The Road to Paradise…. September 23, 2009

Maui flora

Well I am back in Maui for the John Friend/Ram Dass workshop on the Bhagavad Gita with my yoga sister  Sjanie McInnis.  We arrived after a long day/night/day to our little cottage in Haiku and spent the afternoon exploring the wonders of Mana foods in Paia and having an evening swim at a local beach as we watched the sun go down. Not bad for day one. Day two started off with the most amazing oatmeal-coconut porridge from Sjanie- inspired by this months Yoga Journal (Oct/09) and taken to a new level of scrumptious by adding cardamom and fresh young ginger.

The deal is Sjanie cooks and I drive- which if you know us is the wisest split of duties you can get. Today I got off light though as Sjanie still cooked but Geordie Milne drove- another friend and yoga teacher from Vancouver. He has been here two weeks already and was desperate to show us all his discoverys on the South-east side of Maui aka the road to Hana.

We began our journey by driving up to Kula and then followed the road- sometimes lack of it- all the way to Hana. I knew some people drove that way but I thought the road had been damaged during the earthquake a few years ago but it was actually in pretty good shape. I recommend a sturdy vehicle and a driver with a sense of mountain driving though. It is not for the faint of heart. Flatlanders be warned!

Our guide and driver Geordie

Laulima Farm om the South-East side of Maui near Hana

Our first stop was the Laulima Farms. this place was incredible. For all of you that are interested in sustainable farming and organic  food this will be an inspiration. We were cheerily greeted by Beth and quickly ordered fresh coffee with coconut milk. The coffee beans are grown and roasted right there along with the coconut milk. It was delicious!! Sjanie bought a key lime popsicle ( $2) which was raw, creamy from coconut milk and to die for. Geordie’s banana bread was pretty darn good too. We wandered through the farm a little but if you meet at the fruit stand at 2pm on Saturdays you can take a guided tour of the kitchen and upper gardens. We stopped to talk to Jenn who worked in the kitchen and she told us about the community lunch she was preparing and it sounded heavenly. It is a kabutz of sorts and everyone there seemed pretty happy to be there. It was inspiring to say the least.

Beth serving us inside the Laulima Farm Fruit stand- awesome food

Sjanie and her raw key lime popsicle~yum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was hot on the hill and we needed a little moisture so our next stop was the O’heo Gulch waterfall pools- known more commonly as the 7 sacred pools. Sjanie and I were in the water so fast. So many people came to see them but we were some of the only ones in the water. Of course the scenery begged for some yoga poses on rocks etc so I have a few here and the ones of Sjanie you will have to look for on her blog.

O'heo Gulch aka 7 sacred pools

Wild thing at the 7 sacred pools

Geordie rockin' Mayurasana

Sjanie and I cooling off- 7 sacred pools

From there we drove a little further down the road and hiked into the Venus pool. Now that was really crazy~ it was salty and buoyant and had a little island in the center.  The rock was so hot I burnt my feet and I couldn’t get into the water fast enough. I could spend the whole day there floating around. Some guys were jumping off cliffs but frankly I am not that brave …or stupid. Great when you are 20 not so great at 40……

The Venus Pool~ amazing swimming area

We had our lunch at the Hana Hotel but missed actual lunch and had pupu’s- snacks and stuff. Expensive but tasty. Sjanie had a great wheat beer with lilikoi in it and I think we may have to go search it out. We drove the rest of the windy road back with a stop in a bamboo forest that reminded me of Crouching Tiger and then set foot right back to our little cottage on the beginning of the Hana Highway. We started at 8:30 that morning and got back at 5:30 so it was a full day but not rushed.

It was so great to see this part of Maui that we had never ventured to. Now that my kids are a little older they can maybe handle the drive and there are some spots that are really unique and worth the effort so I plan to get out there again~ especially for the Laulima Farm coffee and popsicles!

Mercury’s Messed Up Weekend September 15, 2009

It’s official. I have been accepted into the Anusara Certification process. I now have one year to complete a 30 hour written exam and submit a video that passes the certification requirements.  With 550 hours of training behind me in Anusara and almost 3 years as an Anusara Inspired teacher you think I should be ready for this, and I am in many ways, but in others it feels like the whole playing field kinda shifted. I am excited and scared all at the same time.

I had an interesting weekend where I combined my flying with my yoga. unfortunately it didn’t quite go as planned. I had a 24 hour Toronto layover and thought I could maybe get in a yoga class with some of the TO kula while there. My friend Josie Houpt mentioned that Martin Kirk was in town for a Master Class and Anatomy training so I decided that maybe I could catch a small part of that. I phoned to register and pay my money and looked forward to a fun layover. The fact that Mercury was in retrograde didn’t really phase me…then.

