Class # 3

Slogan:  Don't Expect Applause.

I hope you are all taking this into your week and seeing how it applies.  I think of aparigraha when I consider the ability to be unattached to receiving praise for all that we do.    How much do we need appreciation or acknowledgement?   I think we all need it to some extent.   It feels like we are SEEN when we receive that from others, however it may be more about our attachment to it.

 There is a purity of heart when we are able to do for others and allow that to be the gift in itself.
The author suggests" "More than to expect thanks, it would be helpful just to expect the unexpected".... being curious and inquisitive about what comes.
   Also it is important to express gratitude but not so that we expect to be liked or get something back.   I wonder if we are even conscious of that.

"Simply keep the door open without expectation!"  

This reading (and my commentary) comes from Pema Chodron's book:  Comfortable with Uncertainty

Class #2

Last week I read a story poem by Portia Nelson.  I gave all of you a copy.

"I walk down the street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in..."   those are the first few lines.
The poem helps us to look at the patterns we create in our lives and how we become unconscious to them even though they create suffering.  
The author gives us an opportunity to ask ourselves where are we creating suffering in our lives and repeating the same choices over and over again.
The suffering can feel like a negative emotion or an inner conflict and then we wonder why are we here again.    Or maybe it is a behavior that leads to a problem that we continue to encounter.
I learn from this that I must look at my belief or my attitude and deconstruct or undo it  if I am to re- build and change where I end up.
In the poem there are several moments of becoming more conscious becoming more and more awake.
The poem is called Autobiography in Five Short Chapters.

Spring classes begin...

So glad to be back with classes once more.  Spring is in the air even though we are having high winds and lots of rain.
This quarter there will be no specific theme, just a variety of little reflections to take us into our breathing and meditation and asana practices.
I am letting students know this week that I am taking the summer off so there will be no yoga classes for summer quarter.  I will give you recommendations for other classes around town for summer yoga if you want to continue classes during summer months.
See you in class.
Maureen

Restorative Clases

Thanks to all of you who attended the Restorative Class.    Both classes went very well with great feedback.    Next specialty class in the Spring is "Hip Openers".   Sign up early... these classes will
most likely fill.
Happy Easter and Spring Break.

My dear yoga people....

You can see I did not keep up on posting all the demons  and their antidotes we were studying this quarter...
Posting regularly on my blog is my intention but it does not always happen. :(

However I did give you all a little list the last week as we finished our discussion.
Here is what was on the list.
DEMON                             ANTIDOTE

Fear                                     Faith

Doubt                                  Surrender

Impatience                          Endurance

Blame                                 Honesty

Guilt                                   Forgiveness

Shame                                 Honor

This is a list that we might find helpful to look at when we get caught with one of our demons that is holding us hostage.    This is not easy... it requires, inquiry, insight, humility, to name just a few.
However it allows us to embrace CHANGE and move into it with more grace and ease.
It doesn't mean we don't have a good cry sometimes or lose sight of our intentions.    However
our "antidotes" are there to help  bring us back to what is true and lasting.     Any effort in this
area is always worthwhile.  

Change Demon #2: DOUBT

We are all familiar with doubt.    It is hard to feel inspired when we are dragging doubt along on the journey.  What if we were to let go  a little.    We don't have to carry that heavy bag full of reasons why failure is ahead.  Can we let go a little of trying to control how things should turn out?   What we can control is our optimism, our hope, feelings and actions.
Bernie Siegel says, "It is okay to have doubts, just don't feed them and entertain them."
The antidote to doubt, Ariane tells us is "surrender.

Change Demon #1 : FEAR

Ariane de Bonvoisin says that " fear is an emotion that exists only in  regards to the future".
In week #3 we looked at a list of some different types of fear. It seems to me that most of us at one time or another have experienced either all or most of these.  Change often  seems to throw us off balance.  I suspect none of us likes that feeling.  However, if we know that feeling, that emotion, will happen many times in our lives and that we have faced it and moved through it in the past, then we also know that fear is a part of being human, and we can learn not to be threatened by it.
In yoga we build tools to deal with fear and uncertainty.   We learn how to calm our emotions and still the busy mind. We return to that place within us that never changes, the place that is always there.  I like to call it our "Higher Self".   You may want to give in a different name.

CHANGE MANIFESTO

All of you received a copy of the "Change Manifesto".   Week 2 we looked at a this list of optimistic and insightful truths about change.  We discussed some of these in class.   I think I might add one more statement to this list and that is that change can be challenging and overwhelming at times, it  therefore invites us to ask for help when we need to.   Change optimism doesn't mean we can handle anything on our own.

Off to a good start....

