Today we accept the presence of…

(photo:Jessica Jenkins)

“Today we accept the presence of miracles”

I was so excited when I saw that Jene was teaching not once, but twice last night at Prana Power Yoga in Newton. She is one of my favorite teachers, but recently I have not been able to fit her classes into my schedule. I was going to attempt to take both her 5:45 and 7:15 class, but as a result of traffic I was only able to get to the later one.  As usual her class was the perfect mix of business and pleasure. We worked up a sweat in while transitioning quickly through standing poses, which in turn made the moment we reached the floor both necessary and deserved (not that you ever need to earn a child’s pose). Throughout class Jene kept repeating the mantra “today we accept the presence of miracles”. It is funny how in our fast paced world we need to tell ourselves to accept miracles. You would think it would be intuitive to notice, appreciate, and accept a miracle if one were to present itself to us, but often times that is not the case. We focus on the negative things around us, and we often fail to notice the positive. Trust me, I am a culprit of this as well. Jene’s constant reiteration of this phrase allowed me realize that acceptance is essential, and amongst all the negativity we experience we must also accept the good things that come our way.

Today we accept the presence of: miracles, friends, family, health, compassion, yoga, sun, happiness, sickness, anger, frustration, death, jealousy, etc.

Moral of today’s class: We have to accept certain feelings and experiences, good or bad, every day. Don’t let the bad things obscure your view of the good.

-Ali

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

-Albert Einstein

Core Work

So I realized last week in Goldie’s Vinyasa class at Back Bay Yoga, that the way I think about yoga has evolved entirely. From the time I started going to Goldie’s classes years ago, until now, the class has changed . Not drastically, but it is different. When I first started attending Goldie’s classes, you arrived to class, got on your mat, and GO! For 90 minutes you moved quickly, vigorously, and intensely. I would leave class drenched in sweat, and would have a good cardio workout under my belt. It did not really hit me until last week how much her class has changed, and how much I appreciate this new style. Just for clarification, when I use the word change, I do not mean it to have a negative connotation at all, rather this change is positive in my eyes. A few years ago, before I fully developed my practice, specifically the mental and spiritual aspects of it, I probably would have been annoyed and angry about this change; now, I love it. Goldie’s class has become more technical. We move through poses slower with more purpose. Each pose leads up to the next, to the next, to the next. I focus on my breath, I focus on what feels good for my body, and I focus on the benefits that every part of me is experiencing from this practice. So no, last week I did not have a physical breakthrough and get into some crazy arm balance, rather I had a mental breakthrough and realized the true core of yoga.

Moral of today’s class: Work your core

-Ali

Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become

-unknown

what’s your excuse?

I saw this image this morning and had to laugh out loud.  I’ve just returned from a short vacation in the sun and cannot go to yoga.  My excuse?  I literally dropped a full bottle of beer squarely on my pretty painted yoga toes and have managed to bruise my big toe pretty badly.  So my excuse for not going to yoga today is not printed on this pretty little lulu bag, but is thus.  I cannot go to yoga today because I dropped a bottle of “merriment” on my foot (see above).  Join us today and share your favorite excuse.

NAMASTE

Not what I was expecting…

Today i found myself at a noontime Vinyasa flow class, with Becca at Stil Studio, not my usual.  I arrived without my yoga mat, which left me feeling slightly unnerved, but asked around and was kindly lent a mat by one of the owners of the studio (thank you Betty).  I made my way to my mat and chatted with my neighbors as I waited for class to begin.  It’s funny how different a class can be from one you are used to routinely attending.  My classmates were wide awake and a lot more chatty than the 9:00 a.m. crew, but we quickly settled in.

Because I’m not familiar with the instructor I didn’t know what the class was going to be like, and here’s what happened.  I found myself feeling stressed.  The class wasn’t what I expected.  Please don’t get me wrong.  It was a fabulous class and we accomplished a LOT in an hour, a ton actually.  But it just wasn’t what I was expecting.  The music was different, the sequencing was unfamiliar to me and I had to work harder than usual during my practice to quiet my thoughts.  I’ve gotten to a place in my practice, where as long as things go slightly as I’ve expected them to, my mind is still.

