Why is it....

....that my lovely children, who rarely remember to flush the toilet, suddenly choose to "remember" to flush when I'm in the shower, causing scalding hot water to rain down on me?

Why is it that when I have 15 minutes to pick up my son from camp I make it there in 5 minutes and have to listen to his protest the whole way home? ( "Why did you have to pick me up early?  I'm always the first to leave!!")  That said, if I have 10 minutes to pick up my son from camp, I get stuck behind someone driving a Buick LeSabre who takes the 30 mph speed limit so seriously that they actually drive 25 mph and wouldn't ever dream of speeding up at a yellow light (we hit every red on the way) so I end up being 10 minutes late and have to listen to his protest the whole way home? ("Why were you so late today?  I was so lonely sitting there by myself!")

Why is it that I realize that I'm running low on milk and keep forgetting to pick it up each of the 3 times I run out to the store and when I finally get around to using the milk, I find that I'm 1/2 cup short for the recipe? (and by the way, why am I so disorganized these days that I can't get through the week without going grocery shopping 3 times?  During the school year I plan the menu/ make the list on Saturday and I shop on Sunday.  That's IT).

Why is it that a cloudy morning causes me to choose to slather on SPF 15, but by the time I'm out and about (with no backup sunscreen), the sun makes its appearance and stays out, full force so I get a bit of a sunburn - the day before my dermatologist screening?

I know, I know, these situations happen to any and all of us.  That doesn't make it any less frustrating when it happens to me.  Rather than whinging, I suppose I'd better get to my point and explain what this has to do with yoga.  Murphy's law says that "Anything that can go wrong, WILL go wrong".  These aren't necessarily  Murphy's Law situations.  The pessimistic icon is actually providing encouragement for the rest of us to plan ahead in the event of a less-than ideal outcome.  No, my situations all seem to be a product of bad timing.

Yoga teaches us many things, one of which is patience.  Anyone would do well to practice a little patience when "bad timing" situations arise.  Breathing deep can help you relax a bit and maybe, just maybe, try and see some good in the situation.  Patience can help you realize those positives among the negatives a little more readily.

You see, I can take advantage of the "extra steam" to add a spa-like, pore-opening experience to my shower.  I can be grateful for the LeSabre driver for holding me up so that maybe I missed a situation that might have caused a mishap or even an accident further up the road.  I can be grateful for the opportunity to "experiment" in the kitchen or substitute a lighter alternative (although I must note you can't get much lighter than skim milk) in my crepes.
And what to do about that sunburn?  I suppose I should take a cue from the dermatologist and just slather SPF 30 everyday, regardless of cloud cover.

Whatever the situation, try even one deep breath to help you manage the negative outcomes and turn your lemons into lemonade.

We can all waste a great deal of energy on negativity.  Instead repeating the mantra "Happiness is what happens" can help you feel more accepting of the here and now. - Liz Lark in "1001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom"

YJ Talent Search? *-FAIL-*

Yep, that's me.  Vying for the the 2nd annual Yoga Journal Talent Search.  I tried to enter, but I can't - the dang photo is too large.  And you can't see my face.  And I'm not wearing brightly colored clothing so the judges (do you think they'll give me bonus points for the cool zebra pillow on my couch?) can't fully see the extension/articulation/alignment of the posture.  And it's a posture I've only just begun to experiment with.  I haven't "mastered" it yet.  Which begs the question:  Have I mastered ANY poses?  Savasana may be the only one...
So folks, this is what you get when you don't read the "rules" of a contest.  When I tried to submit my entry, a message popped up, saying that my photo was too large.  I decided to click on "the rules" to see what size jpg they were looking for, and instead I saw all the aforementioned helpful hints and guidelines for the submissions.
Back to the drawing board I go.  Do I continue to practice my Wheel with extension, working my way to "mastery"?  Or do I go with King Dancer? Not as impressive, but I'm certain that I have better alignment (check out my left foot angling out on this Wheel...not to mention the right leg is less-than-perpendicular).  Maybe Warrior III - that's a posture that makes everyone nervous.  Good thing my husband likes playing around with his camera - because I think he's going to be practicing by training his lens on a lot of yoga postures in the coming week.  Once I submit, I'll give you the info on how to vote for me - that is, if you think I'm "Talented" enough to be in Yoga Journal magazine.  Now, off to ponder this whole "mastering" a pose bit...and to find some yoga pants that aren't so dang black.

