Yoga in the Snow

Bathing Buddha

2012-01-17T15:38:00.000-05:00

Were you looking for a large man in a speedo? Sorry, that's not what this post is about. But I appreciate your imagination.

The yoga studio is closed this week, and I am on vacation. No, I haven't gone south to get out of the snow or to some exotic yoga destination. I'm having a "stay-cation" at home. It's just a week to catch my breath, catch up on some projects and permit myself a day or two of laziness.

Today I was in the studio, not practicing asana but washing the floor, scrubbing the toilet and, yes, giving Buddha a bath. All the statues got washed, rinsed and dried before they went back to their places of honor, dust-free. I also touched up the paint and had an in-depth discussion with my father about how to fix a sagging curtain rod.

Yes, this is a yoga studio owner's vacation.

No, I haven't spent my entire vacation scrubbing floors.

Last week I took, and passed, the ACE personal trainer certification exam. My personal training services will focus on at-home training for outdoor activities - running, hiking, cycling, kayaking - and will, of course, incorporate lots of yoga.

Since I'm on the topic of at-home training, I have to admit that my own training suffered before the exam. I was getting up early to study rather than to train. Then I was having those lazy days I mentioned earlier. I am back on track, though.

I've made an addition to my training schedule this week. After having a long sit-down with my calendar, counting back from the planned half-ironman distance triathlon that I have decided to attempt, I realized that I really don't have enough time to build to a 1.2 mile swim if I can't start swimming until the lake melts. There is no pool, so that's not an option. I'm sure I could finish the swim - eventually - but I don't want my day to start pathetically slow.

What I decided to do was design a dry land workout that would strengthen all the arm, shoulder, back and hip muscles that are used in freestyle swimming. By doing lots of reps with fairly light weights, I can build up the endurance of those muscles so when I do finally get into the water I'll be able to focus on form and speed without getting too tired (hopefully).

I'd been doing some resistance training already, but the additional moves tapped muscles that haven't been worked in awhile. It may not have been the best timing to start that the day before my studio cleaning frenzy. My shoulders reminded me of the workout with each circle of the rag on the floor.

During my vacation I also got to spend a lovely evening with my dear friends life coach Anne Gregson and freelance writer Beti Spangle while they put the finishing touches on their plans for this weekend's Adirondack Women's Empowerment Retreat. I'll be teaching yoga classes to a full house, because the retreat is sold out! Anne and Beti will be helping the participants to create a plan for their lives based on their values and inspirations. It's going to be an amazing weekend and I am so happy to be spending the end of my vacation watching an incredible group of women transform their lives.

A Tale of Two Spoons

2012-01-03T12:51:00.001-05:00

First, a very quick training update. I did a workout this morning on the bike trainer. It was my first workout in ten days. Having my husband and kids home for Christmas week really messed with my routines. Excuse? Not really. But the new year is a clean slate and I'm back on track after a 240-hour rest day.

Now, on to today's adventure...

This morning's 31 Days of Adventure email asked me to consider going to work by a different means of transportation or a different route. If these adventures had started on the first of May, I would have happily ridden my bike to work, but with January temperatures creeping down towards zero my bike is staying on the trainer in the basement. I could have bundled up and walked, but, again, it's really cold and I'd have to walk really fast to beat the school bus home after my afternoon yoga class.

Another route? Honestly, there is only one way to get from my house to the yoga studio without turning a 1.7 mile commute into a 15+ mile drive, and I can't do that to the environment.

View Larger Map

But the purpose of today's adventure wasn't really to find a new way to work. It was to get out of the rut of doing the same thing, day in and day out. And so we come to the spoons...

On Christmas morning my stocking was stuffed with, among other things, new wooden spoons. Nothing fancy; they're just the basic wooden spoons for stirring stuff. After Christmas they were put in the appropriate drawer.

This morning I had to stir waffle batter, so I opened the drawer to look for .... my old spoon. I've had it forever. I'm not sure if it was mine originally or a hand-me-down from my mother or grandmother. The handle has worn smooth and the spoon part is cracked. It's dark with oil and age. I use it every time I make pancakes or waffles. It feels good in my hand and is just the right size for the small mixing bowl.

This morning my old spoon wasn't in the drawer. (I found it later in the drying rack.) What was in the drawer was one of the new spoons, which happens to be the same size and shape. But the new spoon was, well, new. The handle was rough and the edges sharp. It didn't have the same weight.

I remembered today's adventure and used the new spoon. The waffle batter mixed up just fine, my son had his breakfast and my day went on, although I was left wondering how many other ruts I've gotten myself into without knowing it. I thought about how I couldn't get my workouts done during Christmas week because the routine changed. And I realized just how badly I needed some adventures.

Little Things

2012-01-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

The second email from Lydia and Amy at 31 Days of Adventure arrived this morning. It told me to pause and notice the littlest things. Easy. I teach that. Pause. And notice. Notice the way the your ribs lift and spread when you breathe in. Notice how Utthita Balasana (extended child's pose) changes if you stretch just your middle fingers forward a bit more. Notice, like we did in class this morning, how your shoulder blades move onto your back if you externally rotate your arms.

Little things make a big difference in a yoga practice.

While my adventurous spirit was busy looking for little things, I was reminded of a New Year's Eve conversation. My husband, my friend and I were recalling a Saturday night just over a year ago, when a llama walked into a bar and some of the people in the bar chose not to notice.

I'm serious.

The llama was in town for a holiday celebration, part of Santa's entourage. When the kids went home the llama's handler stopped into a local bar for a beer. The llama, a friendly beast, followed him in and, after saying hello to a few people, sat quietly on the floor.

My husband, my friend and I happen to know Santa personally, so we'd already been introduced to the llama. We sat with him in the bar and watched as people wandered in and, without even glancing at the llama, climbed onto bar stools and turned their backs on the livestock in the bar. Occasionally someone would notice and would make a big deal about petting or kissing the llama. Those who chose not to notice never turned around to see the shenanigans going on behind them.

You thought I was making this up, didn't you?

Why did today's adventure make me think of the llama? I can't help but wonder if people who can ignore a somewhat smelly, six foot tall, hairy and definitely out-of-place bar patron could ever notice the little, wonderful things that are part of every day.

If they can't see the llama in the room, would they ever notice the light spilling through a pine tree?

Jumping In, Looking Up and Moving Forward

2012-01-01T22:15:00.001-05:00

It's New Year's Day, which means it's time to declare my affirmations for the coming year. But first, I'd like to share a bit of my first day of 2012 with you.

Jumping In

After morning yoga classes, my aunt and I dragged the rest of the family to Lake George, New York, where they kick off the new year with a Polar Bear Plunge. So if you were looking for "jumping in" in the metaphorical sense, as in starting a new project, I'm sorry to disappoint you. My aunt and I literally jumped in - into a not quite frozen lake. The water temperature was 34 degrees, not cold enough to freeze the surface but certainly cold enough to make my first polar bear plunge interesting.

Twenty-four hours ago I wasn't even thinking about the plunge. Then, standing on our town's beach watching First Night fireworks, someone mentioned it. And the idea got stuck in my head. When I dressed for yoga this morning, I put my bathing suit on under my clothes, just in case. Between classes I received a message from my aunt that she wanted to do it, and the next thing I knew we were driving thirty minutes south.

This is me waiting in a very long line to register.

That's me the arrow is pointing to. My aunt is in the turkey hat in front of me.

They gave me a certificate. My husband thinks I'm certifiable.

When I ran into the water it felt like thousands of needles were jabbing me. I was in for maybe 30 seconds, long enough to dive in and get wet up to my shoulders. My aunt and I agreed to try for a full minute next year. (Yes, we're doing it again. I've already got it on my calendar.)

Looking Up

This morning I woke up to find the first prompt for 31 Days of Adventure in my inbox. Today's adventure was about seeing things from a new perspective. It asked me to take a photograph of something familiar from a new angle. Since my husband is the photographer in our family (I don't even have a camera except the one in my cell phone) this assignment was a bit daunting. But not being one to back down from an adventure, I borrowed my husband's camera while we were walking back to the car after the plunge and I snapped this picture of a light pole topped with a lighted snowflake holiday decoration.

Two things struck me in the picture - the blue in the sky, because I hadn't noticed when the sun broke through on what had been a grey day, and how the decoration, which looks so magical when looking at it from the front, appears so mundane when I looked up from underneath. All I could see was what looked like an old-fashioned TV antenna. It's like watching one of those "making of" specials about a movie I loved. I may never look at those holiday lights the same way - until next year, when a spectacular display again takes my breath away.

Moving Forward

And now it's time to create 2012. As I said last year, resolutions are for sissies. I make affirmations. I create a vision for the year and state it as if the vision already existed. So, here are the affirmations that I'm offering the universe to shape the new year:

I am crazily creative.

I help others create a healthy lifestyle through teaching yoga and personal training.

My yoga practice is part of every day.

I am strong, healthy and fast.

My routines make space for my creative spirit to shine.

I surround myself with members of my tribe.

I feed my need for adventure by getting outdoors often.

I live joyfully and blissfully.

I am divinely unique.

Some are new. Some have been my affirmations for years. Each has an important place in the manifestation of my new year.

I wish you a new year filled with peace, love and joy.

December 26 - Seva (Service)

2011-12-28T12:29:00.003-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

How did you serve in 2011? Do you plan to volunteer in 2012?

I missed a bunch of reverb11 posts. Last-minute holiday preparations and 2012 business planning got in the way. I might go back and write the missing posts. I might not. But losing momentum doesn't mean I have to come to a complete stop. Instead I just need to start where I am and push forward again. And the subject of Monday's prompt has been on my mind over the last few months, so it's a good place to push forward from.

In December 2010 I became the newsletter editor for the Schroon Lake Association, our local watershed conservation organization. I took over for the association's president, who had enough on her plate and needed to delegate. My schedule isn't flexible enough to go to meetings and serve on committees, but this was something I could do when I had time available.

2011 was the Schroon Lake Association's 100th anniversary, so it was a special honor to create the celebratory newsletters this year. This is from a piece I wrote for the newsletter:

Treading water to keep our heads in the pocket of air under the overturned canoe, my brother and I laughed until the echoes made our ears ring. Now, nearly 40 years later, my children play in the same clean, safe lake that we enjoyed.

As we honor the past 100 years of Schroon Lake Association achievements, we must also look to the future. A century of foresight has saved the watershed and its ecosystem for us. Now it is our job to look ahead, so that we may leave our grandchildren with the same clear water and green mountainsides we enjoy today.

My grandfather, Al Jacob, former SLA Vice President, was one of those forward thinkers. My aunt, Nancy Belluscio, and my mother, Linda Milsom, are part of the current SLA Board, whose watershed management plan is a roadmap into our lake’s healthy future.

I am honored, in this special year, to be a third-generation SLA member, and I am proud to be part of the continuing legacy of lake stewardship, to protect this place which brought joy to my childhood and continues to enrich my life every day.

The Schroon Lake Association is important to my family, and I felt I was doing good by serving them. Then Tropical Storm Irene blew through the Adirondacks. Schroon Lake was spared the worst of it, but nearby towns were devastated by the flooding. I wanted to help, but only Red Cross volunteers could work the shelters. It was frustrating to watch from the sidelines, but I had to keep my home and business running and couldn't drop everything to attend the hours of volunteer training in time to be of assistance.

So I could not do much to help in 2011. But I am ready for 2012. I've joined the ranks of Red Cross volunteers and will soon be training to be a disaster services volunteer, slowly, when my schedule allows. Hopefully I'll never be called on to respond to another disaster like the aftermath of Irene, but I can help my community by responding to house fires, localized floods or anything else that disrupts lives.

In addition, I'll work at blood drives when I'm able and hope to become certified to teach the CPR courses.

There are many, many ways to serve this world. I often wish I had more time to give. But I can't go to Haiti or Japan or even New York City at this time in my life. All I can do is serve where I live. If we all did that, it might be enough.

December 17 - Bhakti (Devotion)

2011-12-18T20:09:00.002-05:00

Image by Mat McDermott via Flickr

What did you devote yourself to in 2011? How will you devote your energy in the coming year?

Oh, Michelle at Yoga Freedom used on of my favorite yoga words! Some Sanskrit words feel good in my mouth. My students will tell you I teach the half moon balance just because I like to say "Ardha Chandrasana." "Bhakti" is another word I like to say. I like it even better when Jai Uttal says it when he's leading kirtan. It's a feel-good word.

This year I devoted myself to my new yoga studio. I poured energy into bringing yoga to an expanding group of students in comfortable, sacred space. I tried to work in devotion to my family, friends, volunteer work and home, but I know the studio got most of my attention in 2011.

I've already given a good deal of thought to the coming year. The yoga studio will continue to be a priority, as will incorporating my new personal training business into the studio's services. But I am striving for a better balance in 2012. I've spent time with my schedule to make sure I have time to spend with my family. Giving back to the community which supports my business is important, so in addition to the work I do for the Schroon Lake Association, I've signed on as a volunteer with the Red Cross and will be training to respond to disasters.

My half-ironman distance triathlon goal has already been mentioned in an earlier post. I've picked a race in early September and set up my training plan. I plan on devoting a good deal of energy to making my body as healthy and strong as it can be. When I turn 45 later this year (on the day of the Adirondack Distance Festival Half-Marathon, coincidentally) I want to be in better physical shape than I've ever been.

Mid-life crisis? Maybe. But it's healthier (and less expensive) than remaking myself at the mall.

And I think I'll say "Bhakti" lots and lots in 2012. Try it. I bet you can't say it without smiling.

December 16 - Viaje (Trip)

2011-12-16T14:43:00.001-05:00

Where did you travel this year? What was your best trip?

It is not down in any map; true places never are.

~Herman Melville

I was going to skip this reverb11 prompt because I don't travel. My only vacation this year was the weekend trip to the Wanderlust Festival in Vermont, which was a two hour drive from home. And I've blogged about Wanderlust ad nauseum, so I'll spare you more.

To be fair, I live in a place that people travel to. I don't have to pack my bags to go to the lake. Or to the mountains. I can do everything I like to do within a few miles of my front door. I don't fight traffic and teaching yoga isn't really a high-stress job. I have nothing to take a vacation from.

It's not that I wouldn't like to see new places. It's just not in the cards right now. And that's okay.

Sometimes the best trips last for hours instead of weeks. Sitting in the passenger seat while my teenage daughter negotiated a highway on-ramp for the first time, on our way to visit a college she was considering, and finding music on her iPod we both liked, made a few hours in the car memorable. The next time my daughter and I travel together she'll be moving into a dorm room.

Part of the adventure of hiking with my son this past summer was driving around, trying to find the trailheads. We were less than an hour from home, but we explored many back roads and got to meet many people when we gave up and asked for directions.

The best trip with my husband was into the backyard to recline in the lawn chairs and look up at the stars in the big Adirondack sky. Someday I may travel the world, but there is no truer place than next to my soul mate.

December 15 - Acharya (Scholar)

2011-12-16T14:42:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

What did you study this year? What did you learn? What did you teach?

This is an easy prompt, since I spent most of the year studying for the Ace personal trainer exam, which I will be taking in one short month. I studied exercise physiology, anatomy, the psychology of change and fitness progressions.

I learned that aging has not been kind to my memory. Back in high school and college I retained everything I read. Now I can barely remember breakfast. Thank goodness for my volunteer "clients" who have allowed my to practice what I studied. I remember it all much better when I apply it.

I also studied the Chakra system, to write a series of blog posts and to prepare for the Advanced Chakra workshop I taught last month. Each time I reexamine the Chakras I learn more and get a bit more insight into myself. This year I finally wrapped my head around the seventh Chakra.

I taught yoga. I taught my yoga students how to align themselves in asanas and how to breathe deep. Those are the things I studied a few years ago. What I hope I taught was self-awareness and self-acceptance. That's something I learn more about every day.

December 14 - Jnana (Self-knowledge)

2011-12-16T14:41:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Name something you did that was completely out of character. How did it feel?

This reverb11 prompt had me stumped for awhile. I don't do anything out of character, do I? Then I remembered the rainy weekend at the Wanderlust Festival in Vermont, and the Off the Mat, Into the World benefit class with Seane Corn and Michael Franti. And I remembered doing something that quiet me would never do.

I screamed.

It started at the class before, chanting and dancing with Suzanne Sterling, one of Seane Corn's partners in the Off the Mat, Into the World charity. I love to sing despite having a terrible singing voice, so I cherish the opportunity to chant with a big group. I feel high when my fifth Chakra opens. I was walking on clouds by the time I unrolled my mat among the hundreds on the floor in the OTM benefit class.

To practice yoga with Michael Franti singing live in the front of the room was incredible. We weren't really holding poses as much as dancing in them. Then Seane called for Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose). I lifted up off the floor, my head dropped back and my throat opened. And all the energy built up in my body flowed out in the form of a scream.

It wasn't an everybody-stopped-to-stare-at-me scream. The music was loud and Seane was yelling into her microphone to be heard. My scream blended into the din for everyone except perhaps those right next to me. But I knew I'd screamed. It was still buzzing in my body when I lowered myself back to the floor.

Michael Franti sang us into Savasana and I drifted into bliss.

One of my yoga students commented that, since coming back from Wanderlust, my Oms have really resonated. Perhaps my fifth Chakra is a bit more open now. Maybe the next scream won't be out of character at all.

December 13 - Sabio (Wisdom)

2011-12-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

What lesson or piece of wisdom did you learn from a child this year? Did it surprise you?

There isn't enough chocolate. No, that's not what I learned. I'm just pointing out that there isn't enough chocolate to get me through this crazy week. I've been very busy and accomplished lots, but I'm behind on my reverb11 posts.

I'm also behind on my Christmas shopping, but that's a whole different story.

The reverb11 questions are getting more challenging. I was glad to have a few extra days to think about this prompt, because if I had gone with the first thing that popped into my head it would have been lame and superficial, and wouldn't have honored the little boy who teaches me something every day.

