P o c k e t CT

This happened a little while ago but I retold the story yesterday and thought to share it here.

There are a lot of reasons people do yoga. I started because I found it less boring than running on the machines at the gym. I joined Gold’s Gym after my 52 year old sister had a big heart attack. Signing on in a panic about cardiovascular health. But the elliptical was dull business even with a book on tape plugged into my ears and beefalos who couldn’t put their arms down for comic views. I started yoga. There are a few things that hooked me in, that combination of strength and a grace to the poses and the poses that feel like you are learning to do playful tricks with your body, something I have enjoyed since a kid. So I kept at it for the joy of doing it. After my mom died I started a daily practice and it was then I realized that yoga had another interesting effect.

I was cooking and spilled water on the ceramic top electric stove. I took a cloth to sop it up. I was busy with something so I stuck a pan on top to tamp it down in stead of wiping it up. I’ll bet you can see what is coming. Soon there was something which needed a burner turned on and of course the wrong burner was turned to high and I went on chopping.

In a short time I noticed smoke and realized from the glowing orange under the towel that this wasn’t good. Upon lifting the pan the smoking cotton piece alit. At this point I looked at the mess and thought hmmm what to do and turn on the pullout spray faucet in the direction of the flames. It didn’t quite reach to do it quickly enough and made enough smoke now to set off the detector. Lots of noise and I am still calmly thinking oh this isn’t working as well as I would like. Christopher I think at this point was a little frustrated with me. Thankfully he went in high gear and pulling out tongs to put the smoking towel into the pan, douse it good and bring the now pillared with smoke kettle to the deck.

Later I was astounded with the calm through all of this where a few years ago I would have been panicky but also quicker on the draw to do something! I think this change in my brains reactions, this placid detachment is likely all due to yoga. It is really helpful when someone at work is about to pop a cork about their computer but I’d better be much more careful in the kitchen.

Yesterday I did a sort of audition class to end yoga teacher training. I was nervous at the beginning so my voice was shaking and it took all the fun out of it. That chilled out after a bit and I had a really good time for the last two thirds. I had a dream a few days ago that I was doing this class and I was helping someone in a pose and concentrating on them, when I looked up again everyone was having a feast and had given up on me. Thankfully, this did not happen Sunday.

At the end I had some good feedback and should be able to include the suggestions in my next class and a good thing since I am subbing on Thursday.

So I’m all done this formal part of teacher training and I’m off to the next part which is on my own and consisting of: teaching, going to a lot of different classes, and writing a bunch of classes that will contain the full spectrum of poses that I am aware of. Wheee time to celebrate and the best way for you to do that is come to a class of mine. If you are far you can just try it out on your own or if it is meaningless to you take my word it is fun.

Here is the class I taught Sunday in my shorthand
Uttanasana – 3 moon – padagusthanana
3 B – padagusthanana (each leg balance) with yogi toe lock
2 C – 2 more adding rev crescent flow from rev. crescent/ext side angle (3-5ish) hold ext side angle
Padahastasana
Straight arm shoulder opener
Prasarita Padonttanasana – open to light samokasana
Ext side angle with bind – bound triangle – Bird of paradise or baddha ardha chandrasana
Utkatasana -twist – parvrtta Parsvokonasana
purvotanasana
Navasana – talasana 2x
Prasarita pasottansana – crow
A2K with twist (left on top first) – out to side – to front and fold (pay attention to if you can put upper arm on top foot)
Hummingbird (if arm is comfortably to knee in twist) or side crow
Parvritta janu sirasana – janu sirasana
Side plank (with toe hold if you skip the next one)
parvrtti traing muhka ekapada pachimottanasana
Side Plank with toe hold
Prasarita padottanasana – samokasana – Upavista Konasana (twist – fold)
Sleeping Vishnu
Shala/danu/arms up wall
Handstand – forearm stand
Ninja – hanuman
Bridge/wheel
Jathara Parivartanasana
Superhero fold on wall if there is time or pachimotanasana
Shoulder stand – plow – Karnapdasana
Fish
sivasana

I drove home having to physically lift my left leg on to the clutch. I was that exhausted, that sore. But I am not worn out but rather blissful and invigorated. Donna calls Kripalu – “crippleyou” and a laugh and think of how my driving style now supports her affectionate nickname.

Friday we are expecting a foot of snow, work is canceled and I have it in my head to leave early for the Berkshires and beat the storm. The morning was delicious for lingering and Christopher’s alarm clock was flashing 8:34 from a power cut. All this conspired at me leaving just as the snow was starting to fly. The roads in Vermont were dry blowing snow and easy fare. The Mass border with the addition of salt made for slush that progressively got worse. The turnpike was slippery and the back roads when I finally got to them at twilight were deep and the snow was sticking to the windshield making it hard to see. I tried four times to make it up the hill to the parking lot and was scolded by the plow driver and told to park anywhere. It was snowing so hard and fast that I was covered with the short walk in. I checked in and thought about what to do. I was told there is a yoga class I can make but I didn’t know what the workshop would be for the evening so I didn’t know if I needed to conserve energy. I went to my room choose my bed, explored a bit and opted for dinner. Walking around I felt out of place and a little shy so I popped on headphones and escaped into a genius mix starting with Darkness Darkness by Solas – fitting for solstice weekend. Dinner was fabulous making it hard to eat lightly, something good to do right before yoga.