Delight the world with compassion, kindness, and grace.

Regrets after practice?

What a week! I don't even know where to begin to explain the huge emotional rollercoaster I'm on this week...and I'm not quite sure anyone would even care *that* much, because all of our journeys take us on rides like this every once in a while. Suffice it to say, that one of the ways I "deal" is to take it to the mat. My experiences on the mat were definitely high points this week - especially my elusive treat of time with Diann ♥ on Saturday! The only thing is that I have a slight feeling of regret. I'll elaborate...

Have you ever experienced a feeling of regret after a practice? Maybe a favorite asana was left out, perhaps your pranayama (breathing) was only half-hearted, maybe you wish the class was a bit longer, or perhaps your focus just wasn't there. These things happen, and while they cause regret, the sooner your get yourself back on the mat, the sooner the feeling of regret will fade.

I've experienced all of these feelings and a whole host of others after a practice, but this time my feeling of regret is from something new. At the start of practice, Diann said we'd be working on standing balances, and while I'm not terribly confident at these, I thought "This is going to be good for me!", and I was ready for anything. Well, almost anything, it seems, because at the end of practice, Diann invited us to take a supported handstand, and I didn't do it. I feel like such a fraud - after WEEKS of offering inversions for my Pose of the Week (handstand noticeably absent, BTW), I'm invited to take an inversion, and I don't do it.

Why didn't I do it? Was it fear? Was it exhaustion (emotional from my week/physical from Diann's practice)? Was it because I had an "option"? Was it *gasp* stubbornness? It doesn't matter, really. I didn't do it, and I'm disappointed in myself.

So what to do? Get right back on that mat. Build up some strength in the arms. Try out some of the preparation postures that Diann gave throughout practice (a foreshadowing of what was coming - I should have seen it!). Get my legs up that wall! And hang out there for a while, getting used to seeing my crazy week from a different angle. At the very least, I'll build some courage to tackle what the next week offers, and at the very best, I'll squash my regret.

Don't let regret get in the way. Get out there and conquer!

...And we're back!

Hello Dearest Readers! I'm back, sadly without a pose of the week, but I was away on Vay-cay, and took a breather from electronic communication. I *was* in civilization, but was at a resort and didn't feel like jumping through hoops (and paying ridiculous fees) just to hook up to the internet or receive texts. Don't worry, I'll be sure to make up for it with a great pose of the week next week...

So, the boys and I went to beautiful Puerto Vallarta (spoken in my best "Love Boat" voice impersonation) for our vacation. We stayed at the Barcelo resort, and it was fantastic. We had a few mishaps getting there (flight rerouted on the way to Mexico City and delayed us for our connection to PV), so we ended up arriving past midnight - without luggage. Sheesh. What a way to start a vacation! Luckily, the resort had a swim shop, and we hooked up the boys with some cute swim clothes and the first full day went a bit more smoothly. The luggage arrived shortly after noon, and we started taking advantage of the many, many things to do! Because it was a resort, there was a daily schedule of activities. Of course, the first thing I checked for was whether they offered Yoga, and to my delight, they did!