I woke at 5am to get ready for work and was heading out the door in full uniform when scheduling called to tell me there was an 1:40 delay. Great. That would make me possibly late for the workshop and I started to stress a little but thought “yeah- I will be fine.” I phone Toronto and made arrangements in case I was late and headed off to work. I was chatting to the agents at the airport when their radio went off. I could clearly hear the words, ” Flight cancelled”. The agents looked at me and I pulled out my phone to call scheduling. They weren’t sure what they were doing with me yet and asked me to call back. The rest of my crew walked by a few minutes later and informed me we were dead heading ( aka going as a passenger) to Toronto now.  That was strange but hey- I was just going with the flow. It ended up only 3 of us made the flight and I sat for 5 hours as a passenger but got to read more Ram Dass and watched Star Trek- which was actually really good! We got in to TO during rush hour and after a long drive to the hotel I quickly changed and had to pay a crazy amount of money to catch a taxi to the venue.

I arrived one hour late and walked into the Master class as they were doing bound parsvakonasana, to bound trikonasana to bird of paradise. Bound poses? You have got to be kidding me! 5 hours in a seat plus 1.5 hours in a cab= no hamstring mobility and stiff shoulders. So without even one down dog or sun salutation, I rolled my mat down and joined the class. I was feeling strange and out of place until the two yogis next to me smiled and said, ” Hi Leanne!” Jenn from London ON now in Toronto and her best friend Elyse. They looked so happy to see me that I just immediately felt better and all my crazy day softened away. We had a rockin’ practice and then a few of us went for dinner and had some great laughs.

We rejoined early the next morning and Martin led us through a really great anatomy workshop. I was only able to do 4 hours of training but what we did cover in that amount of time was in-depth. Martin’s passion for the mechanics of the body is clear, but what I found interesting was that his new roll of parent( Jonathon is 9 months) has made him even more fascinated with how the human form actually manifests and grows. He gave a great talk on embryonics which I loved and it all just seemed to so seamlessly fit into the metaphysics and philosophy of Anusara.

I had a quick bite with Josie and then headed back to my hotel, got changed and rode back to the airport. My colleague and I sat chatting at our gate waiting for our aircraft when they announced a gate change. Ok- no problem. Then I looked at the screen- delayed two hours and a downgrade of the aircraft. So once again the cell phones come out and once again crew scheduling is not sure if we are even leaving. Two thoughts arise ” Crap- I have a yoga workshop I am teaching tomorrow” and ” Well, if I had known I could have stayed for the second part of the workshop with Martin!“. Damn Mercury. At this point I realize I am starting to believe all this Mercury in retrograde nonsense and shoot my mind forward a week to my Japan flight: which is immediately followed by my 6 year olds hula birthday party which is immediately followed by a 3am drive to Seattle to catch a plane to Maui. Double crap.

Well the good news is we did leave finally and I got home too late to review my workshop and too tired to practice early in the morning. I did a few handstands, lunges, down dogs and then headed out the door to Newport Yoga where I arrived on time ( unbelievable after the rest of the weekend) to a lovely bunch of yogis who all learned to balance on their hands or balance better in some cases. After all the craziness it felt so wonderful to just be doing what I truly love- share yoga.

I hope that Mercury has finished messing with me…….

A Summer of Transformation August 31, 2009

I laughed when I read Sjanie McInnis’ blog because I know exactly how she feels. What a crazy, outrageous, glorious summer!  Like the wild fires that burned through the mountains of B.C. all summer, a fire blew through the Anusara Yoga community of B.C. as well.  The fire that raged through the kula was like Shiva’s hand of flame- everything became clear in that light and the fire transformed and tempered what was there before.  We now have 4 teachers in the certification process and over 100 students that have completed an Anusara Immersion. Elissa Gumushel kept the embers burning, Sjanie McInnis and Christine Price Clark  stoked the fire to a warm brilliance,  Todd Inouye  brought our teacher to see our light and I just made sure everyone helds hands and sang Kumbaya…or something like that.  Our Inspired teacher community  now includes Lauren Hanna , Shelley Tomczyk, Brent Kuecker, Trisha Wilson , Bree Greig, Carol Wray, Lara Luer, and  Josie Houpt who is joining us from Toronto. If I neglected to mention someone I apologize~ we are getting so numerous now and new Inspired teachers will be stepping into the light with rapid speed over the next few months.

Sjanie is prepared

 

The event that topped the whole summer off was John Friend’s visit to Vancouver during his Ultimate Freedom Tour. Vancouver hosted a two day weekend workshop and a 3 day therapy training.  To be quite honest I remember very little of the training because I was too busy running around helping. ( warning to those of you that host….) I am not saying that was a bad thing- it was actually the BEST thing. There is a time and place for everything and this training was not about the studying of the technical aspects of the method but of studying the dynamics of the greater community, the kula, and seva. I was especially happy to see so many of my students and friends having such amazing awakenings in the method. My favorite was running in at the last minute to see John drop back my husband into full wheel! Seeing those you love enjoy themselves is better than doing it yourself I swear! We had quite a few emails after the event saying how well it was run and how warm and supportive the Vancouver Kula was. It was good to hear.

