Aligning with Grace

Once in a while, you attend a workshop or seminar that changes the way you look at something - enabling you to see things with fresh eyes. I had that experience this weekend, attending an anatomy and yoga workshop by Maria Cristina Jimenez, a very gifted young teacher, at Willow Street Yoga Center , in Maryland. Her extensive background in anatomy, yoga, Rolfing, and bodywork, punctuated by several dissections - and her clarity and the compassion she embodies for both her subject and her students - touched me profoundly, and enabled me to "re-imagine" the body and its amazing capabilities in a totally new way. Maria Cristina spoke of the importance of the language we use in our teaching and the effect it has on our understanding and impressions of the body. For example, instead of referring to the "rib cage" in this manner, she introduced the image of a "rib basket" instead, which contains our vital organs. When I shared this notion in my own yoga cla...

This month is nearly over - and the summer is now officially for me - two thirds of the way through as well... It was not the kind of summer I had originally envisioned for there were so many unexpected turns that were taken. But in my heart of hearts, I know that everything was as it needed to be - and indeed, everything is always as it should be... I spent Saturday afternoon and early evening, attending Sally Kempton's workshop, titled - "Surfing Transformation: How to Navigate Your Journey of Inner Awakening and Change," at Willow Street Yoga Center. I have regularly attended Sally's workshops, and it was also wonderful to return to Willow Street and see so many friends. As always, Sally had much to say that was helpful to me. Her insights and the practices she led us through were particularly meaningful. In fact, a couple of the practices resulted in one of the most profound "aha!" moments that I have had - and I know I will be sitting with those insig...

"Love said to me, There is nothing that is not me. Be silent." ~ Rumi I read this quote a few days ago, and it was perfect in every way. It defined my weeks, and defined my days, so far this crucial year of 2012. And, it even showed up in my theme during my first week back to teaching yoga. Since the holiday season ended, I have had the wonderful and delicious opportunity to make a slow re-entry back into daily activity, and I am grateful for the many wonderful opportunities to slow down. To be still. To enjoy solitude. And to be silent... There have been cold days when I visited a wind-swept river or walked among barren trees in prayer. And even once, on that rare day, when snow flurries came down as well. There have been many moments of reflection. Punctuated by goal setting. Days of assessments made - with one day flowing seamlessly into the next. I began my first week of classes by working the First Principle of Anusara Yoga - "Opening to Grace," as I usually d...

Yesterday was one of those days that seemed beautiful beyond description. Here we were - the very beginning of January - and the weather was exquisite. The sky was blue, and the temperature - well - shall we say - it was delicious! On my way to teach a meditation introduction class at Willow Street Yoga , in Maryland, my heart was brimming with so much joy and well-being. I felt as fully present to each moment as I could possibly be, taking in every detail of my surroundingsl. I felt one with the trees in downtown Silver Spring - with every twig, and each and every color that I perceived looked so brilliant and radiant. After a wonderful class, attended by some lovely people, I drove home, ambling up the bucolic Georgetown Pike, taking in the broad expanses of rolling hills and the beautiful landscape, in addition to the occasional horse here and there. All of a sudden, traffic came to a virtual stop on this two lane road. And as I looked ahead, I saw three roosters crossing back and f...

I drove over to the other side of my beloved river this glorious Sunday morning for a yoga class for the first time - not quite three and half weeks after surgery. I was going to observe a class taught by a wonderful Inspired Anusara Yoga teacher. I did not think I would actually do all of the class - perhaps just some poses here and there. It was a Level 1-2 class that ended up being perfectly sequenced for me, and consisted of very basic poses that we worked very deeply. After all, what is advanced yoga? Just the other day, I read this quote on Facebook by Lois Nesbitt , who was my own assessor and mentor in my certification as an Anusara Yoga teacher years ago, and who currently serves with me on the Anusara Yoga Curriculum Committee: "Advanced poses do not make an advanced yogi. You have to work this thing from the inside out. Otherwise, head for Cirque de Soleil." And this coming, from one of the most advanced practitioners that I know! So, we worked as advanced yogis...