Several years ago, we did an "all inclusive" Club Med vacation, and yoga was offered every morning. The instructor was a little (he was my height), old (about 90! I swear!) retired military officer (although if he said he wasn't retired, I'd believe him!) who was about the most flexible man I've ever seen! No, that's not him in my picture today...but I bet he could do that! He wore a mic, and narrated what he was doing, and that was it. We had to follow along. Or not. He didn't really care. But his narration was interesting, and I gave it a shot, and I enjoyed the challenge. The Barcelo's yoga offerings were not so extensive. They were offering yoga at 10 am on Mondays and Wednesdays, with some sort of "stretching" class on Sundays.

I decided to make the most of what I had, so pencilled in the Stretching on Sunday and the yoga on Monday. The stretching class was pretty satisfying; offered on the beach, so you could listen to the gentle sound of the waves, and it incorporated a few yoga moves along with some recognizable techniques from pilates and general PE stretching exercises you may have done in middle school. The guy who instructed the stretching class also instructed the kayak lessons and the water aerobics. It was funny to see where he would turn up next!

When I walked over to the "spa" for my yoga class on Monday morning, I was curious to see if the instructor would be the same guy again. I was also a tiny bit nervous about being able to follow along if the practice was in Spanish...but I realized this would be a rare opportunity, and my apprehension melted away as I got to the place where the practice was scheduled. The spa was in a lovely suite with a wrap-around balcony overlooking the beach, and I was really excited about the chance to practice yoga in such a different environment from my usual spot (on my bright yellow mat in a closed, windowless studio at the gym). I had no mat, and so had to use a cushy pool towel, but I was game for it.

The instructor was not my friend from the stretching class, but rather someone they hired in specially for the yoga class. I took this as a good sign; this was no job for the jack-of-all-trades resort guy...they were willing to hire someone in, which must mean they take yoga seriously and wanted someone with certification or at least some serious experience. In fact, one of my fellow classmates said she takes Tai Chi with him in his studio elsewhere. Again, a good sign.

Wrong. Now, I'm usually pretty easygoing when it comes to yoga class, and even when I find myself in a less than fantastic class, I make the best of it and try to do what the teacher asks. I'm not an expert, but I've been practicing for at least 3 years now, so I sort of have the gist of what's going on, and can make respectful modifications so the practice is fruitful and worthwhile for me. I am never, ever obnoxious or "show off-y". I have been in classes where some of the students overstep their bounds and try to show off or act like they know more than the instructor, and I find this plain rude and obnoxious. My opinion is that if these people know so much about yoga, they would know about the need to respect the instructor's years of training and method of practice.

I approached my makeshift mat in Mexico with this tenet in mind. In whatever this instructor chose to lead us, HE was the one with training, HE was the one who came up with the flow, and I was a participant in his practice. Even having had the experience of practicing with this guy, I still maintain that I was there to follow his lead...however, his lead turned out to be a massive FAIL. '

It's not my job or place to criticize an instructor's practice and methodology - leading and effectively instructing a practice is NOT an easy job. However, this may have been the worst YOGA practice I've ever participated in. We barely held any poses, so it wasn't Hatha. We had no flow, so it wasn't Vinyasa. It was hot out on that wrap around patio, so maybe it was some variation on Bikram, but overall, we were doing poses that were in direct conflict with every other instruction I've received.

We did bridge pose, and he kept asking us to look at what he was doing. I've always been instructed to never turn my head in bridge pose, so I didn't look. And he got mad. He insisted I look! I started to think this guy had some sort of military experience himself. In bridge pose, I've always been instructed to keep my knees perpendicular to the foot and not to extend them forward past my ankles and certainly not past my toes. Yeah, he had us bend our knees toward our toes. When I didn't, he waited for me to do it. It didn't feel good at all! We did a few planks, chaturangas, up dogs, down dogs, and walks to the top. I felt like hopping to the top, and boy was that a mistake. This instructor said walk, so I should have walked.

