June 13th

Maybe I will get into the habit of putting up the date until we are in the new format so that we can at least have a sense of how far apart these entries actually are…

So, the workshop is in 1 week. Holy Cow! We have an official venue and that is Carol Anne Kemen’s studio, actually down the hall from my own in the Landmark Building, 500 e jefferson street, viroqua, wis 54665. So the motto must be better late than never as registration forms are finally beginning to come in and it is looking like we will have a nice size group.

Also, registration is open for the summer session, running june30th through the end of august, 8 weeks with one week off. There will be a level2 class on Monday afternoons from 3:30-5pm and a level 1 class Thursday mornings from 9-10:30am. There is a 10 person minimum per class so please, sign up soon! It would really be sad to not have a class run!

I hope to post again over the weekend about recent themes etc… For now, I am off to enjoy the sunshine.

Love.

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.

Transition.... again?

I have not forgotten about this blog. I have just been transitioning the whole format of the blog (or rather Steve, my trusty web guy has) and I have not been sure where everything is. I apologize if your life was in any way affected by this absence. And it has been a big one. I have not posted since before I went to Denver at the beginning of the month. Which, by the way was a truly fantastic week. It was great to see folks as always and also really good to start to see how to pull the pieces together in the Midwest. There are so many great people teaching and practicing in this part of the country, it is really time for us to all get a little more networked. So we started a google group. This is a place for every studio and teacher to coordinate our schedules as well as just stay abreast of what is happening in the region. Its intention is really just an outlet for giving and receiving support and sharing a love for the study and practice of Anusara Yoga.

As for classes at home, it has felt hard for me to build any momentum yet as reintegrating back into family life was unbelievably rugged last week. Maple was really having a very hard time. She apparently did fine while I was away, but as soon as I returned…. whoa. And then I got sick for the first time all year. Funny that that coordinates with when i ran out of Chyvanprash. So I have really been out for the count. I even canceled class this morning as my sinuses where just too painful. I have also been very separate from my own asana practice during the last 2 weeks and I am very eager to feel better and to get back at it.

Christina Sell comes to teach a weekend workshop here one month from today. If you would like some more info please contact me, otherwise register as soon as you can. That means if you plan on attending give me a check. This is not so much to hold your space as i think that we have ample room at our new venue, but it is really important that I have an idea on numbers. It is so amazing that a teacher of this caliber is coming to Viroqua. Really unbelievable. And I would love to see just a spectacular turn out so that she feels excited to come back and teach again and also spread the word about how fun it is to come and do a workshop in Viroqua, Wisconsin. So register!

On the home front I am enjoying getting the garden going. It is so much cooler now than it was last year at this time that I only planted snap peas and spinach and lettuce today. Much later than last year. My neighbors are such amazing gardeners and for the last 2 years have helped me get everything going which is not only very helpful but also very educational. We have fun. And I just get so excited thinking about all the seeds turning into beautiful plants and then becoming our food. It is such a great awareness to live with.

Fun Week

I am having such a good time teaching one Yama every week. It is just so cool in my own contemplation to see how my relationship to the yama evolves through the classes. It really starts out as one thing and then by Thursday morning has blossomed into something new and bigger. Good Stuff.

In the Wednesday night class we had great fun working on Inner and Outer Spiral. We did a lot of partner strap work. Everyone worked very hard doing a shockingly small number of poses (it harkens back to the good ol’ Prescott Yoga days, no?) Anyhow, after a brief warm up, we worked on Downward Facing Dog, Uttanasana, Parvakonasana, and Setubandha. And that is pretty much it. Wow. That is something that is so cool about this method. We can really break it down and plunge deeply into the workings of each pose, and we can also move through them more quickly and just play in the experience of each. Both valid. Both great. And I think, both approaches are really necessary. To become skillful in the practice is crucial if we are looking to really refine our relationship with the energy. And moving through the poses dynamically helps to generate more energy. Something like that. This is a bigger topic and I digress…

This morning in the Level 1 class be continued with more of the same:

• Lots o’ lunges
• 3 surya namaskar
• Dog pose
• parsvakonasana 2x
• Trikonasana
• Vira 2
• Prasarita paddottanasana
• Parvottanasana (with partners at the wall)
• Anjaneyasana 2x
• Janu Sirsasana
• Bharadvajasana1
• Ardha Matseyandrasana
• Savasana

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!

In the Flow

It has been a very interesting week around these parts. Maple has been consistently waking up at 4:30 every morning. Sometimes going back to sleep eventually, sometimes not. We are starting to dialogue about how when I go to Denver in a little over a week (yikes!) we are going to be all done nursing. That’s it. This has been a very complicated decision for me as I love nursing my girl and really do feel that extended nursing is a very beneficial undertaking, really across the board. But, as they say, every situation is unique. And in order for me to best serve my family, that particular outflow of my energy needs to stop. So at any rate, I think that the early wake ups are part of her struggle with this transition, even though I do believe she is as ready as I.

It is interesting to be considering this choice on the week when we discuss Brahmachariya in yoga. Brahmachariya is translated as celibacy but also as one who sees the divine in all things, who walks with Brahma. I think of it as making choices that support and optimize our own use of energy. I once heard Brahmachariya as it applies to the householder as those joined by a single hearted love for God. If you think about it in these terms, when we are discriminate in the way that we use our energy, including our thoughts, actions, indulgences…. we have a more powerful energy to devote to our practices, our families, etc.. I am just recently try to regain the meditation and pranayama practice that disappeared with new motherhood. This is a challenge, but also so clearly contributes to my own wellbeing and that of my family, that it is clearly the appropriate choice for me. Even if it means weaning a little earlier than I had thought that I would. Something like that.

The only class that I am putting up this week is Tuesday mornings. In between the early mornings and getting ready to film a certification video before heading off to Colorado, it has been hard to keep all of the information as clear as usual. My apologies, but this sequence should actually work for everybody. Oh, and by the way, I will be filming on Tuesday, so I would love to have a big crowd. The more the merrier! I would love to see you all there!

• 3 Surya Namaskar
• Twisting Lunge
• Vira 1 2x
• Prasarita padotannasana (hands clasped behind)
• Vasistasana 2x
• Trikonasana
• Ardhachandrasana
• Anjaneyasana
• Pigeon thigh stretch
• (Partner) shalabasana
• (Partner) Dhanurasana
• Childs pose
• Ustrasana
• Baddha Konasana
• Janu Sirsasana
• Savasana

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!