Wow!

I am actually going to blog about my practice! It has been a while since I did that, but that is because there hasn't been much to blog about until recently. Hmmm...didn't think I'd ever use blog as a verb...but there I go.

Anyway, I have been practicing through Janu Sirsasana C lately. I'm nervous about entering the Marichiyasanas because of the twists, it will be interesting to see how my upper back holds up. Although parivrtta trikonasana and parivrtta parsvakonasana haven't been bothering it.

It feels really good to have that as a constant in my life right now. I was feeling a little down about not practicing full primary, and M (my teacher) told me that I shouldn't worry about it because I am just getting back into things, and that coming everyday is enough. She is right about that.

Graduation!

Yesterday was YTT graduation. I can't believe how fast that went! 9 months of training, done. I'm already thinking about my 500 hr......and then realizing that I am insane.....

Nothing else to report at the moment. I will write again very soon.

The light at the end of the tunnel

A friend of mine (Hi Jesse!) once said that sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. I hope that isn't the case for me! :)

Thinking positively, I believe I am coming to the end of a couple of tunnels in my life. I just got word from YTT that I am set to graduate on time, on August 26th.

Also, my back is thinking about submitting to my will and calming down. I can take a deep breath today, and it feels like nothing is wrong...I hope it holds!

I spent a lot of time with my kula this weekend. It was really nice... Then I spent some time with some non-yoga folks....It was interesting... I feel like the more I get into yogic lifestyle, the more I refuse to live a non-yogic one. Let me explain. I was watching a bunch of college-aged kids play beach volleyball. There were young women in teeny weeny bikinis, and bronzed dudes without shirts picking fights with one another to impress said teeny weeny bikinis. Now of course part of my reaction to them is me feeling like that time in my life is past, no more teeny weeny bikinis for me, no more tanning for the hell of it, no more getting impressed by dudes picking fights...but another is that I feel like these kids are missing the point. And then I feel I can't relate to them....and then I just want to go back to my kula :) But I believe that these uncomfortable situations are opportunities to practice.

On the flip side, I do feel like yoga has helped me relate to many people better. I'm not running around assuming people won't understand my point of view, in fact I feel like I understand theirs much more and that allows me to love them. Sometimes it is just so much easier to hang out with my kula, knowing we are all on a similar path with similar goals. It is easy to be around people who love you unconditionally. And it is fun to be around people that you deeply care about as well.

Okay, I'm rambling...so enough for today! Namaste :)

So Close and yet So Far

The last full weekend of YTT was this weekend. Wow. We started the weekend with a "share circle" which was interesting, when it was my turn, I found myself crying in front of 40 people. It was okay though because I was crying as I was telling them all how much I love them, and how much I hope we actually keep in touch, instead of just saying we will. Teacher training has been incredible, and I can't believe it is coming to an end. Definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I think the best part has been that the more I've learned, the more I've realized that we already know the answers, we just have to find them within ourselves.

Training was mostly teaching each other asana all weekend. It was a lot of practice, and my back seemed to hold up. I've continued to practice in the mornings as well and have had chiropractor appointments every couple of days. She told me this morning that she thinks things are getting better. But only time will tell :)

I hope you are well, Namaste.

The little engine that could

I'm continuing to practice daily. I'm not willing to give it up again. I'm seeing the chiro three times a week; she says to expect some progress in about two weeks, we'll see :)

Results...

That sneaky vertebra had slipped back out. The Chiro gave me a bunch of adjustments, exercises, and appointments for this week.

Back to Square One

Something has gone horribly wrong this weekend with the spine. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with a Chiropractor, and I will post the results here.

I should switch from ashtangi.net to vertebralsubluxation.net! But please don't make me :)

Heppy Bday!

Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday dearest Guruji
Happy Birthday to You

Trucking Along

I have practiced every morning since last Sunday, and boy what a difference a week makes. M is building me up slowly, I'm still doing Surya's, Standing, & Finishing. She says next week we will start adding asanas. I can't even begin to tell you how much better I feel to be practicing again.

Also, I was officially discharged from physical therapy on Thursday. The PT gave me some exercises to keep doing on my own. Physical therapy is fascinating to me. If only there were more hours in the day, I would probably like to go to school for that too! I think I have a problem, I want to learn about everything! I would be in school for many lifetimes if I let myself pursue all the fields I wanted to.

I would like to be trained in:

-chinese medicine
-massage therapy
-physical therapy
-counseling
-ayurvedic medicine
-neuroscience
-yoga

Yeah, so I need more money and time!

Day Two

This morning was my second ashtanga practice. It was also very nice. I was really really sore from yesterday! My back was bothering me the tiniest bit after practice, but by a couple hours later it had calmed down. I think it is all about endurance now, both my spine and I need to build up some stamina !

I can't believe YTT graduation is August 25th. It is so close! How time flies! I remember how much trouble I had deciding whether or not to enroll. The time and money seemed like too much of a commitment, and now I can't even imagine not having gone on this journey.

