June 30, 2012
Yoga Community
Today was the last class of yoga teacher Nancy Leigh-Smith at Alameda Yoga Station. Yoga classes start and end and teachers move around but this class was special. For 7.5 years Nancy lovingly sang and danced us into various Asanas, and we loved the fun.
What is so heartfelt about the end of this era is that many of the students in the class have been together for more than 7.5 years. We've arrived, departed and returned to see each other on Saturdays from 8:30-10:00am. Before Nancy, we were people taking a class and with Nancy we became a community.
Thankfully, we have plans to see each other again and our yoga practices continue both at AYS and beyond.
I am grateful that this yoga community has become my home.
What is so heartfelt about the end of this era is that many of the students in the class have been together for more than 7.5 years. We've arrived, departed and returned to see each other on Saturdays from 8:30-10:00am. Before Nancy, we were people taking a class and with Nancy we became a community.
Thankfully, we have plans to see each other again and our yoga practices continue both at AYS and beyond.
I am grateful that this yoga community has become my home.
June 28, 2012
Gourmet Ghetto Walking Tour
June 26, 2012
June 24, 2012
Student Fashion Show
Follow this link to fafafoom for excellent images from our Student Fashion Show which took place on June 16, 2012. So proud of our students!
June 22, 2012
Inspirational Yosemite Images
Old Town Sonora
June 21, 2012
YARTS to Yosemite
I've discovered the best way to get to Yosemite. Take the Yosemite Regional Pulic Transit from Sonora. Great driver and for the first 90 minutes I've had the luxury bus to myself. Plus, saving on gas.
June 20, 2012
Rock of Ages
The best part of the movie was being able to sing along to all my favorite High School hits. Shout out to REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling." Spent many a night waiting for that song to come on the radio and thinking about my High School sweetheart. It was "our song."
Not sure what to make of the film. Tom Cruise's character was offensive in every scene. All I kept thinking was that this was all about him literally stroking his ego. Would he let Katie play a role like this?
Not sure what to make of the film. Tom Cruise's character was offensive in every scene. All I kept thinking was that this was all about him literally stroking his ego. Would he let Katie play a role like this?
June 16, 2012
Flowering Succulent
June 15, 2012
Over the Fire
Our BART train just passed over the site if yesterday's fire and the driver pointed it out to us. Everyone stood and peered over the window ledge to get a bettter look. Many expressed shock at the twisted pile of metal and debrise that remain.
The scene gives me chills.
What a waste.
The scene gives me chills.
What a waste.
June 14, 2012
June 12, 2012
June 3, 2012
Unblocking the Channels
In late April, my inspirational Grammie passed away. I had never before witnessed someone's last breath. It had been one of my fears - being "near" death. It was an intense experience, good and bad, and one that I will never forget.
Her passing has been very difficult. I can't begin to describe the emotions because I'm not sure what they are - except that my heart feels sad. Yes, I miss Grammie but I think the sadness is really about what I witnessed in her final hours. This is not something that I will describe her except to say that I now understand B.K.S Iyengar's statement, from Light on Pranayama, "it is possible to live without food or water for a few days, but when respiration ceases so does life."
The past two weeks I have had a difficult time practicing yoga and pranayama. In the asanas I feel too open, too vulnerable, too exposed. My heart wants to be protected and my body to turn in on itself as I tighten up mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Each day that I have not practiced yoga I have become sadder and have felt very alone.
Finally, yesterday, I went to my favorite yoga class with my dearest teacher Nancy Leigh-Smith. I know that this is the place where I can unravel. Finally I was ready to start yoga again. This morning I woke up after many strange dreams and realized that unless I allowed my body to open up again, with a regular practice, my path was going to get darker. In one of my dreams my cat Tika was again alive and was curling around my legs. I picked her up and took her with me, away from the danger and the darkness, and I could feel her breathing against my chest. We were safe.
This morning as I bravely re-awakened my yoga practice I paid close attention to my body as I stretched awake my limbs and my again found my core. Slowly, I unraveled all the tension and with each pose I could feel the lightness return. I elongated through the stuck channels and as I did so the clouds opened, literally, outside my window and the sun brightened my space. Moving into pranayama my heart was available and I shed some tears for my special Grammie and gazed at my photo of Tika, whom Grammie so loved.
Her passing has been very difficult. I can't begin to describe the emotions because I'm not sure what they are - except that my heart feels sad. Yes, I miss Grammie but I think the sadness is really about what I witnessed in her final hours. This is not something that I will describe her except to say that I now understand B.K.S Iyengar's statement, from Light on Pranayama, "it is possible to live without food or water for a few days, but when respiration ceases so does life."
The past two weeks I have had a difficult time practicing yoga and pranayama. In the asanas I feel too open, too vulnerable, too exposed. My heart wants to be protected and my body to turn in on itself as I tighten up mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Each day that I have not practiced yoga I have become sadder and have felt very alone.
Finally, yesterday, I went to my favorite yoga class with my dearest teacher Nancy Leigh-Smith. I know that this is the place where I can unravel. Finally I was ready to start yoga again. This morning I woke up after many strange dreams and realized that unless I allowed my body to open up again, with a regular practice, my path was going to get darker. In one of my dreams my cat Tika was again alive and was curling around my legs. I picked her up and took her with me, away from the danger and the darkness, and I could feel her breathing against my chest. We were safe.
This morning as I bravely re-awakened my yoga practice I paid close attention to my body as I stretched awake my limbs and my again found my core. Slowly, I unraveled all the tension and with each pose I could feel the lightness return. I elongated through the stuck channels and as I did so the clouds opened, literally, outside my window and the sun brightened my space. Moving into pranayama my heart was available and I shed some tears for my special Grammie and gazed at my photo of Tika, whom Grammie so loved.
June 2, 2012
Good Goods
I just attended opening night of Crowded Fire Theatre's production of Christina Anderson's Good Goods at Box Car. Fantastic evening of theatre!
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