Warrior Cool

A workshop offering at yogaview with Brooks, Saturday March 6, 2010 from 2 to 4:30pm.

Centered and Calm, Ready for Action

A plenty vigorous afternoon of yoga practice that is sure to include some Warrior poses. We will refine the actions and alignment of these, and explore what the warrior poses might help us embody. The story of Virabhadras, the warrior who's name the poses bear, will be told during the class.

Just as the physical positions of the yoga poses help us to release from the confinement of muscular tension, so also do the mental forms created through words have the potential to help us release from the bounds of mental tension. The sanskrit names (like "Virabhadrasana") of the poses connect to a rich mythological story, which can support psychological awareness, just as the poses cultivate physiological awareness along with strength, steadiness, and flexibility.

Come and enjoy an experience that is intended to affect physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, resulting in a lighter, more relaxed and centered sense of self. Clearheaded and calm, ready for the tasks at hand.

Appropriate for all levels of yogis.

I am so excited to offer this warrior and warrior goddess-inspired session to yogis at Yogaview! Thanks everybody! The class will include elements of invigorating vinyasa flow, stabilizing alignment, and creatively clarifying language.

Link to PDF of the flyer.

Call yogaview to register: 773.342.9642

Wondrous Weekend

I was at a party this weekend where a child was offering this dragonfly for everyone to behold. I just couldn't get enough of this sight, nor of the poetry the moment seemed to suggest.

It was a wondrous miracle to see the beautiful child holding this incredible representative of life. A perfect moment that reminded me of who I am. I saw myself as a child of eight years sitting at the edge of Horn Pond in Maine watching the dragonflies. I was fascinated with the movement of their flight. I remember seeing that some were flying attached to one another, and figured they must be mating.

I also thought of the time last summer when I was in my apartment, melancholy and alone and a dragonfly showed up at my window! At the time, it seemed like a symbolic messenger of a sort of culmination, as if my spiritual and physical journey of the last few years was going to arrive at a sort of maturity. This amazing creature shot me with hope.

And I just think dragonflies are cool.

I also did a yoga workshop with Laurie Blakeney at the Yoga Circle. We did some deep and downright painful work on the feet and legs. Some of it was inspired by the Virasana sequence in Light on Yoga. I think it's really good for me. So I do think that it's a GOOD IDEA to work out those painful bits in the feet, calves, hips and shoulders. BUT, I also found myself wondering how much pain I want to or even reasonably can include in my own yoga practice without becoming an angry maniac. I usually think that yoga soothes my inner beast, but holding these and other poses was bringing out an inner monster. That said, there were parts that I also enjoyed in a less-than-masochistic way. And I KNOW (know?) that it's good to release those painful nuggets, too. Also the group aspect as well as the extra expense of a yoga workshop makes it an atmosphere where I can put up with more. But--Eeeeyeeyeeaye. Those poses had me squirming!

And at the aforementioned party I felt like I was embraced in an atmosphere of acceptance and love. Many of my yoga students and friends were there and I felt their blessing. Good vibes suffused this busy weekend of training at the yoga workshop, partying in Michigan, and teaching yoga, too.