Thursday, September 30, 2010

class schedules

So sorry I haven't been able to post my class schedule this week! My computer charger died and I didn't have access to another one for a few days. Here's my schedule for the remainder of the week:

  • Friday, October 1: Murray Scholls 24 5:45am
  • Saturday, October 2: Hollywood 24 7:00am


And while I have you here, here's next week's as well:

  • Tuesday, October 5: McLoughlin Super Sport 24 5:30pm
  • Wednesday, October 6: Murray Scholls 24 5:45am & McLoughlin Super Sport 24 7:30pm
  • Friday, October 8: Murray Scholls 24 5:45am
  • Saturday, October 9: Hollywood 24 7:00am
Hope to see you!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

A Yoga Story

I am so homesick today! Being 3,000 miles away from my family is hard sometimes, and when I start feeling this way I need to find something that makes me feel grounded- and quick, before I get too sad and down! Naturally, my yoga practice comes to mind. I want to share with you some of the ways yoga has changed my life. Not just physically, but in emotional and mental ways as well.

I started practicing yoga when I was 16. I didn't know what I was doing, or why I was doing it. I bought a DVD and started practicing in my parents' living room. I was weak. I didn't have the strength to lower myself to the mat in a modified chatturanga. I was nursing an ankle that had recently been surgically reconstructed. I didn't have a yoga mat or special yoga clothes. The DVD was 30 minutes long, it had two 15 minute sessions. I remember doing one almost every day, and on a good day I would do them both. I found them to be very difficult, but I loved it. Occasionally my dad would walk through the living room and shake his head, wondering where his weird little seedling actually came from.

Even though I didn't know where to take classes, or how to even get into one, I still talked about yoga a lot. For my 17th birthday, a friend gave me my very first yoga mat. It was purple. Or rather, it is purple- I still have it! The two of us bought another DVD and started practicing on her bedroom floor. We would roll our mats out on her carpet and try to emulate the movements on the tv. Savasana was our favorite pose, and we were always ready for it! I remember not being able to touch my toes, and feeling like the instructor was speaking a different language when she would say things like, "elongate your spine". Still, I felt enamored with the practice.

For a few years, this was my practice. Very inconsistent, lack of structure and guidance. I didn't know any other yogis, and I was intimidated by the thought of taking a class. I assumed I would be the only one who didn't really know what was going on, and it wasn't until I was 19 that I decided to take my first class. It was at American Family Fitness in Virginia. I didn't know what to expect, but I threw on some yoga pants and a tshirt, grabbed my mat and just went for it. I was immediately hooked. I found two instructors that I loved. I really connected with them and went to almost all of their classes. It wasn't long before I was scheduling everything around my yoga practice. One thing that I will always remember is leaving my nephew's 6th birthday party early so that I could take a yoga class! I didn't go more than two or three days without taking a class. I remember doing my first headstand against a wall and my first queen pigeon, and dreaming of becoming a teacher. I always thought it would be so much fun to share with others the joys and benefits of practicing yoga the way my teachers had done for me. For the most part, I was really shy and quiet before and after class. But eventually, I started talking more and more to Iffet, my teacher. She encouraged me to smile more during my practice. Until she mentioned it, I hadn't realized how straight-faced I remained in class. One evening after class, I expressed my admiration for her and for her teaching, and she then encouraged me to consider teacher training. I felt completely empowered after she said that. Could I really be a teacher? My yoga teacher thinks so! I was thrilled, but the idea of it was scary. I had been practicing consistently for more than two years now, and while I was definitely getting stronger, there were still so many things my body wasn't ready to do. I was also 22 and very much still just trying to figure it all out. Teacher training was a real commitment. It was expensive, time consuming, and if I wanted to go all out and just do it, it would require that I travel quite a bit. I decided to go for it.

My aunt and I vacationed in San Diego a couple weeks before my first training. I look back now on this trip and am in awe of how different my life was. I've been in love with San Diego for nearly seven years now. This trip was my fifth visit. I remember thinking the whole time I was there how amazing it would be to live on the west coast and be a yoga teacher. I had no idea that would soon enough be my life. I happened to land in Portland rather than San Diego, but on the west coast nonetheless! After I got home from that trip, I started traveling like crazy. I was working in an office at the time as a receptionist, and I would study my yoga books between answering phones and filing papers. I would often have trainings on the weekend, and head out Friday after work. I spent a lot of time alone with myself. I had frequent trainings in DC and Northern Virginia, and would drive early in the morning and late at night to void the extra cost of staying in a hotel room. The time eventually came when I had to make a choice. I had taken all the trainings I needed in my area, and if I wanted to continue on without a big gap between classes, I'd have to fly to Fort Lauderdale for five days. I started connecting with people in an online yoga forum, and found Dacia. Dacia was a wife, a mother and a yogi in North Carolina with whom I felt a great connection. We encouraged each other, and decided to meet in Florida and share a room for five nights while we trained. The whole trip was life changing. It was during savasana in a master class in Florida that I made the decision to move to Portland to be with my now husband. My yoga teacher training taught me everything I now know about myself. It changed the way I looked at everything. It mellowed me out. The five days I spent in Fort Lauderdale with Dacia and 50 or so other yogis are largely responsible for molding me into the teacher and person I am today.