A couple of months ago, my son and I were standing by the front door watching for the school bus. While we peeked sideways through the glass, trying to see the bus coming down the street, my son told me that the day before he had been pushed off the bus seat by a classmate. He was unhurt, but momma bear's spirit rose in me and I started to growl about not letting kids pick on him. I was ready to tell him to punch the offending kid when I caught myself and stopped.

My son is not a fighter. He's not weak (you should see his 8-year-old-rock-climber biceps) but he's sweet and sensitive. He's the kind of boy who finds a bug in the house and, rather than smash it, will give it something to eat and gently take it outside. He reads and draws and creates amazing things with Legos. He hugs. He doesn't push and he doesn't punch.

While I was biting my tongue I realized that by telling my son to do something out of character I was asking him to stop being himself. I'd spent my adolescence and young-adulthood trying to be someone I wasn't and it has taken years of hard work to finally be okay with simply being me. Asking my son to be anything but who he was would start him down the same path of self-loathing that I'd traveled. The best thing I could do was support him as he worked through life's challenges in his own way.

Standing there wearing his coat and backpack, my son looked up at me and in that instant I learned what it means to truly accept someone. As the bus pulled up, yellow lights flashing, I gave him a hug and said, "I love you just the way you are." And I meant it. Then he was out the door and running down the driveway.

December 12 - Libro (Book)

2011-12-12T15:03:00.001-05:00

Cover via Amazon

What book did you read in 2011 that was most inspirational? Why?

Hmmm... The Fitness Professional's Guide to Musuloskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement isn't really inspirational. Neither is Exercise Physiology for Fitness Professionals or Ace's Personal Training Manual, but those are the books I've been reading this year. Hey, I've been studying for the personal trainer exam, so I haven't had much time to read other stuff.

I did read one book over the summer which had the potential to be inspirational, but I hated the end so much I can't even bring myself to mention it. I also squeezed in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo triology this year, which was entertaining but not particularly inspirational, unless you're a hacker.

I have to reach way back to the beginning of January, before the study guides arrived from Ace, to find a book that was inspirational. I brought this book home from Kripalu when I was there for a workshop in October 2010 and finally got to read it after the new year. The book is Breathing Space: Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman, written by yoga teacher Katrina Repka and Alan Finger, the founder of ISHTA Yoga.

The book is a series of pranayama (breathing exercise) lessons interspersed with stories from a year of Katrina's life during which she moved to New York City and attempted to change her life. While trying to find herself she discovered Alan Finger's yoga class and, with his help, learned to breathe. In the process, she also learned about the thoughts and behaviors that had been holding her back.

In addition to breathing exercises which I could use in my own yoga practice and when I teach, this book gave me some insight into my own behavioral patterns. The story is easy to read and I related well to Katrina and her struggles. It was a reminder to me of how transformational the practice of yoga can be. My yoga practice has empowered me to do many other things. I'm glad I teach so I can share that empowerment with other women.

After a year of studying I'm hoping to, finally, take the personal trainer exam in January and get to read something inspirational, or even just entertaining, in 2012.

Meanwhile, did you know that there are ten muscles in the thorax just to elevate and depress the ribs while you take those big, deep breaths?

December 11 - Gracias (Thanks)

2011-12-11T19:17:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Appreciation and acknowledgement are corner stones to building trust and deepening relationships. Write a thank you note or poem to someone who impacted your life in 2011.

Back in April I wrote a long thank-you post for everyone who helped me create the True North Yoga studio. Each one of those people impacted my life in a very positive way.

There are so many people who deserve my appreciation and acknowledgement that I cannot chose just one. Instead, allow me to present everything they've done during 2011. For these things I am grateful...

Listening to me vent when I faced obstacles, and supporting me while I worked through them.

Leading me by example to be the kind of mother my children deserve.

Making me laugh.

Holding my hand, figuratively and literally.

Dancing in the street with me.

Building steps to keep my feet out of the mud.

Keeping a bedroom clean every day.

Sitting on a rectangle mat and listening to my voice.

Challenging me to do better even though you're not trying to compete.

Keeping me warm.

Being generous.

Loving me for who I am even when I'm not acting lovable.

Sharing stories of day-to-day life.

Walking by my side while I follow my own twisty-turny path.

Choosing just to be.

Thanks.

December 10 - Ananda (Joy)

2011-12-11T18:29:00.001-05:00

A positive frame of mind is a habit. How have you silenced the propaganda factory of negativity with positive thought and behavior in your life in 2011? How has this changed your day-to-day being?

I learned a long time ago about the power of positive thoughts. For the most part, thinking positive is a well-established habit, although I occasionally sink into negativity. When I do, I have tools to help me get out of it.

I find affirmations to be a really useful tool. When I write an affirmation I pound it into my head in various ways. I write it down, then I write it down again. Sometimes I write it in fancy print and decorate it. I write it on small pieces of paper and leave them where I can see them during my day. And I say it over and over and over.

In January I took part in the Inside Out e-course* led by Shannon Kinney-Duh of Free Spirit Knits. In addition to lots of affirmations, my favorite things, I learned how to do art journaling. We played with paint, which was a new thing for me. I loved it! And I felt very creative. Giving myself permission to try things on a journal page without a care for how it looked at the end was very liberating - and very positive.

Positive energy attracts others with the same kind of energy. A group of people with positive energy can manifest anything they dream of. When others support my dreams it is easier to act on them. Positive energy makes things happen.

* Shannon has another session of Inside Out beginning on January 23rd. Check it out here.

December 9 - Listo (Resourcefulness)

2011-12-09T12:55:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Welcome to my ninth reverb11 post, where Michelle at Yoga Freedom asks "How resourceful were you in 2011? What new ways could you incorporate resourcefulness into 2012?" But wait, there's more! If you keep reading you'll find an unbelievable cat and yogini video. But that's not all. There's also a recipe for an old school backpacking snack that's become my post-workout recovery favorite. So, read on...

Resourcefulness may be a requirement for living in the Adirondacks. Our growing season is two months long. Winter seems to take up the other ten months. It gets cold (really cold) in the middle of those ten months. There aren't many businesses, so folks need to come up with jobs for themselves. Those of us who don't know how to drive a snowplow have to be very resourceful.

My husband is a master of creatively overcoming difficulties. It seems that almost anything can be fixed if you have enough wire coat hangers and duct tape. Resourcefulness doesn't come as naturally to me, but I'm learning.

Money was tight during 2011 and household cleaning supplies were eating into the food budget, so I set out to find homemade replacements. I no longer buy sponges because I knitted a good supply of dishclothes and scrubbies. I've replaced brand-name window cleaner with a combination of white vinegar, cornstarch and water and replaced paper towels with clean rags. My mirrors have never looked better.

During 2012 I plan to look for new ways to use what I already have. I also intend to expand my vegetable garden and make better use of what I grow.

And come up with a really creative way to get a road bike with more than 10 speeds. (Just thought I'd put that out there in case someone has an idea.)

* * * * *

I first saw this video on YogaDork's Facebook page. Watch it, then I'll tell you what happened after I watched it.

Wow, right? I have to admit that the first time that I watched it I focused on the cat, wondering how she made it through a whole Sun Salutation without stopping to remove the cat's claws from the skin on her backside. Because that's where my cats sharp little claws would have been, especially when I started to stand up.

There was something that made me watch it again, and the next time, instead of watching the cat, I watched the yogini. I liked the way she moved through Surya Namaskar, taking her time, coming fully into each asana before moving on. And I started to wonder if I had a different cat (one that was a little calmer and perhaps fully declawed*) if I could keep the cat on my back.

Since seeing the video I have been practicing slow, deliberate Sun Salutations, as if there was a cat on my back. I set the intention to make each movement fluid, without any jerky shifts in weight. I discovered that I could move smoothly from lunge to down dog if I lifted my front foot off the floor before I shifted my weight back and raised my hips. I found I could bend deeper into cobra or upward-facing dog if I moved from the heart. I experienced my deepest forward bend when I lifted my tailbone and brought my weight forward slowly, all to keep the imaginary clawless cat from sliding off.

Yes, a cat video changed my yoga practice. Now where's that Yoga Bear?

* I'm joking here. I would not actually have a cat declawed.

* * * * *

Back to being resourceful. As much as I'd like to buy Luna bars by the case, they are beyond what I can afford on a regular basis. After a workout, when I need a quick hit of protein and calories to help me recover, I've been snacking on an adaptation of a recipe in an old Sierra Club book called Simple Foods for the Pack. The recipe, called "Peanut Butter Fudge," was meant to be eaten to refuel while hiking. I changed the recipe to use up a giant jar of vanilla protein powder that someone gave me because they didn't like it and discovered my new power food.

1 cup peanut butter (you can use crunchy peanut butter and omit the additional peanuts)
1/2 cup of your favorite protein powder (the original recipe calls for powdered milk which you can also use if you have it)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/8 cup wheat germ
1/8 cup honey

Mix all the ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined. It works best if you use your hands.

I press the mix into a square lidded container and break off pieces as needed, but you could also cut it into squares and wrap them individually.

My teenager loves this stuff, but she keeps hinting that chocolate would be a good addition. If you are really fond of chocolate and peanut butter you could use a chocolate-flavored protein powder or add in some chocolate chips. It would make my teenager happy if you did.

December 8 - Dharma (The Path)

2011-12-08T13:48:00.001-05:00

Wandering can be good for the over-focused creative. How did you wander well this year?

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come.

~Rumi

Today's reverb11 question wandered around my head all day. Wandering, like Rumi calls for in my favorite quote, is my heart's truest desire. To leave my calendar and my to-do list behind and go off on an adventure, even a small one, appeals to me. I am not a world-traveler. I have no desire to sit in an airplane seat. I just want to walk away into the woods with a backpack and a journal.

Did I wander this year? Every Wednesday this summer my young son and I put our journals in our backpacks and hiked up a mountain. Step by step we explored the Adirondacks. Each week's journey changed us and our parent-child relationship. He started third grade a more confident kid, proud of his summer accomplishments. We had long talks on the trail and he still talks to me now, telling me about school and third grade girls and books he's read.

I vowed to continue hiking in the fall, but the start of the school year always seems to dampen the desire to wander. School days require a more domestic focus; clean clothes, lunches and homework take up time. But the trails will be there when I wish to wander again. Come, yet again, come.

Someday I would like to try the ultimate wander on the East Coast - the Appalachian Trail. Now that would be wandering well.

December 7 - Tranquilo (Calm)

2011-12-07T07:52:00.001-05:00

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Sometimes the most beautiful, memorable moments are also the quietest. What quiet, beautiful moment do you recall?

As the moon waxes towards fullness this weekend, I recall gazing at a summer full moon. I had unrolled my yoga mat on the sand at Schroon Lake's town beach and honored the moon's fullness with round after round of Chandra Namaskar, yoga's moon salutations. The beach was quiet while I flowed through the feminine, hip-opening movements; the sun-worshipping beach-goers had settled into their vacation homes or one of the local eateries for the evening. As I repeated my vinyasa, the moon rose over the mountains.

When my asana practice was complete, I sat on my mat and focused my gaze on the moon and the clouds that slowly drifted in front of it. For many minutes I got lost in the moon's light glittering on the lake. The lake is busy during the day, full of power boats and jet skis, but under the full moon the lake was quiet. The only sound was the gentle lapping of the waves on the beach.

Summers here are busy, even a bit chaotic, making quiet moments all the more meaningful. I thank the moon for sharing it's beautiful energy in a rare moment of peaceful quiet.

December 6 - Salud (Health)

2011-12-06T10:23:00.001-05:00

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What did you do for your body's benefit this year?

Over the past five years or so my body has become one of my priorities, so I can honestly say I did lots for my body's benefit this year. I can also honestly say that there is more I could be doing, but I have other priorities that need time and attention as well.

Balance is the key.

This year I was very focused on taking care of my knee so it wouldn't hurt. I got some massages, tried to be more mindful of it while I was running and incorporated more stretching into my daily routine. (Yes, I know I'm a yoga teacher and I stretched all the time, but these were very specific, targeted stretches.) My knee isn't perfect, but it's much better than it was this time last year.

I started taking vitamins regularly, including vitamin D, which my body desperately needed.

Earlier this year I gave up meat (again). After a summer of eating way too much take-out and potato chips, I refocused on feeding my family healthy meals. I just completed a week-long cleanse which reminded me that I need more leafy greens in my diet.

I tried very hard to be fit, while accepting that my fit body might not look the same as another's fit body.

I drank lots of water.

And I ran a half-marathon.

December 5 - Sueno (Dream)

2011-12-05T12:53:00.001-05:00

What was your dream come true in 2011? What is your wildest dream for 2012?

Ah, my dream come true is easy to pick out. Last spring I moved a pile of yoga mats out of a church basement and into a rented storefront - my very own yoga studio. It had been my dream for 2011 to find new space to teach yoga, space that was mine, decorated as I wanted it to be. And I did it.

My wildest dream for 2012? That's tougher. The universe has been pretty kind to me the last few years so I know if I put something out there it just may happen. That means making sure my wildest dream is something I really want.

Okay, here it goes...

My wildest dream for 2012 is for the Adirondacks to get a sudden influx of yoga teachers, one or two of which will settle in Schroon Lake and teach at my studio. More teachers would mean more time for me to focus on private clients and personal training, spend time with my daughter before she goes off to college, and train for a wild dream from 2011 that didn't happen because the yoga studio dream came true - a half-Ironman distance triathlon.

There, I said it. It's out there. On mile 40 of the bike, when my legs feel like they're going to fall off, I'll remember this post...

December 4 - Guru (Teacher)

2011-12-04T12:08:00.001-05:00

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What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself in 2011? Was it a sudden epiphany or a gradual realization?

My inner guru had many lessons for me in 2011. The one that was most important was not new material. The teacher in my head has been saying it over and over for years. Which goes to show that even when the message starts inside my thick skull it still takes time to sink in.

Clarity came while I was standing at the kitchen sink, washing the paddle from my electric mixer while gluten-free Black-Bottom Banana Bars baked in the oven. What came was not a recipe alteration or a better way to wash, but a realization that the reason I had time to bake banana bars on a Sunday afternoon between yoga classes and a get-together with girlfriends was something I had resisted my entire life - discipline.

I could say my lack of discipline is a reaction to a twenty year stint in regimented corporate jobs, but when I'm honest with myself I know it goes further back than that. Making commitments and sticking to them was never a strong point. I blamed my inability to learn to play an instrument on lack of talent instead of admitting that I never made time to practice. It was the same with sports. I focused my attention on the things that came easily and never pushed for those that didn't.

You should have been there earlier this year for the conversation with the dentist that finally got me flossing my teeth regularly.

I learned quite a bit about discipline during yoga teacher training, since I wrote a paper on it. I struggled then with applying it to my life. I still struggle.

When I decided to train for my first triathlon, I had to make a loose alliance with discipline. When I started I hadn't run in over ten years, I hadn't swam laps since high school and my bike saw the light of day just a few times each summer. (I'm still not sure why a brief mention of triathlons made me think they were something I should be doing.) Without a commitment to a training plan, I was going to embarrass myself.

I didn't stay committed before my second race. I embarrassed myself, although I managed not to take last place.

Now, with a few years of racing under my belt, I know how important sticking to my training plan is. I've become more disciplined about training. And discipline is starting to spill into the rest of my life.

By creating small routines for housework and sticking with them, my house stays clean. By scheduling time for regular blogging, podcasting, doing volunteer work and studio bookkeeping, I can get them all done.

But the real blessing of discipline is that by getting all of those things done when I committed to doing them, my free time is truly free. I don't have to frantically clean the house on a Sunday afternoon between yoga classes and a get-together with girlfriends. Instead I can relax, my way, in my kitchen with a mixer and mashed bananas.

In that moment of clarity at the kitchen sink, I learned that I can be disciplined. And free.

December 3 - Anicca (Impermanence)

2011-12-03T06:47:00.001-05:00

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What did you let go of this year? Whom did you let go?

Perhaps it was yoga that taught me to accept change. Perhaps I was born knowing that everything is temporary. Perhaps life itself taught me how to adapt. In any case, change does not scare me too much. I grieve losses, but I can let go. At least, I think I can.

2010 was a tough year that forced me to face the idea that my parents won't always be here. There were funerals for two of their close friends, people I'd grown up calling "aunt" and "uncle." Later that year my father underwent cardiac bypass surgery. I struggled with fear then. Through all of life's craziness my parents have always been there, to pick me up and stand me on my feet or to lift me up and stand me on a pedestal.

2011 was better. My dad recovered and is doing well. The cardiac event prompted both of my parents to pay more attention to their health and wellness. They were there for me while my life went through some less drastic changes and supported me when I took some risks. Then, just a couple of months ago, another friend was gone, suddenly. Within a few weeks of receiving a diagnosis of cancer, the man who was my "second father" during my high school years had passed.

The hardest thing to remember when we are grieving is that change isn't just an outward flow. While we are letting go, something new is flowing in. After the funeral, eating Chinese take-out in a motel room, I opened a fortune cookie with the message "old friends who were lost will return to you." It was an interesting sentiment to receive after seeing lots of people I hadn't spoken to in nearly a decade at the funeral.

A week after the funeral I received an email from my best friend growing up, which was a huge relief since I'd lost her contact information when my computer crashed early this year. Then, just last week, I had the opportunity to reconnect with a friend I'd left behind in New Jersey. Oh, and yesterday my teenager was texting with the grandson of the man who'd passed, someone she played with as a toddler but hadn't seen for years before the funeral. I'm not interfering, but I can't help but wonder I will someday have another link to a family full of old friends.

Things flow out and things flow in. All we can count on is the flow.

December 2 - Sangha (Tribe)

2011-12-02T11:19:00.001-05:00

The Adirondack Mountains

Where have you discovered community in 2011? What are the defining characteristics and essential qualities of your tribe?

