What's with all the books?

Well, of course, something is up with my photo uploader, and after trying to fix it for 15 minutes, I'm losing patience, and I'll just have to make this work (sideways).

That's a lot of thick books on yoga.  With the exception of Bhagavad Gita (which is basically a long, non-rhyming poem), they average 300 pages a piece.  And there are more on the way.

What's with all the books?  Well, I have been practicing yoga for a long time, and my practice has progressed from DVDs at home to multi-level classes at the gym to studio classes to blogging about yoga to buying a few books about yoga to more classes...and the big message that I've been getting is that your yoga practice is never complete.  There is always somewhere else to go, another edge to push, an new level to reach.  I have long thought that the logical next step for me would be to become a yoga teacher.  But upon researching the lengthy coursework and reading lists, not to mention the requisite 200 HOURS of yoga classes, I always felt that it would be impossible for me to complete.  I work full-time, I have a husband who travels (a LOT), and 2 kids to raise (hello, afterschool activities!)  I thought it would be something to do "one day" when all of these things were a little less of a daily juggle.
But life is not slowing down, and I am not getting any younger (!), and suddenly I realized that there was a teacher training center just a couple of towns over.  I wouldn't need to trek into Manhattan to get this done.  My possibilities started opening up and I became inspired - so I decided to apply to the Yoga Teacher Training program.
The BIG REVEAL is that I was (finally!) accepted into the cohort for 2012-2013!  I am going back to school and I am going to become a fully-certified yoga teacher!  I am not doing this as a career move or change - I want to be very clear that I am doing this to deepen my own practice and gain an deeper, fuller understanding of yoga.  If I end up teaching a class here and there, great, but at the end of the day, I want to learn more about the discipline and practice and I think this is the way to do it.
My "Summer Reading List" is extensive - instead of sitting by the pool with 50 Shades on my Nook, I'll have Yoga textbooks and a pencil.  I have 3 more books coming (via the Pony Express, it seems, since I ordered them "Used" on Amazon), so I have plenty to keep me occupied before my coursework even begins.

Part of my
"summer reading list"...

In case you are curious, it is a 9-month program (some courses manage to cram this all into 3 months or stretch it out over 12 months - either way, the number of required hours is the same, as specified by the Yoga Alliance).  I will have class for 3 hours every single Wednesday night (September through May) with one 3-hour Friday class a month and one six-hour Sunday class a month.  Not terrible.  Manageable for a working mom (who is home from her paying job by 4:00).  What is going to take some schedule juggling is the additional requirement of taking 52 studio yoga classes during the course of the teacher training.  I will need to observe and reflectively journal on each of the 52 classes. I talked it over with Husband, I weighed it over in my mind, and I decided I was ready to give up one year of my life to further my passion!

After applying, I had to go in for an interview with the program director, who is super committed to maintaining the quality and integrity of her training program.  She's a true pioneer for small yoga studios who are surviving against the "big guns" of YogaWorks and Jivamukti in the city.  I also had to take 2 classes with 2 different instructors at the studio, just so they could see that I have good body awareness and knew enough about yoga to make sense of the coursework.  Basically, they needed to make sure I wasn't walking in off the street with 7 classes under my belt before I started training.  I have 7 YEARS under my belt - I know a sanskrit phrase or two.  I'm a biology teacher in real-life, so I think I have the body parts down pretty well, too.  It didn't matter - I made up my mind that this was the next step for me in my yoga journey, so I was happily willing to do anything they asked me to do as part of my application process.  I was eschewing all judgement and just giving it a go!

Eventually, I got my acceptance letter from the studio, just before we left for vacation, which made for a very happy start to our trip.  Now that I'm back, my mind has been going a million miles a minute, planning in advance for the schedule changes and juggles we'll be faced with this fall.  I've been ordering my books, and trying to crack them open to get a head start for September.  Overall, I'm so excited to be going "back to school", and I'm eager to share my experience with you on the blog!  I'm honored that you're willing to keep reading about the journey!

