Yoga is Easy Compared to Life.

In Yoga, Astanga anyway, Practice is easy. It is the same series of poses repeated over and over until you can perform them effortlessly. There are no variables in the series. The only variable is the practitioner, and what they bring to the practice with them. Life, by contrast can be difficult. It is never the same. It is dynamic and ever evolving. I think the trick is to strive to be effortlessly calm in the face of the constant and unpredictable variability of life.

It was a busy ending to last week. Thursday, I taught in the morning, attended the 3hr Anasura practice with Rock Climber. We both enjoyed it very much. I taught that evening. Friday morning was Mysore and Astanga Yoga Journey with Volleyball Guy. I was a little sore after all the Thursday Yoga. Taught later that morning, and then worked with the Flower lady doing wedding flowers until 6pm. It was a nice night, so the wife and I cruised the convertible out to dinner at a local Indian Resturant. The food was good, but the resturant was not tht crowded. That is a bad sign for the resturant when they are not busy on a Friday evening. Saturday morning found me up early to teach my 10am class. Many of the regulars were away, so it turned into a private lesson with a very interesting woman who is a well known Career/Life Coach. We talked our way through the practice, and time flew by as we moved from pose to pose..
I raced out of class to meet the Flower Lady to help her deliver 2 weddings. Everything went off without a hitch. Saturday evening we took the girls out to dinner at the Vegetarian House. It is our favorite resturant in the valley.

Sunday, we met some friends of ours and drove up to Sedona for some hiking. We took our convertable, and they took their Jeep. It was a beautiful day. We ended up hiking the Devils Bridge Trail. There is a natural stone bridge (see pic). I had to hike out onto it. We brought a picnic lunch with us. Food always tastes better outside for some reason. Even if it is only peanut butter and jelly. Sedona is a breathtaking area. It is Red Rock country, and the rock formations are really other worldly. Our hike was wonderful, and the scenery was beautiful. See Pics. That is me and the younger daughter in malasana under a hugh overhaging rock formation. We lost our friends somewhere along the hike, and they ended up going 4 wheeling.







We took the long way home through the town of Jerome. Jerome is a cool town up in the Mingus mountains that used to be a copper mining town, then a ghost town, and is now an artist community dominated by Bikers.... A very cool place. That road from there is noted for its 158 sharp mountain curves in only 12 miles. A favorite with bikers. We stopped there, and got the girls some food before returning back to the valley through Prescott. We arrived home at 8pm. It was a full day, to say the least.

This morning it was up at 5am and out to mysore practice with the Older Daughter. The girls have off of school all week for fall break. Mysore practice was focussed and steady as a result of good ujjayi breathing and drishti. I practiced next to donutszenmom, who has not been at mysore practice in a week or so. I did not focus on anyone elses practice other than my own this morning, and think that I am going to keep it that way for a while. The Older daughter and I stayed for Volleyball guys astanga journey seminar. We were out of there by 9am. Sankrit scholar called me yesterday and asked if I would like to sub a basics class at 10:30am this morning. I deeply appreciate the way that she and Volleyball Guy are always assisting me in any way they can. They refer me classes to sub, and Yoga jobs when they can. I feel fortunate to be thought of highly by them, and to be able to practice with and learn from them. So, I dropped the girls home, and then back to the SOYS to teach a Basics class. I taught a "basic" class. I tried to instill good fundamentals while at the same time sneaking in some philosophy and good Yoga pointers. I was teaching some good Yoga. Now I have to take the girls shopping for their Holloween Party, and then later, I teach a deep Stretch class at 6pm......
More soon.

The Smell of Sweet Sweat.....