This could go on and on - the conflict of his instruction with all of my prior experiences on the mat. The plus side is that my husband booked us on a scuba/snorkelling boat that was leaving promptly at 11, so I had a less offensive reason for leaving the class than "You have no idea what you're doing, and I'm going to injure my knees if I keep going at this rate!" I wasn't able to stick around for the whole practice, and I was able to leave with a bit of dignity. In hindsight, I should have left feedback about the class with the program director...but again, I'm not an instructor and I'm always wary of coming across as a "know it all".

So, it was a less than productive session. But I am still thrilled that I had this opportunity, because now I have something to blog about! With jetlag, I wasn't quite up to a Wednesday practice, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Thursday afternoon. I'll keep you posted ;)

Namaste.

Under the Weather!

Hello, dear reader(s) - you never know, I may have picked up another reader...aaahhh, who am I kidding?!?

Anyway, it's raining, it's pouring, and I'm not even talking about outside! I'm feeling a bit under the weather today. My nose is dripping away, my muscles are achey, and my eyes are a bit "burn-y".

Yep, I have a summer cold, and that means once again, my "week of yoga" plans have been foiled! I did get in a decent practice for several days in a row, but there was no way I was getting out from under my covers this morning, let alone onto my yoga mat, even if it meant missing a Wednesday with Josh. :( *I'm sure he's unknowingly thankful...who wants a nasal drippy student in class who has shaky balance??

In the meantime, I can take a day off, pick up the pieces, and try again tomorrow! There's a class at 4:30 on Thursdays, so maybe I'll be more motivated to get there...

Today, breathe deeply; maybe one day my stuffy nose will give way and I'll be able to join you...

Well, that didn't work out...

My plan of "doing yoga everyday" didn't quite work out this week. I do realize that today isn't over yet, and I *could* do a home practice and all, but I really don't envision this happening. We are coming off of an epic heatwave (albeit briefly, because we're headed right back into the 90s before weekend's close), and I just feel so drained. Home practice, for me, seems to require SO much more energy than being a participant in an instructor's class. I'll muse on this in a later post, because it's something I don't get.

So, why was my plan a "Fail"? Truthfully, it was due to a variety of factors, and one of the main factors is the aforementioned heat wave. I LOVE yoga. I love practicing, I love the calm, I love what "yoga" stands for, I love the challenge it offers my body, I love the possibility it opens for me (in posture and in philosophy). But when a practice is in the afternoon, and I'll have to rouse a 3 year old from his nap in order to drag him along with his brother to the gym's childcare room, and we're faced with 90 degree weather, you have to admit that the prospect of getting to that practice is a bit daunting.

I tried psyching myself up for the class, saying "You'll feel sooooo much better once you're there in the middle of practice". But the class was with Josh, and his Wednesday class was pretty challenging: full of Chaturangas and Planks and "hops to the top" of the mat, so I knew what was in store for me in this afternoon practice. I know each class is different, but I just couldn't forget the hard work I did on Wednesday, and I wasn't quite sure I was up for it on Thursday, especially with all of the obstacles I'd have to conquer just to get there. Waking my 3 year old from his nap is never the easiest of tasks. Besides, I never know which 3 year old I'll be getting after the nap: the well-rested, chipper little fellow, full of willing conversation...or the hot, punky, sweaty guy who wants to be held for 20 minutes afternap...or the tyrant who screams at everyone and everything for the next hour. I only had a 30% chance of getting a cooperative result, and I wasn't taking those odds.

I let him sleep. I had a cup of chai. I read a few pages of my summer novel (it has nothing to do with yoga and everything to do with Sweden and dragon tattoos). I ate way too many tortilla chips. And now, I'm trying to not feel guilty about skipping practice today. Maybe I'll hit a home practice tomorrow morning, before my boys (all 3 of 'em) wake up to start their day. Maybe I won't. But I will make sure I try not to beat myself up over missing a practice. There's always another opportunity awaiting me around the bend. And I can always aim for my "week of yoga" next week!

Don't let the FAILs in life get you down. Yoga allows us to look forward to the next possibility.