Whee!!

My friend and colleague Jenny, who takes gorgeous photos (go see here) took this pic:


P.S. I asked her to take some photos that I could use for my little website I'm setting up. Plus I've never seen myself do any yoga, y'know.

Star Wars Yoga: The Video

Star Wars Yoga: The Video

Oh Matthew Latkiewicz, you are a kindred spirit! Also, how dorky is it that I ALREADY have "star wars" in my label list?

Busy, busy!

Ack...sorry for not posting lately! Too busy, but feeling somewhat proud of myself for putting together this workshop at Studio Z in less than a week! I'm looking forward to it! What a cool opportunity that just popped up because his mom is a professor here! And I'm kinda getting the bug to arrange more workshops in the future. It's so cool that my friend Jenny has made this space where we can actually have these kinds of workshops!

On the kid news front, M and M took a tae kwon do class Monday night and LOVED it! They want to go back. I'm hoping it's something that will give M4 a bit more confidence. We shall see...

More after this workshop and my May yoga training weekend (this weekend) are done. Lots of family fun coming up in the next few weeks! Can't wait to see everybody Memorial Day weekend!

Spring!

Spring is springing as usual around here, going from this:

To this in the course of a couple days. But that's OK! We'll take it!!
That's a fine-lookin' snow cat, dontcha think?

I had my second weekend of yoga teacher training last weekend, which was again so enjoyable and rejuvenating for me. I need to set aside some scheduled study time, though. Let's just say I'm not good at getting it done at home. I'm enjoying getting to know some of my classmates a bit. It will take time, but it will be fun uncovering their stories over the next months! I'm looking forward to being connected to a wider community of yogi-minded folks around here. And again it is so nice to be able decompress and discuss with Jenn. We see eye to eye on so many areas.

Unfortunately, the yoga weekend was book-ended by barfing children: M4 (starting early) last Friday morning and M3 last night. Poor things! We haven't had any barfing flus for so long around here...literally years...so they were both miserable. They both stopped the upchucking in about 8 or 9 hours, though. M3 had the lucky break of missing school, but for M4 there was no school anyway last Friday. Life is so unfair!

Sorry...

...I haven't posted much lately. It's been a busy few weeks. This is the first weekend that's been "normal" in a month, with all of us home and no major events planned! Yesterday, we all went to see Percy Jackson: The Lightening Thief. It was entertaining, and I liked the mythology aspect. M3 has had the book for a while, but we haven't read it. I think we'll read it now and see how it's different (and, I'm assuming, better) than the movie.

Last weekend I was away at my first yoga teacher training weekend, which was really fantastic! It's all the stuff I wanted to dig into: history, philosophy, anatomy, movement. It will also be nice to connect with a group of regional teachers and like-minded folks. It was a diverse group, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. It's also so nice to be commuting with Jenn...built-in conversation/integration/decompression time! And oh yeah, coffee/gelato/sushi/Co-op time!


Needless to say, there are many of these (see above) hanging around. (Thanks, Mama, for these lovely photos!) This is the first week I've really noticed the birds starting to sing despite the frigid temps. Today it's sunny and at least 30 degrees, and it's making me feel springy!! It doesn't take much at this point!

New class...

First yoga class at the new studio today...and it was a snow storm/late start. Sigh...I did have one person show up, and she does tai chi so after class she showed me some. I am really attracted to it; I love the continuous flowing movement and preciseness of it. Anyway, if you want to see pictures of the new place, you can click on that Studio Z Facebook box to the left...it will take you to the public FB page which has some photos. Yay!

School girl...

I finally bit the bullet and enrolled in a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher 200-hour training program. I equate it to a bachelor's degree of yoga. Right now, I have what could be considered an associate's degree or "an equivalent combination of education, training and experience." So while I'm sure we will cover many things I already know, I'm excited to go back to basics again. I'm excited to go back to school! I'm especially geeking out about all the anatomy we will study. Whee!! And it will be nice to have that little stamp that says I'm legit no matter where I go.

So for a weekend a month for the next nine months, I'll be heading here. The lovely thing is that it's only in Iowa City, an hour away, so I'll be able to commute and come home to kiss the kiddles before they go to sleep. Yippee!!

Star Wars Yoga

I needed a giggle... Here is the full series at Matthew Latkiewicz's blog. Thanks, Jenn, for sending this link to me! It made my day.

Ch ch ch ch changes...

(This is not me...just one of my favorite online inspirations for Step class.) (Also, can you believe I did that?)

It will be strange not teaching. I love teaching! And I think I am good at it. But I needed a break, and I was fed up with the management of our studio. I just needed to step away. I do hope I will go back to teaching movement in some way in the future, whether that is teaching ballet or yoga or maybe fitness again. BUT it will need to be in a place: 1) where I have no investment in the place and can just teach and leave or, 2) where I have more ownership of the place.

I'm a bit worried about falling off the face of the earth into the isolation of being "home" again full-time. But thanks to the support of Mark, my parents, my dear friend and colleague Jenn, my fellow like-minded teachers at the studio, and my wonderful, wonderful students, I think the rough transition will be a bit easier.

I'm looking forward to being FREE! I'll have more time and energy for the kids, the house, other pursuits (knitting anyone?). Or as my friend Helen said to me, "Now that you don't have to teach all those classes, maybe you can REALLY get into good shape!"

Yoga in Chicagoland

(Note: Chicago Bean pics below!)

I haven't posted in a while because I left the other Ms and went to Chicagoland with my friend and fellow yogi, Jenn, to attend the Midwest Yoga Conference. I really didn't know what to expect of it. It turned out to be better and more enriching than I could have imagined!

Even being a yoga teacher, I have the same preconceived notions about the greater world of yoga that many people have: that it is full of overly serious people wrapping their legs around their heads and chanting. Well, my world was pleasantly rocked! Overall, my teachers were down-to-earth and approachable and several of them were funny! They are clearly living in the real world.

I experienced everything from a fast moving class set to all kinds of music (U2 and Marvin Gaye, anyone?) to a class where we held poses until my hips screamed. But I feel like I learned the benefits of these different approaches, and hopefully I can integrate all of this into my own yoga and teaching and life. Most of all, I realized that what is attractive to me about yoga is that it cultivates a quality that I've always valued in the people in my life (that's all of you): thoughtfulness. Thoughtfulness in how we treat other people, of course, but also thoughtfulness about our own approach to life, about the choices we make. Plus, yoga is just frakkin' good for your body!

I'm sure this is more than any of you were interested in knowing!! But a quick plug for one of my favorite presenters, Matt Sanford, Volvo for Life Award. He is a paraplegic who found that yoga connected him back to the paralyzed part of his body, a part that the medical establishment (with good intentions) told him to pretend just wasn't there. So he's started a foundation to improve the overall delivery of health care and to help para- and quadriplegic people live a better life. Check him out.

The other Ms seem to have survived just fine without me! In fact, they lived it up by partyin' all weekend at cookouts, celebrating summer and the beautiful weather! Jenn and I couldn't be in Chicagoland without heading downtown for sushi and fun at Millenium Park. Can you tell I loved the Bean? Chicago rocks...