One thing I have always trusted is that my tribe will find me. Even in a small town in the Adirondacks, which in the off season seems to be dominated by camouflage-wearing conservatives, they found me.

My tribe is an open-minded bunch. They like to spend time outdoors. They plant vegetable gardens and watch the wildlife feast on their hard work without (too much) resentment. They eat mindfully, preparing food that tastes good without compromising their health. They don't look at me funny when I say I'm a vegetarian.

My tribe likes to laugh and finds the humor in what can be a difficult life. Many, like me, had taken a risk to live here, leaving behind steady paychecks, gigantic food stores and Barnes and Nobel for homes in the mountains. They are strong people who decided what they wanted out of life and went for it, even though it wasn't what the television was telling them they ought to want. Some don't have television now.

My tribe is creative. They are writers and artists and crafters and musicians. Most create for themselves, or to give, although some are making a living by selling their work. Even those who sell their wares continue to create because they love to do it.

My tribe is full of healers. Some, the bodyworkers, life coaches and yoga teachers, heal others. Others have practices to heal themselves. They are self-aware and continually exploring new paths to holistic wellness.

Throughout 2011 my tribe has been finding me. They found me at monthly potluck dinners with a great bunch of people, when I attended or volunteered at various events and through some local organizations. I also have an online community through blogging, Facebook and Twitter. (I even got to meet some of them in person at Wanderlust last June.)

One part of my tribe that had been missing was triathletes and runners. This year both found me and I have some people who give me support and encouragement (and a bit of friendly competition).

To be honest, I didn't have to do much looking to find community. Most of the newcomers to my tribe knew where to find me. They just had to walk in the door of my yoga studio.
Would you like to participate in reverb11? Find the prompts at Yoga Freedom.

December 1 - Palabra (Word)

2011-12-01T15:28:00.001-05:00

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Encapsulate your 2011 in one word. Whythat word? What would you like your word to be for 2012? Why?

At the end of December 2010 I decidedthat 2011 was going to be my year to coalesce. Yoga, triathlon,creativity and family were all going to come together to make me onecomplete being. The plan was to make everything I loved fit into mylife. Looking back, I'd say I made quite a bit of progress toward mycoalescence.

I started 2011 with a secret goal –to move True North Yoga out of the church basement and into its ownspace. When that came to pass I had to abandon my triathlon plans todevote time to renovations, but things settled down in time to trainfor the Adirondack Half-Marathon. My creative side got caught up inpaint colors and window decorations, then faded into the backgroundwhile I devoted time to business.

My son and I climbed one mountain aweek over the summer, my daughter and I went rock climbing and myhusband and I played at Wanderlust. Wanderlust fired up both my yogapractice and teaching.

I am heading into 2012 feeling muchmore whole, like more of the pieces are fitting in. I have a solidfoundation to build from.

During 2012, there are things that Ihave begun which need to be completed. There are ideas that need tobecome something real. I'd like my 2012 word to be manifesting. Mayit be the year when the seeds I've planted blossom into somethingbeautiful!

Would you like to participate in reverb11? Find the prompts at Yoga Freedom.

Having the Heart to Go Faster

2011-11-29T12:04:00.001-05:00

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After I abandoned the 10K Turkey Trot I had planned for Thanksgiving Day, I decide to participate in Daily Mile's virtual 5K. We got almost a foot of snow the day before, so my 3.1 miles was on the treadmill. If you've been following my progress, you know the fastest per mile pace I'd been able to sustain on the treadmill is 11:07. Not particularly impressive, but I worked hard for that (or so I thought). My goal for last week was to get below 11 minute miles.

I completed my treadmill 5K in 33 minutes, making my new pace to beat 10:33. Still not particularly impressive, but better.

I am not a fast runner. In fact, I'm pretty darn slow considering I've been working on it for three years. Outside I could blame my slow pace on the Adirondack hills, but on the treadmill there is no excuse. I've just never really challenged myself to go faster.

It's hard for me to judge exactly how much effort I should be putting into my runs. I've been estimating my intensity on how I feel and, honestly, I can be a bit of a wimp.

When I first started my triathlon training I asked for, and received, a heart rate monitor for Christmas. It's been a cool toy to have, but I had no idea how to use it effectively and I ended up just wearing the watch part for the stopwatch.

To prepare for my triathlon comeback year, I decided it's time to stop being a wimp and figure out how to get faster. Most of the training plans I checked out were heart rate based.

Hmmm.... Could it be time to put that monitor to use?

After doing some research, I ended up selecting a plan that combined heart rate training with other skill-building stuff. Just a few days in, I have to admit that I've surprised myself. I can train faster and harder than I believed I could. Yesterday's run included six 30 second strides, during which I pushed the treadmill speed higher than it has ever gone. For the last 30 seconds I ran a 7:36 pace. I had no idea I could do that.

And my heart rate monitor said I still had more to give. Yipes.

Sunday Sutras: Unbounded (1.3 and 1.4)

2011-11-27T13:33:00.001-05:00

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Last week I started my study of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras with verses 1.1 and 1.2. This week, as promised, we get to find out why settling the mind into silence is something we want to be doing.

1.3 When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness.

The big word there is "unbounded." Consciousness without boundaries. Consciousness without limits. Sounds good, right? So what limits our consciousness when the mind is unsettled?

1.4 Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind.

The mind chatters. It creates thoughts all the time. Those thoughts tend to be very mundane and not very focused on the present. Sometimes my mind rehashes the last conversation I had with a friend. Sometimes it reminds me, over and over, of something I need to pick up at the store (except, of course, when I'm driving by the store). Other times my mind comes up with new ideas for yoga workshops or things to blog about. What my mind doesn't do is quiet down.

Underneath all that chatter is knowledge of our essential nature. Which is where things start to get tricky. Isn't it the mind that knows stuff? And if it is, how can I know anything if I turn off my mind?

If you saw the movie Shrek, you might remember Shrek saying "ogres are like onions, they have layers." Our minds are like onions. There are layers and layers of thoughts. The superficial thoughts prompt us to put another load of laundry into the washing machine. Then there are layers of memories. There are math problems and literary themes. And deeper there are reactions to the senses - touch, smell, sight, sound - that create the boundaries that turn clusters of molecules and energy into things. There is a layer of names for these things.

Underneath all those layers, at the core of the onion, is something that is not the mind. People give it different names - the watcher, the soul, the true self - but it is that essential nature that the mind hides. It is consciousness unlimited by the boundaries created by the senses and the associated thoughts. In other words, that consciousness is not constrained by the physical world.

Our true selves don't end at our skin.

When we cease all those layers of thinking, we can experience the limitless soul. That sounds pretty groovy if you ask me. But thinking is in the way. Before we can figure out how to stop it we need to know more about all that thinking that's going on. And that's for next week...

Resistance

2011-11-22T12:36:00.001-05:00

I am determined to get back to triathlons next year, so I've started mixing some bike workouts into my week's training. (Swimming is out of the question since the lake will soon be frozen and there's no pool nearby.) I've also decided it's time to really dedicate myself to some strength training.

I'm not a big fan of weights, although I do pick up my 2- or 3-pound dumbbells occasionally. What I do like is my resistance bands. They are easily portable so I can do my workout at the yoga studio if I need to, and, unlike dumbbells, don't hurt when I drop one on my toes.

One part of my body seems to resist getting stronger, and that's my quads. It takes four or five days for my quadriceps, and particularly my right quad, to stop being sore after a fast run or a targeted workout. The four muscles that make up the quadriceps, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis and vastus medialis, are responsible for knee extension. They are important muscles for yoga, running and cycling, so I've been trying to get them stronger and better able to recover. Lunges with a resistance band are now a strength-training staple for me.

To do lunges, stand with your right foot on the middle of the resistance band, holding the ends of the band in each hand with your arms by your sides. Step your left foot back far enough so that your right knee will stay behind your toes when you lunge. You should be on the ball of your left foot. Bend your right knee a bit. Bend your elbows, lift the ends of the resistance band to almost shoulder-height and hold them there.

Keeping your core strong, back straight and chest lifted, slowly lower your left knee towards the floor. Your knee might lightly touch the floor, but don't put your weight on it. Make sure your right knee stays behind your toes and try to get your right thigh parallel to the floor. Then slowly lift up to the staring position.

Do two or three sets of 12-15 reps on each leg. You can build up by increasing the repetitions or switching to a heavier resistance band.

What I didn't resist was doing all of my planned workouts last week. I was on the treadmill or the bike trainer for 4 hours and 11 minutes, running 13 miles and pedaling 12 miles. The week included a run when I ran 11:07 minute miles, my fastest treadmill run so far.

Sunday Sutras: Silence (1.1 and 1.2)

2011-11-20T14:49:00.000-05:00

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Now that I've finished my series on the Chakras, I've decided to spend some time with Patanjali, the father of yoga. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, a very short book of verses, has been guiding yogis for two thousand years, but I'll admit I haven't opened it since teacher training. To get me thinking about it, I'll tackle a verse or two every Sunday. The translation I have is by Alistair Shearer, so I'll be using that one, but there are others.

1.1 And now the teaching on yoga begins.

The first verse is pretty straight forward. I can picture yogis of old sitting in lotus, listening to their guru say those words. Pay attention, because here's where the good stuff starts.

1.2 Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence.

Right there, in the second verse, is the crux of it. Yoga is silencing the mind. It's not eco-friendly rubber mats or butt-lifting spandex pants. It's not headstands or backbends. It's not even breathing deep. It's simply letting go of the stream of thought so all that's left in your head is silence.

Have you ever laid on the grass and watched the clouds? The breeze moves the clouds, forming them into shapes. Your mind starts to associate those shapes with animals, people or things, giving them names, and it watches for the next shape that looks like something. All the chatter in the mind is like watching the clouds, a constant stream of analysis, naming and anticipating. But what if, instead of watching the clouds, you watched the blue sky? What if your mind didn't have anything to associate with anything else? Focusing on the blue sky and ignoring the clouds is like silencing the mind. And silencing the mind is yoga.

That's all you have to do.

My husband hates it when someone says "that's all you have to do," because whatever is "all you have to do" usually requires a big commitment of time, energy, materials or money. When I say "all you have to do is replace that light fixture," he's likely to spend three weekends rewiring the house. I'm sure he just read "that's all you have to do" and cringed.

If you, like my husband, read the second verse and thought that quieting the mind might not be as easy as it sounds, you're right. It's going to take some major rewiring in your energetic house. And if you wondered why you'd want to silence the mind anyway, well, that's for next week...

Must Bake Cookies

2011-11-18T16:01:00.001-05:00

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In last week's post I admitted that I was on a bit of a baking kick. That might have been a slight understatement. I'm in a baking frenzy. Maybe the snow flurries coming down outside are making it feel like the holidays and that's why I can't seem to bake enough cookies lately. Unfortunately I'm also eating the cookies, so I'll have to keep running on the treadmill.

My baking frenzy is not completely out of control. I have one rule that I've been sticking to - I can only bake with the supplies I have in the house. After cleaning out my cabinets I discovered I've amassed a collection of gluten-free flours and other starches, as well as doubling up on things like baking soda because one box got buried near the back of the shelf. So all this baking is also helping to clean out the cupboards and use up things that might go to waste if left sitting too long.

Thanks to Google, I've been able to find recipes that use only what I had on hand, although I had to adapt some.

Beth Hyzy's blog Delicious Inspiration provied a great gluten-free sugar cookie recipe for Halloween. I had some Halloween-colored sugar and sprinkles, so I used them rather than icing the cookies. The unflavored gelatin means these cookies are not technically vegetarian, but they were really good so I decided to let that go.

I found a recipe for peanut butter and oatmeal cookies that sounded yummy, but when I checked the peanut butter jar it was pretty low. I replaced the peanut butter with cashew butter and the pecans with coconut and they came out great! I think they might be my favorite cookies (until another really good cookie comes along).

A couple of weeks ago I bought a bag full of lemons and didn't use as many as I thought I would. I didn't want the lemons to go bad, so I went hunting for a lemon cookie recipe. Bonnie's blog Bake This. Eat That. Then Move! (Bonnie is my kind of gal) had a great recipe for Gluten-free Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate. I didn't have any white chocolate chips, so, since I'm not buying anything, I made the cookies without them. They are still good. I drizzled them with a powdered sugar and lemon juice icing to make them extra lemony.

In another burst of productivity I recorded a new podcast yoga class. Since Thanksgiving is almost here and I've been eating all those cookies, I decided to do a core-focused practice. If you've been eating cookies too, grab your mat and click the play button.

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Even if my cookie baking frenzy continues through the holidays, I have Kim's amazing and very healthy cooking to look forward to at the Adirondack Women's Empowerment Retreat in January. You could join us there. All the details are here.

No Excuses, Just Do It

2011-11-15T12:26:00.001-05:00

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This morning's run was slow, but I'm on day nine of sticking to my training plan, at least in spirit. The plan assumed that I hadn't taken three weeks off due to illness, injury and laziness, so I'm not hitting the speed or distances the plan calls for. What I am doing is getting my feet onto the treadmill every time my calendar says "run."

I even spent an hour on my bike, which is set up on the trainer next to the treadmill, in a basement that's finally clean thanks to a surge of domesticity. I am determined to get back to triathlons next year and figured I would take advantage of my run plan's cross-training days for some bike workouts. It's better than starting from scratch in the spring.

This morning I was tired, but I got on the treadmill and walked. After five minutes I got bored with walking and pushed the treadmill's speed up. I did something, rather than staying in bed and taking a risk I might slip back into inertia. I'm noting this so I can come back and read it next time I think about skipping a workout.

No excuses, just do it. This is my winter mantra.

(Please note: the above picture of a running chicken has nothing to do with this post, although the chicken may, in fact, be running faster than I did this morning. It just came up as a Zemanta suggestion and I couldn't pass up a running chicken.)

Beam Me Up, Brahman

2011-11-13T14:25:00.001-05:00

Seventh Chakra, the final frontier...

We've reached the end of our Chakra journey. We've climbed the spine and, in the previous Chakra post, visited the third eye to find Shakira's (and our own) intuition. One more step up brings us to the crown of the head and beyond, ready to boldly go where everyone has gone before, even if they don't know it.

The Sanskrit name for the seventh Chakra is Sahasrara, which means thousand-fold. Sahasrara unfolds like the thousand petals of the lotus flower. Located in the cerebral cortex, of course the seventh Chakra governs the energy of knowing and learning. While book learning fits in there, the real knowing of Sahasrara is that of our true spiritual nature.

The ancient texts called the Upanishads teach that Brahman is the ultimate essence of everything, including the human self. Brahman cannot seen or heard. Brahman's nature can be known only through self-knowledge. When Sahasrara blooms, everything material drops away and we know our true selves. We know that we are Brahman and, therefore, everything.

Try and wrap your cerebral cortex around that one.

When the Chakras are in balance, when we live with passion and heart, when we speak our truths and trust our insight, the energy has no place to go but up. Everything we've practiced to open previous six Chakras has prepared us to dive into the very depths of our beings where we may, for what may be the briefest of moments, discover our connection to the divine source of all existence. When the connection is made, we see all that is physical as an illusion which has been masking our true nature.

So we did all that work to exist on the physical plane, only to discover that we don't really exist on the physical plane? It is, to quote Mr. Spock, "illogical." But there is more to wisdom than logic, and those whose seventh Chakras are shining a bright white light toward heaven are the wisest of us.

Sahasrara's wise energy gives us the ability to take all the information that comes at us every day, process it, and assimilate the knowledge we gain. Those with healthy seventh Chakras are intelligent, thoughtful, questioning and open-minded, while at the same time having an innate sense of connection to something greater. These are the gurus, the masters in any field of study. These are the people whose guidance we seek.

The energy doesn't always balance out, though. When the energy gets stuck in a lower Chakra or comes up against a closed mind, we find those whose beliefs come not from knowing but from simply accepting what they've been told. No matter what additional information they are given, these people won't change their minds. Then there are the cynics, who refuse to even acknowledge any motivation except the self-interest of the bottom Chakras.

Sometimes the scales tip the other way and the energy hangs out in the head rather than flowing through the lower Chakras as well. We see this in the overly intellectual types, analyzing everything to extremes and never really internalizing anything. These are the people we call "book smart;" they can recite the dictionary but never explain a thing in their own words.

Excess energy in Sahasrara can also lead to spiritual addition. Caught up in the search for their spiritual nature, these folks forget that our physical existence has requirements, like dinner. Perhaps they will find a good caretaker to remind them to eat, but these people sometimes fall victim to the those who would happily strip them of whatever physical stuff they managed to amass before they got lost in their heads.

To nurture your divine spirit without losing touch with your physical existence, spend some time learning something new. Explore different religions and metaphysical systems with a questioning, but open, mind. And sit for a few minutes each day to meditate, looking for your true self.

Developing your seventh Chakra is a bit like asking someone on Star Trek's Enterprise to beam you up. When the transporter activates, the physical body fades into particles of light and then nothingness, and you are absorbed into the cosmic stew, part of everything that is. Just make sure you have someone in a red shirt (or a strong red energy center) to bring you home.

Tending the Hearth

2011-11-11T13:48:00.001-05:00

Image via WikipediaIn the Greek pantheon, Hestia is the most grounded of all the gods and goddesses. She is the goddess of the hearth, which represents the center of the home, domesticity and family. While her immortal brothers and sisters played with lightning, broke hearts and toyed with humankind, Hestia sat on a wooden stool and never let the home fire go out.

I am not always as grounded as Hestia. Sometimes I'm not even close. I go through phases, sometimes lasting for months, when I feel that taking care of the house will get in the way of all the other things I need to be doing - from planning yoga workshops to writing blog posts to workouts.

A few weeks ago one of those phases came to an end, and with the end came a new realization. To snap myself out of my anti-housework mindset, I took a good look at what I was expecting myself to do every day. Then I shortened the list to something much more reasonable.