I enjoyed today’s class for several reasons.  Number one, it was hard.  Number two it was short and sweet.  And lastly it reminded me how damaging our expectations can be sometimes.  I had to work around and through my expectations several times, and in the end working through this was what I liked best about today’s class.  I was practically smiling in my dekasana because i felt like i was flying.  Flying right over all the expectations I brought to my mat with me at noontime.

-J

deliberateness

 

Yesterday I attended a yoga class for the first time in 2013!  We had been traveling and while one might think that there would be more time for yoga while on vacation, somehow, there was less.  I was so happy to be reunited with my breath.  It honestly felt like perhaps I had been holding my breath for days?  The class I took was at one of my favorite studios with a wonderful teacher.  For some reason with this particular teacher I always feel like the dancer I once was.  We move gracefully, with purpose and great strength.

Today in class I thought about moving deliberately and applying that to my life outside of class.  It is the perfect mantra to begin a new year and relates to Ali’s most recent post as well.  Think about your life and your needs and move deliberately this year.

-J

joyful

Day 11 – Prana 2 Music  – – Prana Power Yoga – with Jene Rossi and Ali

This class for me was an absolute delight!  I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t possibly squeze another yoga class into my schedule.  Christmas was very close and making everyone’s Christmas wishes come true is a BIG JOB!  I was starting to believe that there really wasn’t time for me.  I was feeling selfish.  My family was pushing back.  They were starting to feel tired of my small but persistent absences, and they were being vocal about it.  We were hosting a Christmas party and it was feeling almost ridiculous that I take the time to run off to a yoga class with all the preparation that laid waiting for me.  But I decided that I was too close to the finish line to quit now.

Ali found a class with an instructor she was familiar with.  She encouraged me to come along, praising the instructor, which had me intrigued.  We got there a few minutes early and parked RIGHT OUT FRONT!  The class was HOT and I was a little worried because it was an hour and a half long and I really had a lot to do.  To my delight though, the class was hard work with a few tasty treats thrown in.  We spent some time at the end of class trying fun poses and new tricks.  Some were successful and some were not.  We cheered when our classmates climbed out of a wheel up the wall like spiderman, it was truly fun.  We finished the class by resting in Shavasana against the wall.  This was symbolic for me.  I was feeling like I really needed the support of the wall today, because I’m feeling so exhausted by all the demands of Christmas.  I loved every minute of my final pose and did not shift or try and wriggle out.  I ate it up.  The class ended with a powerful chant.  The chant of Joy.  It is entitled “Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambo”.  It was spoken in Sanskrit and it warmed my heart.  The song remains in my body and I’ve found myself singing it as I make my final preparations for Christmas morning.  Thank you Jene for such a beautiful class.

-J

NAMASTE

ask and you shall receive

Day 9 – 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. Vinyasa Flow – Stil Studio – with Allison

So after missing yoga yesterday, I woke determined to go today.  It’s amazing how quickly the roadblocks present themselves, but I was steely.  Nothing was getting in my way today.  Nothing.  Working hard to get things done and still get to class I became aware that I was running late!  NO!  I hadn’t even eaten breakfast, and this might normally stop me.  I might decide that this was unacceptable and stay home and eat something healthy and move on.  Today I would not.  I grabbed a power bar and raced out the door, but the weather was pretty bad.  It was windy and raining pretty hard.  The roads were a mess and I had to get on the highway to get to the studio.  I kept pushing.  Within ten minutes or so I realized that I would in fact be a few minutes late.  Something I try not to do.  I don’t appreciate being distracted when I’ve made the effort to get to my mat early, and I try not to do this to others, truly.  But today, I asked for it.  I called the studio and asked for permission to be a few minutes late, the weather was bad and driving was dangerous, parking would be tricky.  The Studio granted my wish and I made my way through a very challenging practice today with Allison.  The music was beautiful and my practice felt almost ballet like today, so full of grace.

The holiday season puts a tremendous amount of stress on our bodies and sometimes we need to just ask for permission.  Permission to be late.  Permission to skip a meeting.  Permission to skip a holiday party.  Permission to go to yoga.  You will not regret it.