Just do it - "Energy and Persistence alter all things" - B. Franklin

Hit the Reset Button

I promised a "Big Reveal" at the end of my last post, and even though it's been a few days since then, I haven't quite composed my post about it yet.  I will. For now, I didn't want to leave my blog another week without a new post, so here's my account of the first trip back to my mat after nearly 3 weeks off.

It's Tuesday night, and I unroll my mat with a bit of trepidation.  Partly this is because I know with all of the walking I've done around the cobble-paved streets of Paris, I'm sure to need quite a bit of stretching.  I'm going to need to take baby steps back to the mat.  Alas, I've chosen to make my first practice in over a fortnight (love my Brit-speak?) with Eileen - the second source of my trepidation.

Eileen is not a warm and fuzzy yoga teacher.  She has loyal students, some of whom she seems to like and share a rapport with, but I'm not one of them.  I think she recognizes me by now, and for the most part knows that I'm a pretty serious yogi (opposed to the 16 year old skinny BFFs who sometimes take the class 'cause they heard yoga is Carly Rae Jepson's favorite way to escape from the stress of being a teenager - PS, Eileen has absolutely no patience for them), but she doesn't really engage in conversations with many of her students.  That said, she's absolutely professional and knows her stuff (chakras, sanskrit, modifications, OMs, ALL of it), and I think she's a skilled practitioner.

Every class of Eileen's has a focus that she shares with you (ie, "Today we'll be working on the heart chakra, doing a lot of heart-opening postures, and we're starting with this particular breath to stimulate...." etc), and the postures definitely stretch whatever it is that she says will be stretched.  I can't recall ever "sweating" in one of her classes, but on more than one occasion I have felt it the next day.  Wednesday was one of those "day afters"...and Wednesday morning is Josh's class, which often does make me sweat (usually filled with lots of Vinyasas and lots of chaturanga).  So, I was sore, and sweating, but breathing deep and oh so grateful to be "back"!  I went on to take Josh's Thursday class as well, which usually is a little more easy-going (long warm up and long cool down, with only a few Vinyasas).  I thought to myself: "Hey, if I had reversed the order of these classes, I might have enjoyed my return to the mat even more..."


Would I recommend taking a challenging class on your first day back?  It depends on your approach to yoga.  Do you feel the need to really kick your butt into gear, almost "punishing" yourself for staying away so long (mind you, this is not a particularly "yogic" mindset)?  Then, yes, go for it.  Do you think that your practice will be reinvigorated by a slow, steady approach that builds up to a challenging climax? Then, you'd probably want to start with something more low-key.  I wasn't punishing myself to take Eileen's class first; it was just the first class that I was able to fit into my schedule.  Nonetheless, the difference between the 2 teacher's styles was apparent, and made for a reflective return from my vacay-induced hiatus.  Plus, I need to gear up for Heidy's class this Sunday!


Make every breath count.

That back from vacation feeling...

Check out the street name.  (I couldn't resist)
Please make note of the pudgy belly
hanging over the waistband of my jeans.
It's not baby #3.  It's "Vacay Overindulgence"!

First, I want to thank those of you who read regularly for your amazing patience.  I am not a frequent blogger, but I do occasionally check my stats and I can see that you are "tuning in" and giving YATS a browse once in a while, and I'm grateful for that.

I'm back from vacation, and it was an amazing 2 weeks in Europe.  I can't say for certain that I'll be blogging with any sort of regularity, though.  You see, I have that "back from vacation" feeling.  


You know what I'm talking about.  The first two days or so of vacation are still a bit of a transition for your mind (and body!)  You can't really believe that your main purpose on this trip away from your regular surroundings is to relax and "do nothing".  Schedules don't really matter on vacation, nor do bedtimes and wake times (unless you are intent on being the first person in line at a museum or sightseeing location).  Heck, as far as I was concerned, neither was a diet:  Hello, baguettes, buttery croissants, full cream cheeses, sauccises, and at least a bottle of wine a day. (Hey, when it's only 5 Euros a bottle, you can't shouldn't resist).  