Guess what I discovered! If I stick with my realistic list and keep up with the house, I have more time. Crazy, right?

I'm back to regular morning workouts. I've been able to clean some of those "I'll never get that clean because I don't have the time" things. I've been reading the personal trainer manual again (I am determined to take that test before a full year passes from when I got the materials). I've organized my pantry, refrigerator and freezer and I have actually been cooking the food we have instead of buying more. (In other news, I've been cooking!)

And I'm baking.

Baking is the activity that most grounds me. But I can't bake in a kitchen where I have to dig for a bit of counter space. Having room to set up my mixer or roll out cookies is essential. An uncluttered counter calms me. Being able to decide to bake and get right to it, without having to tackle a mess first makes my heart sing.

Maybe preheating the oven isn't exactly the same as tending the hearth, but I feel very connected to Hestia when I bake. Producing cakes, cookies, brownies or bread feels like making something very solid, very real. Having all of the ingredients on hand means having enough. To bake is to celebrate abundance.

Wednesday night my son's Cub Scout leader called and said we had to bring snacks to tonight's meeting. Today I baked snicker doodles and peanut butter cookies. Half are going to the meeting. Some are in a container for family snacks. And some went into my newly cleaned and organized freezer, because you never know when you might need a cookie.

Starting Again

2011-11-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaThough not perfect, my neck is feeling better. I have also gotten over a cold that knocked me out last week. After a Sunday afternoon basement-cleaning frenzy, the treadmill has been freed from piles of camping gear and my bike is sitting in the trainer and I am ready for winter training.

After Daylight Savings Time came to a glorious end, I set my alarm an hour earlier and have gotten onto the treadmill the past two mornings. I find switching from the road to the treadmill is like learning to run again. Different muscles complain and the warm house challenges my cardiovascular endurance, already beat down by the cold. It feels so much like starting over that it's hard to believe that I'd only taken three weeks off.

This morning I walked on the treadmill. Yesterday my body let me know it wasn't quite ready to run with low back and knee pain. I'm hoping that after a few days of walking my body will remember the mechanics of running and I'll be training at the level I'm used to. In the meantime I will keep listening to my body.

And I can always spend lots of time on my yoga mat.

I also added crunches to my workout this morning. 75 may have been too much. I'm feeling it now and wondering if I will be able to sit up tomorrow morning.

Trying to find some new motivation, I recently started logging my workouts on Daily Mile. If you're using this site, won't you be my friend?

That feeling inside

2011-10-29T18:42:00.001-04:00

Shakira's got a sixth Chakra feeling inside...

Way back in 2010 we started a journey through the Chakra system and where it appears in pop culture. I seem to have gotten stuck after checking in with Helen Reddy's roaring fifth Chakra in February, which says quite a bit about my energetic blocks. Since next weekend some of my yoga students will be delving deeper into their own blocks at the Advanced Chakra workshop at True North Yoga, I thought it would be a good time to finish this series of posts.

We were last in the throat checking out the energy of communication. Now we find ourselves higher, in the carotid plexis, the area also known as the third eye. Here, between the eyebrows, Ajna, the sixth Chakra, shines it's deep indigo light of wisdom, intuition and imagination. It is the birthplace of ideas and the window to the spiritual realms.

Ajna is represented by the element of light and the color of the night sky. It gives us the right to see, with our physical eyes and the mind's eye. It is the sixth Chakra's energy that allows us to "know" something is happening when we are not physically present or gives us that "feeling" that we were meant to meet someone.

When you know who's calling before you look at the caller ID, that's Ajna at work.

Your local psychic is probably a bit overloaded with sixth Chakra energy, but too little leaves us without any insight, forced to analyze every last detail of our lives and to panic in the face of uncertainty. Headaches and vision problems signal a sixth Chakra imbalance. When Ajna is balanced our imaginations inspire us, we are intuitive and artistic and we have vivid dreams. We trust our own wisdom and are confident that our lives are unfolding as they should.

To keep the sixth Chakra light shining, get on your yoga mat and find a focal point. Let your gaze rest on your drishti and balance on one leg in Vrksasana (tree), Natarajasana (dancer) or Garudasana (eagle). Then roll your eyes just like a teenager. Those eye rolls are called Tratak and the muscles around the eyes need regular exercise to keep your vision clear.

Off our mats, we can create visual art, enjoy the visual stimulation of brightly colored holiday lights or fireworks, practice guided visualizations or try past life regression. Play with tarot cards or runes to exercise your insight. Color mandalas. Meditate.

And, like Shakira, look for those feelings inside, because your intuition might be telling you that your soul mate is across the room.

I'm so Excited!

2011-10-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

It's never too late to be who you might have been.

-George Eliot

What do you get when a life coach, a yoga teacher, a freelance writer and a massage therapist/extraordinary cook get together at Witherbee's Carriage House on open mic night and start to brainstorm?

You get the Adirondack Women's Empowerment Retreat!

And when the owners of the Glen Lodge in Warrensburg, New York, let us rent the whole facility for the weekend of January 20th - 22nd, 2012, we knew we had the perfect place for a transformational weekend. In addition to the comfortable accomodations, the great room has a huge stone fireplace and is perfect for yoga.

I'm so excited to be co-hostessing this weekend with some really amazing women. I'll be leading four yoga classes during the weekend:

Yoga from the Ground Up
Get your feet firmly on the ground andget ready to reach for the stars! Set a firm foundation for theweekend's yoga practices with a series of poses that will help youfeel your feet. With a stable base you can stand taller and reachhigher than ever before.

Yoga to Fuel the Flame

Deep in the core of your being a firesmolders. Core-focused poses add fuel to the fire and get your innerflame burning bright. Start your morning with an energizing yogapractice and tap into that fire all day.

Playful Yoga

Changing your life is serious stuff,but yoga doesn't have to be. Discover how playfulness empowers you byexploring the edge of possibility as you reach for new heights.Laughing is very welcome in this fun practice.

Gentle Yoga

Ease into Sunday morning with gentlefloor stretches and meditative movement. Get off your mat feelingrelaxed, renewed and refreshed.

Of course, yoga is just part of the experience. There will be workshop sessions, journaling exercises, lots of healthy food and fun evening activities. Would you like to join a small number of women for a weekend in the Adirondacks that will jump-start your life? Check out the retreat webpage for all the details.

Training Vacation

2011-10-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

Image via WikipediaWhen I get sick or injured, or life just gets in the way, I have a very hard time getting my training started again. I wish someone would shove my feet into my running shoes and kick me out the door. Being coach-less, there isn't anyone who will do that for me. I have to dig deep for my own motivation, and sometimes it's buried really, really deep.

Right now I'm sick (allergies are out of control), injured (still nursing a badly misaligned neck) and life is getting in the way. I haven't put my running shoes on for almost two weeks. It's very dark in the morning and it's rained almost every day. The Thanksgiving 10K is less than a month away. I need some inspiration, so if you've got some, please share!

Creating more frustration, my chiropractor ordered me to refrain from headstands until my neck is back to normal. One of my favorite ways to deal with life is to look at it upside down for awhile. I will have to find another way to change my perspective to get me through this rough patch.

Maybe digging the treadmill out from under a pile of summer gear will put an end to this training vacation.

Gremlins and Glitter, Part 2

2011-10-23T21:56:00.000-04:00

If you saw my last post then you know I was pretty excited about the prospect of playing with glitter yesterday. Unfortunately, my subconscious mind worked out the ramifications of me playing with glitter and Friday night I dreamed that the yoga studio floor was covered in glitter (red, white and blue - I must have been feeling patriotic as well) and I couldn't clean it up before the next class started. Luckily that was just a nightmare and the glitter I actually spilled on the floor succumbed easily to the vacuum.

It was fabulous creating with plaster gauze, a very user-friendly sculpting medium. Life Coach and artist Anne Gregson did an amazing job leading the workshop. I left with a gremlin that I've named Patsy, which is "past" scrambled. My gremlin is very fond of hindsight, starting most of her speeches with "if only you had..."

If only you had found yoga when you were a teenager, you could have done all those difficult asanas before your body aged too much...

If only you had become a forest ranger like that career test suggested, you might not have spent 20 years in a job you hated...

If only you were young enough to go back to school and major in something fun and creative this time...

If only you had saved lots of money so you could take off for six months to hike the Appalachian Trail...

Yeah, this gremlin needs to be tamed so I can focus on the present. And here she is...

It turns out that my gremlin looks a bit like my mother. (Sorry Mom! It was completely unintentional.) The horns (not the parts that look like my mom) were fun to sculpt and, although it's hard to see in the picture, are covered with glitter.

Gremlins and Glitter

2011-10-21T14:52:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I am going to meet my gremlin. At least, that's what Life Coach and artist Anne Gregson promised me. She's leading a workshop at the True North Yoga studio called "Make a Mask, Meet Your Gremlin."

We get to play with plaster and gauze to make a mask, then decorate it with color, glitter (I love sparkly stuff!), feathers and magazine cut-outs. Our masks will give a face to our inner gremlins, those voices that tell us we aren't good enough, we don't have enough time, nobody is interested...

Not only will we get really cool masks to take home, but we'll also have a plan to send our gremlins packing. Playing with glitter AND making potentially life-changing discoveries? I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

Anne has a great mask that she made in the likeness of her gremlin, Howie (as in "How-ee you think you're going to be able to do THAT?!?!?!?").

Check out the blog Anne recently started called An Irreverant Whirl. You can also find her on Facebook.

Trying to Train for a Turkey Trot

2011-10-21T14:29:00.001-04:00

Image via WikipediaAll right, I won't practice my alliteration on you.

Up until last Saturday I was happily training for a Thanksgiving Day 10K. Saturday night my head started to hurt. Uh oh. That headache is my body's way of telling me that my neck is horribly out of alignment. Sunday the headache got worse. Monday I called the chiropractor. Wednesday he snapped my neck back into place. Whew.

I stopped training when my head started hurting. Maybe I'm a baby, but I'm not comfortable jarring my spine when vertebrae are in unnatural positions. A week's training, almost, was lost. It's only a 10K, so I'm not panicking about being able to finish the race. But I had a goal that might be at risk.

I'd really like to run a 10K in less than an hour. Yes, Speedy Gonzalez, I know an hour is not particularly fast, but, hey, this is me we're talking about. For me, a middle-of-the-pack half-marathon finish is something to be excited about. I want a similar finish in this 10K.

I plan to get back to training tomorrow, now that my head's on straight.

Quieting Down

2011-10-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Image via WikipediaAfter Columbus Day weekend, Schroon Lake gets really quiet. The vacation homes have been closed up for the winter. Some of the snow birds are already migrating to Florida and the rest will soon follow. Other than a few die-hard leaf-peepers and a handful of hikers, the visitors are gone.

Like most of the local business owners who work very hard over the summer, my first reaction to the quiet is a sigh of relief. This is followed by a brief moment of panic about paying the studio's rent in the winter until I remind myself that this is my third winter here and the studio has done just fine during the lean months. Next is the serious stuff - deciding how to spend my time.

Compared to eight short weeks of jamming in everything I possibly can while the sun is out, the eight months of cold ahead should be flush with time, right? And yet I always seem to end up on the brink of summer not having accomplished all the things I was going to do during the winter so I'd be ready for the summer craziness. Other than losing a hour or two (or twenty) to shoveling snow, there should be lots of time for reading all those books, making some art and knitting. There should also be time for planning and preparing so next summer isn't a rushed blur.

Where does all that time go?

I spent my free time in September making lists. I have a pile of them, listing all the things that I need to start doing, or start doing again. My problem is that without a looming deadline, it's too easy to put stuff off. Just as I have a hard time sticking to triathlon or run training without an upcoming race, I can't seem to find motivation for tasks until failure to do them creates a crisis and, let's face it, most things don't.

Is there a part of your year that quiets down? Are you able to use your quiet times to move forward with your goals or dreams? Or do they get away from you?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Death and Life at the Chicago Marathon

2011-10-12T08:27:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was a big one for endurance sports, with the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday and the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. The Chicago Marathon proved the more newsworthy, marred by the death of a 35 year old, and apparently very healthy, firefighter from North Carolina. The exact cause of his death, just 500 yards from the finish line, is still unknown, but, as anyone who has been reading the (seemingly endless) chapter on determining VO2max in the personal trainer manual knows, the risk of cardiac arrest at maximum heart rate is significant. After 26 miles, could the sight of the finish line inspire even an experienced marathoner to sprint to the finish, pushing his heart past the breaking point? It's possible.

Chicago Marathon death: Autopsy inconclusive on Bank of America Chicago Marathon runner - chicagotribune.com

The universe, though, keeps everything in balance. A few hours after the news of the death reached my twitter stream, this story hit the internet.

Some will question the wisdom of participating in a marathon when 39 weeks pregnant and point out that it led to the somewhat early birth of the baby, but these are not people who consider running a normal part of daily life. My oldest was born at 38 weeks and the early labor may have started as a result of an afternoon spent walking around the mall, trying to finish my Christmas shopping. Shopping is certainly a normal part of life for many of us and not likely to be considered too risky an endeavor for moms-to-be. Amber Miller was a seasoned distance runner and had clearance from her doctor to run/walk the 26.2 miles last Sunday. The baby is perfectly healthy, although I've heard rumors she came out complaining about the bumpy ride.

Interestingly, this video about pregnant rock climber Carrie Cooper, also 39 weeks pregnant, was making its way around the web last week.

Carrie Cooper: 39 Weeks from Prana Living on Vimeo.

Neither Amber or Carrie took up their respective sports after they were pregnant. They just continued doing what they always did, reminding us all that pregnancy is not a disease or a disability, simply something that women's bodies can do in addition to all the other activities of daily life. If those activities happen to include running 20+ miles or climbing rocks, it's because these women are amazing athletes. We should admire them for that. I would like to be a fit and strong as either of these two, sans baby.

The Home Stretch

2011-09-27T15:32:00.001-04:00

Image via WikipediaJust as the mental calm created by a regular yoga practice permeates the rest of my day, my asana practice tends to show up in my other physical activities, especially running. In addition to being aware of my breath, I also adjust my posture to Tadasana (mountain pose) as I run - lifting the front of my pelvis, engaging my core, relaxing my shoulders back and down. And Uddiyana Bandha has gotten me up more than one tough hill.

No surprise that when I need to stretch after a run I turn to the asanas. If you're looking for a few good post-run stretches, here are my favorites:

Kapotasana (pigeon pose) is my go-to pose after every run. Folding forward into what I affectionately call "lazy pigeon" opens the piriformis on the front leg side (nasty little muscle that thinks nothing of pinching your sciatic nerve if it's tight) and stretches the hamstrings and glutes. The quadriceps of the back leg get a nice stretch, too, and they deserve some pampering after a run, especially if you've been on hills. The key in pigeon is to keep the hips squared and level, rather than collapsing to one side. Keep drawing the hip of the back leg forward and breath through that juicy stretch in the other hip.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog pose) opens the backs of the legs and, with a few minor adjustments after you've settled in, opens the low back. As your heels sink toward the floor you're lengthening your hamstrings, gastrocnemius and soleus (those well-defined calf muscles that let everyone know you're a runner) and glutes. With a reach back through your tailbone you can lengthen the sides of your waist and decompress the lumbar spine a bit, which is nice after it's been your shock absorber for a few miles. The diaphragm and intercostals also get a stretch. Know what they've been doing? Working really hard helping you suck in oxygen.

Janu Sirsasana (head-to-knee pose, or half forward fold) gets to all our favorite muscles down the back of the extended leg - hamstrings, gastrocnemius, soleus, piriformis and glutes. Up in the torso you're opening lats and obliques. You're also hitting the hip adductors in the bent leg. Since deepening in this pose requires some help from the breath, you'll feel your heart rate come down as you focus on breathing deep.

Take five minutes in some yoga poses after your next run. Your body will thank you. And who knows? Maybe yoga will start sneaking into the rest of your life.

A Half-Mary and a Smile

2011-09-25T19:45:00.001-04:00

When I decided not to register for any triathlons this year and just do the Adirondack Distance Festival Half-Marathon, I set a goal for myself to get faster. My training runs were faster than last year and I felt ready to run today's half and better last year's time.

Knowing that I could have done it makes me feel really good, even though I didn't.

For the first time, I had someone to run the race with. Mark, a friend and former ultramarathoner, decided to get back into running this year and trained for the same race. Our schedules were different so we didn't do any training runs together, but we enjoyed supporting each other on Facebook and when we saw each other around town. Our training paces were pretty close, so we agreed to run together.

I could have run faster if I'd pushed hard, but, in the end, running with Mark became more important than the time. I didn't want to run fast by myself. I wanted to finish the way I started, with my friend.

Unseasonably warm weather, one week after unseasonably cold temperatures, slowed our pace a bit. 80 degrees is a bit warm for a fall marathon, and there were a number of people needing ice baths at the end. (At least last weekend's 30 degrees cooled the lake for all the runners who jumped in.)

I didn't push. I didn't melt in the heat. I only got a couple of small blisters, which I didn't feel until we were almost done. My bad knee isn't even sore. And I had the most fun I ever had running 13.1 miles.

We finished in 2 hours and 22 minutes, which is a decent, middle-of-the-pack time.

Thanks, Mark, for keeping me company. I'm smiling in the race pictures, thanks to you.

Blistering

2011-09-20T13:29:00.001-04:00

In five days I'll be running my second half-marathon, on the beautiful Adirondack Distance Festival course around Schroon Lake, New York. Since it's our home-town race, I've run sections of the course many times and I know I can finish. I'm experiencing my week-before-a-race calm (perhaps the people who vie for the top spots get nervous) and feeling pretty good.

Except for the blister.

