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.

Last Week of Summer Classes

Interestingly enough, I taught 3 times this week after teaching only once a week all summer. We had our make-up class on Tuesday, I taught up at Keewaydin on Wednesday, and then class on Thursday. It was fun and to me really felt like a party. But then again, yoga often feels like a party to me. I love seeing everybody so much, I love the asana, I love really endeavoring to believe in myself and to help nurture that in others. There you go. A party.

I am trying to remember what we did on Tuesday, but I am having a pregnant moment. I know that we worked on pinca, but we have been working on that a lot lately. And also Vasistasana. Oh yeah, my car didn’t start that day and I had to track down Chris to come home and give me a ride in. I was 20 minutes late, which would never happen if I lived in town. Right Val? But then where would my goats be?

Wednesday was farm yoga, which it has taken me 3 years to really understand how to teach out on the farm. It is not one of my usual classes. It is uplifting stretching and breathing for people who are doing physically demanding work all day long everyday. We are not trying to balance on our hands and grab our foot behind our head in this environment. But I do get to introduce people to yoga sometimes and that is really fun. There were 2 people there on Wednesday who really do not speak any english at all and it was their very first time. They did great and it was so fun to see that little spark ignite. I really try to give folks on the farm a few stretches that they can do any time that are really applicable to what they are doing with their bodies.

On Thursday we did a standing pose and arm balance sequence from Christina Sell. It was a good time and hopefully Shelia’s guests were not too freaked out by what is surely not a typical level one class. In general, I seem to attract physically fit, tenacious and willing students who like to work hard. So we do and it is great fun and sometimes we surprise ourselves. In fact the theme that we worked with was fun, and how chit ananda equals fun for the yogin. We love to know and we relish the experience of that knowing. Like I said, a party. The highlight of class was that we were introduced some variations of sirsasana. Parsva Sirsasana went very well. And it was fun to think about parsvaikapada sirsasana and how to kepp working on that.

On a personal note, I am feeling a bit better and have been on my own mat a little more. I do spend a least 10 minutes in a very supported supta virasana and I do very little in general in a relatively long period of time. But it feels good and i am very thankful for my body and all of its knowing. An amazing gift, and yet also something that I have worksed on diligently for over a decade.

I hope to see everyone that I have missed over the summer when fall classes start up in a week. It is going to be a great fall and a fantastic year. Mark your calendars now because October 2nd Shantala, an amazing kirtan group form Oregon (and also really old friends of mine from the Anusara world) are coming to Madison for an evening of beautiful music and chanting. Then November 7-9 in Madison Noah Maze will be teaching a weekend workshop not to be missed. I am thinking full weekend and joint hotel room for anyone that is interested. Nothing better than a weekend of great yoga and yummy food and dare I say a little bit of shopping…. And then looking ahead in 2009, we have Christina Sell coming back to Viroqua at the end of April and we had such fun last time that we expect and even bigger turn out of folks from all over the state and maybe then some! And then in the beginning of June, John Friend is coming back to the midwest, to Chicago, for the first time in 3 years! Not to be missed.

It is stacking up to be a great year. And somewhere in all of that I get to have a baby. Whoa…

Too Long, Again....

While I am waiting for the website to be launched I am not posting as much. I apologize for this, but I just cannot be sure where the posts will land.

At any rate, summer is here (with some torrential rains) and things are certainly picking up as far as yoga goes. Align with nature is hosting its first workshop ever the weekend after next with Christina Sell. This is so exciting as she is a dear friend, my first Anusara teacher and really and truly in my opinion, one of the best Anusara Yoga teachers out there. She is so clear, precise and devoted, in all areas. Her understanding of alignment is unparalleled and her experience as a practitioner is readily apparent and accessible in her teaching. We are so lucky to have her and I hope to see many of you there. We are still a little bit up in the air as far as the venue is concerned, but that will all be worked out in the next few days.

As far as public classes are concerned, I have been sick off and on for much of May and the beginning of this month, and that has affected classes a bit. I have not been posting sequences which I apologize for and I hope to get back in the swing of that this next week. There are only 2 weeks left of this session but due to some cancellations, the Tuesday and Wednesday classes will meet again the following week. In other words, the session will be extended one week except for the Thursday class. If you have any make ups that you need to do, you essentially have 8 classes left to do them in. So come to class! It is actually really fun to drop in to a different class and just feel the way that the energy is a little different from your regular class.

Registration for the next session begins this next week. The schedule will be a little bit different for the summer, and the session is shorter, 8 weeks as opposed to 12, and $70 as opposed to $100. I will have the new schedule up on Tuesday. I am going to be a little more strict about classes running with a minimum of 10 students. That means that if you want your class to run, make sure you and your friends sign up.

