goodbye to 2008

Another year is coming to a close.
They seem to come more quickly with each passing year.

A big reminder
to live life with loads
of joy, compassion, and love.

Today I'm celebrating my victories
both large and small.

Today I'm reflecting on what I want to release and let go off
and what I hope to manifest in the upcoming year.

Today I'm hoping that I can
move past any fear and regret experienced this year.
Step fully into 2009 with a renewed sense
of magic and wonder.

That's what I'm hoping for myself and hoping for each of you.
May 2009 be the best year yet.

Happy, Happy New Year.

**I'll be away in Mexico Jan. 1-8, spending lots of time on my mat and barefoot. All classes are covered by the yoga lovelies better known as Teresa, Sarah, and Emily. You will be in very good hands.

the questions

The questions and the last couple of weeks. Here goes:

What scared me?
~Yoga schedule confusion. Thank goodness for Emily and ability to be flexible. I was all set to go to Owensboro, when I casually mention to her, "Since you're teaching the Tuesday class before Christmas blah, blah, blah." Turns out dear Emily didn't know she was teaching cause I failed to mention it. But she was more than happy to bail me out so I could go spend time with the Tessandoris for Christmas.

~Yoga studio chaos. My mind is in about a million different places these days and that doesn't seem quite conducive to running a business. I came back from my time away during Christmas and we were out of water, out of change, and nearly out of tp (but not all the way thankfully). The desk is a mess of papers piled, blankets that needed to be neatly folded, and that pesky leak in the corner is back. I'll be happy when I have only one studio to focus on. Please be patient with me. I promise it will be over soon. :-)

~2009 yoga teacher training. My mind...."I need to do this, this, and that. Oh and I've gotta do that too. This will make it special and I can't leave this out." Much material to cover. How does one fit all the goodness in in only six short months?!

~Taking it to a new level. My teaching, the new studio, all of it. It's time. I'm ready, but it's all still a tiny bit scary. I feel like since I've had the studio, I'm always doing things that push me out of my comfort zone. I've realized that once again, I'm stepping away from what feels steady and comfortable and easy. I'm not one to get complacent so I'm looking forward to new challenges. Even if they are scary.

What excited me?
~Appalachia Yoga. This is what I'm SO VERY excited about. I recently got the news that I'll get to lead a yoga teacher training in Hazard, close to my home! It couldn't be more perfect and I couldn't be more thrilled. I've been working closely with a gal in Hazard for months now, doing the research and prep work required for this. Just found out she received a grant. So I'll get to do something that been on my mind and in my heart (and on my vision board) for a while now. Several people in the area will have their training paid for and I'm lucky enough to get paid doing it. So if you know anyone in that area interested, send them my way. This training is the first step towards a BIGger project I've had in mind. I'm keeping mum about it now, but will share at some point. I'll know when it's time.

~We have a date! A date to open the new studio. Saturday, Jan. 17. The first class at the new studio will be at 9:15 a.m.

~You mean I have to leave the house. I've been in my car, running between studios, running to Lowes for supplies, and doing other random things that this week of rest couldn't have come any sooner. Being that it was a holiday, I was forced to rest and take it easy. I only left the Tessandori house three times in nearly six days.

~The fun of Christmas morning. Andy's fam goes all out at Christmas and I must admit that it's quite fun. We have the Christmas Eve pj ritual (where we all get new jammies to wear), lovely eats and drinks, Christmas day movie, and get this.....Santa still comes! We wake early in the morning all get to see what Santa has brought us. It's hard not to believe in the magic of the season at the Tessandori household.

~Candles (thanks Maria & Susan), sweet teacher Christmas cards (thanks Sarah), gifts of books (thanks Jeanne), eats at Panera (thanks Tracy), yoga cd's, (thanks Emily), yummy scents (thanks Diane), good eats (thanks Teresa), homemade cupcakes (thanks Vicki)and so much more! A big thanks to all of you for thinking of me this holiday season. :-)

~Bathing suits at Target. Not because I bought one, or that I necessarily love them. But it reminded me that I'm going to Mexico and that my friends is enough to make me do the happy dance.