Cp and Sjanie

We had a few surprises, twists and turns during the week- the biggest one being Todd’s ruptured appendix! Poor guy!  Christine stepped up to MC  and her sincerity and warmth could be felt by all.  We were all a little worried about the location of the event as John likes lots of natural light . The venue was the performance hall of the Roundhouse Community Center and basically it is a big black void ( I kept calling it the heart of Kali…). If that wasn’t worrisome enough, poor John came in to preview the venue and found a technician with a head wound lying on the floor and an ambulance on the way! Let’s just say… not a good start. 

The Vancouver Puja

Ganesha rockin it out

Thanks to Carol Wray, her husband Lori, and many other hands and feet , the room was transformed a few hours later into a radiant  Indian tent of gold, orange and red with dozens of murtis watching over our practice. It was quite funny to hear Christy Nones- certified teacher from Miami and one of the Anusara tour staff-  come in on Monday and say it was one of the loveliest venues she had seen. Amazing what a little shakti can do!

Carol's magic

 

The training was also my first opportunity to meet Chris Chavez and his wife Ozlem who have been in Vancouver teaching workshops and Immersions at YYoga. Originally from LA, they are now traveling and teaching all over the world. I was immediately struck by Chris’ openness and warmth- he has a soul of extreme generosity and Ozlem is no less beautiful inside and out.  We celebrated Chris’ 39th birthday during the workshop and John did a big spiel about the significance of 39 and I listened with great attention as it is my 39th year as well. Seems like a good year to start certification…..

And on that note Robin Golt will be my mentor teacher for my video during the certification process. Yes folks- I sent in my paperwork. I am hopeful that I will be accepted into the process but I will not assume. There may be areas that John wants me to work on before I go forward and I totally respect that.  Many people have emailed me and asked me, “How do you know when you are ready?” I can now see me asking that question to Christina Sell a few years ago. Her response was,  “Have you ever thought that the process will make you ready?”  I have the hours, I have all the requirements, I have read all the books, but I had that months ago~ what changed? Somehow a sense of natural progression brought me to apply- it was just the next step in the journey. I look at the process as a way to become an even more dedicated student and to learn even more- to go DEEPER. I think that is what Christina was trying to explain to me. It also helps that Sjanie and CP are swimming in the current and yelling “JUMP IN! THE WATER IS GREAT!”

…so here I go ….”SPLOOSH!”

Montreal Intensive Day 3: The Picnic June 26, 2009

Day three happened to fall on St.Jean Baptiste day which is a provincial holiday in Quebec. Illias(sp) from New York via Mexico, suggest that we all bring our lunches and have a picnic on the lawn of Dawson college as most stores would be closed.

Well, what I thought would be just a little sharing turned into the most gorgeous array of food and abundance I have ever seen come together in a short time. We found a group of picnic tables to set up food on and then laid our blankets, mats and shawls around the lawn. We laughed, talked, shared and even played Frisbee. We really were a merry band.

Day three also fell on Gurumayi Chidvilasanada’s birthday. John spent the morning in a really playful and celebratory mood and the Guru principle led our practice through the morning. He said that the Guru is really a tattva- a principle of existence even though it is not on the chart. It is the revelatory power of spirit that is found in every one of us. The teacher’s dharma is to show the student the teacher within them; the students grace (chali-kripa) allows the teacher to take the seat of the teacher. In the practice of sadhana ( spiritual practice), we awaken in relationship. We learn to see the Absolute in others and others show us the Absolute in ourselves. This revelatory power is found in every one of us, even if we don’t believe it.

John told a great story about being very down and after just a short visit from Gurumayi he was completely changed. Those with a high vibration of light can lift the dark from us. We can also learn to do this ourselves. Tantra is a science- it is alchemy- it is the process of turning the impure into gold. We learn to turn negative situations and emotions into positive ones- it is not just a simplistic changing of your mind but it is through skillful means and practice.  When you are going up into backbend number 12 with John, I know he is not joking, and no matter how my body responds, my heart sings with the possibility that this next one might be the big one that changes and illumines everything. Every moment- especially the intense ones- is a gateway. It is a chance to do alchemy.

Alchemy happened. For the first time in my life I rocked up from urdva dhanursana to drop to my knees and then rocked back to urdva. I spent a minute going tick-tock smoothly back and forth laughing- it was so powerful. I realized all my skillful means of doing ustrasanadrop backs ( thanks again SJ) had now prepared me for this pose I had never even tried…or thought I could do. It literally “rocked” my world! (get it? tick tock… rocking…I know – it’s a groaner….)

In the afternoon we went back to basics: what is our vision? How is Anusara yoga different than other hatha yoga systems?

1) We see everything as a manifestation of Spanda. Tantra can literally mean the “loom” on which we weave- it is a philosophy that sees the world as an interconnected tapestry. Nothing is separate- nothing is discarded- it is merely woven back into the new fabric of understanding. We assimilate what has gone before- we do not forget the past- it is useful as a reference for that we chose to emphasise or not emphasise. We serve the present in life enhancing ways and we plan for the future so whatever we do now counts.