As for other news in the region, Desiree Rumbaugh will be at Yoga View in Chicago on Thursday and at Yoga Werks in Barrington Friday through Sunday. Chad, who owns Yoga Werks says that this will be her last visit for awhile as her schedule is really full all the way through 2009. I know it is a bit of a trek, but very worth it. However, if 2 consecutive weekend workshops is a little too much for you, I would really recommend staying in town and walking to class with Christina all weekend. I cannot say enough about what an opportunity it is to have a teacher of this caliber in our own town. I literally fly all over the country to attend events like this, which is so much more time consuming not to mention expensive. And just think, for $170 you can attend 10 hours of world class yoga, then go eat in your own house (or at your own co-op), go swimming, spend time with your family, and basically share the vibrancy of your experience in class with your immediate community. How cool is that!

OK, no more sales pitch for now. I can’t wait to see you all in class this week. For now, stay dry and enjoy the fullness of the season.

Love.

Taking Liberties

It occurs to me that I really should state that i am taking some artistic liberties when discussing the Yamas. I am presenting them in class primarily as how they make sense to me and that is really based on quite a bit of contemplation. I am trying to make sure that I state the classical view as well, but certainly most of the conversation is from my perspective which is whole-heartedly a Tantric one.

OK. That said. This week we are finishing up the yamas with aparigraha, non-grasping. Aparigraha is to be in the flow of life without clinging to all of the trappings in the form of all of our stuff or even to people that we may attach to in an unhealthy way. It is very similar in many ways to Asteya. So the way that I have been teaching this has been very much based on what is going on in my life which is all about taking a look at the way in which I am being asked to spend my energy and really streamlining all of that so that my energy can be of the absolute most service in all of my relationships (with friends, with family, with myself, with God). This has been actually a very fun process because letting go of that which does not serve so well is so freeing. Talk about stepping into the flow! So that is where I am coming from in this conversation about Apargraha. Streamline. Stop latching on to everything in a way that derails my energy. And in doing so, taste the sweetness of the moment even more deeply. Sweet.

We are also working on Inner and Outer Spiral this week. Another form of Balanced Action. I will write about this more later in the week. Big topic. Will take way more than one week to understand. Actually this is one of my most favorite things to teach so it is very fun for me.

Chris came in and recorded today, so this sequence is actually on film. Hooray!

Level 2

• Dog Pose
• Lunge
• Uttanasana
• 3 Surya Namaskar
• Parsvakonasana
• Trikonasana
• Vrksasana
• Parvottanasana
• Parivritta Trikonasana
• Parvsvakonasna to Ardha Chandrasana to Trikonasana
• Anjaneyasana 2x
• Pigeon thigh stretch
• Janu Sirsasana
• Triang Muhkaikapada Pascimottanasana
• Krauncausana
• Runner’s lunge
• Big Pigeon (foot to sternum or face)
• Hanumanasana 2x
• Dog pose
• Uttanasana
• Childs
• Savasana

Namasate!

enjoy the sunshine!

Quick Note

This will be brief as we had a very sleepless night at the Newlin house last night. Maple has just fallen asleep and I am about to join her. I have a moment while I nibble dates and drink tea to put up yesterday mornings class. The Level 1 class is really a delight. Everyone is making so much progress every class and just really showing up ready to learn. I really could not ask for more. I am also so enjoying the longer class times in the morning classes. It makes such a difference to have those extra 15 minutes!

Thursday Level 1

• 3 Surya Namaskar
• Lunges
• Crescent Pose
• Trikonasana (back heel on the wall) 2x
• Parvakonasana (heel on wall)
• Standing Thigh Stretch
• Anjaneyasana 2x
• Pigeon Prep
• Upavista Konasana
• Parsva Upavista Konasana
• Janu Sirsasana
• Marichyasana 3
• Jatara Parivartanasana (with a block)
• Sucirandrasana
• Dwi Pada Yogadandasana (happy baby)
• Savasana

Enjoy!

Cleansing

This morning was a fun class, even though we were missing a few folks. It feels like forever since last weeks classes, I think due in part to the “journey” that Pancha Karma was for me and really continues to be. Many folks in town are doing a spring cleanse and it is always so interesting how we think that we are cleansing our physical system, and yet what is really being revealed, stirred up, and ultimately cleansed, are the deeply rooted beliefs of the mind. So when we start feel discomfort in the process we often chalk it up to the detox instead of the actual unhinging of the minds attachments to different faucets of identity.

My PK experience all in all was wonderful. That is not to say that it was not at times very uncomfortable, and in some particulars, continues to be, but really it was the best cleanse and rejuvenation ever. I feel so good, so like myself, in my best form. I would love to do Pancha Karma twice a year. Love it. Just for all the oil alone. Totally worth it. And the Ghee. Don’t forget the ghee.

Class this week is focusing on an off shoot of muscle energy, shins in, thighs out. Which will actually segway us smoothly into 3rd principle, inner spiral. I am trying to be more fluid in the way that I teach the principles than I have in the past. We shall see how it goes. The Yama for the week is Asteya, or non-stealing (also non-coveting). Today I focused primarily on how this is an invitation to look for the good in our own practice and really celebrate the ability and achievements of other in theirs. Like always it comes back to the mind. Can we aspire to discipline the mind to not perpetually want what we do not have, it is like the seduction of duality. “They can do that, they must be better than me, if I can do that or be them or whatever, maybe I will be more worthy too.” And on and on. Why not just for a minute, or better yet the 90 minutes of your yoga class, just consider that we hold each other up. That the most accomplished person offers just as much as the newest person in the class. We commit to riding the energy together, being inspired by one another and cultivating compassion along the way. We learn to feel full in the moment and then we stop wanting what we do not have. Even for a minute, that is pretty great.