What renewed me?
~Little Luke. Mine and Andy's nephew from TX that we don't get to see nearly enough. At 15 months he's full of life, energy and surprises. He's cute and cuddly. A bit mischievous. And oh so loveable.

~Understanding that I can't do it all. And that's ok. Taking note of what I'm good at and what I'm not. Understanding that I can't and shouldn't do it all feels very good. I'm getting better at this.

~Spending time with good friends and family. Even among the busy times I've been fortunate to surround myself with people that make me happy and smiley. That is one big joy of the season. People gathering to celebrate. To exchange gifts and gratitude. To eat too much. Too drink too much. It's a good thing we don't live this way every day (the eating and drinking part). The happy and smiley part, the people gathering part.....we totally need to do every day.

~

be kind to yourself

Be kind to yourself, dear – to our innocent follies. Forget any sounds or touch you knew that did not help you dance. You will come to see that all evolves us.
~ Rumi ~

**A big thanks to Retta for the beautiful new blog header! She's helping me to bring the whole "Fun, Freedom, Flow" idea to life!

looking forward

Looking forward to teaching my class tomorrow.

Looking forward to 2009.

Looking forward to a new years departure to mexico.

Looking forward to yoga teacher training.

Looking forward to the opening of the new studio.

Yes,

Looking forward to lots.

wishing you

a

very

merry

joy-full

peace-full

sweet

and

delight-full

day.

give the gift of health

Give the gift of health and happiness this holiday season! We've been selling lots of starter packages and new student specials for loved ones.

Click here to purchase yours right away!

Too busy to fit in an hour long yoga session at home? Try practicing for a few short minutes to feel refreshed and renewed. You can do the following anywhere....in a car, in between wrapping presents, standing over the stove, or standing in line at the bookstore. Enjoy!

Take a deep inhale and with the exhale, lower your chin towards your chest. Inhale and roll your head to the right, aligning the right ear over the right shoulder. Exhale and drop your chin back towards your chest. Inhale and roll your head over to the left, aligning the left ear over the left shoulder. Exhale and drop the chin back to your chest. Repeat three to five more times, linking the breath with the movement. While your doing these half circles, try to keep your face and shoulders relaxed. Now close your eyes and take five slow deep breaths.

signs

I used to wait for a sign, she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream & an angel in black tights came to me & said, you can start any time now, & then I asked is this a sign? & the angel started laughing & I woke up. Now, I think the whole world is filled with signs, but if there's no laughter, I know they're not for me. ~ Brian Andreas

A lot of people have been asking what inspired the move to the new studio. There were several events that happened and lots of number crunching going on. It all seemed to make sense but I was still hesitant to sign on the dotted line.

Driving to the studio one Saturday morning to teach class, I had expressed to the universe that I was open to guidance and would keep my eyes open for any signs.

I'm sitting at my desk ready to sign the yogis in when in walks a man who had to be no shorter that 6'5.

He was a TALL man.
Very TALL.

And I said to him, "Um I have to apologize now cause I don't think you're gonna be able to reach your arms overhead without hitting the ceiling!"

It immediately dawned on me....my (now) new space has a ceiling that nearly reaches the sky! Then and there I decided to take a risk and sign on the dotted line.

So my angel was not wearing black tights.

He was wearing black yoga shorts and visiting Lexington from Hong Kong. That's been his one and only visit to the studio.

A reminder to keep our eyes open for when the universe decides to wink at us.

today i'm pondering ART

Pretty words that you'll find in this video that I ran across....