Dacia and me in Fort Lauderdale with our master trainers, Chrys & Kristin
 It's amazing how I've written so much and have barely even touched on the physical benefits of my yoga practice! I still consider myself to be a baby yogi. I am constantly learning new things and experiencing growth in my practice. It wasn't until this year that I could do a full chatturanga. I finally feel like my hamstrings are loosening up, and I am starting to be more comfortable going upside down with no wall for extra support. I feel myself getting stronger each time I practice! While it is hard to be patient sometimes, I have to do my best to embrace the fact that I am, and always will be, a student. I was told this summer by a teacher I love, respect and admire that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my practice. And I believe her, and think the same thing for all of my own students as well. I do always say that it's a yoga practice and not a perfect, and I encourage people that it's okay if you can't touch your toes, or if you can't wrap your legs in eagle, or balance in half moon. When those things happen, it's great, but we don't have to be able to do these things in order to call ourselves yogis. And the awesome thing is that all of those things will come in time. As Kathryn Budig has said, "Every distant goal grows from a simple seed watered with rich intention."

In addition to being able to bend more easily and clear my mind with a few deep breaths, I also credit my yoga practice for my healthy diet. Who wants to eat a cheeseburger and then go practice yoga?! We feel better when we eat better, and that's that.

I could go on and on for days about yoga and the many ways in which it has changed my life. But instead I will wrap this blog up with a few last words: Before a consistent yoga practice, I was weak and frail. Slowly, I've started to evolve into a stronger and more flexible human who cares about the feelings of others and pays close attention to what's happening inside of herself. If you practice yoga, I want to know some of the positive effects it's had on your life. How has it affected your relationships? Your health? If you don't practice yoga, I truly hope you will find some inspiration in this blog. I hear all the time, "I can't do yoga, I'm not flexible." Well guess what, neither was I! We've all got to start somewhere.

Namaste.
Tami

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

tuesday

Last night's play list:

  • Charles Atlas: Genova
  • Charles Atlas: The Snow Before Us
  • The Beatles: Here Comes The Sun
  • Iron & Wine: Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)
  • Dan Auerbach: Goin' Home
  • Elliot Smith: Angel In The Snow
  • Iron & Wine: Flightless Bird, American Mouth
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash: Taken At All
  • Sad Brad Smith: Help Yourself
  • Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova: Falling Slowly
  • Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach: Nataraja

Monday, September 20, 2010

class schedule

This week's class schedule:
  • Monday- 7:30pm McLoughlin Super Sport 24
  • Tuesday- 5:30pm McLoughlin Super Sport 24
  • Wednesday- 5:45 am Murray Scholls 24 & 7:30pm McLoughlin Super Sport 24
  • Thursday- 5:15pm Adidas
  • Friday- 5:45am Murray Scholls 24
  • Saturday- 7:00am Hollywood 24 & 10:30am McLoughlin Super Sport 24
Hope to see you in class!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

thursday

Last night's play list:
  • Thievery Corporation: One
  • Seal: Crazy
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers: Could You Be Loved
  • Belle & Sebastian: If She Wants Me
  • Broken Bells: The Mall & Misery
  • Frou Frou: Let Go
  • Angus & Julia Stone: Mango Tree
  • Bob Dylan: Knockin' On Heaven's Door
  • Damien Rice: Delicate
  • Groove Armada: Serve Chilled
  • Donna De Lory: Aham Prema
  • Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Last night in class, a woman did her very first headstand away from the wall. She did great, and I was so happy that she shared with me after class that it was her first time. I lightly touched my hands to her feet to let her know I was there if she needed, but she did it all on her own. Yay! I love yoga.

Starting next month, I will be teaching yoga to kids at an after school program for Portland Public Schools. I am very excited and look forward to sharing the experience with you!

