Winter is here!

"december is a holy month. maybe it is the dark, silky silence that descends so early that speaks to me of reverence. maybe it is the promise that december holds -- that no matter how dark, how cold, how empty it can get, the light is coming back. something always shifts in me when december arrives -- i embrace the darkness, and am eager for the coming solstice when the whole world is still and holds its breath, waiting to be reborn again." ~ meg casey

I just had a discussion with a fellow teacher, Veronica Armstrong, on how we are okay with staying in, and the cancellation of plans at times. It gives us time to reflect. Especially during this weather, it is a time to bundle. Bundle our thoughts and dreams around us to prepare for action when Spring arrives. This is the time to slow down, calm down, and find stillness. During this cold weather, many of us want to hibernate-  and that is okay...

Shortly after my chat with  Veronica, I received the following e-mail from Say Om Yoga Austin. They could not have said it better...

'as the winter solstice approaches this is the time to relax into the darkness and trust that the light is quickly approaching, taking time to set intention for what we would like to emerge. using the practices of yoga, conscious dance, and creative expression process, we will explore the darkness that exists inside and around us at this time, reflecting the organic rhythm of nature and the hope for rebirth.

the sanskrit word bhavana means “to call into existence through deep connection to feeling and experience”. bhavana in motion™: the practice is a tapestry of three principal elements ~ tantra yoga, conscious dance, and creative expression, interwoven with shamanic ritual, meditation, breath, and the whisperings of deep silence. each experience is unique, anchoring into a theme and sequence of elements that change shape each time we practice. we learn to trust our bodies’ organic wisdom and feel our way into what is possible when the rhythms of our bodies and minds are in alignment with our hearts’ desire, the clarity of truth, and the earth that nourishes us. we then explore how we can take this practice into life.'

How it all got started for me

In the beginning...

So I get this question quite frequently and my best advice would be to define your own yoga practice before teaching. And a lot of times, what happens is that you will find yourself in a place of sharing your practice, or teaching, without really making the effort or fully realizing that you have endeavored on such a thing. And take as many classes as possible. As many different styles, from as many different instructors. You will find that what might be right for someone else won't be the right choice for you and vice versa. Also- this constantly changes. When I first started yoga- I was soooo anti-power. I was very traditional, hatha. All about the meditation. Looking back, I see how closed off I was and the only one suffering was me. And today- While I still meditate, and have my strong roots in Hatha, I also love the power, I am very attracted to the mixture of Eastern philosophy meeting Western 'fitness' (for lack of a better word with that). I really enjoy Baron Baptiste school of thought, or way of thinking- he says we all should 'be of power'. 

 

 

Next, my second point of advice would come from my 10th grade teacher, Mrs. Mooney, who always said "The best educated man is the SELF educated man." Do your OWN Studying, Reading, and Research !!!! Find out on your own the Sanskrit (ancient language of yoga) names and anatomy and so forth! I can not tell you how many classes I have gone to where the names of poses are completely made up, or just WRONG all together. I feel embarrassed for all yoga instructors everywhere when this I witness this. I understand it is one thing to make an honest mistake for a pose or two- but why change all the ancient, traditional names that have had that name for freaking ever?!?! but I'll save this rant for another blog, ha...

 

So How did I get my start as teaching yoga for my career choice and dream job come true?

I was first introduced to yoga when I was 13 from my aunt who actually teaches yoga in Los Angeles to people with MS (awesome group of people to target for yoga, right? I love it!). But that was not my turn on. Doing 'lion face' with my family on all fours when I was already a shy, low-self esteemed teenager wasn't exactly the ideal way for me to spend my afternoon. But I was interested. I thought it was pretty cool- but I was still somehow (unfortunately) too cool to develop my own practice and discipline at that time. After that, my mother did something I will always be grateful for- she signed me up for a yoga class at Tyler Junior College's West campus. So my mom and I started doing a few classes together under the instruction of Julie Rainwater-- whom is a very cool lady. Julie has a super great way of being a little whacky and fun, while maintaining this 'in control, cool, calm and collected' energy about her. Within the past year I emailed her thanking her for classes that she did, because she had a way of making me feel comfortable while holding my body in positions that I were extremely silly, at least at the time, to my teenager mind.

So a few years passed, where I still never found a discipline within my yoga...

And then I met the beautiful Shannon Davis.

Now let me tell you, there is no one like this wonderful person. As soon as I met her- my soul jumped! She is so full of life, energy and beauty, you can not help but to smile when you are around this girl! She just brightens your day. And she happened to be one of the best yoga instructors I have had the pleasure of knowing and being a student under. And when she decided to move out of Tyler, she had asked me to take over her classes at a very small studio in little old Troop, TX. So, at that time, just to get my foot in the door and have something- I took an online course for $100 certification (you can literally get anything from the interwebs) to start teaching. After a few months of experience, I then found myself teaching at Woodcreek, and World's gym in Tyler. I then decided to continue my yoga education and earned my certification from YogaFit. Which was a great way to continue the education, meet some like minded people, but it ended after one day. And I was thirsty for more. So I continued to search out what I wanted from my education with yoga. At this point, I had been teaching at Windhorse Yoga Studio in Tyler and really enjoyed the new sense of strong structure and soft energy that these women I was around seemed to cultivate. I was very fortunate to meet Michelle Thomason and Patty Kirkpatrick. I looked up to both of them, and had learned more about the woman I was becoming and wanted to be by being around them. I am sorry to say that I had lacked some maturity at this point in my life (I was 21), and am sincerely apologetic for not being more grateful of this studio and these people that were in my life at this time...

I then packed up my stuff and my dog and we hit the road for San Marvelous, Texas. Before the move, I was invited to be apart of the Group Fitness Team at Texas State University. After about a year, I became head of the yoga department. Some of my students became some of my closest friends. Brittany Flurry is someone whom I am very grateful decided to come to my yoga class, because it was the key for our paths to cross and our friendship to blossom. And she happens to be one of the very most talented people I have had the privilege of knowing. It's kinda funny, cause before college I had set a rule for myself that I wouldn't develop friendships with my students- and that was SO crazy/dumb! I'm really happy my students know me outside of the studio- and know that I am a REAL person. I make mistakes, I like to have fun. I discovered that I can't be someone else on the mat/in the studio and someone different when I go out with friends. Take your yoga with you. Be a yogi. Not just someone who does yoga...

 

I graduated college, and decided to go to

INDIA.

And I am quite sure India will be a post on itself. I discovered a whole new world. And a whole new me. It was difficult, beautiful, and very crazy. I was in India for six weeks, lived in an ashram In the end I received my 200 hour certification...

 

To be Continued...

 

  

let's talk about YOGA, baby.

Namaste! After practicing yoga for over a decade and teaching/sharing my passion and practice for 7 of those years- I have finally decided to blog about this wonderful thing in my life! Now, I am not by any means a natural 'blogger' or writer- so you might have to bear with me as we do this together (if you are still reading this, I guess we are together on this). I have many people via social networking ask me constantly about different yoga questions- so I figured I would just start to direct them here! Think of this as your personal yoga FAQ, or just a place to see what I'm up to with my yoga practice and teachings... Welcome!