Tuesday Morning Sequence

• 3 Surya Namaskar
• Virabhadrasana 1
• Vira 2 to Parvakonasana
• Trikonasana
• Parivritta Trikonasana
• Uttkatasna (with a block)
• Ardha Chandrasana
• Pigeon prep
• Dhanurasana 2x
• Setubandha 2x (with a block)
• Ustrasana 2x (again with a block b/t the shins)
• Anjaneyasana
• Baddha Konasana
• Ardha Matseyandrasana
• Janu Sirsasana
• Pascimottanasana
• Savasana

Namaste!

Wednesday night and Thursday morning

Last nights class was very fun. It was great to see some familiar faces and also to welcome some new folks. What I have always loved about the basics is that there is such an authentic desire to really learn whenever folks come to a beginning level class. Everyone already has beginners mind so you never have to remind anyone of it. We continued with the themes of Open to Grace and Ahimsa, really focusing on how both bring us back in to the flow of the Absolute.

The sequence:

Tadasana and Urdhva Hastasana (letting the breath lead the way)

Uttanasana

Lunges

Prasarita Paddottanasana (wide-legged forward fold) 2x

Virabhadrasana 2 (warrior 2) 2x

Baddha Konasana (bound angle pose) 2x

Uppavista Konasana (wide angle pose)

Parsva Uppavista Konasana

Marichyasana 1 2x

Bharadvajasana 1

Savasana

Before this mornings level 1 class, I looked through the introduction of Light on Yoga to see what B.K.S. Iyengar has to say about Ahimsa. What really stood out to me was how he related non-violence to freedom from anger and freedom from fear. So these self imposed limitations or afflictions are really the catalyst for violence, to ourselves and others. I love this, because, as I talked about all week, the tendencies for harm really does begin in our own head. In the dialogue inside that often tells us that we are either not worthy and are bound to fail (fear based), or that it must be the fault of someone else who is holding us back or oppressing us in some way (anger based). Sound a little like Vata and Pitta imbalance?

Todays class:

Sun Salutes with some lunges, bhujangasana, and one really great twisting dog variation.

Prasarita paddottanasana

Virabhadrasana 2

Parsvakonasana

Vrksasana (tree pose)

vinyasa

Vrksasana (with arms in Garudasana)

vinyasa

Parvottanasana

Uttkatasana

vinyasa

Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog)

Sukhasana (easy pose) 2x

Uppavista Konasana

Parsva Uppavista

Janu Sirsasana 2x

Marichyasana 1

Bharadvajasana 1

Balasana (childs pose)

Savasana

Enjoy!

one last thing…. The registration forms are out for Christina Sell’s workshop the 20-22 of June. You can sign up for all or part, and there is a reduced rate if you sign up before the end of May (the exact date is on the flyer). As this is the first workshop that Align with Nature is hosting, it would just be so spectacular to be busting at the seams with folks. We will be in a different space for this event, so for those of you that may have been concerned about space in the studio, no worries.

More to Come

So I have jumped back into my own practice after a little break and it has really been fantastic so far. I feel some momentum building, and that coupled with the sweet familiarity of breath and prayer through movement is just really beyond description. It is funny because when I try to describe it to Chris, who is in the fitness industry and is a very powerful athlete, he immediately goes into the whole you need to rest and rebuild concept that applies to sports and and exercise. And that makes sense, really it does, but to me yoga has always just seemed very different from all of those other pursuits and so the same principles do not seem to apply. But maybe they do. It is interesting because I can feel both stronger from the rest and yet really unable to touch certain postures or even actions that were flowing for me before I took the rest.

This is really just a tangent.

Saturday morning, Kae and I did a repeat performance of what Kristina and I worked on Wednesday, and that was fun. That sequence is so great (Desiree’s article from the most recent Yoga Journal- Noah is her model) and so effective and I was really happy to have such a solid warm up for some deep backbends. Not to mention some more practice on V. C.

This morning Kristina and Kathy joined me for a little while for a much more mellow time. Lots of hips, twists and inversions. Not so glamorous but very juicy and I hit up against some internal obstacles which I have to say I may love just as much as the breakthrough, mind blowing experiences because the obstacles always seem to point the way for me head. And generally speaking that way is always inside. The obstacle (I am really resisting using the word wall instead because, lets face it, it is just not that permanent) is generally sprung from some internal dialogue of lack or ineptitude. And the remedy, 9 times out of 10, is for a softer approach. One with more love, more compassion, and more breath. Prayer and meditation. So I love it, because for me it is yet another invitation to remember God, and Chit Ananda.

Classes begin on Tuesday. I look forward to seeing everyone soon.