Anyway, after 2 days, you realize this is "for real", and you really begin to enjoy yourself.  Even more wine, cheese, and bread.  "Exercise" is that walk you take to and from the boulangerie in the morning.  You think about doing yoga, but because the studio's classes that are taught in English are at awkward times (like 10am - perfectly rational when not on vacation, but suddenly 10am seems to be right in the middle of something else important you're doing - like shopping for a bottle of champagne) you ultimately settle for a half-assed stretch on the bedroom rug when you wake up in the morning. 


Eventually, all good vacations must come to an end.  As soon as you're back, you try convincing yourself that it's good to be back to the comforts of home.  You know, those "comforts" like washing the dirty laundry from vacation, clearing away the cobwebs from the spiders who have taken up residence in the last 2 weeks, sorting through soggy newspapers that a kind neighbor has set aside for you, getting to the unpaid bills, and worst of all, being more disciplined with a schedule (and in my case, a DIET!!).


It is really, really nice to sleep in my own bed.  It is really nice to use my soft, clean, normal-sized towels when I step out of the shower.  It's so comforting to know that if the kids break something, it's not coming out of my security deposit.  But it's also hard not to think: "18 hours ago, I was walking to the wine shop across the way".  Or "This time yesterday, I was already walking out of the Metro."  And my favorite, "This time last week, I was thinking that this vacation would last forever (in a good way)".  The deluded thoughts set in: "If we got rid of a lot of crap, I really do think I could live in a three bedroom apartment in Paris...", but you're soon snapped back to reality when your kids tell you "I'm bored", and you have to think up something for them to do (apparently playing with the 1.72 million Legos in the playroom isn't entertainment enough...).


So we are adjusting to our jet lag...we are able to sleep about one hour longer each day, so by tomorrow we'll be able to sleep until 7am!  We are getting back into the groove with our schedules and getting used to doing chores again (somehow, this never seems to take long to do...).  I could get all philosophical and tell you the ways in which returning to a yoga practice will help with all of these things - help reset your internal clock, being more mindful in your daily interactions, and of course help you cope when stressful schedules get in the way.  I know these truths, but I'm not ready to get on my soapbox (just yet).  
I'll be returning to my practice this week (my practice in the last two weeks was pitiful - my Half-moon pose in the picture above was about the extent of it!), and hopefully I'll have the creative energy to blog about it.  Hopefully you'll have the patience to keep reading!


Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness. - Patanjali's Yoga Sutras I.14


**Stay tuned for a "big reveal" later this week... 

Pour la vacance

I know I just started blogging regularly again, but I'm off on vacation, so you'll have a wait a little while for me to get back to it again.  I hope to return rested, rejuvenated, and ready to tell you about my adventures, some of which might even be on the mat!  I'm ambitious, I know, but you never know until you try!

Au Revoir...Rendez-vous en deux semaine.
Merci beaucoup por lisent...

You never know what you're going to get!

The finished product: Vegetarian chili (made with Tofurky)
*looks pretty close to the real-deal, eh?

Welcome to this edition of YATS Cooks!  These days, I have to say, have been rather hectic, and I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to. However, as we’re preparing to go away on vacation, I need to “clean out” the refrigerator, so let's roll up those sleeves and get to it!  

The last time we were at the supermarket, I decided I would try something new, and picked up some “Tofurky”.  A friend had recommended it some time ago when I shared that I had been experimenting with Tempeh (she’s also suggested Seitan, but I’ve not given it a go ‘round yet).  There are lots of versions of Tofurky out there, and I decided to try the one that claimed it was “just like ground beef!”.  Well, my carnivore husband will be the judge of that!