Isn't that what working out is really all about. Get the heart rate up, work the muscles, the core, stretch, twist, build heat and detoxifying sweat, repeat often, and then feel good about it. Sound funny when described that way. I love that smell of my sweat right before I get into the shower. I am not some gross jock who sits around smelling his own sweat all day, but I do appreciate a good sweaty workout, and a cleansing bath or shower afterwards. Sweat it a funny thing. If you work out often, you come to tolerate, and even to relate to the odor of your sweat. Other peoples sweat always seems offensive to you, just as yours does to them. One of those little mysteries of life I guess. I will not go down the whole sexual pheremone avenue. That is not where my focus is right now.

the weather has been unusual for the desert at this time of year. It is cool in the morning 50-60s. Many people, the wife included, are under the weather with some sort of flu like illness. We also had rain recently, and rain in the desert after the monsoon season is over is indeed a rarity. We are so fortunate here though. As much of the rest of the country prepares for cold weather and snow, we enjoy weather in the 70's during the day, and 40's - 50's at night for most of the winter months. For those of us who transplanted from the East Coast, that is just heaven.

Morning mysore practice was energetic this morning. It was a full room. The Older daughter and I rolled in, and Returning Guy, a tourist, Quiet K, and the British Director were already practicing. We chanted the vande with the Other Dave. During our practice, Sanskrit Scholar, NY Girl, San Fran Gal, and The Girl soon on her way to India (long name, but will do for now) arrived at practice. I worked through second series this morning. I noticed that my back is still tight through eka pada sirsasana. I am still working on that. The left knee is still tender when I put it in padmasana. After practice, Volleyball guy gave the Oldest Daughter a ride home so that I could stay and help Sanskrit Scholar teach the Astanga Journey workshop. Volleyball Guy had another previous engagement to teach somewhere else. Sanskit Scholar is an excellent teacher, and conveys information easily to those open to learning. Today the focus was on navasana.. navasanas partner pose of lolasana always seems to miff people. I am not sure whether they are unsure how to access their core strength, or they just don't posess it in sufficient quantity to do the pose. One of the students. I will call him Rock Climber (because he is a climber) is all about core strengh, and he and I demonstrated navasana to handstand. A move that I might say I am still mastering, and sometimes miss. Today it was perfect, however. Funny how the expectation of a group of people watching you can sometimes energize you into asana. Out of the Journey by 9am, and home after that.

Lots of housework to get done today. Dishes, Laundry, cleaning, linens to be changes. No slacking off , as usual, because the wife is home sick, and on the prowl.
Two classes to teach tonight, and then a good nights rest before teaching my 6:30am class tomorrow.

Positive thought:

"Look for the positive lesson in everything."
Gary Null

A story to demonstrate this further:

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "May be," the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "May be," replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "May be," answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "May be," said the farmer

Pranayama

That has been my main focus lately in my Mysore practice. A calm steady Ujjayi breathing with subtler focus on the bandhas. I am finding that really using tristana ( focus on asana, Pranayama including the bandhas, and drishti) takes me to a place where the practice seems to occur outside of normal time. Strange, I know, but when I am truly focussing, time seems to fly by, and 2 hrs seems like 15min. I tend to measure the practice more in sweat. Being a pitta, I usually create a puddle on my mat. It is not as bad as it used to be, but I know when the end of the practice is near because my mat is soaked and a little slippery. I always flip my mat over to the other side before doing urdva dhanurasana. That way if I do stand ups, and subsequent drop backs, I do not fear my hands slipping out from underneath me.

This mornings Mysore practice was good. My hamstrings were a little tighter than usual, but I attribute that to my uncharacteristic Sunday astanga practice. Not many mysorians this morning. The Older Daughter and I rolled in a little late. The British Director and The Other Dave were there already. NY Girl came in later, and that was it for Mysore this morning. Maybe the cooler weather had something to do with the low turnout. I spoke with Returning Guy on Saturday as he was coming out of a class, so I knew that he would be in LA this morning. He said that he should be back to practice on Wed. I dropped the Daughter off to the wife after Mysore practice, and headed back to the SOYS to participate in the Astanga Journey Workshop that Volleyball Guy has been running. Of note was the presence of the owner of SOYS. Volleyball Guy had me lead everyone through the warm ups to the end of janu sirsasana. Then he picked up the teaching of the marichasana section. The Journey ended at 9am. After some chat with familiar faces, I made my way home.