If there is one thing (other than my perpetually funky knee, which is much better than last year at this time thanks to yoga) that keeps me from enjoying taper weeks, it is chronic blisters. Last season they haunted my heels, so I tried a different brand of running shoes and got some wicking, double-layer socks. Heel problem solved.

This year they popped up on my toes.

Part of the problem is hiking down mountains, which sends my feet sliding into the front of my hiking boots. Nearing the bottom of the trail off Noonmark, too tired to pick my feet up, I stubbed the same toe five or six times. Before the next climb I got new hiking socks for more cushion, but the damage was done. Blisters on the tips of all my toes.

The blisters seemed to heal quickly and when I made it through a twelve-miler blister-free I thought I was safe. Who knew that it would be the last long run, an easy eight miles, that did me in?

I'd post a picture of the killer blister, but I can't get a camera between my toes. That's where it is. On the inside of my big toe. And it hurts.

I soaked it. I popped it. I bandaged it. All day yesterday it felt fine. Then, in the middle of the night, my toe woke up screaming in pain. Of course, my toe couldn't be awake without the rest of me.

Instead of losing sleep because I'm excited about race day, I'm awake because of a blister. Laying on my back with my legs up the wall (Viparita Karani, anyone?) all I could do was hope whatever was making my toe hurt would drain out and let me go back to sleep. It worked, and I fell asleep right there with my legs on the wall.

I've got a brand-new package of blister Band-Aids and I've done some self-Reiki, hoping this nasty thing will heal before Sunday. Thirteen miles is a long way to hop.

My off-season plans? More research into blister prevention. Because I'd really like "blistering" to describe my pace, not my toes.

Footfalls

2011-09-06T13:24:00.000-04:00

Image via WikipediaI lost my iPod headphones. Actually, they're not really lost, they're just buried somewhere under the piles on my neglected desk. I'm sure I'll find them when the colder weather forces me to stay inside and deal with mess. In the meantime, I've been running sans music.

Last year I ran without my iPod on any runs under five miles. Since headphones are against the rules in triathlons I thought it would be good to make sure I wasn't depending on the music too much. But I always had music for my long runs, because two hours of talking to myself didn't seem like fun.

Now here I am training for a half-marathon with no tunes to keep me company. And it's been great.

Yes, sometimes I talk to myself. Sometimes I even talk to myself out loud, which is okay, because I know I'm staying under the first VO2 threshold if I can still talk.

Other times I find myself counting my footfalls, like I count my breaths when I practice yoga. That's all I do - just counting, no thinking. Which is exactly what I've been trying to do in my yoga practice - just counting, no thinking.

Then there's the times when I stop counting and just run. My brain is doing nothing and a mile or two will go by without a thought. The sound of my footfalls fades into the background and there is absolute stillness. My body moves through that stillness without any instruction from me. The muscles know what they're doing anyway.

Am I meditating while I'm running? Maybe. Exercise science tells me that when my muscles are working hard there is less oxygen going to my brain. The parts of my brain that need to work - those parts that subconsciously make sure I keep going in the right direction and don't face-plant on the pavement - may be taking all of the limited resources available when my muscles are taxed, leaving nothing for random thoughts. That's not the same as sitting still, breathing easily, giving my brain plenty of fuel for thinking and then telling it not to. But the experience is the same.

Yogah cittavrtti nirodhah.

Yoga is settling the mind into silence.

(Yoga Sutras, 1.2)

The Sutras don't say I can't get there by counting my footfalls.

The F-Word

2011-09-03T15:41:00.000-04:00

If there is one thing people in upstate New York and Vermont didn't want to see right now, it's a flash flood warning. But that's what we have as some thunderstorms with heavy rain threaten our already soaked area.

Hurricane Irene might have been downgraded to a tropical storm when she blew through the Adirondacks, but that didn't stop her from doing serious damage to some of my favorite places. Keene and Keene Valley, where my son and I have spent almost every Wednesday this summer as we explored the surrounding mountains, were under water after the Ausable River jumped its banks and flooded the towns. (Check out the eyewitness video below to see some of the flooding.)

The tiny town of New Russia lost a number of homes to the Boquet River. Route 73, part of the Lake Placid Ironman bike route, was washed out in places and some of the bridges have been compromised.

We were lucky in our town, just some trees down and power outages. But our lake is fed by a river and the lake has risen to spring thaw levels. We had our own historic flooding here at the end of April and we are watching the lake level nervously.

Flash floods would not be welcome.

Looking at the pictures, I can't help but be amazed that water, so necessary for life, can create so much destruction. I am reminded that nature's elements cannot be controlled, nor should they be taken for granted. Humankind tries too hard to overcome nature rather than accept its role as part of it, and that is a dangerous thing sometimes.

Water is associated with the second Chakra, the energetic center of our emotions. We can be calm like a still mountain lake, but we can also rage like floodwaters. Even the most peaceful among us have the capacity for an emotional outburst, under the right circumstances.

We might even use the F-word (which is, of course, flood).

Over 1,500 yoga studios (including mine) offering free yoga classes during National Yoga Month

2011-09-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

September is my favorite month, and not just because it's my birthday. It's also National Yoga Month!

At my studio, True North Yoga in Schroon Lake, NY, we are kicking off Yoga Month with free classes on Labor Day. We are also participating in the One Week Free Yoga program for new students, so don't be shy. Print out your card and bring it to the studio!

Throughout the month of September, people across the country will have access to an entire week of free yoga classes by visiting www.yogamonth.org. The offer is part of the National Yoga Month campaign which is designed to educate, inspire and generate awareness of the positive impact of yoga on health.

During National Yoga Month, one of a select few national health observances, millions will come together for free events and activities. Festivities will take place across the U.S., with hundreds of studios, teachers, individuals and organizers taking part in their own hometowns. The events are all designed to educate people about the mind and body benefits of yoga practice.

“We are all looking for ways to take an active role in managing our health. There are readily available solutions that don’t necessarily require insurance or even a doctor,” said Johannes Fisslinger, co-founder of National Yoga Month. “Preventative wellness can be accessed by simply unrolling a yoga mat!”

As part of its mission to provide actionable guidance and tools, National Yoga Month is providing people with an opportunity to try yoga for free. Whether you are attempting it for the very first time or are an experienced yogi looking to deepen your practice, participating is simple. Just visit www.yogamonth.org and search for free yoga classes and events in your town or print your Yoga Month Card to be redeemed for One Week Free Yoga at over 1,500 participating yoga studios nationwide.

About National Yoga Month

In 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services designated September as National Yoga Month, one of a select number of national health observances. That same year, thousands of yoga and health enthusiasts participated in a 10 City Yoga Health Festival Tour featuring yoga classes, lectures, music, entertainment, exhibits. Since then, the initiative has taken root as a global awareness campaign, educating, inspiring and motivating people to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Each September over 1,500 yoga studios will participate in the One Week Free Yoga program and host over 1,000 yoga classes and events.

The Yoga Month campaign is administered by the Yoga Health Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization registered in the State of California. All funds benefit the national awareness campaign and yoga health education for at-risk kids in schools.

On Top of the World

2011-08-25T14:27:00.000-04:00

Schroon Lake is a wide part of the Schroon River, which snakes through a valley in the Adirondack mountains. One of the things I love about living here is the view of the mountains all around. I like to be in the midst of the solidness and stability of the mountains, where I feel safe and grounded.

While looking up at the mountains is grounding, looking out from their tops is breathtaking. If you've read my Wednesday Adventures post, you know that my son and I have been heading to the mountaintops every Wednesday when the yoga studio is closed. Each week we have taken more challenging hikes onto taller peaks. We visited the fire tower on top of Hurricane Mountain, explored the balanced rocks on Pitchoff and, last week, sat at the top of Noonmark looking out at most of the 46 High Peaks. The longing to visit the hiker's Mecca in the Adirondacks was too much.

We started with the smallest and easiest of the 46, Cascade Mountain. "Smallest" and "easiest" are, of course, relative terms as even the runt is over 4,000 feet. The hike up is fairly benign; the trail is so well worn and packed down that parts seem like sidewalk. The rocky bits are almost stairs. It was not until we neared the bald summit that the climb got challenging, but scrambling up the dome wasn't as hard as standing up in the wind once on the top.

Completely open, the summit is exposed to the wind from any direction and yesterday was a breezy day. At the summit the wind was strong and steady and worked hard to knock over anyone who got to their feet. We love to eat our lunch on the summits, but yesterday we had to retreat down the mountain a bit to find a sheltered spot where we could hang onto our food.

A short way from the top is a col between Cascade and Porter Mountain, its closest High Peak neighbor. Less than a mile was too easy to pass up, so we found Porter's summit yesterday as well. And now we have two High Peaks under our belts.

I find immense pleasure in sitting on top of a mountain, no matter how big, looking out at the beauty of nature and the sometimes less than beautiful human creations below. Being closer to the sky makes me feel closer to the source of inspiration and power. But the greatest joy from this summer's hikes has come from watching my now eight-year-old son gain strength and confidence as he tackled each peak. He has a knack for following even poorly marked trails and scales boulders so easily that more than one person we've met on the trail has likened him to a mountain goat. We have had some amazing conversations on the trail, his input varying from the kind of robot he'd like to build to questioning why there are so many songs about women. (Try explaining that to an eight-year-old while trying not to trip over a stone.)

And, after all the maturity and confidence he shows on the mountain, he still reaches for my hand when we step off the trail and onto the roadside. And then this mom is on top of the world.

In the wind on the summit of Cascade.

Confessions

2011-08-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make. In a very unyogic and self-absorbed way, I have been going around thinking you could never relate to what I feel in my body when I practice, because my body is so uniquely f*cked up you'd never feel what I feel. I'd been teaching asana the way the books say to teach it. And I honestly couldn't figure out why, despite repeating my well-rehearsed script over and over, some of you didn't do what I was asking you to do.

Then one day I had a breakthrough. Bored of listening to myself tell you not to lift your shoulders to your ears when you extend your arms in Warrior II, I demonstrated. You still didn't get it, but as I was demonstrating I got annoyed at my deltoids, those muscles at the very top of my arms, for starting to ache. I can feel them working in Warrior II every time I lower my shoulders. I assumed it was because my arms are weak or malformed and nobody else's arms ever ached holding Warrior II. But on breakthrough day I said "what the heck" and told you to relax your shoulders until you could feel the tops of your arms take over. And ten sets of shoulders relaxed down.

And the yoga teacher learned that humility is not only not thinking her body's better than everyone else's body. It's also not thinking that her body is worse.

So now I know that if I can feel it, you can probably feel it too. And I know you better than I did before, even if you've never said a word to me. Don't worry. I'll only use that knowledge for good.

I have another confession, too. Even though I keep using pictures of me standing on my head to illustrate my blog posts, when I practice I spend much more time in childs pose than I do in headstand. Much, much more.

Upside Down after Two Years

2011-08-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

It wasn't planned, but perhaps it was fitting that I led an inversion workshop at the True North Yoga studio yesterday. Two years ago, on July 31st, car packed with clothes, house plants and my yoga mat, bike strapped on the back, I walked out of the corporate accounting department for the last time and drove north. That was it. No more job. No more suburban house minutes from Whole Foods and P.F. Chang's. No more yoga studios, except the one I was going to create.

On August 1, 2009, I taught my first class as a self-employed yoga teacher in the basement of the Schroon Lake Community Church. One person showed up. I taught the class anyway.

I was scared. I wasn't going to cover the rent and insurance with one student. But I kept going and classes got bigger, slowly. They are still growing. The business survived.

I survived, even without decent Chinese food.

It's okay to be scared. Scared is what makes you hesitate before you walk into traffic and keeps you from leaning really far over the cliff. Of course with a well-anchored rope and a sturdy harness you can go right over that cliff. All it takes is trust and the right tools to work through scared.

Many people are scared of inversions. It's understandable. You are relying on body parts that don't normally support all of your weight to keep your head from hitting the floor. But the inverted asanas are also very liberating. Once upside down you are open to a brand new perspective.You discover how powerful you are. And you learn to trust yourself.

Now that's something to take off your mat.

The next time life throws something scary at you, whether it's a cliff or a career change, you can trust yourself. You've got what it takes to work through it.

My daughter and I are celebrating our second anniversary of life in the Adirondacks by tackling that scary cliff. Next week we're going rock climbing.

Transforming and transforming...

2011-07-15T12:56:00.000-04:00

If there is a list of the top ten words most overused by the yoga community, "transformation" would have to be on it. The transformational power of yoga is touted repeatedly by publications and yoga teachers as a reason to unroll your mat and get yourself into Downward-facing Dog. There is an endless stream of testimonials by those whose lives changed as a result of their yoga practices. There are records of physical, mental and spiritual transformations.

Which makes what I have to say redundant. Sort of.

I can't deny that yoga has changed my life. It was a big change, too. I won't bore you with the details, because they're all here in older blog posts, but let me highlight the quitting my job, moving to the mountains and opening a yoga studio thing. That's the sort of stuff that happens when yoga gets under your skin.

But there's a catch. The transformational power of yoga does not come with brakes. Once it gets rolling, it doesn't stop. Unlike most vehicles, obstacles like bridge abutments and large trees may slow it down, but as long as you keep breathing that power will work it's way through whatever gets in the way. Which means you might be in for a very long ride.

It's nice to roll down the road of change with the wind in your hair, but eventually the big question has to come up. "What am I transforming into?"

My asana practice makes me feel strong, so I seek opportunities to challenge my body (with compassion and awareness, of course), especially in ways that get me outdoors experiencing nature at the same time -because my meditation practice makes me feel more interconnected with the natural world - which makes me look for ways to advocate for the environment. Since I can't push environmental awareness without setting an example, I seek ways to make my home and the yoga studio greener.

While I'm outside pushing my body, experiencing nature, practicing asana and trying to be green, I meet other people who introduce me to new activities and many of them end up on my list of things to try. To be honest, I can't even get through an Athleta catalog without seeing something I'd love to be doing. So I start thinking of ways to try them.

Then there's the Bhakti yoga, the devotional singing and chanting which made it okay for my slightly tone-deaf voice to sing out. Which restored a love of music that I'd abandoned to those with more talent. With the music came the desire to dance, especially in a skirt that jingles when I move.

"That's great!" you may be thinking. "She is trying all kinds of new things." If I was applying to college (again) my application would be in the "well-rounded" pile.

The truth is, change is starting to feel less like I'm following a path with a few twists and turns and more like I'm caught in a transformational whirlwind. It's as if I'm in a constant state of flux, never settling down to just "being" anything.

The ultimate goal of yoga is to settle the mind into silence. How can my mind be silent if it's constantly trying to figure out how to make a hula hoop, where I can set up a slackline, when I'm going to have time to run, practice belly dancing and learn to play the bongos, and remember all the stuff I've studied for the personal trainer exam?

Perhaps my life's journey wasn't meant to meander on a foot path, but rather rip through this existence like a tornado, sucking up everything I encounter. Perhaps I am paying for lifetimes of stagnation, needing to do everything I'd missed during previous incarnations so I can finally get to the really deep stuff. Perhaps this life's lesson is supposed to be non-attachment to the cravings for new adventures and I'm failing miserably.

Maybe one day I'll find stillness in the center of the storm and discover what it is that I have become. Right after I try ice climbing.

Brave enough to try

2011-07-14T22:39:00.000-04:00

Witherbee's Carriage House, a local restaurant with a bar upstairs, hosts a number of local bands on weekend nights. On Thursdays they have open mic night. A Schroon Lake singer/songwriter runs it, making sure everyone gets a turn at the mic.

This evening, my niece, who just finished her freshman year in high school, brought her electric guitar to open mic night, got herself plugged in, and played and sang three songs. She did really well. No, it was not perfect, but there are some things we need to take into account. First, she has never had a guitar lesson. She is completely self-taught. Second, before tonight, she never sang into a microphone. Third, she is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, and she was brave enough to get up in front of a room full of much older and very experienced musicians, many of whom have been paid to sing into a microphone.

One thing I can say for our local musicians is that they are very supportive. They love to have new people join the Schroon Lake music scene. My niece was welcomed and encouraged. Perhaps they remember their first times.

I cannot count the times in my life when I missed out on chances to try things for the first time because I wasn't brave enough to risk not being perfect the first time. I've missed opportunities to talk to someone famous because I didn't think I would have anything to say. I have three lifetimes worth of bucket list items because I didn't just do things when I had the chance.

Yes, I have taken a few risks in my time. Every now and then I try something new. But more often I don't, and I wonder sometimes who I might have been as an adult if I had been braver when I was younger. Or who I would be today if I had been braver last month.

My niece and I were talking about a song I like. It has a drum intro, played on the bongos. I said I'd like to learn to drum so I could play that intro. She said she'd learn the guitar part so we could play together. I said we could work on it over the winter. She gave me three weeks.

I don't know if I can learn to play the bongos in three weeks. I don't even own bongos, yet. But maybe I can be brave enough to try.

Wednesday Adventures

2011-07-13T21:05:00.000-04:00

Wednesday is my day off. The yoga studio is closed, so I have the whole day free. For months, I have been treating Wednesday as the day to do housework and run errands, but during a meltdown a couple of months ago I realized that I was desperately in need of some time to play.

So I sat down with my day planner, spread my chores throughout the rest of the week and, erasing everything else, wrote "fly and be free" on each Wednesday. Then I started thinking about the things I've been meaning to do, and the things my kids have been asking to do, and started to plan some Wednesday adventures.

My 7-year-old son got excited about hiking after reaching the summit of Mount Jo, a fun little mountain which rises above Heart Lake in the midst of the High Peaks. His second grade teacher took the class to the top for their year-end trip. When school finished we went through the guide books for another easy hike and, the following Wednesday, headed up Owls Head, just north of Keene.

The next week, we explored Mount Gilligan, in New Russia. While still a short hike, Mount Gilligan has lots of rock scrambles that were fun for an active 7-year-old. We've been calling it our "secret mountain" because we were the only ones there.

