Good practices both days.  For the final day, we had a ceremony afterwards where everyone stood in two lines, holding candles, and each person took turns walking down the center of the lines and made eye contact with each person, acknowledging the shared journey.  At the end of the line the teacher stood to put cooling sandalwood paste on each student's forehead and then I used a flower to splash them with water containing a few drops of water from India.  I really drenched people though!  I broke the stem of the flower while splashing the first person!  The teacher asked me to be the "drencher" since I have participated in this Sunrise Adventure for all five years, and because I teach at that studio.  It took about 45 minutes for everyone to go through the line, and then afterwards we all went to breakfast at the Main Squeeze.  It's always nice to get to chat with new people.  I talked to one bubbly lady who might be 50s/60s who somehow brought up that she was a trophy wife and another girl who just finished her PhD, but did not want to talk about it, and another lady who lived in India for some time studying Sivananda yoga, all three of them it seems are without day jobs, mostly by choice.  My day is coming.  Soon.

Tuesday through Friday.  Is there really nothing to say?  I did miss day 18 but made up the class by attending the 5:30 pm class that evening.  The teacher said if it feels the same you aren't paying attention.  Hmm.  Well, there are times when I drift off - the thought thieves take me away.  Although, it is usually yoga-related thoughts.  No matter, it is still distraction.  We are focusing on drishti points lately and that helps considerably.  I love to practice with my eyes closed but eyes open focusing is much harder, but as the teacher says, you live your life with your eyes open!

The song I've been listening to quite a bit lately is Magnificence by Daphne Tse:



It works so well for savasana.

He is not alone.  Apparently there are many cats that love this crazy behavior!  Just check YouTube for evidence.

Saturday morning my dad, cousin, and boyfriend came to my 9 AM class.  I taught a slower, deep stretch flow.  I really appreciated how open they were to the experience.  My dad is interested in a video of the class.  I would like to make a video of the class I taught.

Sunday we did the first part of the practice up to the kapalabhati pranayama practice and then were led in Ram chants for the rest of the class.  I enjoy chanting, although I often have the experience of forgetting how to speak during the chant.  It's like I forget how to make the words with my mouth and I'm just making sounds.

Today's class was good.  It cooled off about ten degrees yesterday and so today's practice was far less moist.  That's ok.  I was running a bit late and walked in around 6:01.  I always try to set an example for the other students by arriving early.

I've been thinking lately about growth as a teacher as it relates to teaching at one or multiple studios.  I mean, I "get" the idea of being loyal to a studio for it's financial security, but what about my growth as a teacher?  It seems like a delicate balance to cultivate students' interest in my classes while trying to determine how much and where I should teach.  Should I try to build one class, then the next, then the next, or try to build three at a time?  Ultimately, expecting students to all go to one class is more "work" for them - they must first know of the location, of me, and have that time of day work for them.  However if I have multiple locations and times, I have a better chance of reaching more people.  And of course, the more I teach, the better of a teacher I become, further quickening (possibly) the likelihood of building the class(es).

Ultimately it would be marvelous if students were not so attached to the teachers themselves, but instead were attached to the experiences of their own yoga practice.  It would be wonderful for students to "go with the flow" and accept whichever teacher is teaching on a given day.  But, ultimately that's not where most students are at.  Even myself, I sometimes have preferences for teachers.  There is a sense of knowing what kind of experience to expect.

So all of that being said, do I cultivate an attachment in my students to "my" class?  Or not?  I am working toward building yoga classes to help me transition away from my day job and into a wellness-centered work life.  Is that so bad?  I fully accept that my life is what it is right now, but I also fully believe that I could be spending my time in a more fulfilling way - in a way that is doing more good in the world.

Well, confession time.  I DID go to yoga all four classes for days 9-12 this week, however, my sleep schedule was crap!  I stayed up late and have really felt it!  Zombie Becky!

Today's practice was great.  Windows open again.  I do enjoy the humidity!  Another great baddha konasana whoosh.  After class as I pulled into the driveway at home, a song I haven't heard in about ten years popped on the radio - Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" - and I just started crying happy tears because my life is so much fuller now than it was then.  The song is all about how "everything is gonna be alright."  I warn you, if you YouTube it, the video is absolutely stupid, but the song is great.

I had two mini photoshoots this week too!  On Tuesday, the director of alleyCat Yoga wanted to take a few shots of yoga poses in identifiable places in Columbia for some marketing materials, then last night, a Facebook friend wanted to take some shots of my massage office.  That was very fun!  I'll have new photos up on my massage website in the next few weeks: www.BelleluneMassage.com.

Well, about one hour from now my family will be here to visit.  My dad and cousin (and sister, if she knows what's good for her) will be here and will be taking my yoga class tomorrow morning.  I'm very excited about that!  It should be a good weekend indeed!

So, I missed sunrise yoga days 6, 7 since I was in KC in case anyone is keeping track of the posts! :)

Today's practice was good.  I got very warm today; with the windows open it was a bit moist in the studio.  I'm still really digging baddha konasana.  We are given the choice of forward folding postures just before savasana, and I almost always pick BK.