Smile, You are on Candid....Yoga

I'm back on the wagon :) Yesterday I taught a led primary, went to an Ashtanga for teachers workshop, (which continues today), then this morning I had my first practice in six weeks. It was delicious. M suggested I do through standing and then back bends and closing. So I did that, but I did it really slowly, savoring every moment.

So the workshop was very spontaneous, in that I have been out of the loop and didn't know it was going on. I came out of the led primary I was teaching, and the workshop was starting, so I signed up and ran into the room. Today I will be leading all the teachers through primary. That is a little intimidating for some reason. But I am excited about it.

My husband and I have starting training for the Men's Health Urbanathalon in NYC in September. I haven't ever tried running and yoga in the same time period. I wonder how long it takes to start tightening your hammys and psoas, and quads, etc... Any advice on that ?

Ooooh, and while I'm on the topic of advice. I've taken on a client for private yoga instruction. She is just entering her second trimester. I have some experience teaching prenatal yoga, but not a lot. Anyone with experience in this want to comment on their favorite poses for this type of instruction?

Wide Awake and Dreaming

Last night as I was having trouble falling asleep I found myself trying to figure out why I always let my mind race as I go to sleep. During the day I have vigilance for my thought patterns, and I try to keep them healthy and in the moment. But for some reason at night, I lose my will and the thoughts pour out.

I found myself worrying about things so far off in the future, they may never happen. That is so silly. Let's worry about things that may not even happen! I mean, come on!

Anyway, instead of entertaining this nauseating game any longer, I decided to practice a little mindfulness. And I found that my vicious thoughts were taking me out of the most lovely experience.

As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, the fan was on and producing the most sweet subtle breeze. The sheets felt so soft and comfortable. I had my husband breathing in sync with me by my side. I felt still and quiet and it was absolutely lovely. And I could have missed it because of citta vritti! Isn't it wonderful that liberation is by our sides at all times? So close that we can access it at a moment's notice.

Chicago. Part Deux

I'm back from a fabulous trip to Chicago. I have to say that I really do now feel like a bonafide scientist! My work was very well received, and it really was a pleasure to present it to my colleagues.

Here's a pic of this "momentous" event!


While in Chicago, I followed a hot tip from Tim and went to Frontera Grill for lunch. It was fabulous! I had salmon in a chipotle cream sauce and roasted potatoes with a bed of micro greens covered in honey vinaigrette. YUMM.

Here's a pic of the bar area:


It was worth an hour wait, thanks for the advice Tim! :)

I also had the opportunity to sight-see a bit.
I saw Millennium Park:

The Museum of Contemporary Art:


And the skyline from the Planetarium:



Also, my back is starting to heal I think. The trip to Chicago was really good for me. The physical therapist says that from what he can tell, I am "90 %" healed...so now I just have to be careful not to jump in too fast!

While I was at the conference, I got an anonymous comment about how I am waaaay too hard on myself and that this may be manifesting in injury, and the advice to order "The Mind Body Prescription". I have to say that this comment really resonated with me, as I am very in to the mind/body connection as a neuroscientist yogini. I love the idea that our emotions manifest themselves in our physical body, and that the condition of our body can manifest in our mind in a reciprocal fashion. I am anxiously awaiting the book's arrival in the mail. Also, as an interesting coincidence, I have been focusing on self-love and acceptance in my meditations lately, so this comment really caught my eye. Why are we so hard on others, and even more hard on ourselves?

Anyway, I plan to post a lot more often again, now that the talk is over. I was investing a lot of time and energy into it, and it was all worth it!

Hope all is well with you.
Namaste.

Chicago

Still in physical therapy. Many painful days since those pain free days I last wrote about. No asana for weeks now. It is interesting how much you learn about yourself in situations like these.

I leave for Chicago tomorrow for almost a week for a conference. I'm giving a talk about my research in front of an audience of 500. That should be interesting. It is so funny how this is my work that I have spent years of my life on, and I still feel a little like a phony when talking about it. Like some sneaky imaginary competent scientist comes in , does all the work, and then I get to pretend it is mine. I wonder how long you are in this line of work before you really feel like you deserve to be a part of things like this :)

I'll write when i return from Chicago, and hopefully I will be able to return to asana as well.

Namaste.

Connected

I went to a very crowded cafeteria style room today for lunch with a couple friends. While they grabbed our lunches, I reserved a table by sitting and spreading my few belongings out to look like I had invisible friends at every seat. At first I felt pretty awkward. And then I started looking around at all the other tables of people. I usually ignore a crowd in that type of situation, but instead I decided to lean into the awkwardness. And I found that as I saw each person, met eyes with a few of them, that I was glad I was looking at them. I felt connected to them and happy that they were there. Isn't it funny that a crowd can either make you feel lonely or make you feel in touch, depending on how you react to it. Same crowd, different reactions.

Okay, enough of my esoteric rant. I just really enjoyed that feeling.

Today is the second pain free day in over six weeks. No asana for over two weeks. I see the physical therapist in the morning, and I'm praying he'll say that the vertebra has stayed in alignment.

I gave that talk yesterday. I got a really positive response, and that was very cool. I almost feel like a real, honest to goodness scientist. Almost :)