Inspired to try something bigger, today we tried the Crow Mountains in Keene. The guidebook promised a short but steep hike. It certainly was steep and much more challenging than our previous hikes, but, thanks to unclear directions to the trailhead, it was not short. The mountain trail itself took precisely the amount of time predicted by the guide, but the walks down the road to find the trailhead and to find the car again when we came back by a different trail added time and miles.

It was worth the extra effort. The view of the High Peaks from the summit of Big Crow is spectacular. Had we not lost so much time looking for the trailhead I would have lingered much longer.

For my next Wednesday Adventure I will be chaperoning at Cub Scout Day Camp. While it's not my first choice of adventures, my son won't be little much longer, so any time with him is good. Who knows what a pack of Cub Scouts might teach me?

Wanderlust

2011-07-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

I've put off posting about my experience at the Wanderlust Yoga and Music Festival in Stratton, Vermont, because there is too much to say. I want to write about every yoga class, every musician, everything I did and saw and ate.

Because it was all amazing.

But I can't. There is too much.

What I can say is that three days of camping in the rain, walking barefoot in the rain, doing yoga under a tent in the rain and listening to music in a crowded room in the rain left me feeling more full of life and excited about yoga and music than I've felt in a long time. During the brief times the sun came out I could feel the energy, which was already intense, rise even higher.

So, if you want to know what happened at Wanderlust, use Google. Find the pictures and videos and blog posts from people who wrapped their heads around the experience and who actually knew how to use the video function on their cameras. I'll share some of my pictures, too. Maybe in a few more weeks I'll be able to say something.

Stratton Mountain Resort

Nimble Arts

You never knew what you'd see

Slackline Yoga

Acroyoga

Yogaslacker workout

Jugglers

Slacklining and hooping

Yoga in a birdcage

Bryan Kest and Seane Corn saying hello

Love's not Time's fool

2011-06-22T09:17:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, when I was at the lowest low of my vitamin D deprivation and my husband was bemoaning the cold rain, my lack of productivity and his lack of clean socks, I asked him why he bothered to stay. His answer was "because I love you." As if that was enough.

And, yet, it must be, because he's still here, hanging in with me through my life-purpose wanderlust (not to be confused with the upcoming festival, although doubtless related) and my domestic bulimia (trash the house for a couple of weeks, then spend the next two freaking out anytime something is out of place). His unwavering devotion as I reinvent myself daily and his support for my yoga practice, endurance training and racing and outdoor adventures, which he often photographs but in which he rarely participates, are evidence that love is not easily shaken.

William Shakespeare said it well in his Sonnet 116, which was read at our wedding by our best man, while wearing a hat with bells on it. Perhaps when a marriage starts thus, only love and insanity can follow.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although its height be taken,

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Today marks another year in our journey of shared insanity. Love alters not with each year of marriage, but bears it out even through a dreary Adirondack spring, a plethora of mosquitoes and piles of dirty laundry.

My anniversary gift to my husband is to drag him to Vermont, where he will get to sleep in a tent and entertain our seven year old while I join the yoga frenzy at the Wanderlust Festival. Hey, I got him a music ticket for Saturday, so he can join me for Michael Franti's performance (if we can keep our son up that late), so that counts. Doesn't it?

Off the Mat, Into the Wild

2011-06-18T23:03:00.001-04:00

The summer solstice is days away, so our Green Yoga Sangha group trekked into the woods for alittle rock-top yoga. For me, there is nothing better than standing in mountain pose on a big, flat expanse of stone, looking out over the tree-tops or, as I did today, over a lily pad covered pond. I like to be barefoot in the dirt. Once, in Warrior II, a dragonfly landed on my hand. Besides, if you saw my last post you know I need all the sunlight I can get.

If you'd like to practice yoga outside, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Go anywhere. Yes, an asana practice on top of a mountain is amazing, but you can have an equally amazing practice in a town park, on the beach, even in your own backyard. Just get outside.
Leave your mat at home. Mats are a must-have for yoga studios and on your slippery home floor, but when you head outside take a break from your mat and discover what earth feels like. Unless you're planning to down dog in a parking lot.
Scout out your spot. Before you put your bare feet down, make sure the place you've chosen for your practice isn't covered with sharp rocks or, worse, broken glass. Unfortunately many beautiful places get ruined by those who don't know enough to...
Leave no trace. You wouldn't walk out of a yoga studio leaving all the props you used scattered on the floor, would you? Show the outdoors the same respect and carry out any trash you make. Better yet, do what we do and carry an empty bag to pick up what others thoughtlessly left behind.
Find a natural insect repellent that works and use it. I've got nothing against bugs in general, but it's hard to hold a pose with mosquitoes biting every inch of exposed skin. Mosquitoes and ticks can carry diseases that will bring your asana practice to a halt if you contract them, so protect yourself when you're outdoors. I also like to show them dead bug pose, just to give them a warning.

Once you've found a place to practice, here's some poses to try:

Tadasana (Mountain). The most natural outdoor pose there is. Close your eyes, feel the earth under your feet, the breeze brushing your skin and the warmth of the sun. Then just breathe.
Moon Side Bend. Reach overhead, interlace your fingers and bend to one side, then the other. Imagine yourself swaying side-to-side like a tree in the wind.
Uttanasana (Forward fold). Bend your knees really deep and put your hands flat on the ground. If you're lucky a bug will crawl over your hand. Embrace the sensation.
Standing up, clasp your hands behind your back, roll your shoulders together, and look up. Open your heart to the sky.
Utkatasana (Chair). Just because you should.
Crescent lunge. High runner's lunge with your arms overhead, hips sinking toward the earth. Find two rocks the right distance apart and this gets really fun.
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II). You never know when a dragonfly might need a place to land. Beside, the view past your fingers is great.
Reversed, or Proud, Warrior. For another look at the sky.
Vrksasana (Tree). Enough said.
Airplane (Virabhadrasana III variation). Fly in the breeze.
Balasana (Child). Yup, put your forehead in the dirt. Get really close to nature.
Sirsasana (Headstand). My favorite pose anywhere is especially gratifying when my head's in the grass and my feet feel the sun. If headstand isn't available to you, take another inversion or rabbit pose to get the top of your head on the ground.
Savasana. Let the earth support you, absorbing all of your tension and doubts. Feel yourself being cradled by the ground beneath you, relax and breathe deeply.

One little letter

2011-06-10T16:12:00.000-04:00

March was a long, difficult, busy month getting the new True North Yoga studio ready to open. Then April and May flew by. Class sizes are growing, slowly, and the summer workshop schedule is just about complete. In just over two weeks I'll be heading to Wanderlust for a weekend away with my husband, my son, and yoga. Everything has been falling into place except for one small detail – me.

All these plans were contingent on me being able to get out of bed in the morning. Over the past months that's gotten harder and harder to accomplish. Unexplained body aches, difficulty sleeping despite nearly constant fatigue, a bizarre viral rash on my toes, and nasal allergies followed by a serious sinus infection and cough have brought me to the doctor more times in the last three weeks than the number of times I saw him during all of last year.

I'd stopped training and expected to walk the Adirondack Half-Marathon, the only race I got around to registering for. I'd tried to get back to running, but each time I started I end up hurting all over by the end of the first week. If the muscle pain was where I'd expect it to be, I'd chalk it up to muscle recovery and keep going, but the pain was more general and moved around during the day.

I couldn't figure what was going on with my body. The sinus infection created so much pressure in my head that even yoga had become frustrating. It's getting better with an antibiotic, but not going away fast enough for me.

Tuesday morning I had blood drawn to, as the doctor says, “rule out some things.” I was sure I'd thought of all of them - Lyme, Epstein Barr, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, even cancer. My imagination went crazy, but I missed the easy answer.

The doctor's office called on Wednesday. Everything was normal, except – my vitamin D is too low. The doctor recommended taking a supplement.

15 minutes of online reading confirmed it. Vitamin D deficiency can result in muscle aches, fatigue, low immunity and depression. Sound familiar?

Vitamin D is made in the body with sun exposure. A long winter followed by a dark, rainy spring could certainly account for the low level of vitamin D in my body. It was such an obvious thing, and I never thought of it. If I had, I would be getting ready for a half-Ironman instead of sitting around crying because everything hurts. Frustrating, but there's still that half-marathon on the schedule in the fall, so I'm going to take my vitamin D (and magnesium, because magnesium aids in vitamin D absorption) and get outside (whenever we've got some sun) for my runs. And do lots more Sun Salutations.

A very Eco-Friendly Giveaway

2011-04-12T12:34:00.000-04:00

Image by AlicePopkorn via Flickr

Earth Day 2011's theme is "A Billion Acts of Green." I don't know a billion people, but I know at least 100, and I'd like to see them all on True North Yoga's Facebook page sharing how they care for the Earth.

Between now and Earth Day, April 22nd, go to True North Yoga's Facebook page, "like" us, and post on our wall something you do for the environment. It could be something that reduces your carbon footprint, reusing or recycling to reduce what goes in landfills, supporting a company that makes a sustainable product, or anything else that shows you love the Earth.

To say "thank you" for your environmental action, on April 23rd one post will be chosen at random and that person will receive:

a Jade Harmony Professional yoga mat

3/16" thick, made of natural,

sustainable rubber

winner will have a choice of

available colors

AND

a Klean Kanteen Reflect water bottle

completely plastic and paint-free

stainless steel, bamboo cap

available for the first time in mid-April

so you can love the Earth while you practice yoga!

I've been practicing on a Jade Harmony mat for four years and I absolutely love it. It's got just the right amount of cushion for jumping back in Surya Namaskar, it's solid enough to support Vrksasana, and I never slip, no matter how hot my yoga gets. Plus it's seriously eco-friendly, and comes in my favorite color: - green.

I'm excited that Klean Kanteen is taking the stainless steel water bottle to a whole new level with the Reflect, which is due out in mid-April. They've eliminated all of the plastic and all of the paint and replaced them with silicon, bamboo, and laser etching. This is going to be an amazing water bottle.

What are you waiting for? Get to our Facebook page and share the love, and you might be the winner.

The (Long Overdue) "Thank You" Post

2011-04-10T20:59:00.001-04:00

Please indulge me, because I have a long list of people to thank. Each time I walk into the new True North Yoga studio, it is their energies that I feel, because they put something of themselves into it.

Thank you...

...to my parents, who gifted me with the madness to dream and taught me that whatever I do, I should do it right. And when I decide to follow a mad dream, they give their own time and their own sweat to help me make it a reality. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for painting and fixing and fussing over small details. Dad, thank you especially for going a bit crazy over the floor, because it looks great.

...to Annie, who spent hours and hours balanced precariously balanced on top of a ladder with a paintbrush in her hand, first edging around the ceilings, then painting the mural. (Good thing you do all that yoga, Annie!) And when she finally came down off the ladder, it was to paint the sign that hangs outside. Annie, I appreciate the three weeks you spent with green paint on your hands and a sore shoulder. But I think the thing I am most grateful for is your friendship and support. Oh, and my family says "thanks again" for feeding them.

...to Myriam, for helping us paint and for your wonderful Chai Lattes, without which I never would have accomplished everything I did in three short weeks. And let's not forget the awesome sandwiches and crepes at your Morningstar Bistro, which are undeniably the best in Schroon Lake. I loved every time you stopped in to see how we were doing and I'm glad we're almost neighbors on Main Street.

...to Sharon, who puts paint on a wall faster than anyone I've seen. I appreciate your encouragement and support and that you took some time out from running your inn to help me paint.

...to Ginny, for joining the painting crew and bringing your wonderful light energy into the place.

...to Beti, for writing a wonderful press release and sending it where it needed to go. I was really excited to see us in the paper!

...to my children, Melanie and Tristan, for all the afternoons you walked over after school to hang out with your mom. Melanie, thank you for painting and cleaning and helping me decorate (and stopping me before good intentions turn tacky). Tristan, you did many evenings of homework sitting on the floor and I know how difficult it was to have your routine disrupted so much. You are a really good kid. Thank you for being you.

...to my dear husband, Rob, for saying "go for it" and doing so much hard work to make the space beautiful. Thank you for the counter and the shelves and for creating the blank sign for Annie to paint. I am very lucky to have you in my life.

...to all the yogis and yoginis who practice with me. This space was created for you and I've been delighted with all the good energy you brought to it during the first week. Thank you for supporting the change and for being just generally really awesome.

And Now it's a Yoga Studio

2011-04-03T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's done, and just in time. The new True North Yoga studio is ready to open for classes tomorrow morning.

This morning I unrolled my mat and practiced in the space for the first time. Resting in sponge between Salambhasana and Dhanurasana I reached out my arms and gave the beautiful wood floor a big hug. It feels like a yoga studio now.

Yesterday we moved in all the good stuff.

My son discovered that a pile of yoga bolsters are lots of fun.

Have fun storming the castle!

And, at last, we're ready. Looking back...

And looking forward...

The Peace Wall...

And, thanks to my husband, Rob, and his tool skills, the reception area with the awesome counter he made for me.

How could I not play on that counter?

Monday morning at 8:00am, the doors open. If you're nearby, come in and say "hi!"

A Shiny Floor and a Surprise Revealed

2011-03-30T21:58:00.000-04:00

We are sneaking up on the April 4th opening of the new yoga studio and it is almost ready.

The floor is shiny, or, at least, it was until it dried. My dad isn't satisfied with the finish, and showed up today with another bucket of polyurethane, which he will apply tomorrow. He'd never be able to focus in Gentle Yoga if he had to look at a less-than-perfect floor, so there was no point in telling him it was good enough. I'm going to lose a couple of days while the second coat dries, but it won't stop us from opening on schedule. The last things that need to be done can wait until the weekend.

Today I went there equipped with my sewing machine and altered curtains for the front windows.

Rob stopped by after work and hung some shelves for me.

While I was working on the curtains, my friend Annie finished that surprise I told you about a couple of posts ago. It started out like this...

Progressed like this...

And ended up like this...

It is based on a graphic from the studio's website, except for the butterfly, which Annie said needed to be there because it's me. I love butterflies and the transformation they represent. It is a fitting symbol for this new stage in my yoga teaching journey.

While Annie wasn't working on the mural, she was busy painting the sign that will hang outside.

Thank you Annie! You are amazing!

Next up...watching a floor dry.

Finding the Zen in Sanding Floors

2011-03-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

With seven days left until the new True North Yoga studio opens for classes, the excitement is really starting to build. I'm already enjoying being on Main Street. Whenever we are there working friends who walk by stop in and say "hi."

The last big job to get the space ready is almost complete. We cleaned up the paint cans, brushes and rollers and turned our attention to the floor. When I looked at the space, I fell in love with the floor. It's not perfect. The building is 70 years old and has been renovated a number of times. There are now three sections of flooring, each a different wood, and the floor is a bit wavy in spots. After practicing yoga on a cold tile basement floor for the past two years, however, the feel of the warm wood appealed to me, imperfections and all.

The floor had seen lots of wear and tear over the past seven decades, so I decided the best thing to do was refinish it. I am very blessed because my dad is a master of remodeling and was happy to help me with the floor. Well, maybe not happy, but it was an opportunity to play with a really big power tool, so he wasn't unhappy.

Sanding the floor took a long time. My dad, my husband and I worked for nine hours on Saturday to complete the rough sanding. For the most part, I worked the tiny sanding tool around the edges, but I did get a turn with the big drum sander. Once I got the feel for it, and stopped gouging the floor, I discovered that sanding a floor can be very meditative.

(Please don't try to this with other power tools, especially those with sharp edges, like chain saws and wood chippers.)

It is important to sand with the grain of the wood, so there is lots of walking slowly forward and backward, keeping the sander going in one straight line. Certain spots needed a number of passes, so I walked the same line over and over. The sander is very loud, and after awhile forming any kind of thought became impossible. I just walked very slowly and focused on guiding the sander along the edges of the floor boards.

I was feeling very zen when my father got bored and took the big power tool back, and I was stuck with the very un-zen high-pitched whine of the tiny sander.

900 square feet didn't seem that big until we were sanding, and sanding, and sanding for hours. After taking off layers of dirt, old finish and all the rough parts of the wood, we were left with quite a bit of saw dust.

This is what 900 square feet of sawdust looks like. (Yes, the entire can is full of nothing but sawdust.)

Sunday morning we went over the floor again with a finer grit sandpaper to make it smooth. We made it as smooth as we could for the barefoot yogis and yoginis.

It took nearly an hour after the sanding was finished to clean up all of the dust. Finally my dad declared the floor ready for stain.

While the first corner of stain went on, I held my breath. (I did the same thing when we started putting paint on the walls.) I agonized over the color choice and hoped that the stain was dark enough to hide some of the imperfections but not so dark that it would hide the wood grain. I hoped it wasn't too red, or too yellow. I think I got it right.

Staining the floor took most of the afternoon, but shortly after 5:00pm my dad, kneeling in the doorway, put the last bit of stain on. Then we locked the door and left it to dry until tomorrow, when the floor will get a coat of clear polyurethane.

Once the polyurethane is dry, I get to play. Curtains and pictures, coat hooks and plants - these are a few of my favorite things.

Meanwhile, my dear friend Annie, who painted with me nearly every day, got the opportunity to show her incredible etchings as April's featured artist in Willows Bistro in Warrensburg, New York. I am thrilled that she is getting the opportunity to showcase her art and I'm really looking forward to going to the opening reception. Annie was there today to hang her art, and she brought back Chinese food, which is a huge treat for us because Schroon Lake doesn't have a Chinese restaurant. Then she invited my family for dinner.

I have been truly blessed.

It's a surprise...

2011-03-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

And I'm not going to tell you what it is. Not yet, anyway.

I'm just going to tease you with this picture, taken today at the new yoga studio, and let you wonder what's going on.

What I will tell you is that painting is complete. Well, it's pretty much complete. There is one side of a door that needs a second coat of paint, and little touch-ups to be made here and there. But it makes me happy to think that it's complete, so that's what I'm going to think.