I had both the pleasure and honor to meet, and be able to speak to Sally Kempton , a respected meditation teacher, this past weekend, during a workshop she gave at Willow Street Yoga Center . If I had to summarize the workshop, I would simply say that it was about "Bhakti," the path of love - and deepening our relationship to the Divine... Today, I finished transcribing and typing nearly 33 pages of notes, and as I often do, I research or review references made, and include them in my notes. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am the "official" scribe for my local yoga community, and my notes usually circumnavigate the world. Or, so I often find out! As I reviewed my notes, and quotations from the workshop, I could not help but see, that truly, everything that matters, circles and comes back to love. Why are we here? We are here for love... What are we to do? We are here to love... And really, what else is there? In the 14th century, Julian of Norwich , an English mys...

For over a week, I've enjoyed deep silence, longer periods of meditation, touching base with a few friends, spring cleaning, reading, and delighting in the insights gained and imparted by wonderful teachers. A week and a half ago, I had the privilege and honor of studying with Elena Brower , an Anusara Yoga certified teacher, who shares her heart and gifts all over the country, and also writes a wonderful blog for the Huffington Post , among other talents. For a long time I have wanted to take one of her classes "live" - since I had already experienced her teaching "online," and I was grateful to be able to experience her deep teaching in a beautiful art gallery. One of the most wonderful things Elena told us, was that we have the power to transmute the triggers in our lives into nourishment, through our practices, and most particularly in our bodies, through yoga. She explained that we can choose practice over indulging in our preferences and thus create meani...

I have been reflecting on the portions of the weekend workshop that certified Anusara Yoga teacher, Ross Rayburn led, here at Willow Street Yoga Center , in Maryland. More than what Ross did, it is what he said, but primarily what he embodied, that has most stayed with me. I had never studied with Ross before, but had met him on numerous occasions at the annual gathering of certified Anusara teachers. Ross was genuine, present, compassionate, and most of all, he was humble - despite his great wealth of knowledge and insight. It is perhaps, his humility that has most spoken to me... While I did not take notes, something that is unusual for me, I was able to reconstruct the parts of the sessions I attended, that most spoke to me. Here are a few things I resonated with... "There is nothing that at its essence is wrong or bad - because everything is Divinely made... Are you maintaining your relationship to your goodness in every thought word, and deed? This is the whole ball of wax...

I am now halfway into teaching the short course on the Yoga of Forgiveness at Willow Street Yoga Center . But really, it is more about its facilitation, because we are all ultimately, teachers and students to one another. And of course, as teachers, we simply teach what we need to know and learn... Yesterday, I shared these words from a poem titled, "Forgiveness," written by Gerald Jampolsky , MD , and they simply took my breath away...I found myself reflecting on them over, and over again... I have much more to share about this course, but it must wait for now... I offer these powerfully searing words, which are feeding me at the moment, as morsels to feed your own soul and heart, throughout this day, and the remainder of this week. May you masticate them and extract from them whatever it is that you need... It is never too early to forgive. It is never too late to forgive. How long does it take to forgive? It depends on your belief system. If you believe it will never happ...

This morning, I enjoyed lazily floating on the river for a while. It was breezy and much cooler, and a joy to momentarily escape from the intense grip of the oppressive heat of the summer thus far... I had the river all to myself, and the bass were happily jumping, dancing, and splashing about. It gave me great joy to witness the lightness of their play and hearts! I took the time to reflect on some insights that Suzie Hurley , my yoga teacher, shared in class yesterday. She spoke of how in the Native American tradition, each of the four chambers of the heart symbolizes the qualities of being clear, full, open, and strong. And she added a fifth chamber or element - which she felt completed the picture - that of lightness... A strong heart implies the expression of true courage. A clear heart implies one has generally let go of biases. With a clear heart, enlightened assessments are made that are free of blame and judgment. A full heart is one that embraces love for itself and others, ...