The room had about twenty pink cushions on the floor, mirrors on two sides of the and a few people seated. Rouben started by asking us for introductions, to talk about why we were there, and what are expectations for the weekend were. Already feeling a bit shy I heard a few phrases that made me feel even more out of place: senior yoga teachers, nationally presenting instruction, lululemons (I didn’t know what that was but it sounded chichi) when you pose for yoga journal. It isn’t that I was feeling outclassed by the yogis but it was feeling very New York City and I am very woodchuck. So as the introductions progressed I contemplated not saying why I ended up there. People at work bought me the gift certificate, it was on my desk the first day back to work after my mom died. They intended it to be a weekend to heal and grieve. I picked now dreading the holidays without her and also because the workshop seemed like it would be just my style. So I mentioned the intention to come for a while, the darkness, holiday avoidance and glossed over the intention of the gift. Rouben honed right in on it. “Why did they send you here Christine?” Well I could see that my shy evasion wasn’t going to fly here and explained that after my mom died I had a daily practice that kept me sane and about the intention of the gift. He then pointed to a picture in the center of the circle. It was of a man – could it be a young photo of some guru? Rouben said that it was his father and that he taught him more about yoga than anyone else could, even though he wasn’t a practitioner. He invited me to put a photo of my mom on the alter for the duration of the workshop. The only photo I could produce would be from online, and would be on my phone.

“I can not put my iPhone on the alter”

He said that it was fine but knowing my practically worshiping attachment I have to my phone I thought not to give it that due. I will draw one and put that there and then he went on to the next person for introductions.

Friday night was an anatomy lesson. Lots of things I had no idea about. There are apparently a subculture of muscles under the ones that you can see flexing below your skin. The idea this weekend was to engage some of them. This proved difficult mentally to feel if I had it right, well until Sunday driving back when I could really feel the muscles every time I shifted or turned. Rouben wanted to inspire wisdom in the practice, do not get length in one area by compressing another. He talked about how habits turn into posture eventually and we did some neat tricks to figure our which hip is more forward, which side of the neck is tighter.

On Saturday I woke ate and drew the picture of my mom. I am trying to focus on the part of her that I got (her smiling twinkle in her eyes) and not that it doesn’t look much like her as I put it up with Ganesha and Hanuman. A woman arrived crying, set her mat next to me, couldn’t introduce herself and I handed her a box of tissues. Rouben turns and says this is for you and starts the practice cranking I am What I am remix of Gloria Gaynor. This is the quintessential gay anthem and I am thinking that I sure am going to like this as we start sun salutations. Alternately heating us up and focusing on the inner muscles and specifics of the basic poses the day progressed. The afternoon included a new understanding of forearm stand and handstand so that I wanted to play with the balance of it over and over.

Before lunch there was a strong recommendation to go to yoga dance. This had five drummers and a lead with a microphone. Very playful very high energy. This woman was a master liberator who could make event the shyest or rigid person jump into the center of the circle and throw their arms around. Through five or so sets of drum beats she led different highly charged improve dances. “find your feet find your feet now let the drums tell them what you need” Unfortunately for my experience of this, every time she asked what my body needed it was lunch or rest.

Saturday night was a choice of a concert of holiday music or a do your own practice with Rouben to his music. I ditched the holiday fare and we studied handstand scorpion to Madonna music. I also did a bunch of poses I don’t like much or are hard for me because the music was so lovely I had a fine time in all of them. Then I took a long sauna-cool shower-whirlpool set and hit the hay.

Sunday morning was the last yoga practice together and we lost a few more people trying to get home to eat the second storm that was coming. The first ten minutes of vinyasa almost wiped me out. Some small changes added a lot to the physical challenge. Who knew holding your right leg out to the right in a down dog would be so exhausting? The idea was to add some arm balances to the sequencing of the flow that are often tucked in their own little section. He put a forearm stand from a down dog for a short hold. The really interesting one was to do eagle then drop the arms off to the side and fall into a scissor arm balance. All the while Rouben kept up the joyful attentive city-gay-boy banter to keep us on track and inspired. “Nathan you have a lovely butt but why are you sending it to Lenox? Put that tailbone down!” “Girl your face is so much prettier with your chin not flying off it” “No laying down babe the PRANA is ON” (that last one was to me when I was collapsing.) The harder he pushed the more I adored him. Then it was over and we took a few group pictures and exchanged big hugs and contact information.