Namaste, friends :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

monday

This week's class schedule:
  • Monday- Downtown 24 6:30pm
  • Tuesdsay- McLoughlin 24 5:30pm
  • Wednesday- Murray Scholls 24 5:45am & McLoughlin 24 7:30pm
  • Friday- Murray Scholls 24 5:45am & Downtown 24 5:30pm
  • Saturday- Hollywood 24 7:00am & McLoughlin 24 10:30am
Friday's Playlist:
  • Radiohead- All I Need
  • Radiohead- Reckoner
  • Prince- When Doves Cry
  • The Killers- I've Got Soul But I'm Not A Soldier
  • U2- City of Blinding Lights
  • Taylor Swift- Stay Beautiful
  • Smashing Pumpkins- 1979
  • Pink Floyd- Comfortably Numb
  • Finley Quaye- Dice
  • Mazzy Stay- Into Dust
  • Jai Uttal- Gopala
I love music, and think that there are few things in this world better than a great yoga class with a great playlist to match. If you have any suggestions or requests, please let me know!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

satya

The word of the day is satya. In sanskrit, satya means truth and it is one of the five yamas (observances). Let's talk about this. There's a teenager in my life whom I love dearly but sometimes says some pretty mean and hurtful things followed by, "What? I'm just telling the truth." Sound familiar? Maybe there's a teenager in your life who does the same thing. Or even worse, an adult! Either way, the truth is important, but remember the ahimsa blog? Non-violence, non-harming? These two yamas go hand in hand. We can apply them all over the place in our lives, on the yoga mat and off. Let me give you an example.

Last week, I took a yoga class. I thought I was feeling great, but that first crescent moon pose told me otherwise. My usually very happy and open hips were screaming at me to give them a break. At first, I chose not to listen. I was ignoring my truth, that day being that my hips needed to rest. I was able to let go of my open-hipped ego and skip the hip openers all together. There's an example of ahimsa on the mat. There are days when our heels don't touch the mat in down dog when they normally might. There are days when we can't hold our balance in our usually beloved tree pose. By not judging ourselves and beating ourselves up when things like this happen, we can all practice ahimsa.

At some point or another, we've all likely been guilty of saying something hurtful to another human. While we may have found the statement to be true ("that shirt is ugly!"), we should also consider that if it might hurt someone else, it shouldn't be said. Or perhaps we could word things in a more thoughtful manner. But before we can care about hurting others, we must first care about hurting ourselves. Practicing satya and ahimsa on our mats is the greatest way (in my opinion, for what that's worth) to learn to take those observances out into the world and apply them to our daily lives.

Friday, September 10, 2010

friday

Flow with me this weekend! 
  • Tonight @ 5:30, McLoughlin Super Sport 24
  • Tomorrow morning @ 7:00, Hollywood 24 & 10:30, McLoughlin Super Sport 24
  • Sunday morning @ 8:00, Hollywood 24

Sunday, September 5, 2010

sunday

Next week's class schedule:
Tuesday, 9/7: McLoughlin Super Sport 24 5:30pm
Wednesday, 9/8: Murray Scholls 24 5:45am & McLoughlin Super Sport 24 7:30pm
Friday, 9/10: Murray Scholls 24 5:45am & McLoughlin Super Sport 24 5:30pm
Saturday, 9/11: Hollywood 24 7:00am & McLoughlin Super Sport 10:30am
Sunday, 9/12: Hollywood 24 8:00am

More Crater Lake yoga!

Friday, September 3, 2010

friday

Tonight's play list:
  •  Iron & Wine: Resurrection Fern
  • Angus & Julia Stone: Paper Aeroplane
  • Thievery Corporation: Exilio (Exile)
  • Camera Obscura: Eighties Fan
  • Broken Bells: Trap Doors
  • Beirut: Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
  • The Beatles: Within You Without You
  • Amy Winehouse: Valerie
  • India.Arie: The Heart of the Matter
  • The Chemical Brothers: The State We're In
  • Cass McCombs: Windfall
  • The Decemberists: Clementine
  • The Album Leaf: (unknown)
Today was my last day teaching the 5:30 pm class at McLoughlin Super Sport 24. I'm sad to let this class go, but I look forward to seeing everyone in my other classes.

Warm wishes for a happy and safe holiday weekend, everyone! Namaste.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

thursday


Seeing children practice yoga makes me melt. Look at this adorable little soul practicing a variation of vrksasana at Crater Lake! I LOVE THIS!

While I was practicing pigeon and a few warrior poses with the lovely Susan (pictured below), I heard someone call my name. I turned around and it was Steve, this little guy's dad and also a yogi who practices with me on Wednesday nights. All the way in Crater Lake! How random and cool is that? I've got a photo with him in this same pose, which I will post soon.

By the way, September is National Yoga Month!! 
Yay! A whole month dedicated to all us yogis!
And all us who wish to be yogis!
Take a class.
Take a bunch of classes.
Practice sun salutations in your bedroom.
Just do some yoga!