I am now sucking down my breakfast smoothie of OJ, oranges, bananas, blueberrys, coconut oil, and honey. I have just about the same breakfast every morning. I vary the ingredients a little, but a smoothie it is. Being a Vegan does somewhat limit your breakfast options. eggs and bacon are definately out, unless you consider Tofu scambler and soy bacon. Tofu scrambler is yucky, and I love soy bacon, but not for breakfast. Most pancakes and waffles are out because they are made with egg or some dairy product. Whole wheat or grain toast is ok, but not very nutritious or energizing. Most cereals have way to much sugar, or too many extraneous chemicals in them. The cereals that are good for you cost a small fortune. Fruit is always the best way to go, and I have come to enjoy my morning smooties.

The Daughters have decided that they would like to have a Holloween party this year, so we gave them a budget, and they have been starting to plan. I expect that it will be very much fun. We started decorating the house yesterday. Pics to come as I take them..........

Class to teach later this afternoon.

Positive thought..

"By amending our mistakes, we get wisdom.
By defending our faults, we betray an unsound mind."

The Sutra of Hui Neng

NO REST FOR THE WEARY

Yesterday, I awoke early, taught my 10am class, and headed to pick up the older Daughter at the Phoenix studio of SOYS. Sanskrit Scholar informed me that at teacher training, which followed Astanga class, they would be going through first series Astanga. Perfect, I though, we would stay and do First series. The oldest Daughter never minds back to back practice. I figured, it would take 2 hrs and we would be home by 2pm. NOT. Volleyball Guy, who is the Instructor of Teacher Training at SOYS, started Chanting practice with the oldest Daughter leading the Sutras. That was cool. Astanga did not get started until after 2pm. Volleyball Guy had me lead the standing series. That was cool. I am always happy to do that. It was around 4pm when we finished. The older Daughter was getting ansy because she had a party to go to at 6pm. I whispered to her that we would go after finishing. It was at that point that Volleyball Guy informs the class that if they would like to work on inversions that I and the oldest Daughter would instruct them. The student also had the option to sit in the lobby with him while he regalled them with some of the colorful stories of ancient India. Needless to say, I always appreciate the opportunity to share with others knowlege which was so freely shared with me, so it was 5pm. before we left. A full day of Yoga. The Daughter got home in time to make it to her party, and I made it home in time to get ready for a Casino party that I had to Deal and be Pit Boss of. It was at a super cool house on the side of a mountain near the 51 and Northern. The Hosts were really cool, and remembered us from the same party, last year. They were generous, and there was a nice tip in it for all the dealers.

Usually, Sundays are my day of rest. I do no Yoga, or a Deep Stretch or Restorative class. This morning however, I told Sanskit Scholar that I wwould come to her Led First series atanga class at IV Yoga in Chandler. She asked me to Sub one of her upcoming classes there, and I thought it a good Idea to check out the class before I have to sub it.. So, on my usual day of rest, there I was, up early and on my way down to Chandler, about a 35 min ride..... I knew some of the Yoginis there. Quiet K from morning Mysore practice was there, as was one of the Yoginis that I had met at Sandskrit Scholars seminar in Gilbert. There was an interesting couple there that were visiting from NY. They had practiced with just about everyone of note in the Yoga world, and gave some great pointers during our workshopping section. Sandskrit Scholar invited them to our morning Mysore practice at the SOYS. Be interested to see if they come.

Now, I am relaxing, and the rest of my day will be spent reading and calming my body and mind.

I commented on one of Donutszenmoms posts, and now she is aware of my blog. I really don't care who reads my blogs. I try to keep them positive and not too incriminating. (LOL) I imagine that eventually all my Mysore buddies will find the Blog...... No biggie.... I don't think that any of it is admissible in a court of law.