-J

“live as if you were to die tomorrow”   -Mahatma Gandhi

a total bust…

photo credits:  jessica jenkins

day 8

9:30-11:00 a.m. Fluid 2 – Stil Studio with Kevan Gale

12:00 p.m. Mid Day Flow – Stil Studio with Allison

5:30 – 6:45 p.m. Intermediate Fun Flow – Stil Studio with Betty

7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Hip Hop Yoga – Back Bay Yoga with Goldie and Ali!!!

Today was a total bust.  The classes above are the ones I whole heartedly attempted to get to but was unable to.  This was really hard for me.  I’m blogging about 12 days of yoga (although I think I’ve done 21 now) and now I am going to have to absolutely miss a day.  ugh.  pathetic. I was needed at one school and then another.  I had timely paperwork to complete.  Gifts to buy. A dental appointment at noon (really)?  The only time I was able to practice my yoga today was directly in my very own life.  So as I sat in the hygenist’s chair, I surveyed my body for tension, located it, breathed into it and released.  Then I noticed something, there were beautiful white fluffy clouds today in the sky,

floating by my as I was having the plaque scraped off my teeth (gag)!

After the dentist, I ran around like a nut, stringing up lights in trees, checking electrical outlets and reworking newtworks of little white lites to useful remote control fixtures.

Then I lent an ear to a friend to really needed it, and I skipped yoga.

-J

yoga calms me down

Day 7 – Back Bay Yoga – Hip Hop Yoga w Goldie Kaufenberg

I literally woke up in a full panic, my heart was beating super fast and I was not breathing effectively.  My husband started asking the kinds of questions that only add to the burden already weighing me down at 6:15 a.m..  Did I mail the Christmas cards?  Is the electrician coming to fix the outdoor power source?  Am I going to be able to get my son to his appointment across town at 8:15, while simultaneously getting another child elsewhere…. Not sure what to do, and feeling like I was in unfamiliar territory(wasn’t i making my way through the twelve days of Christmas with breath)?  I asked my husband to wait a minute and I grabbed my pillow.  I decided to try one of the restorative poses that I learned yesterday, while practicing by myself at home and I dug in.  It only took a minute to check the stress level.  I lengthened my breath, rested in my side twist and decided two things.  I needed to make a list, and I needed a REALLY good class today.

Here’s where I wound up.  In the Back Bay, no parking space waiting for me today, but I still got there on time.  I dragged a friend along under the pretext of a Vinyasa class, knowing all along that I had pre-registered us both for the ever fabulous HIP HOP YOGA with Goldie Kaufenberg. The class was intense.  We did some super serious hip openers and a lot of sequencing that was unfamiliar to me, but I absolutely loved it.  The ever changing flow kept my mind at bay.  I had to listen to Goldie and remain fully present in order to move with her, so for an hour and a half my overwhelmed brain took a rest.  Now all I have to do is drink a ton of water and get after that list making task.  Maybe tomorrow I will cross some things off the list.  Namaste.

-J

take what you need

Day 5 – Back Bay Yoga – 10:30-12:00 p.m.Vinyasa Flow with sarah sturges

I dedicated today’s practice to my partner in crime Ali, who is officially home with the flu, practicing STILLNESS and watching Dexter like a fiend.

Today I returned to the very place I fell in love with yoga.  Back Bay Yoga and the 2nd floor,  Vinyasa flow with Sarah Sturges and her all too inspirational playlists.  I drove my car into the city leery of finding a parking meter, which is actually a sick sport I kind of enjoy.  My heart almost stopped when I realized that there was a parking spot, literally directly in front of the studio! I’m talking height of the christmas season, 10 a.m. in the Back Bay (Ali – gosh I wish you had been with me to experience this)!  On my mat in the far corner of studio, with the familiar smell of pancakes pulling on my psyche (am I the only person smelling this?) I felt like I was home.

The class today was a perfect combination of meditative offerings, flow, challanging poses, unique combinations and transitions and a lengthy restorative Shavasana, where I ironically found myself restless.  Most of the classes I take I end up yearning for more and the one time I find myself with the gift of a long Shavasana and I’m trying to wiggle out of it early.  Why is it we always want what we can’t have?

Throughout the class today, Sarah reminded us to listen to our inner voices, to know when we need to pull back, to “take what we need” from a pose.  I think that this skill if it can be mastered in life, is invaluable.  Sometimes, especially during the holidays, we push ourselves too hard, when we might benefit so much more from less.

-J