This evening's yoga students were very amused by the paint in my hair. And the paint streaked on my face.

I'm ready to do something besides paint.

Which is why I'm excited that we pick up the floor sander tomorrow.

Rob is painting, too, down in his workshop. Isn't it beautiful? He calls it "Nine Months of the Year in Schroon Lake." I'm thinking that he may be getting tired of snow. Honestly, I'm ready for it to melt, and I like the snow, so his piece resonates with me.

The Museum of Modern Art said they'd take down one of those silly Jackson Pollock canvases to hang "Nine Months." Rob told them to talk to his agent.

(It's really the start of the sign that will hang outside the new space. I didn't fool anyone, did I?)

Just one more day...

2011-03-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

...and we'll be done painting. Except for one thing, but that's a surprise.

My pictures today are, yes, more painted stuff. But there are milestones here, big milestones.

The first milestone was the ceilings being finished. This yogini's neck and shoulders are oh, so happy about that.

Thanks to Rob and his big bucket of tools, there are now shelves where once there was a gaping hole. As soon as the sales tax authorities say "yes" and give me a nice number of my very own, I'll be loading those shelves with books, CDs and DVDs for sale.

Today we hit the biggest milestone thanks to Annie and her cutting-in skills. The green walls are finished!

Tomorrow I'll finish the trim. Next up, the surprise. After that, the floor.

Still Painting...

2011-03-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

...but we're getting closer to the day when we lay our tired paint brushes down and unroll our yoga mats.

One day I'll have a picture of someone doing something besides painting, but today is not that day.

My dad came home from a business trip just in time to pick up a roller. Then he left again. Hmmmm....

Annie, the cutting-in queen, is at the top of the ladder, and the top of my gratitude list this week.

All four walls have paint on them now.

Today my husband, Rob, was busy doing some minor repairs, adding trim and building shelves. He'll be back tomorrow for more of the same.

I've almost got the ceiling painted. There is just one small corner left. I've used all my balance and backbending skills standing on a ladder, bending way back and reaching out with the long painting pole for that last little bit of ceiling...

I could have climbed down and moved the ladder, but what good are all those mad yoga skills if you don't use them, right?

Now I'm off to stare at the "supermoon." Between the big, gorgeous moon and the spring equinox, the energy is crazy. If you've got something to manifest, catch this wave. Stuff is going to be busting out all over the the place soon. Can you feel it?

Creating Sacred Space

2011-03-16T19:47:00.000-04:00

After getting the key to the empty store front that is to be the new True North Yoga studio, I've been busy, busy, busy... and loving every minute of it.

Here's me in the big empty space right after I got the key.

Then the work starts. My husband, Rob starts spackling.

My son, Tristan, is a great window cleaner.

My mom joins the cleaning fun...

...and brings snacks.

Then painting begins. I got help from some awesome yogini painters: Sharon, Anne, Ginny and my mom.

When the walls were covered with primer we started on the color. After school my kids came by to help.

One gorgeous green wall is almost done.

I'm looking forward to teaching some yoga tomorrow morning, then I'll be back here painting again. I'm really excited about moving into this great space. (Can you tell????)

Sadhana and Snow Days

2011-03-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaWhat was supposed to have been mostly rain with some accumulating snow overnight turned into the biggest snow storm of the year. Yesterday morning's rain turned to snow at 1:00 pm and it hasn't stopped coming down yet. The wind has blown the 18 or more inches of snow into big drifts. That groundhog from Pennsylvania doesn't know anything about North Country winters. When Punxsutawney Phil wasn't seeing his shadow, our groundhogs were still fast asleep in their burrows. Winter never leaves here early.

The county declared a state of emergency, the schools closed, and I was forced to cancel today's yoga classes. It's a snow day - a day to stay home, goof off, drink hot chocolate and play in the snow. Or is it?

One thing I've learned about running my own business is there's always something to do. More often than not, there's more to do than there is time to do it. I struggle to find the proper balance between doing too much and neglecting the rest of my life, and doing too little and letting undone work pile up.

While in yoga teacher training I wrote a paper on the yogic concept of Sadhana. Sadhana is a systemized spiritual practice with the goal of attaining some level of spiritual realization. It is choosing something to practice, doing it regularly, and finding enlightenment, or receiving insight, or doing a handstand. Directly translated, Sadhana means "discipline."

The difference between doing something every day and Sadhana is the intention. Without an aspiration, a goal, what you do regularly is just part of a routine, like brushing your teeth every morning. It is the difference between showing up at work every day because if you sit there for eight hours you'll get paid and working hard for little money because if your research succeeds the alternative fuel source you develop will save the world from global warming. It is the difference between hopping on your yoga mat when you feel like doing yoga and rolling out your mat every day, at the same time, and practicing every asana on your list for a month, or a year, or five years.

Life in an ashram revolves around Sadhana. Ashram-dwellers have the same schedule every day, practicing over and over until they get to some higher spiritual place. They are totally committed to their aspirations and put the rest of life aside until they reach their goals.

Ashrams don't have snow days.

Most of us haven't renounced the rest of our lives for our Sadhana. We are what the yogis call "householders" - the people who go to work, raise families, cook, clean, wash laundry and, some days, shovel snow in addition to their yoga practice. I am lucky because teaching yoga classes is part of my practice of yoga, but there is plenty about running a yoga studio that isn't. Working Sadhana into an already busy life takes a great deal of, well, discipline.

My twitter and blogger friend Kelly is one of the most disciplined triathletes I know. She is a wife, a mom to a child with special needs, a musician, a teacher, and trains consistently and passionately for her races. Each week she blogs her training numbers and reminds me that I am supposed to be getting on the treadmill myself. Yesterday, her blog entry was less about training and more about some family struggles she faced that required her to skip some of that training. It reminded me that sometimes I have to let the balls of Sadhana drop so I can hug my kid. That's what it means to be a householder.

So what do I do with this snow day? Should I be disciplined and declare a work day, because that's what I would be doing if it hadn't snowed? Or do a take advantage of the unexpected time at home with my family and make some hot chocolate?

As of now, my plan is for alittle of both. With an extra hug or two thrown in.

Side note: I have just completed the first week of triathlon training during which I completed every workout I was supposed to since my race season ended last September. After recovering from last fall's knee injury it was difficult to get going again, and I am paying for my lack of consistency by running very, very slowly. I'm glad I have six months before the Big George half-iron distance triathlon.

Thanks to the #365yoga crowd on twitter, my home asana and meditation practice has gotten much more consistent. There is a snippet of ashram-life on twitter - community. It's much easier to be disciplined in a group.

This morning, while my family was having a snow day sleep-in, I road my bike on the trainer in the basement and did my yoga and meditation practice. Sadhana was not completely lost in the snow drifts.

The Light in You

2011-03-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaWhat's with the Namaste-ing, anyway?

Yoga teachers like to say "Namaste." Yoga students like to say "Namaste" in response. If you're new to yoga, or never gave it any thought, you might have no idea what "Namaste" means or why people keep saying it to you.

Namaste is a big word with a really deep meaning. Quick-and-dirty translations from Sanskrit would be "the light in me honors the light in you," or "the divinity in me bows to the divinity in you," or "I love you because we are one." See what I mean about it being a big word?

What is this light, or divinity, thing? It's your soul, your true self, that is part of a universal oneness and inhabits your body in order to exist in this lifetime. Some people call it the spark of life. Other people consider it that which makes people God-like.

It really doesn't matter what you call it. What's important is that you recognize that whatever it is in you - your soul, your light, your spark - it also exists in everyone else. "Namaste" acknowledges that we are all the same in having this divine light, and therefore every person is worthy of your respect and love.

The spiritual leader Ram Dass uses a lovely definition of Namaste.

I honor the place in you where the entire Universe resides. I honor the place of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.

There is only one of us, at the core. Therefore, every kindness I do for another I also do for all others, and for myself. We are connected at a level of existence that my mind cannot grasp, but I have faith that it is there. I reinforce that faith each time I say "Namaste."

The light in me respects, honors, loves and bows to the light in you.

Sacred Space

2011-02-28T11:50:00.001-05:00

February was a set-up month. I can't say there were any great accomplishments. I did get my new and improved yoga studio website online, but most of the work had already been done. I'm not saying I did nothing. I was busy making space.

It came up over and over again during February: make space in my life for the things I love. Designate space in my home for creative pursuits. Schedule time in my day for my yoga practice and triathlon training. Reevaluate routines to limit the time spent on household chores without letting the house succumb to chaos and the laundry pile up. Plan, rethink, replan.

The affirmations I wrote at the beginning of the year are hanging over my desk where they constantly remind me how important space is. If there is no room in my life for the things I'm affirming the universe cannot bring them to me. I cannot have a daily asana practice if I pack all my waking hours with everything but that or, worse, if the house is so messy that there is no room to lay down my mat. I can't be strong and healthy if I never have time to eat, much less cook a nutritious meal.

When I create space, the universe brings me what I need. The opening I make gets filled with a flow of energy and spirit, that same divine spirit that exists in everything, and that space is sacred. The desk where I store and use my art and knitting supplies is my sacred space for creativity. The expanse of floor I keep clear so I always have a place for my mat is a sacred space for my yoga practice. Each block of time in my calendar that I designate for something I love to do becomes sacred space.

As a yoga teacher, having a sacred space to teach and share is a priority. My hope for 2011 was to grow as a teacher and offer more to the yoga community in my little town. While the space in the Community Church has worked well for the past two years, I have been finding the facilities and the schedule constrictions too limiting to make space for everything I feel I can offer. When I was willing to open up to the possibility of teaching without the limits of four walls, my Unstuck ecourse was born. And when I said I was ready to take the risk, space opened up in a building on Main Street that is just right for a yoga studio.

On April 1st, True North Yoga will be moving into that space. Between now and then, it is my intention to make the space into a warm, calm, visually soothing, peaceful haven for the practice of yoga and meditation. And into that sacred space the universe can bring what each of us needs. There will be plenty of room for all of it.

Picture Perfect

2011-02-24T19:50:00.000-05:00

The online yoga community is all abuzz about Yoga Journal's yoga model talent search. I'm sure it was just bad timing (or bad karma) that YJ announced this contest just days after the yoga bloggers got busy showing support for Anna Guest-Jelley's as-of-now unpublished letter to the YJ editor requesting more diversity in model body-types. And that it comes on the heels of a bunch of hoopla about YJ losing touch with its roots as it got caught up in the marketing machine of American capitalism.

After eight long years (that's 96 monthly issues), Yoga Journal took a break from increasingly idealized (and most likely airbrushed) female models and featured - gasp! - a MAN on the cover. Matt Pesendian, a yoga teacher from Los Angeles, is sitting very nicely in Padmasana (full lotus pose) on the front of the March 2011 issue. And he has very nice biceps. I couldn't help looking at them, since the mailing label covers up everything below his navel (i.e. the parts of his body that are actually doing the pose). At least I get a break from wondering how some girl's hair can still be flowing and fluffy after working her way into whatever complicated asana she's modeling.

When I look around my classes, I don't see people that look like Yoga Journal models. I've never taken a class where anyone looked like a Yoga Journal model. Instead I see women and men of all ages, all body-types. Each and every one of them is beautiful and perfect, without any airbrushing. And no two look the same in an asana. The only thing that is alike in all of them is the light that shines within.

I think you should enter the talent search. Yes, you. You are beautiful and perfect and, no matter how well you do the pose or what you're wearing, your inner light will shine. Get someone to snap a picture of you doing your favorite yoga pose, wearing whatever you would normally wear to do yoga, and submit it to Yoga Journal's talent search. Let's tell YJ that we want to see real people on its pages.

Want to see some real people doing yoga right now? Check out YogaDork's Gallery of Diversity and submit a picture to the YogaDork (Shadow) Cover Model Contest as well. It won't get you a trip to San Francisco, but it will get your beautiful self included in a growing display of very real yogis and yoginis being their very finest real selves. Which is right where you belong.

I am Yogini, Hear me Roar!

2011-02-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

Helen Reddy was finding her fifth Chakra in the 70s...

Does it seem like a couple of months since we were being green with Kermit? Did I ever say this Chakra exploration was going to be quick?

I have been enjoying some heart-chakra-opening pursuits of late, recharging my creative side and engaging in extreme self-love. Now I'm ready to climb the next rung of the Chakra ladder to tell you all about the fifth Chakra.

Vissudha, the fifth Chakra, glows bright blue in the throat and is all about - say it with me - communication. From Vissudha comes the desire, and the right, to speak and be heard. We're not just babbling on here, though. This is where we speak our truth, find our own voices and, also, listen as others speak their truths.

A healthy throat Chakra inspires honest, clear and positive expression of thoughts and feelings, through spoken or written words or through the arts. When what we say resonates with others, Vissudha is spinning freely.

Vissudha provides an way to express and release all the feelings and emotions that build up in the lower Chakras. When it's blocked, we find the quiet types who silently hold onto feelings of hurt, pain or anger. The shy ones, afraid of speaking out, clench their jaws and build tension and toxicity in their necks and shoulders as they swallow their words.

As in all the Chakras, we can have too much of a good thing. When Vissudha's volume is cranked up, we find the gossipers, loud folks we can hear over everyone else at a party, and people who never let you finish a sentence without interrupting. Listening is as important to communication as speaking, and an over-active fifth Chakra makes a poor listener.

When Helen Reddy started telling us to hear her roar, she was sparking a bright blue flame for women who, at the time, were just starting to add their voices to the previously all-male chorus of American society. We could all use a good roar every now and then to keep Vissudha balanced. Next time you're on your yoga mat, enjoy a "raaarrrrr" in Simhasana (lion's pose).

Stay on your mat a bit longer and try throat-stimulating Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) and Halasana (plow). A good neck roll to loosen up tension can open up the fifth Chakra as well.

Off the mat, we can chant, sing, scream or shout, tell jokes or stories - anything that gets sounds coming out of your mouth. We can also express buried emotions by drumming, dancing, or painting, or sitting quietly and letting them all pour into your journal. Keep listening skills working by listening to songs, stories or the sounds of nature.

Need inspiration? Sing along with Helen. Let's hear you roar!

Unstuck: a 21-day yoga e-course to get you onto your mat

2011-02-18T12:03:00.000-05:00

Announcing my very first yoga e-course!

the 21-day get yourself onto your yoga mat and start moving e-course

Next session: March 6 - March 26, 2011

Take this e-course if you want to:

~start (or jump-start) an oh-so-good feeling home yoga practice
~meditate daily to improve focus and find your inner calm.
~climb out of your exercise rut.
~discover what motivates you to get on your mat.
~get moving!

You will receive:

+Unstuck emails in your inbox every morning
+a new asana practice to try each day
+daily meditation instruction and tips
+thought-provoking journal prompts and exercises
+two 30-minute audio yoga classes each week
+yoga, fitness and nutrition information
+email access to me throughout the course
+an invitation to our Unstuck online community
+support and encouragement while you create a practice that can last a lifetime

Sign up now and make a commitment to 21 days of getting on your yoga mat, being good to your
body, quieting your mind and getting in touch with the most important person you will ever meet - YOU!

Questions? Contact Debbie at truenorthyoga@gmail.com

While the yoga postures presented in this course are suitable for most people, you may need to modify or skip some postures due to certain physical or medical conditions. It is up to you to listen to your body and you will be responsible for your choice to practice or not practice the postures presented. It is recommended that you check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Facing fears...and giving gifts

2011-02-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

I don't like myself. I'm crazy about myself."

~Mae West

Thanks to some fear-facing inspiration from Shannon and the participants of Inside Out, I took a big, deep breath and recorded my first podcast yoga class. This fulfills a promise I made to some of my "summer" yoga students who headed to warm southern states when the leaves started to turn. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but when faced with the reality of speaking into a microphone for an hour and having my every imperfection recorded and broadcast to the internet, I was scared. The fear kept me procrastinating for months. Today I broke through that fear, put my trust in the creative process and, after six hours of learning to use the recording software and site uploading stuff, the first podcast is done.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day and everything I've learned in the e-course, this yoga class is all about opening your heart to love yourself. It's my gift to you. You can listen here, or on my podbean site. Enjoy!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

It wasn't easy to get to the point where I feel I have something valuable to share with the world. This morning, as I battled the last of the feelings of self-doubt before clicking the "record" button, this song came to mind. I saw Paula Cole perform this song at Lilith Fair in 1996 (yes, I'm that old) and it's one that I need to listen to every now and then. One more gift of self-love for you. And the yoga-minded will appreciate the chakra journey in the video.

Paula Cole - Me (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Paula Cole

Still Playing with Paint

2011-02-03T20:56:00.005-05:00

I can't get enough of acrylic paint. I'm like a kid with the cardboard box some new toy came in. I want to keep playing with the paint to see what else I can turn it into.

Lucky for me that the Inside Out e-course gives me lots of excuses to pull out the paint brushes.

Last week, while I was in the throws of collage-making, my desk got a bit messy. Alright, it was more than a bit messy. (The word "disaster" was thrown around.) I had cut out many, many pictures and words, but not all of them made it into the finished collages. Some just didn't fit into the theme, some took up too much room on the page and there were some that, when I looked at them again, I couldn't remember why I'd cut them out in the first place. These leftovers were in a disorderly pile on one side of my desk.

One particular image really appealed to me, but it was large and didn't seem to fit in anywhere. It was in the leftover pile, which was slowly getting spread around my desk as other things were stacked on top of it. I guess I was meant to do something with it, because that picture kept finding its way into my hand. It seemed that every time I looked for a different piece of paper I ended up holding this particular image. It stuck to everything I picked up.

Today we were supposed to paint intuitively. My intuition told me to use that magazine clipping. Then it wouldn't be free to jump into my hand anymore.

I glued it down to a page in my visual journal, then painted on it. I let it dry, then I painted more. And so on. And here's what I got:

Nobody's surprised that it has a yoga theme, right?