My right psoas is still very sore from Friday night's Prana Flow class.  Gina taught instead of Simon, as his flight was delayed, pushing the weekend workshops back a bit.  I do feel grateful that I can drive out to KC to take classes with Gina and others at Kansas Siddhi Yoga every 6-8 weeks.  I really feel the most at home in the flow style of yoga.

A funny result of my traveling on occasional weekends is that my boyfriend has the opportunity to watch all the zombie movies he wants!  I really can't stand horror movies and even the zombie movies that are trying to be funny really gross me out.  So, we always watch movies that we both like whenever we're together.  I have done some compromising too - I do watch the superhero movies he likes!  Dave watched Zombieland and Kick-Ass this weekend.

All of the driving this weekend did give me the opportunity to listen to a good chunk of Eat, Pray, Love on CD.  I am hoping to finish it by this weekend when the movie comes out.

Well, I'm back from KC, for the second time this weekend.  I had a little drama on Saturday requiring me to drive back to Columbia, then back to KC today for the final workshop.  Ok, so "requiring" might be a stretch.  I got an email that sent my mind spinning.  Apparently a former yoga teacher of mine has snatched up one of my yoga classes.  Or so that's how it appears.  I will call her "S."  The director of the dance studio where I was teaching this particular class (I'll call her "K") sent me an email indicating that "S" had asked to teach there and she agreed because "S" always drew a large crowd (seasoned teachers often do).  In the past, "S" taught there, but moved away last year and I took over.  Now that "S" is back, she apparently wants her class back.  I had previously emailed "S" to seek advice about teaching there, so she was aware that I was teaching there.  This is a dance studio, so they only have one yoga class on the calendar.

So, what bothers me most is that this teacher "S" was someone I looked up to - someone who really inspired me to study flow yoga.  I didn't expect superhuman behavior from her, just common decency.  She didn't even tell me she was going to ask to teach there.  I felt really betrayed by someone who I once called a teacher.  So, this turn of events sent my mind spinning into all of the other things that have been bothering me lately that I have just buried down deep because they have gotten in the way of my productivity... or something.  THAT was the major surprise of the weekend - I really thought I was pretty in touch with my emotions, but my revelation was that I am in touch with them... when it's convenient!

So, although it meant missing out on a few workshops this weekend, I went home to Columbia to really sit with my emotions, marinate in them, and get through it.  Several hours later, I decided "dammit, I'm getting back on the river!" and made my way back to KC this morning for the final workshop.  I felt guilty at first for being so withdrawn, but you know, it was exactly what I needed to do.  No matter how inconvenient it was.    

I am so grateful for this style of yoga that I practice - flow - because it really helps to navigate the terrain of life!  Shit happens, then you just get back on the boat and row.

Ah.  I will be missing two days of the sunrise adventure, tomorrow and Sunday.  I'm really enjoying the morning practice!  Tomorrow's practice will be at 9 am as part of the workshops in KC, so I am going to treat myself by sleeping in.  Hopefully that is a good idea...  I've done surprisingly well with my 4:30 AM and 8:30 PM wake and sleep times, but man, would I love to not rely on an alarm clock!

Wow. Baddha Konasana rocks.  Our sunrise class begins with BK and today I decided to end with it before savasana.  I felt this great waving sensation as I came out of the pose that I can only describe as a whooshing.

There's a humidity in the air that makes everything moist this time of year, even though it was only in the 80's after class at 7:30 this morning.  When I'm well-hydrated it doesn't bother me, yet another reason to keep drinking water!  The teacher keeps the windows open during class.  I prefer that to fans.

I'm looking forward to the beginning of the Simon Park workshops tomorrow.  Gotta go shopping tonight for food to bring along for the weekend.  I'm staying at a friend's home, someone who did the teacher training with me last year, but her husband decided to take them camping so she won't be attending the workshop after all, but she said I could still stay at her house.  So I will be there with her Siamese cat, George.  They have a back yard though!  Hooping extravaganza will commence!  Or, just hooping practice, to be more accurate.  I haven't gotten much practice in since May's workshop.

For some reason almost all day yesterday, I was dealing with some anger that I couldn't quite place.  I'm sure it had to do with a frustrated reaction to something in my life, rather than just choosing to react with contentment and let events unfold as they will... but I was NOT hearing that yesterday!  Whew!

So in lovely contrast, I'm just peachy today.  Practice was good this morning.  Occasionally people will compliment me on my poses.  So, in the past I would come back with some self deprecating comment to "level the playing field" so to speak, but I don't really do that any more.  I always feel like I have my "teacher hat" on now and want to talk about how for me, balancing my flexibility with strength is the most challenging part of yoga.  I may have pretty good flexibility, but ask me to do full chaturanga dandasana, and whoa nellie, I'm shakin! Basically, we all have our strengths, just as we all have our challenges.  But, for some reason, THOSE words never come to me at the moment someone is complimenting me.   Guh!

The ride to the studio was pretty quiet, but I did meet a few more cars.  It really amazes me that people speed up to pass me, only to stop at the stop light in front of us (that was red when they started to pass, by the way)!  Such as it is.

I just heard about a band called the Dharma Gypsys, thanks to Sarah.  I will definitely be incorporating some of their album "Volume One: Music for Yoga, Meditation, and General House Cleaning" into my classes tout de suite!  Also, I recently came upon an artist named Girish who I love and have been teaching to.  iTunes is so helpful!