2) We use technology, a methodology that aligns with nature that we call the Universal Principles of Alignment.

3) We work in community. We bring everybody up- we are all members of the same orchastra. We celebrate each others success and we have great picnics together.

We ended the afternoon lecture with a very deep question: If the world is supposedly intrinsically good, why do evil things happen? I think that may be a blog unto itself after I do I little more reading that John has suggested.

The afternoon practice finished with giddy laughter trying to think of how many ways we could theme iccha, jnana, kriya and we ended up tying the whole Wizard of Oz to every possible notion. I had the tin man iccha- heart, the scarecrow as Jnana- mind and therefore the Lion as kriya – courage, but John started going on about Oz being the manifested word in all it’s colours and the downward shape of the tornado being in the shape of shakti’s downward pointing triangle and it just got really funny and silly. Ami beside said “Ok- let’s do Starwars now…..” . At least I have lots of themeing ideas for the next little while!

Well, the next time I will see John will be Vancouver in August 2009 and though I will be busy during the event as a volunteer, I hope to blog that training as well.

A bientot! Merci Montreal!

Montreal Anusara Intensive: Day two June 26, 2009

Myself, Lynn from Winnipeg, and Karin from North Van

Learning how to assist more difficult poses

Masa and Primo

A beautiful view from Westmount

The ultimate in Indian takeout…

Good food and company in Montreal

 

 

On day two we dove deep into metaphysics first thing in the morning and discussed the Malas. The malas are like impurities. The dust that covers the mirrors of our hearts. It creates confusion and suffering and yoga is then the means to clean the dust , the malas, away and allow the true heart to shine through. We used the following chart to look at how the malas work.

Top 5 Tattvas                               Malas                                            Elements                               Dosha

Shiva                                                                                                         Sky

Iccha                                              Anava                                              Water                                      Kapha

Jnana                                             Mayiya                                             Fire                                         Pitta

Kriya                                               Karma                                              Air                                          Vata

Shakti                                                                                                        Earth                         

When Iccha ( you also can use the term Sat) gets covered by Anava-mala then our sense of fullness becomes impure. We suddenly feel we are lacking; we feel fragmented.  The natural outcome of anava-mala is to then to increase the water element and increase Kapha which can cause depression.  When Anava-mala is then lifted by polishing the mirror through practice, we feel our natural state of Iccha which is peace. We are full again.

When Jnana ( you can also use Chit) gets covered by Mayiya-mala our sense of connectedness becomes impure. We see difference- we become prejudiced. Mayiya-mala is related to the fire element and when it increases then Pitta increases and we become angry. When Mayiya-mala is lifted we feel love.

When Kriya ( or Ananda) is covered by Karma-mala, then we lose the agency to act- we feel powerless. Kriya is related to Air and when it becomes out of balance then Vata is increased and we experience anxiety. When Karama-mala is lifted we feel joy.

The malas then in some way help move the spanda back and forth between these states of emotions. The yoga practice helps create longer periods in the higher vibrations of peace, love and joy but we all feel the negative emotions sometimes too. It is very natural. What is really amazing about tantra metaphysics is that they have a method to get from the lower, darker, vibrations to the higher ones. We don’t have to stay angry, we don’t have to stay depressed. We can learn to recognize that as part of the spanda and use techniques to help us get back to a more desirable plane of being.

In the afternoon of day two we touched on intention. Intention can be conditional or unconditional . Unconditional is like children at play- why do they do it? Just for the fun of it- it is not dependent on conditions. Conditional is more like ” I do this to be free”: free from pain, free from suffering.  A yoga practice can have either of these intentions. In Anusara, we always make our intention the highest- we desire to be free. Sometimes we just like to play though….

John had some encouragement to give us too about being our unique selves. We have to all find our own unique frequency- how can you make music with one note? At least that’s how I looked at it. It is not a free for all- you are all in the same orchestra but we all play different instruments and our notes blend in harmonies. In a room full of very different practitioners, I could truly appreciate that we all had something unique to offer. The Spanda needs these differences to be able to pulsate. I like that I am part of a group yet unique. As John said, “do not diminish yourselves”.

If Spanda is everything, then even the difficult things that happen in our life are Spanda. If we never had difficulties, most of us would not appreciate the blessings in our life. This is a great lesson from many of the Hindu mythologies such as the Ramayana- do not ask the Absolute to take away your problems- ask the Absolute to give you the strength to deal with them. We learn and grow from the difficulties in our life- they can be wonderful gifts that, when we emerge from them, give us greater awareness. The Spanda is greater sometimes in those really intense situations- if we learn to work with the spanda it can bring us openings faster than ordinary situations.