Oh, and after a week of coughing every time I tried anything except sitting-upright-on-the-couch-inhaling-Vicks-asana, I was finally able to get on my mat. Overjoyed at being there, I played. I put myself through obnoxious sequences (that I would never ask my students to do, in case any of them are reading this) and laughed when I fell over. I did handstands against the wall with poor alignment. I flipped my down dog into wild thing just because I can. It felt great to get my asana in gear again.

Playtime with Paint

2011-01-22T21:11:00.004-05:00

With all the things I try to fit into my life, playtime usually gets left off the schedule. Time to play never seemed like a priority. But the Inside Out e-course gives homework, and the homework feels an awful lot like play.

After the first week, my visual journal has fewer blank pages. My favorite journal project was putting paint on pages, using any method I wanted. My friend, Anne, gave me some acrylic paints to use - lots of gorgeous, bright colors. I didn't use any brushes. The paint went on with the edge of a piece of cardboard,

a sheet of plastic wrap

and some yarn.

I had fun creating my painted pages. Since I have never painted, I got to approach the project with a beginner's mind, free of any expectations. That attitude makes yoga fun, too. Sometimes I take my practice too seriously and care too much about what asanas I can do and, worse, which asanas I can't do.

Looking at the splashes and streaks of color, I'm reminded that what I can't do is just an opportunity to try something new. I feel very satisfied with the results of my painting play. It makes me smile.

Going Visual

2011-01-18T18:28:00.006-05:00

The start of my 2011 creative adventure is being guided by Shannon Kinney-Duh's Inside Out e-cours e, which started two days ago. It's wonderful so far! I'm really looking forward to the next four weeks of exploring.

Part of the course is creating a visual journal. Today's assignment was to find words in old magazines and put them in the journal. I wasn't really feeling creative, but I ended up having lots of fun gluing the words onto the pages.

When I spread out the words on my desk, they seemed to fit into groups and some clearly were part of the same thought.

Yoga had a whole page, of course.

Looking again, I see messages I hadn't planned. Or, at least, not the part of me that thought it was doing the planning.

Dancing Star

2011-01-13T16:49:00.007-05:00

"One must still have chaos in oneself to

be able to give birth to a dancing star."
Friedrich Nietzsche

Today, Creative Every Day 2011's January theme of cosmos, and Nietzche, inspired me to create a yoga flow sequence I've named Dancing Star.

The circular pattern of the flow, which fills the whole mat, and the ever-changing focal points felt cosmic. The movements flow through five-pointed star and dance in and out of triangle pose on the way around the mat.

Roll out your mat, free your inner chaos and be a dancing star.

stand in tadasana
reach overhead and fill your lungs with a big inhale
as you exhale, fold into uttanasana
lift halfway up, hands to shins, and extend your spine
jump (or step) back and lower yourself to chaturanga dandasana
lift to urdhva mukha shavanasana
reach back into adha mukha svanasana
lift your right leg behind you into a down dog standing split
step your right foot forward between your hands into
runners stretch
spin your left heel down, reach your left arm forward
then up, lifting you into
virabhadrasana II
straighten your right leg and bend to the right
into trikonasana
lift your torso upright
turn your right toes toward the side of your mat and feel
five-pointed star
drop your arms down
sweep your hands together in front of your heart, then
press your hands overhead
open your arms back to shoulder height
turn your left toes toward the back of your mat
and bend left into trikonasana
lift out of triangle, bend your left knee and take
virabhadrasana II
windmill your arms to the floor framing your left foot
in high lunge
step back to plank and flow to down dog
lift your right leg behind you
step your right foot forward between your hands
and flow from lunge to virabhadrasana II to
trikonasana to five-pointed star
(you should be facing the other side of your mat this time)
bring your hands together at your heart then press them overhead
and flow to triangle then warrior II and back to lunge
step back to plank and come back to down dog
now you've circled all the way around your mat
you're facing front again
repeat the flow, beginning with your left leg this time
you'll circle around in the other direction
when you flow back to down dog facing the front of your mat
hop (or step) forward
lift halfway up
fold deep and let go
come up to standing, reaching your arms overhead
return to tadasana
smile

I played with my kids' colored pencils this afternoon. I guess "dancing star" is my theme today.

Adventures in the Kitchen

2011-01-09T17:53:00.004-05:00

Image via WikipediaEvery now and then I get a bit daring with dinner. It usually happens when I get a hankering for something but don't have all the ingredients to make it. That's what happened tonight.

An hour before dinner, while the salmon steaks I was going to cook defrosted, I was pedaling my bike (it's set up inside on a bike trainer), reading The Two Towers (the second book from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, just in case there's someone who managed to not hear about Lord of the Rings anytime in the last decade), when suddenly I thought "grapefruit salsa". Don't ask me where the idea came from. The inner workings of my mind are a mystery even to me.

When the bike ride was over the adventure began. A quick web search yielded a number of grapefruit salsa recipes. I lacked some ingredients from every recipe. After getting a sense of what went into grapefruit salsa, I decided to wing it with what I had around.

At this point my husband checked the freezer to make sure we had frozen pizzas. I would have been insulted if I thought I actually had any culinary skills, but I know myself. People who can cook don't use the smoke detector as a kitchen timer.

Most of the recipes called for grapefruit (duh), green onions, jalapeno peppers, and either mint or cilantro. I had grapefruit. I had yellow onions, but no green ones. I had half a green pepper left over from breakfast and a can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce that was on hand because I finally found them in the store months after I'd needed them for a recipe and bought a can out of spite.

It all went in the bowl except for most of the can of chipolte peppers (because they're hot, which I discovered by tasting them) with some red wine vinegar, black pepper, agave nectar and olive oil. And it came out...

edible.

Not great. The flavor of the yellow onions dominated everything else, but it went okay with the fish. The frozen pizzas were not needed, this time.

I could have played it safe in the kitchen tonight, but being adventurous is much more fun. By taking risks, within limits, we learn and grow. Life always gives us chances to reach farther, climb higher, or just wing it. By taking the little risks that present themselves regularly, we learn how to face the big ones that show up in every life eventually.

Our yoga mats are a wonderful place to take small risks. Trying an asana that you've assumed was too challenging for you, experimenting with the limits of your stamina and balance, or just allowing emotions to flow are little risks we can take every day. Grapefruit salsa is nothing compared to Ardha Chandrasana, after all.

Have yourself a little adventure today - in your kitchen, on your mat, in your backyard - wherever you find one.

But stock up on frozen pizzas first.

Softening

2011-01-08T12:28:00.004-05:00

My asana practice has been softening. I've been softening. Even Surya Namaskar has softened. Movements are lighter and, when my body is still, I let go in a new easy effortlessness.

Perhaps I am mirroring the light, powdery snowfall. The world is softening.

I wanted to play with that softness, so I dug out my extra-soft charcoal pencil and tried to capture the world outside.

The trees are beautiful today, looking like they've all been sprinkled with down then dusted with glitter. The snow is still falling in tiny flakes I can only see when the light hits them just right. The sun is low in the sky, turning the snow clouds gold, and blindingly bright.

Tonight is a good night for a movie and my knitting needles. I've been knitting every day, keeping the holiday momentum going, but enjoying the process without the December 24th deadline looming. I'm taking my time, feeling the soft yarn as it slides between my fingers. Even my knitting is softening.

Mindfully Multitasking

2011-01-07T08:09:00.003-05:00

If I had thousands of readers, thousands of people would be screaming "oxymoron" at my blog title. Since I'm pretty sure this blog isn't read by thousands, or even hundreds, of people, I think I can get away with it.

Multitasking has gotten a bad rap. Hear "multitasking" and most of us picture stressed-out office workers, desks piled high with papers and folders, dropping one task every time another piece of paper gets dumped in the mix and never finishing anything. I am no longer a stressed-out office worker, but, honestly, I couldn't get through the day without multitasking.

Instead of thinking of multitasking as trying to do ten things at once and not really doing anything, I consider multitasking the ability to switch focus from one thing to another in an organized, mindful way so everything gets done. Anyone who is managing a household, a business and several volunteer endeavors has to multitask. Really, anyone who's ever had to get dinner on the table needs multitasking skills.

Imagine making a simple dinner of spaghetti with sauce and a salad. Can you put water on the stove to boil and keep your focus on the water until it does? Then watch the spaghetti cook? Of course not, unless you're okay not eating until midnight and can deal with a mutiny by hungry children. While the water is coming up to boil there's time to make the salad. While the spaghetti cooks you heat the sauce. Have you forgotten all about the water while you're tearing lettuce? Of course not. You are mindfully multitasking, switching your focus from the water to the salad at the appropriate time, then bringing your awareness back to the pot when it's time to add the pasta.

Even on your yoga mat, that haven of mindfulness and focus, you practice multitasking. You move into the alignment of an asana, make sure you are steady and feeling open where you should be open, then bring your focus to your breath. Unless the yoga teacher comes by and knocks you over (no, we don't do that, so all of my students can stop the gasping), you don't just fall down because you stopped paying attention to what your muscles are doing. When it's time to come out of the pose and your focus moves back to your muscles, you don't stop breathing.

The mindfulness of multitasking comes with the awareness of deliberate, conscious shifts of focus. When the next piece of paper gets thrown on your desk and distracts you from your current task, notice if you chose to change focus or if you unconsciously assumed that the new thing was the most important. By taking a moment to evaluate the new task and deciding if it needs immediate attention or not, you can better plan where your focus will go and if you can truly do two things at once. Like making a salad while waiting for the pot of water to boil, there are some jobs that can be done at the same time: printing a stack of fliers while making phone calls, for instance, or holding an asana and breathing.

Awareness may be the most powerful benefit of your yoga practice. Spend an hour watching where your focus goes. Then take control and start mindfully multitasking. It works for me. I folded a load of laundry while I wrote this.

Finishing What I Start

2011-01-02T18:23:00.007-05:00

When I started knitting again a few years ago, the first thing I did was finish a scarf I had started seven years earlier. Indeed, it took me seven years to knit a scarf, but I did finally finish it. Of course, the coat it had been meant to go with was outgrown by my daughter years before it was finished, but she was gracious enough to pretend she liked it anyway.

Leaving projects unfinished has become a bad habit. When the yarn dust settled after my Christmas gift-giving knitting, there were two partially-finished projects left on my needles. Both projects had been started, and abandoned, in 2009. I decided to start the new year with a clean slate and finished everything I started.

The first project was a lace ribbon scarf that I was making to use up some leftover yarn. I knitted a couple of hours a day for 3 days and it was finished. Rather than leaving it lay somewhere, I blocked it right away and it was ready by the next morning. That was all it needed. I'm wearing it as I type this, because I really like it.

The other project was a pair of mittens - my first attempt at mittens - that I knitted from a skein of beautiful alpaca yarn I had picked up at a harvest festival. When I followed the pattern my mittens turned out too short, so they had to be taken apart at the top of the fingers and made longer. One was done. The other was waiting. It took less than 30 minutes to fix and I now have a soft, warm pair of mittens that I could have worn last winter if I had taken just a bit of time to finish them.

Once all my needles were empty, I tackled a quick knit that helps me meet my One Small Change goal for the month: replacing our disposable kitchen sponges with reusable, eco-friendly alternatives. I found a pattern for knitting scrubbies. Strips of tulle are knitted with the yarn to make them good for scouring pans. I just happened to have a roll of tulle that I bought years ago for who-knows-what, so last night I enjoyed the satisfaction of a quick knit.

The pattern, by Julie Anderson, is available for free on her blog.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the scrubbies is the needle size. They just happen to require size 10 needles, the size of my new Buddha knitting needles, gifted to me at the holidays by a yoga student. How awesome are these?

Video Yogi

2011-01-02T08:16:00.003-05:00

Image by myyogaonline via FlickrThis morning's practice was guided by a DVD. Most days I let my body and my teaching skills guide my home yoga practice, but some days my "teacher mind" needs a rest and I pull out one of the numerous yoga videos I keep on hand for days like this and for reference and inspiration when planning classes.

Not all yoga videos are created equal, and not every video is suitable for every body. Do you have a pile of videos you brought home or received as gifts, tried once, then decided they were no good because you couldn't do all the poses, they moved too fast (or too slow), or you couldn't follow the instruction and found yourself awkwardly twisting your neck trying to see the television screen under your leg so you could figure out if you had the pose correct?

Me too.

But there are a few tips for using yoga videos that might help you rescue some of those videos from the discard pile.

Use the remote. DVDs give you lots of flexibility (how very yoga-like of them!) when you learn to use the remote. My favorite button is PAUSE. I have a yoga DVD with very nice sequencing, but the instructor rushes through the asanas so fast I barely have time to take a breath. I keep the remote close at hand, and when she heads into a pose I'd like to hold longer, I hit the pause button and watch my breath for awhile. Didn't catch something she said? Scan back and listen again. Need to take a break in child's pose? The STOP button is handy too.
Modify, modify, modify. Very few videos, even the ones called "beginner" videos, offer modifications for the asanas, but you've been to yoga class and you know how to modify or prop some of those poses, so do it. Just because the video instructor isn't sitting on a blanket in her forward fold doesn't mean you can't do it. Tell yourself if she could see you she'd be right there tucking that blanket under your sitting bones.
Look it up. A basic book of yoga asanas is a handy video-watching tool, especially when trying something new. If you follow the instructions on the video and the asana doesn't feel right or you just don't get the directions, pause the video, grab your book, find the pose and start reading. Maybe the book will give you the "ah-ha" you didn't get from the video.
Listen to your body. Remember that the body on the television screen isn't the one you need to be paying attention to. Just because the video goes on for two hours doesn't mean you can't stop after 20 minutes. If an asana isn't right for you, skip it. Use the time between PAUSE and PLAY to feel your way through your body and learn something about that asana.
Don't skip Savasana. Savasana is the hardest pose for me to do at home. Many videos end by putting your on your mat and then rolling the credits, leaving the viewer to decide when Savasana is over. Unless the video has a solid final relaxation segment, as soon as I settle down I start wondering how long it's been and thinking about what else I need to be doing. I find that setting a meditation timer or just the timer on my watch helps me let go of keeping track of the time so I can really relax. Savasana is the most important pose of your practice, so don't cheat yourself and take 5 minutes for bliss.

Some videos will never float your boat, even with these tips. Make space for new ones by donating those to your local library. Who knows? The video that you never liked may be just the thing to inspire someone else's practice. Share the yoga love.

New Year's Affirmations

2011-01-01T07:27:00.002-05:00

Resolutions are for sissies. As soon as I say "I am going to..." I am off the hook. Whatever it is I am going to do is in the future, and it stays in the future until December 31st rolls around again and I'm disappointed. That's just the way resolutions work.

Affirmations are for people who really mean it. No future stuff in affirmations; it is NOW. When my mind hears "I AM," "It IS" and "I LIVE" it figures it's already happening, so I'd better get to it. I am no sissy, so here, mind, are my 2011 affirmations. Let's get to it.

I am crazily creative.

I am creating sacred space for the practice of yoga.

My life is my yoga practice and includes teaching others to discover their own yoga practice.

My daily asana practice sustains me.

I am strong, healthy and fast.

It is easy to keep the house clean.

My house reflects my family's creative spirit.

My home is warm, calm and inviting, and all friends are welcomed there.

I open my home to friends often.

My gardens add beauty in all seasons, provide food, and support the natural ecosystem.

Planning ahead for holidays frees up time for meaningful, creative gifting.

My wild spirit pours into everything I do.

I live joyfully and blissfully.

Lastily, an affirmation I have repeated many times over many years, in celebration of my individuality:

I am divinely unique.

Yoga in the Snow

Bathing Buddha

A Tale of Two Spoons

Little Things

Jumping In, Looking Up and Moving Forward

December 26 - Seva (Service)

December 17 - Bhakti (Devotion)

December 16 - Viaje (Trip)

December 15 - Acharya (Scholar)

December 14 - Jnana (Self-knowledge)

December 13 - Sabio (Wisdom)

December 12 - Libro (Book)

December 11 - Gracias (Thanks)

December 10 - Ananda (Joy)

December 9 - Listo (Resourcefulness)

December 8 - Dharma (The Path)

December 7 - Tranquilo (Calm)

December 6 - Salud (Health)

December 5 - Sueno (Dream)

December 4 - Guru (Teacher)

December 3 - Anicca (Impermanence)

December 2 - Sangha (Tribe)

December 1 - Palabra (Word)

Having the Heart to Go Faster

Sunday Sutras: Unbounded (1.3 and 1.4)

Resistance

Sunday Sutras: Silence (1.1 and 1.2)

Must Bake Cookies

No Excuses, Just Do It

Beam Me Up, Brahman

Tending the Hearth

Starting Again

That feeling inside

I'm so Excited!

Training Vacation

Gremlins and Glitter, Part 2

Gremlins and Glitter

Trying to Train for a Turkey Trot

Quieting Down

Death and Life at the Chicago Marathon

The Home Stretch

A Half-Mary and a Smile

Blistering

Footfalls

The F-Word

Over 1,500 yoga studios (including mine) offering free yoga classes during National Yoga Month

On Top of the World

Confessions

Upside Down after Two Years

Transforming and transforming...

Brave enough to try

Wednesday Adventures

Wanderlust

Love's not Time's fool

Off the Mat, Into the Wild

One little letter

A very Eco-Friendly Giveaway

The (Long Overdue) "Thank You" Post

And Now it's a Yoga Studio

A Shiny Floor and a Surprise Revealed

Finding the Zen in Sanding Floors

It's a surprise...

Just one more day...

Still Painting...

Creating Sacred Space

Sadhana and Snow Days

The Light in You

Sacred Space

Picture Perfect

I am Yogini, Hear me Roar!

Unstuck: a 21-day yoga e-course to get you onto your mat

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Next session: March 6 - March 26, 2011

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