: elongate your spine while breathing new energy into your.....even now I can't even come up with a word to complete that cue.   I finally verbalized my fears and frustrations to some of the yogis in my group and was amazed at their incredible support.   It turns out most of them have been teaching yoga for years and were doing the training to gain skills on how to do it the "right way".

By the end of the 2 day training I had gotten over my competitive need to keep up with my more experienced collegues and had come to realize that this like everything else in my life was a work in progress.   And that becoming a yoga instructor was not a destination, but rather a journey.  So sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride......

YogaFit Training

My first training with Yoga Fit was in March of this year.   My friend Kristen and I started it together.   She as a way to supplement her income as a pilates instructor, and me without a clue as to how it was going to fit into my life.

Our first training was at a gym in Newport Beach.   Now I am not what you would call a "gym person".  I prefer to push myself doing things outside like hiking, riding my bike, or snowboarding.  In fact, yoga is probably the only "inside" form of exercise that I do and that's because it started out as something for my mind and spirit rather than for my body.    I guess my toned arms can just be considered an added bonus.

Anyway, back to that gym in Newport Beach.....it was a very swanky place.  Probably the kind of gym that all of the "real O.C. houswives" belong to.  Needless to say I was somewhat uncomfortable in that environment sitting there without one speck of make-up on and my unpolished fingernails!   Fortunately that feeling quickly faded as the other Yogis began to arrive.  There is something about people that study yoga that really resonates with me.  I think it's their genuine authenticity.   

The focus of this training was a very broad introduction into the YogaFit style of teaching and breaking down 40 basic poses over the course of 2 days.   We participated in 2 classes each day as well.  One each morning that really pushed us physically.  And then one each afternoon that focused more on relaxation.  Boy did I need that by the end of each day.

I left that first training feeling energized and excited about taking my teaching into a new direction, but also with the nagging realization that maybe my day job was less fulfilling than I had ever really realized..........

Did I get canned?

The short answer is: NO. The long answer is: Not yet. After enduring a 3 month emotional rollercoaster, I got my pink slip rescinded by my district. Even though this meant my job was now secure for another year, the door had been opened. And opened wide it was. After quieting my mind and nourishing my body with a solid hour of yoga that first night, I quickly got on the internet and began to research yoga teacher training programs.  What I found was overwhelming to say the least.   There were training programs that completely took over your life, something I wasn't prepared to do, at least not yet.  I live my life kind of in two phases:  the phase I like to call "school life" that starts in September with the first day of school and ends in June on the last day of school, and the other phase I call "real life" which of course is the 10 weeks in-between June and September.   I'm sure most people would consider their jobs a part of their real life, but not me.   During the school year I am forced to live my life in a way that I have found is not part of my natural rhythm.  Everything revolves around the clock.   I have to teach math between 8:45 and 10am, and language arts between 10:15 and 11:45.  And heaven forbid should I even mention the words science or history before noon!   I've even trained my bladder to be ready for a bathroom break only at recess.   Structure and rigidity is something I have come to loathe.

Back to my research on teacher trainings.........what I found was that the only way I could do one that would take over my "real life" would be to give up my summer.  Something I wasn't prepared to do.   You see, I am one of those teachers who packs a lot into her summers off.   I've been known to be gone for the entire month of July.   So while the idea of doing a teacher training continued to be on my mind it did get pushed back behind all of my plans to go camping and hiking and whatever else I had planned that summer.   Afterall, I did have my job AND my paycheck for another year.

Why Teach Yoga?

The idea to become a yoga instructor came out of a difficult situation in my life. After teaching Kindergarten for 10 years I received a "pink slip" from my school district. Needless to say I was shocked. I thought tenure meant I couldn't lose my job. Boy have I learned a lot about the California Ed Code since then.........but that's a whole other blog. After enduring 4 more hours of teaching 5 year olds while holding back my tears, I drove home wondering what I was going to do. At first, all I could think about was the negative side to my situation: what about my house, my car, hell, my son's college tuition???? And then it dawned on me. This was a test. Do I really have the inner-strength to get through this? So of course, the first thing I did when I got home was roll out my mat and move through the poses that I knew would bring me to that peaceful state when your mind clears and everything that really matters come into focus.

The Journey Begins....

My journey into yoga actually began 5 years ago when a friend suggested taking a class when I was going through a very difficult time in my personal life. Being a fitness fanatic I thought it could be just another thing to add to the numerous forms of torture I was already doing to myself like running and hundreds of crunches. But I quickly figured out that yoga was not just something for your body, but rather a wonderful gift I could give to my "whole" self: my body, my mind, and my spirit. Thus, my journey began.