It was a crazy asana day and I got to do a great demo with John- well it was  great according to everyone that saw it. It’s weird- John just says do and I do. Total trust and back I went into what I think for me ( aka stiff girl) was a pretty deep standing backbend. Maybe someone in the kula has a pic but of course I have none…

We ended the day with a lovely dinner and gathering of the growing Canadian Anusara teachers. It was a wonderful night to share and chat and feel a little more connected to the Eastern side of Canada. There is some really beautiful, bright, spirits in the group and I was blessed to get to know them better.

Arm Balancing Workshop May 27th: Change of Date April 21, 2009

Learning to Fly

Anusara-Inspired Yoga^TM   Workshop

With Leanne Kitteridge

  

                                                                      Come unlock your unlimited potential to soar with this fun and challenging arm balance workshop! Even if you have never arm balanced before, this workshop will teach you techniques to help you start to get off the ground. Best suited to those with a regular yoga practice but beginners are welcome as well.

We have changed the date and time!!!! 

May 27th 7:45 pm to 10pm

Hari Om Yoga, Langley B.C.

HariOmYoga.com

 

 

 

 

 

The Seattle Chickwagon February 25, 2009

For the third year in a row now, we packed up the 7 seater Ford Explorer and headed down to Seattle. This years group included Lauren Hannah Roegele from Live Yoga, Sarah Plantenius from Tofino Yoga, Carol Wray from Live Yoga, Sjanie McInnis from Yaletown YYoga, Trisha Wilson from YYoga and Yoga Pod and Laurie Inouye from Yoga Pod. All of us are Anusara Inspired teachers so there was a whole lot of yoga geeking and general shakti mayhem whirling around- it was heaven. The funniest part of the drive was crossing the border. When the border guard asked about why we were going down etc and I showed him the paper work for the conference. He said, “$150 bucks for yoga? Where is this guy from that’s teaching?” We respond together in the chickwagon, “Texas!” The border guard looked at us and said straight up,  ”Texas??? I think you all are getting ripped off- have a nice day.” Hilarious!

Our normal house we rent was not available so we had to rent a new one- great view on the lake but we are all now convinced it’s haunted so next year we will have to find new haunts! Hahahaha. Yes- that was bad. I think I will have to be faster with the house next year and get back our old place.

We made it down to Seattle in great time and grabbed dinner near Pike Place market at a cool Thai place Buddha Belltown. With dishes like Succulent Swimming Rama and Pulsating Noodles (which were excellent…) how could you go wrong? The funny thing was we were heading for another restaurant and this one just called to us on the path. Love when that happens! We made to the very cold and slightly creepy house and stayed up way too late and talked of course about yoga. We actually talked a great deal about certification because we are all heading that way some day. After calculating my hours,  I realized that I really should hop on the full path to certification. The idea of taking a vacation to write my 30 hour exam doesn’t thrill me but I figure they can mail it to me in Maui and I can rent the cottage there and delve in deep study for ten days. If I get stuck I can always traipse across the ravine to Ram Dass’ house and, under the guise of borrowing a cup of sugar, ask a few questions! Sjanie has bit the bullet, so to speak, so I figure I might as well too- I like having a study buddy and a hand to hold in the labyrinth of mystery we call certification. Not having a certified teacher in Vancouver does make the process a little bit more shrouded.

I started Saturday with John by plopping  my mat right beside him. That would have terrified me a few years ago but I know I am flawed and need work and who better to call you on it than the source. The theme of the weekend was Maha Shivaratri- the “Great Night of Shiva or I guess “Great Shiva’s Night”. It is one of the major Hindu holidays and it is the 13th moon of the year when the moon is a fine sliver of light and has an almost purple cast to it. That last sliver of a moon before no moon is known as a Shiva moon but the one that happens in February is the darkest one. Hindus who worship Shiva will chant “Om namah Shivaya” all though the day and night in Shiva temples throughout India while bathing the statues in the temple with water and milk.

Om Namah Shivaya is one of the grat mantras- a maha-mantra- and though it is translated literally as ” I bow to Shiva” it can also mean ” I bow to myself”. Shiva is the light of our own consciousness, that which illuminates the darkness which we often dwell in. When we chant ” Om Namah Shivaya” we are saying I bow to the light within me that brings me from the dark ( ignorance) into the light (revelation of our true Divine nature).  The significance of Maha Shivaratri is that the moon is at it’s waning- just that last flicker before we are plunged into darkness. Shiva plays his role as destroyer in that last flicker as what once was will never be again and something new is created as the dark suddenly pulses back to light. John had a good description of a black hole sucking everything in – even the dark itself-  and suddenly on the other side imploding into a new star.

