Personal

So- I have slipped below the nausea curtain again…. I am feeling a bit better today but the last 2 days have really been something. It is a little dispiriting to be feeling better after such a great while and then to really not feel so well again. I think in part that I am getting used to our families new schedule and figuring out how to be on my own with Maple for a few days. Also, I am probably doing the typical thing for me really, which is to completely overextend myself and believe that I can get more done than is really realistic. Not wise when you are an 18 week pregnant lady with a 2 1/2 year old very busy girl and a husband on the road. Not wise at all. I have been practicing more which is lovely, but for which I have very very little endurance. I seem to be getting disproportionately sore for what I am doing. I cannot remember if this was the case last time or not. It is however, fantastic to be on my mat and moving and breathing in this changing body. It also feels like some very special time for just me and the new baby, the littlest Newlin. I felt that with Maple too. When I was immersed in my practice and the amazingly unique form that it takes for 9 months, it just felt like this very tender, sweet thing that we were doing together. And now she is a little girl who is very much in her body, loves yoga and loves inventing her own poses. I am actually at my mom’s right now down in Milwaukee. A friend of mine from high school is having a baby shower tonight. It should be pretty fun and a nice chance to catch up with some folks. Mostly it is very exciting that Becca is having a baby, a strong and healthy boy, after years of trying so hard to invite his little spirit in. The evening should be a bit different from the blessing ways up in Viroqua. The whole event has given me the chance to stop in at my favorite childrens store ever, Bark River Kids, which is conveniently located just around the corner from my Mom’s yarn shop, the Knitch. I love that place so much and so does Maple. In fact she has already learning how to best angle for something. ”This baby really needs me to take care of her…I need this for my baby….This jacket would fit Maple” and so on. I also have to do a little shopping myself as I am outgrowing all of my clothes. Mostly, though, I need to still find a dress for my brother-in-laws (black tie) wedding. Huh huh, no pressure. Chris is in a fabulous tux, Maple is dashing of course, and I am trying to just not looked beached. I think that it will be OK, hopefully I will find something today. On to the week in class…. Chris suggested that I need to be a little bit more personal in the blog so here was my first attempt. Classes were great. More people are wandering back in. We worked a lot on deepening the groins in both classes making some really great attempts toward hanumanasana on Wednesday morning. It would be great to see some more folks on Thursday mornings so that we can really get some good practices going. Ok, love to everyone.

A Week Deep

Well, we are a week into the fall session and it has been great to see the folks that were in class this week. Classes were pretty small, but as I run into people around town it sounds like everyone is still adjusting to the life changes that this time of year brings. Me too. At any rate, we had fun on both Monday and Wednesday working on the upper back and shoulders and venturing into Urdhva Dhanurasana.

It was just me on Thursday morning for open practice and I truly had a great time in there listening to music and enjoying my practice. It is really wonderful to have open studio time like that and I hope that folks take advantage of it. In fact, for me having open practice time is really how I transitioned from taking classes and enjoying group practices to really understanding how to practice on my own. And that is how I fell inlove with my practice. When I taught at Darren Rhodes studio in Tucson, he offered 3 open practice times a week free fot all of the teachers and $5 for anybody else. It was great fun and such a supportive environment to explore in. Sometimes mellow, sometimes wild and crazy. Anyway, among many things, I am grateful for Darren for that and I have always looked forward to offering that to my own students one day. Now we are at a place where we can because there is really a group that is ready to explore their own practices.

OK. That seems like enough of the soap box on that particulat topic. I could really go on forever (and have before) on all of the merits and joys of a personal practice, but what can I say…. I love to practice asana. A lot.

Hope everyone is well and staying relatively dry. Me and all of my expanding parts are going to bed.

Fall Session

We had our first class last night. It was good to see folks after a wee break. I am hoping to see more folks tomorrow and Thursday and then again next Monday, as some of the folks who took the summer off wander back in. Come Back! We miss you! It is getting chilly out and the time for golf and gardening are coming to a close! Time for some rockin’ yoga.

And rockin’ it will be. I am very excited about this fall and about this whole year in fact. There are just more and more opportunities to study great Anusara Yoga with fabulous teachers in out region this year. Noah Maze is coming 3 times within an 8 month period. Desiree Rumbaugh twice. Christina Sell will be back to our lovely little town next year. Also a few others like Todd Norian and I think the Kirks will be back too. And you know, as remote as we are here in Viroqua, we are very well placed for workshops in Minneapolis, Madison and Chicago. Really not a bad shake. Especially if you enjoy the occasional city weekend.

Last night was a great class, even though we all took pause when it was dark by the end of class! We worksed on some great shoulder and upperback opening, working toward Urdhva Dhanurasana. We will be working on this in particular much more this fall. Fun! The theme we played with was to praise Shakti. To praise the beauty and the goodness in ourselves and eachother and to do so actively. This is a very primary teaching in Anusara Yoga and part of why we are so into the use of themes in classes. Essentially, Shakti, or the great creative force of being, loves to be praised and glorified. In fact, she loves it so much that she expands when we do so. And it is also just such a good practice of self love and acknowledgement. Christina wrote a great entry a few weeks back on her blog on this very topic- I may bring it in to class to share.

Now, however, there is a wee toddler waiting for a story and some snuggles for bedtime.

Love.