Positive thought of the day:

" All religions are the same.
They all lead to God.
God is everybody...
the same blood flows through us all,
the arms,
the legs,
the heart,
all the same..
See no difference,
see all the same."

Neem Karoli Baba

Back to Reality

So I have been busy lately, and now it is time to get back to reality.
I continue to be asked to teach more Yoga classes, and my days are filling up with work. I think that is a good thing. I have been doing flowers for weddings with the Flower lady. I have also been dealing some poker at parties in the evenings...My person Yoga practice is steady, and I rely on my Morning Mysore practice on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays to keep me grounded.

I finished cleaning my back room, now Yoga/Meditation room. I still need to tear up the carpeting, and put down hardwood flooring. I also need some posters and decortions. Last week, we started teaching a family yoga class. We had 6 people the first class. That is about what I expected. I am sure that it will grow.

At a childrens birthday party last week there was a woman who was doing henna tattoos. I had an OM symbol put on my left arm. What do you think? I may consider making it permanant. It is funny that I went through 4 years in the Marine Corp., and 10 years studying Martial Arts, and never got a Tattoo. Now that I am doing Yoga, I am considering it. Never underestimate the life transforming power of Yoga.


Being a Renaissance Man, I have also been doing some floral design work for my friend the Flower Lady. I really enjoy working with her. She is very wise and spiritual, and we get along wonderfully. She is easy to talk to, and we chat for hours at a time about very deep and personal topics. She gave me a signed copy of her second book. I am enjoing it so far.We arranged three beautiful weddings together last weekend. We have quite a few more weddings coming up in the next few weeks. I am looking forward to it...




Mysore practice has helped keep me grounded through all my teaching. It is my refuge. It is a comfortable place where familiar faces greet me while at the same time ignoring me while immersed in their own practice. Returning Guy, The British Director, Donutszenmom, and Sanskrit Scholar have been the most regular regulars lately. I appreciate the focus of Donutszenmom. She is truly a creature of habit. She arrives at approx. the same time every morning, heads for one of the ends of the rows, and settles into her practice. She is focussed and quiet, and moves quickly and efficiently through her practice. She is not comfortable with adjusting others, but is appreciative of recieving a well timed adjustment. I appreciate the calming energy that she brings to Mysore practice. NY girl has been there and very helpful lately as well. She has given me some wonderful advice and adjustments on the days that I do first series. There are new faces here and there. San Fran Gal comes with her boyfriend on occasion, and there is a new girl, I will call her Early Riser, because she is always there already practicing along with Returning Guy when we arrive at the Shala at 5:30am. Early Riser is a Vatta. She is long and lean and flexible, and while she does not yet have first series memorized, moves in and out of the poses with grace and ease.
My oldest daughter continues to improve her practice, and while I notice the small adjustments that she still needs to make in her practice, there is plenty of time for her to make them. Ah to have started Yoga at 9 years old and now be 12yo. How wonderful.....

Life is good, but my daily practice of meditation has been disrupted by my new Yoga teaching schedule. I am sure that it will balance out soon as I settle in.

October is the birthday month of the two Jennifers in my life. BJ Jens birthday was the 11th. It is not what you think. BJ stands for Blackjack because we met dealing Blackjack together at a Casino. She is all of 27 years old, and I think soon to be divorced. Lunch with her next week... The Other Jen is my NJ Jen. Her birhtday is the 21st. We don't talk much anymore, but she is and will always be special to me. I always send positive energy her way and hope that she is well. She will be 34 this year.

As I was cleaning my now Yoga room, I came across a box from the flower shop we used to own. It had all the quotes that I used to have posted on my cooler as motivation. That was back in the days of super positive thinking, and motivation for our employees.. I will try to post one with each Blog Entry.
here is the first:

"Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified..."
Samuel Johnson