The picture on the box shows a delicious lasagna prepared with these little bits of Tofurky.  Making Lasagna involves a lot cheese, a lot of time, and turning on the oven.  Ahem.  Not going there with these 90 degree days!  I decided on Vegetarian chili, and the results were great!  When I make vegetarian meals for my family, I have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.  What they don’t know won’t hurt them, and around here, when I’m in charge of dinner, you never know what you’re going to get (might be Quorn, might be Tempeh, now might be some Tofurky…).  As long as it tastes good, I’ll keep experimenting.  I haven’t had too many complaints yet…

Here’s how I did it:

The main ingredients for flavor include one 12oz package of Tofurky and a sachet of Vegetarian Chili seasoning.  I’m sure you could use any sort of chili seasoning for flavor, but sometimes they add beef bouillon to it, so if you’re a strict vegetarian, stick with the vegetarian seasoning.

The supporting cast are your beans and tomatoes.  I just used canned because they’re cheap, quick, AND easy (I'll spare you the prostitute jokes here.  cheap...quick...  oh nevermind)!  My preference is for Cannellini and Red kidney beans, but you could easily use black beans or pinto beans, or whatever you like in your chili!  The tomatoes are always diced and almost always “fire roasted”.  Sometimes I’ll use a can with jalapeno seasoning included, but this is the can I had in the pantry, so it’s what I used.

Add all of the canned ingredients to a fairly large pot with the Tofurky.  I needed to mix the sachet with a 1/4cup of water before stirring into the beans and tomatoes.  I warmed through on medium-high heat until bubbling, and then I turned the flame down to let it simmer a bit, allowing the flavors to meld.  That’s it.  The finished product cost somewhere around $8.50 (each can was 89cents, give or take a dime), the seasoning was a buck twenty, and I think the Tofurky was $4.50.  It might seem like a lot for something that's not meat, but a pound of ground beef, last time I checked, was at least $7, and by the time you cook the fat out of it, you probably only end up with just a little more than 12 oz anyway!  

We added some shredded Colby jack cheese (oops!  Lost my "Vegan" status with that one.  I was so close), and everyone chowed down.  There’s even a sizeable serving left over.  Normally I’d be happy about that because it means I have lunch for tomorrow, but we are leaving on vacation, and I’m trying to cut down on the dang leftovers!

Bon Appetit! <--- a not-so-subtle nod to our vacation destination ;)

The Monday morning shuffle

12 years ago, before kids, before the suburbs, before yoga even, I married my college boyfriend.  We called each other "sweetheart", but wouldn't exactly say we were sweethearts.  We were a guy from a foreign land and a girl from a small town who met at a small, liberal arts college and liked hanging out together.  We did some crazy things things way-back-when, and eventually decided that we liked each other enough to get married.  Actually, Husband was transferred to London, and I said there was no way I was joining him unless I was a little more than a "girlfriend" - and he could start with a rock and piece of paper (scissors not necessary).
Fast-forward all these years, and we're now firmly ensconced in the suburban life, along with all of our peers, who probably have eerily similar stories about how they got "here" - and became part of the bleary eyed, Monday morning shuffle.  It's really no different from any other morning shuffle - you still have to be in the same places you were on Friday, at roughly the same times - so why does Monday get such a bad rap?  It has nothing to do with celebrating your 12 year anniversary with some champagne and a bottle of wine the night before, that's for sure (although it's certainly not helping...)
In our household, the summertime Monday morning shuffle involves Swim team for the first kid, daycamp, errands, phone calls and emails, swim team for the other kid (they're in different levels, otherwise this shuffle might be leagues easier!) and all of this before 11:30.  Is yoga a possibility?  It's always a possibility...maybe not a studio class, but I could try some home practice with a DVD or some flow that comes to me once I'm on the mat.  What I DO know, is that some well-spent time on the mat will help the Monday feel a lot less manic and a lot more marvelous!
As the saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of my life.  I'm grateful for the last 12 years with Husband, growing our family, our experiences, our life.  I approach this Monday with more gratitude to start the next 12 years with more growth, experience, and LIFE.  
*Knowing that the next Manic Monday will be spent in Paris certainly helps, too ;)