I am adding a contemplation to my practice that goes with putting the drawing of my mom on the alter. Can she teach me more now? About yoga? Well definitely about wisdom and acceptance. We’ll see how that goes and feels like a good path and I am thankful for it.

If you have a chance to take a workshop or a class with Rouben I recommend it! He is in Connecticut on Sundays and goes to LA for part of the winter.

This morning I got a google alert that alluded to me signing on with the Boston Red Sox. I’m not going to deny those rumors but I will tell you that if it is true it is that I will be their yoga teacher. I can’t wait to see what kind of poses I can teach them.

I bet the catcher can already do pasasana

All the outfielders will benefit from virabadrasana III

A pitcher would feel like a rock star in this
Eka Pada Koundiyanasana I

To the manager of the sox, first class is free and I don’t give a hoot about baseball so you can give the tickets to someone else.

So my totally wonderful yoga teacher is taking over the studio where I’ve been attending his classes. This is good news for me on many counts. The most exciting of which is that he is going to do teacher training so that he can stock the studio with teachers and he has invited me to do it.

So I have been thinking about what makes a good class, a good teacher, a good experience. I have my list of things I like and don’t like and I have been lucky to have a few really inspiring teachers. I have been thinking about what I have been doing with yoga and what is next.

I first started at Gold’s Gym with Katie who was Anusara trained and would remind me often to keep my belly in and up. She gave me a firm base for where the muscles work in the poses. Understanding of the rotations of upper and lower parts of the limbs opposing each other. In anything tough, say Navasana, she would call out for us to shine and smile.

Then I had a teacher whose name I can’t even recall because I just called it “gay yoga.” He was attractive and had a soft soothing voice that he miked over Tantra Lounge. Slow warm ups and then to a nice flow of poses. The music made the time feel special. I began to associate certain songs with inversions or balances. The mood he set could almost overcome the dance music and clanging of the gym beyond the door, almost. He set off my gaydar with a steady blip blip blip that later I found was completely off – but I still keep that name in my head.

Then because it fit in my schedule I started taking an Ashtanga class with Rick. His deliberate pace and tips to get more out of the poses or take it to the next step was totally fabulous. I did a five week intensive to learn the poses in the primary series and started to try to do it on my own. Parts in the middle were out of my reach by practicing on my own was sometimes totally divine. At home I listened to techno with an India flair. I paced perfectly sometimes and kept the flow until it felt like I was making a kinetic prayer to be whole. Changes at the gym and requests of people to have more advanced classes and Rick had the one level II class. However people who had only been to one or two yoga classes would also attend and for safety reasons the focus was on the beginners. During these classes Rick would sometimes tell me something to work on but the classes were falling flat. I had outgrown the gym yoga variety.

As I was shopping for new yoga classes I found that one of Claudia’s NYC instructors started teaching classes in Hadley. He has a studio in Brattleboro, VT and I was actually thinking of doing the drive regularly to take his class, he is that good. Well now I didn’t have to. He systematically walks around the room going from student to student giving adjustments while giving solid well paced voice instruction. He was an automatic “sure you can” to the minds fearful hand wringing of “I can’t do that” and after will add the caveat of “it just may take a few years.” The classes are a good balance of strong, flexible and woo-woo. There would be no getting neglected for being too good for that reason as well as the fact that I was surrounded by people with much stronger practices than I have. It was inspiring and it totally kicked my ass physically to start with. I went from getting one new or one challenging pose every few weeks at the gym to doing what felt like endless sun salutations and trying something like flying crow or hummingbird. I would leave the studio blissed out, tired and sweaty.

All of this time everything I learned in yoga was focused on me. I am well versed for modifications for tight hamstrings since I started out like that. I know very little about what to do for tight hips since I am almost freakishly flexible there. I have paid hyper-attention to me until now. Time to broaden up my focus and to finally learn left from right or I’m not going to be any good at this.

So I am also running through my head what made a bad experience. I am thinking of the worst yoga classes I have taken. The one teacher in Washington whose class is exactly the same mediocrity-every.single.time. That poor town had her train the second yoga teacher and she just repeats that. Oh and that guy who kept us doing gentle stretching yoga in a freezing cold room. When he said now rest after down dog I wanted to do push-ups in retaliation. Or how about the ego-maniac power yoga guy who stepped on my hand to get my attention and then chided me for being too loud in a jump back. Then there was the guy who would ask if there were requests and do the same thing he planned to do all along. “I want inversions” I would say, and he would point out the inversions that were in his usual routine. To add insult to that he was demonstrating the poses all the time like “watch me… watch me….watch meeeeeee!” and didn’t even notice when people were doing things that other (better) teachers would have asked them to adjust for their safety.

I am very happy that I will be learning from someone whose focus is on the students and who will teach me with the same value. So this will be different for me as far as teaching goes. I have only ever formally taught things requiring “click here” every two words. I know that a good deal of folks reading this blog maybe aren’t interested in yoga so much so I will ask about teaching all things physical instead of mental– What is going to make an inspiring teacher?