As we practiced on this very auspicious day and chanted and mediated we put our greatest wishes into our prayers.  The  13th moon, with Shiva’s power to transform from dark to light,  takes that wishes and magnifies it a thousand fold. I had to think very carefully about where I wanted to put my thoughts that weekend so I could harness some of that power. We did a really great practice with a potpourri of poses and my backbends felt great though my once broken hamstring decided to get achy. It’s like an annoying relative that comes to visit at the most inopportune times. (“HI! I ‘m, Baaaa-ck!” Oh just go away- I don’t have time for you. ) The afternoon practice was much more of the same and it felt good to not feel freaked out about what poses might come up. We all commented at lunch that the poses were not as challenging as past years but one of our group said, ” John must be looking around the room and teaching to the group- might not be strong enough to go deeper.” He confirmed that observation the next day when John said he couldn’t take us to the next pose until 50% of us had our head off the floor in dwi pada dhanurasa. Adam Ballenger was the certified teacher assisting John this year and he had a really sweet vibe to him and a deep and yet humble practice. He has an amazing story.

 Lauren, with her lovely baby belly,  couldn’t do a lot of the deep poses she usually can so for a few poses she just watched all of us. She was more excited than me I think when she noted how much my backbends had opened. In her words my dwi pada “rocked!” She figures practicing next to Sjanie is good for me!

We had a quick dinner together at a funky place in Ballard called the Root table Restaurant- Thai fusion tapas- and then headed back for Kirtan with Shantala , Gina Sala and Steve Gorn. We were lucky to have them musically accompany us all day during practice but being able to chant kirtan was an even better way to celebrate the music. It was a great way to end the day….but then we got home and even though we were so very,very tired we still talked until late.

The next morning we were up and out early had a great backbending break through morning- ( ie. head resting in arch of foot with both hands on foot ekapada rajakopatasana….) and then had an adventureous time during the break when we headed to Fremont and caught the Fremont market. Sarah was in heaven! Filling our bags at the PCC ( think Whole Foods) we wondered the market finding wonderful treats such as raw local honey and home-made hummus and babaganoush that is the best I have ever tasted. The young Israeli couple doing the cooking were fab and I really wanted to give them a plug in my blog. Go seek them out- so worth it! I bought six bags of my favorite tortilla chips and poor Lauren had them all around her feet in the car on the drive home! We also found the Theo chocolate factory in Fremont and tasted some of the wickedest chocolate ever. I recommend the Coconut curry chocolate bar- not because it was so good but just because it was so totally weird! My husband couldn’t stand it but I was strangely entranced by the flavour combo. Laurie was crazy about the Chai Tea bar. They give tours with lots of samples for about $6 so check it out.

We finished the afternoon with one of the most powerful practices. I don’t know what got into us but it was like Kali- Goddess of destruction – Shiva’s consort in this waning period- seemed to come out. I was doing backbend dropbacks like it was nothing and Sjanie channeled the Goddess and pulled out the most amazing Durvasana’s I have ever seen. She was right in front of John and she just killed it! She was one of maybe four people in the room that could do it. I was so desperate to capture the moment I made her hold it for a whole extra minute. We were screaming our heads off like teenagers. You would have sworn we had all done it we were so ecstatic. It was a great moment.

We said our goodbyes to our friends from around the Anusara community and then packed back into the chickwagon minus Trisha who left to continue studying with Desiree that same week. We had groceries, yoga books, new yoga clothing and yoga music to bring home- I have no idea how we and all our stuff fit. Sjanie thinks it’s Shakti.

It was a great weekend, and though seeing John is always a blast and a blessing, hanging with my yoga girlfriends is really the sweetness of a delicious workshop.

Om Namah Shivaya~

Free Anusara Inspired Class Feb.25 February 12, 2009

There has Never Been Anything False About Hope November 8, 2008

“We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics…they will only grow louder and more dissonant ……….. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.”

                                                                                                          – Barack Obama 2008

 

My mom and I held back tears as we listened to Barack Obama’s acceptance speech this week. My mother is 77. White, European decent, raised Roman Catholic. My father was white, European decent, raised Anglican. Unlike so many of their generation, for all their other faults, they detested racism.

My mother, through her own Roman Catholic upbringing in Northern Ontario, was told she was not to associate with “those” people. Blacks? Indians? No…………. Protestants. She distinctly remembers being told told not to play with “those” children. Even as a child, she found she questioned and disagreed with why people had to have labels that caused separation. My father was raised in rural Manitoba to an English child immigrant and his Scottish war bride. His neighbours were new Eastern European immigrants to Canada- referred to by most in the area by derogatory terms like “hunkies”,  ”pollacks” and “bohunks“. My Grandfather would lash out at his children if he heard those terms and would remind them that they were their neighbours and friends, and such slurs would not be tolerated. It didn’t surprise me many years later to learn that my Grandfather’s good friend in WWI was a black man from the British West Indies. My dad took his father’s teachings to heart and I never heard a racial slur ever come out of his mouth.  My mother and father’s marriage was never condoned by my mother’s parents because my father was judged by his creed not his character. Such was the household I was raised in.

My mom used to tell me to look at the person- not their colour. She told me that it doesn’t matter what religion you are as long as you are a good person- and that being religious didn’t necessarily make you a good person.  I think I know when someone is good- you can see it in their eyes- there is a light there that is beyond adequate description. 