Welcome back everyone.   I am thrilled to be back with you all and into the yoga groove.   We are a "groovey" bunch if I do say so.  Anyways this week I recommended a book called The First Thirty  Days  by Adriane de Bonvoison.   It appears that is is out of print however there are many sources for new and used copies  on line.   I ordered a copy from Amazon (and I have it on my Kindle). Let me know if you are having trouble finding a copy.
For a podcast go to howshereallydoesit.com and look for interview with Adriane de Bonvoison.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone.   I am already thinking of what I would like to bring to classes that start the week of January 21st.
Are you doing some home practice?? I hope so.   If not, take a little time each day to do some of your favorite poses.    A little bit of practice every day can make a difference!!! 
Also give me a call if you would like a private session to give you a boost into the new year.
It might be a way to set intention and refresh your motivation.
See you soon.  

Be Inspired...

Don't miss the new yoga calendar for 2013....   An inspiration for the new year.

A Big Thank You...

A big thank you to all of you who attended the Holiday De-stressor Classes.   It just shows us how important and effective yoga is at this time of year.   The theme helped us to realize and consider myths and outdated "rules" about "Christmas giving" and how we get stuck in  old mindsets.
Christmas and holiday time need to be refreshed and reconsidered each year as we grow wiser and are able to let go of whatever is no longer meaningful and  does not serve the purpose intended.
Change is good.  
The new year is ahead and we may all have changes that we want to integrate into our lives that
will make this coming year more rich and more deeply truthful to our values.
May your new year be a wondrous year full of light and new discoveries to you inner life and your outer life.  May you claim your resilience as you meet challenges along the way.

   Sending love to you all ,    Maureen

Yoga calendars are now available!!!

Calendars are hot off the press.   I will be bringing them to class for purchase.   $16. 
Lots of playful, inspiring images to take you through the year ahead.   Thanks again to my wonderful models, couldn't do it without you!!!!

21 Day Meditation Challenge

This resource was mentioned this week in class by one of my students.   She is doing this daily and gives it a big thumbs up!
It is Deepak Chopra's 21 Day Meditation Challenge.   If you are interested in having a daily "lead" 15 min meditation for 21 days, Google the above and get started.   It might be just the tonic to get you through the holidays and start you on a daily ritual.

Holiday De-stressor Class

The Holiday De-stressor class started this week...   So happy we are sharing yoga through these next few weeks.   It is a wonderful reminder to stay with what is meaningful during this season.  There are so many distractions and it is so easy to get side-tracked.   What is your MANTRA for the month of Decemeber?    Here is a simple one  "Breathe, Relax and Savor the Moment".  If you said that 3 times a day... it might  just be the needed antidote to holiday stress.
See you in class!!!

Restorative Yoga

This week we enjoyed 2 lovely, rejuvenating, restorative classes in an extremely cozy room!   We had more heat than we normally have in the ballroom thanks to space heaters and fireplace.   It was easy to melt into the poses without too many adjustments.
If you missed Restorative Yoga this time be sure to sign up for the winter session.
Looking forward to "Holiday De-stressor" classes coming up the week after Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Confronting Pain or Loss

June Singer, Jungian analyst and author tells us this having made the journey from suffering and pain to compassion and creativity:

"Whether it is physical, emotional, whatever kind of pain, don't storm against it.  Don't resist it with questions like, Why me?  Why this?  Instead say to yourself, This is what the situation is , This is where I am and this is what is happening right now, What can I make of this?  How can I deal with it?  How must I change?  How can I change the situation?  You really have to take it on without deluding yourself, without denying how hard it is, that's what I've learned about pain".

Resilience and Compassion

In the book, The Resilient Spirit, the author tells us that true compassion is a powerful antidote to our suffering and pain because it prevents us from feeling isolated and separate from others.  When our lives and understanding take on a bigger context, we don't feel so alone.   What we are going through begins to have meaning in the larger picture.  
The author says" sometimes, the direct experience of authentic pain can propel one completely beyond old neurotic habits,  as I've seen in a few people who have encountered serious illness, betrayal, or loss unexpectedly.  They were suddenly able to move beyond their neurotic quirks  to become compassionate."

The Story of the Emperor...

What does resilence have to do with being in the moment, and bringing all your care and attention to who you are with and what love and compassion require?
In the story about the emperor that we heard this past week, there were three questions: when is the most important time, who is the most important person and what is the most important thing to do?
The answers were:  the most important time is NOW, the most important person is the ONE YOU ARE WITH and the most important thing to do is TO CARE. 
Try living this for a day or half a day or a couple of hours.    See what changes occur.
If you are alone, then the most important person is you and the most important thing to do is to show compassion and kindness towards yourself.

The Resilient Spirit

This quarter I will be drawing some stories and wisdom from the book by Polly Young Eisendrath entitled, The Resilient Spirit.    I think most of us are attracted to that quality of resilience.   How do we cultivate that in ourselves when we are faced with the obstacles and challenges in our lives?
This author helps us discover that.

P.Y.Eisendrath, PhD., is a psychologist, Jungian psychoanalyst and Clinical Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Universtiy of Vermont College of Medecine.   She write and lectures widely about human development and does research on resilience.