Exploring Impatience

I'm generally a very patient person. I don't feel as if I came by this patience naturally, but have cultivated it throughout my life. I'm a natural teacher, so patience is a big part of that.

In almost all scenarios I have almost limitless patience. And then there are the occassional times when I have almost no patience. And I don't like that feeling of frustration in me as I deal with the situation less than effectively.

Now I'm trying to be more aware of the situations that trigger impatience and what is it that is causing me to lose my cool (even if only internally). It often comes down to situations where I have certain expectations but almost no control. My gut instinct is that I need more control in those areas, but the reality is that I need to manage my expectations.

Optimism is good. But sometimes things don't go the way I expect. And that's okay. It's all about rolling with the new situation. I know I have this skill, because I use it in my teaching all the time. Now I'm working on tapping into it in the other areas of my life that need a little work.

Quiet, Cozy Day

It's one of those curl by the fire days. I love rainy, cool weather like we're having right now.

Even when I'm relaxing I have a tendency to be up and down a lot. Lots of movement and lots of up and down the stairs.

But today I am trying to give an injured leg as much rest as possible. So I will spend the day lying on the couch watching TV and movies.

Productivity is good, but so is rest and relaxation. Now that the productive part of my day is over (teaching / administration), I'll head in to the hibernation portion.

Releasing Tension

I really enjoyed this article on releasing tension: Tension - Its Cause and Release

Is There a Right and Wrong?

My City of Nanaimo Parks & Recreation classes started up again this week. It has me thinking about right and wrong.

Phrases I hear from new students:

• Am I allowed to bend my knees?
• Am I breathing right?
• I didn't know I could do that!

It can be easy to think there is a right and wrong way to do Yoga asanas and to meditate. Certainly there might be a right and wrong way according to certain traditions and schools. And there is most likely a right and wrong way for each individual.

But what works for someone is the right way for them. All I provide are tools and guidelines to help others on their own paths. At the end of the day, it is up to each person to figure out what makes the most sense for their body and their mind.

Enjoy the journey!

Cleaning Up Our Coastlines

If you aren't already involved, I encourage you to get involved in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. You can search by postal code for a public clean-up near you. Or if you'd like to join me and SNC-Lavalin Environment at Westwood Lake on September 24, email me and I'll send you the details.

September Love List

20 things I'm loving right now:

1. My mom for making relaxation eye bags for my students to use during Savasana.
2. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries given to me by my students.
3. The cooling weather.
4. Season premiere time on TV.
5. Time outside with friends.
6. The kooky novel: Me, Myself and Why?
7. Cutest cat in the world (mine, of course).
8. How good my body feels when I stretch it, thank you Yoga!
9. New classes starting next week through the City.
10. Watching three of the neighbourhood cats play out their dramas in our backyard. No fighting, just some skulking, stalking and posturing.
11. Getting administrative work done early in the morning instead of leaving it for later in the day.
12. Kung Pao anything. I made Kung Pao green beans the other day. So yummy!
13. My new workouts with a little bit of everything (elliptical, boxing, dance, weights, pilates).
14. Lots of classes right now (15 this week!). Thank you students and thank you universe!
15. Great meditations.
16. Angel food, yogurt and berries. So good!
17. That feeling of certain things falling into place.
18. Studying Ayurveda.
19. Spiritual exercises from a book by Marianne Williamson.
20. How happy I feel right now!

Yogawoman

Check out the fantastic trailer for Yogawoman here. I think I'm going to love this film. I'm going to see if I can set up a screening of it here in Nanaimo!

What I Want vs What I Get

Ah, expectations! They really can mess with the mind.

I injured my legs last week. Two pulled muscles, I believe incurred from my workout program. I like the exercises I do and with some modifications to try to avoid the same scenario was looking forward to starting up again as soon as possible.

I took Friday and Saturday off from exercise (other than Yoga) in an attempt to let the muscles have some rest. And yesterday they were feeling much better. My expectation was that I would be able to start in on a partial workout this morning.

Then I had trouble sleeping last night. And I woke up this morning tired and my muscles were quite sore. It would be easy to push through that and do what I planned to do.

But instead, I am honoring my body's messages. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking another day of rest except that it doesn't meet my expectations. So if I release the expectation: then everything is right where it is meant to be.

What I get is what I need, not necessarily what I want. As long as I remember that, then the bumps in the road seem a lot smoother.

Who Inspires Me?

I was thinking today about who inspires me? Here is a short list of some of the people who inspire me. I've chosen to leave friends, family and my students off this list as that could make the list nearly infinite.

1. Julia Butterfly Hill, who inspires me to make some small shifts in my life for the environment.
2. Thich Nhat Hanh, who inspires me to continue exploring Buddhism.
3. Donna Farhi, who inspires me to further explore my Yoga practice.
4. Nayaka (from Dhanakosa), who inspires me to explore the anxiety I encounter during meditation.
5. Dr. David Frawley, who inspires me to explore Ayurveda.
6. Deborah Adele, who inspires me to explore the Yamas and Niyamas of Yoga.
7. The various forms of Tara (Buddhism), who inspire me to explore my devotion.

Who inspires you?

Annoying? Maybe. Hilarious? Definitely!

Check out this great article on Yoga's annoying side. Warning: there is definitely language and ideas in this article that could offend some. However, I found it overall laugh out loud funny.

Annoying? Yoga? Surely not

It Is What It Is

I love this post from The Joy of Yoga: How I am not really all that needed

I'm sure all of us Yoga teachers would love to be in top form every day. But some days we just aren't. And it's great to see this shining example of how well our students do with little instruction.

I know that there are days where I give more detailed instruction and information on each pose. And there are days where what I say is simpler. Both are good, in different ways.

I'm a strong believer in what is meant to be will be. Therefore, I assume that me swaying back and forth between detail and simplicity is somehow what is meant to be in my teaching. I always thought it gave a balance between helping my students to get what they can out of their Yoga but also giving them some quiet to explore on their own.

But reading The Joy of Yoga's post made me realize that the quieter times also gives my students a chance to see how much they really know about the pose. That is when I get some questions about alignment. In the past I've occassionally felt guilty, thinking I should have said what the student was asking about. But, I think some times having to ask the question brings your attention to it in a way that just being given instruction doesn't.

I know I certainly enjoy both styles when I'm in a Yoga class.

Finding my Relaxation

Here's something that is hard for me, as a Yoga teacher, to admit: I'm not really good at Savasana.

I know the importance of this final relaxation. I often tell my students it is the most important pose we practice, a chance for the body to rest and restore. And I believe that.

Before I became a Yoga teacher, I would lay on the floor during Savasana and usually let my mind wander to the rest of my day or other things that took me out of that moment of relaxation.

I think that the typical Savasana posture (lying on my back) isn't a natural relaxation position for me. I don't sleep that way, I don't meditate that way. I feel a little too exposed and open for full relaxation.

While I'm teaching, I find that I rarely fully engage in Savasana. I may spend some of the time relaxing, but I'm also keeping an eye on the clock.

But I've had some truly good relaxation experiences in Savasana. They may be few and far between, but I know they are out there and that gives me a direction to head in.

My challenge to myself and you: take the time for a really good Savasana, to engage in the relaxation and to let our mind and body truly rest.

September Newsletter

My September newsletter has been posted, view it here.