 What do you see when you look at a person? Do you see the colour of their skin, the make of their clothes, their sexual orientation, or do you see the light that shines in their eyes? We all have a light- for some it shines more brightly than others. Those with hope- their light shines so luminous that we actually say “you can see the hope in their eyes”.

Have you ever seen someone with no hope? Their light is so dim- almost on the point of extinguishing. The light that shines in our eyes is a reflection of a greater light that shines in all of us- it is the light of knowing that we are all connected. When we are alone it is hard to have hope- we cannot see the light that shines within ourselves. We feel alone even when we are not- when people have separated us by race, colour, sex and creed; when others have pushed us to the point where we no longer feel we are connected.

Can you look at someone with little hope and see the light in them? Can you make yourself a mirror to that person so they can once again see their light? Can you see what connects you rather than what separates you?

I am not an American, but what has happened this week is a raising of the consciousness of not just one nation. One by one, people have joined in community to seek what connects them and to create a larger and larger mirror for all those, that are still feeling disenfranchised and alone, to see the light within them.

This light is Grace, this light connects all of us, and this light shines independant of circumstance- it is truth and goodness beyond the material world. Just like hope.  

niralambaya tejase

Bye Bye Kansai! October 16, 2008

Well, that’s it. Osaka is over. Air Canada decided to cancel the route as of October 23rd and I finished my last flight there on the 12th. My flying life will now radically change and therefore the rest of my life will have to adapt. This is not a prospect I look forward to but I don’t dread it as badly as I had feared. I have used the looming changes to really savour my current blessings and to let them go as gently as possible.

When I first heard about the cancellation of the route, and then the impending layoff of 600 flight attendants, I felt sick to my stomach but I made a decision to just enjoy my last few trips as much as possible and to let the future take care of itself- it was out of my control. As I have said in past blogs, I believe that everything happens for a reason. One door shuts another door opens. Unfortunately, most of us are so busy still pounding on the door that shut behind us, we don’t notice the new one that opened.

One of the Yamas- or restraints- of yogic philosophy is aparigraha- non-clinging or non-possessiveness. It has been interpreted to mean an absence of greed, an abstinence from materialism among other things. I have thought of it as beyond just clinging to material things, but to things that naturally change in our lives. We become so set in our routines and what we think is our “right” that when anything upsets that, we become panicky and fearful. (I mean… I could start speaking on the current economic situations in the world and you would have a ten page diatribe on how we got there because we cannot practice aparigraha but I will leave that to the yogic economists out there…)   I chose instead to embrace the present and look for the new door when this one closed.

What an amazing last few trips it was! I think I gained 10 pounds from all the food I ate. I visited all my favorite establishments that I had come to know over the last twelve years and dined on gourmet noodles, sticky rice sweets, excellent sake and of course my wonderful coffee. I took small gifts of chocolates and cookies to all the shop keepers who called me a “regular”. The Japanese are serious about how they define their customers- being called a regular was an honour usually reserved for local Japanese- not for a foreignor that popped in once or twice a month. Many of them gave me little gifts back- a bottle of homemade soy sauce, a little trinket for my bag. It was sad and wonderful all at the same time.

I was happy to be able to mix my yoga practice into the ritual of saying goodbye because as my door on Kansai closed, it was just opening for my friend Mark. Mark has relocated from San Francisco to Kyoto as the newest teacher at Studio Yoggy. Mark and I met back in June in Yokohama and fast became friends. His Japanese is progressing at an astounding rate and he is doing most of his class in Japanese. This is no small feat in Anusara where we mix philosphy into the physical practice.

Mark moved to Japan just before my last two flights so I decided to catch a couple of his classes during layover. The first layover Mark was teaching in Osaka. “Nice and close”, I thought. Well….            

Mark was teaching at a studio location that I had never been to but I received good directions ( I thought) from the hotel and headed out early to his class- withalittle pit stop for coffee along the way! When I reached the station near the studio I again asked for clarification on the directions and off I went walking…and walking…and walking…until I came upon the next train station. I started to panic just a little as I spun my map around and around to line it up with the streets around me. This was not looking good. I then headed back to the main intersection and started to walk again until I came upon a shop keeper opening up for the morning. I asked about the location I was trying to get to and he shook his head and pointed back to the station that I had originally come from…1/2  a mile away. I looked at my watch and realized I had just 12 minutes to make it to Mark’s class. My heart sunk. All this way just to be late- how frustrating. I started to walk and being jet lagged and a little emotional I started to tear up a little bit. I never get lost in Japan! Why today? I looked at my watch – 8 minutes to go. I decided that if I didn’t make it to class that I would find the studio eventually and that maybe Mark and I could have lunch at least. I started chanting “Om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya..” and slowed down my frantic mind and just thought, “Go withyourinstinct.” My instinct told me I was on the wrong side of the station originally so to walk back up the opposite side. Three minutes later the whole map appeared in solid form before me – landmarks and all- voila- the studio. I ran in with5 minutes to spare and quickly rattled off to the bemused desk clerk my being lost …and late… and so sorry …and is Mark here?.. and where is the change room?.. and where do I pay?…and she looked at me with downcast eyes. “Mark-sensei wa imasen..Mark is not here.” WHAT? Shoot. Did I screw up the times? Maybe he was sick or something. As my mind played with scenarios the clerk continued, “Mark sensei wa mayochatta…Mark is lost.”

Come on. Was this seriously happening? Both of us lost? I jokingly told her that if Mark didn’t show up I could teach. The next thing I knew they handed me the phone to talk to one of the managers , my friend Tomoko, and I was asked to teach if Mark didn’t show up in 10 minutes. Talk about a strange morning. Well ten minutes later I started my impromptu  yoga class, withno prep, and 30 minutes later a very flustered Mark came into the studio. The poor guy- in ten years of teaching he had never once been late- he was beside himself. All ended well. I was payed back for my class fee- given a free class for the next week in Kyoto and payed for teaching the class as well! Mark even bought me lunch and we had a good laugh over how the universe likes to mess with you just to keep you on your toes!

The last trip to Osaka was the best- the most satisfying in so many ways. I started out with a late arrival into Osaka and ran in full uniform to my favorite massage place. They had been wondering where I was ( I don’t make an appointment in case of flight delays) and had just enough time to book me for what I call heaven- an hour and a half aromatherapy oil massage. As you can see from the pictures they are tiny but man are they powerful- it’s like they hone in on all the painful tight places. Like I said heaven- in a sadistic kind of way.

Panekea Hands Massage- the best!

Early morning in front of Osaka Station

Textures of a culture

Morning cleaning of the Yakusaka Shrine

The traditional way to clean

The modern way to clean

Lantern along the canal- Kawaramachi- Kyoto

Kamo river kyoto

Yakasaka Shrine- Heian period

Path behind Yakasaka Shrine

Yakasaka Shrine- Kyoto

Stone Kannon near Kodai-ji

Prayer wheels

Wandering the streets of Higashiyama-”teapot alley”

The veranda of Kiyomizu Temple

Mark getting us into bakasana

Me and Aki

Better face- worse pose

Tim, myself and Mark

Last autumn treat in Osaka

Zensai- sweet red bean soup with chestnuts and sweet rice dumplings

The Japanese Language Crew- Miho, Me and Miwa

Me and the tail of our 767-300- Kansai Airport

I woke up early the next morning to hop the train to Kyoto. The sun was shining so bright and it was slightly cool- just enough to tell your senses that it was becoming fall. I arrived in Kyoto to start my morning walk up Higashiyama- the same place I spent time in last New Year. The weather was perfect and the sun was becoming warmer as I climbed through the meandering streets. I took in every colour, every texture, every scent as I weaved further up the mountain. I stopped in front of a door way just to admire the simplicity and the textures that were contained in no more than 4 feet. A stone road led to a cobbled brick shoulder to a wooden ramp to another stone step upon which sat a bonsai in blue and white ceramic . Two wooden half circles supported the bowl and in behind was a wrapping of straw and framing the whole vignette was a slatted wooden door. So simple, so natural and yet so rich. It completely entranced me.

Textures of a culture

I climbed higher and higher to finally come to my favorite temple, Kiyomizu. Like a grand wooden tree house it seems to float on the mountain side. I came into the main part of the temple to pray and noticed my dragon fountain was out of order but was curious as to what seemed to be a special event going on. I asked one of the Japanese volunteers what was going on and he explained that the image of the Kannonwhich is housed inside the Hondo or main hall-  was open to public viewing today. She would only be open until November then again in March and then they would close the doors on her sacred container to not be opened again for 25 years.  It was the most magnificent hall- lit very softly along the sides. There must have been 50 statues of different gods and demons that protect the Kannon and all around them were hundreds of candles. Similar to lighting candles in church , in Japan you also light candles for those you wish to help or protect. The candles had paper wrapped around the bottom and you could purchase one, write your blessing on the paper and then light it and place it all around the figures in the shrine. Unfortunately due to the age of the relics no pictures are allowed so you will just have to go there yourself! I would suggest this November or next March as 25 years is a bit of a wait….

I wandered back down the mountain to make my way to Mark’s yoga class in Kyoto. He was very punctual and had prepared a wonderful class. Tim, a mutual friend that I had also met in June, was also there so that was a treat. My only regret is that if I had continued that route I could have taken more classes from Mark- I learned so much from him in even that short time. Aki, another teacher who I met last year in Japan, was also there and we rocked out astavakrasana in front of the amazing studio wall. She laughed and agreed that the studio was quintessential Kyoto ” Kyoto-poi“. I felt so blessed to see old friends and have them, and my yoga, as part of my last day.

Tim, myself and Mark

I went home with my fantastic crew and I felt deeply satisfied with how I chose to say goodbye. In Japanese when you are completely full, nothing more can be added to the experience you say ” dai-manzoku“. It really couldn’t have been better and now I am looking for the next door. Bye bye Kansai!