~Great ideas come from bike rides
~Plant seeds
~A broken heart can make great art
~Don't care too much

I LOVE this video and can't stop watching! It's leaves me wishing I had more time to romp around taking pictures, make vision boards, collect my stories and those of my family.....glad the new year is just around the corner. Along with a trip to Mexico to take pictures of the sunrise, write big words in the sand, work on some spanish, spend my days with books, and journals, and candles, and chill with the siblings.

Looking forward to pondering art.
What it means.
How to live more "artfully".
How to create it and carve space for it.
What it means to see it, live it and be it.

holiday yoga schedule

We're happy to be running on a modified yoga schedule this holiday season. The two years prior, we have been closed the entire week of Christmas. So with a little help from the yoga elves (also known as the BW yoga teachers) you'll get to experience the joys of yoga during the holiday season. Here is the schedule for next week and the new year:

Sunday, December 21 @ 10:30 Yoga for Stress Relief
Monday, December 22 @ 6:00 Yoga for the Flexibly Challenged
Tuesday, December 23 @ 5:45 Mixed Level 1 & 2 (just for today, normally level 2)
Closed Wed. and Thu.
Saturday, December 27 @ 9:15 am Mixed Level 1 & 2

New Years Eve, Jan. 31 @ noon Express Yoga
Closed New Years Day

Make some time for your yoga during the busy and fun filled holiday season. Take a class, bust out a down dog with the kids, balance in tree pose next to the Christmas tree, and if nothing else, take big deep delicious breaths and remind yourself of all you have to be happy about.

Emily has some great tips on her blog. Check them out here!

the questions

I've had a hard time finding good time to blog over the last couple of weeks so I'm starting a weekly ritual of sorts. Asking myself some questions that will require some thought on my part.

The questions are: What sacred me? What excited me? And what renewed me? All applying to this past week. So here goes......

What scared me?

~Job scares. First a family member that works at Toyota, then Andy got wind of budget cuts statewide for education. Both are good for now. It's just scary and sad when you start feeling the effects of what's going on with the economy. BIG deep breaths for all of us.

~This week was the first time that I got really nervous about the unfolding of the new yoga studio. I kept looking at my planner and counting down the days till the new year which was about the time I had originally planned to open. But when you throw Christmas in there, the new year, and a trip to Mexico....well the days dwindle down really quickly.

A few of you probably noticed it when you asked me about the opening of the new place and there was this hesitation of my part.

It took a good glass of wine and my dear yoga friend Shelli to help me to see the light. So I'm not rushing the process and I'm not going to stress myself out over the holidays and during my trip to Mexico (which is meant to be a reward and a time to chill).

So opening of the new studio.....terribly scary, but more exciting. Which leads us to the next question.

What excited me?
~We started putting the floor down at the studio! Yeah! The same thing that scared me most also excited me the most. Isn't that crazy! Life. We all signed the bare floor for when it's one day famous. Or at least my yoga crush Seane comes and leads a workshop. :-) Now it's starting to "feel" like a yoga studio to me. Thanks to my brother-in-law Harold we got almost half of it finished over Friday and Saturday. He assures me that it will be down by this time next weekend. I've recruited more handy siblings and family members to help. Thank god for good family. Zach really enjoyed sliding on the new floor and playing with his monster truck.

~After coming back from our trip to Nashville I also decided to add an accent wall at the new studio. We already had the walls painted "belgian waffle" so we went back over one wall and now have some "chocolate waffle" on the walls too. Sure it added a bit more work on my (and poor Andy's part) but I'm really lovin' it! You can see it in the pic above.

~I got a couple gifts at the studio this week that was exciting.....thanks Irene for the yummy peppermint bark and thanks to Lucy (one of me sweet private gals) for the beautiful flower on the front desk. Tis the season!

~We also got our first order of long sleeve tees in at the studio. They're super cute with words on the front and logo on the back. Phrases on the front include:
~Spiritual Cowgirl (my fave)
~My Yoga Tribe
~Follow Your Heart (with an outline of a heart instead of the word)
~Fun Freedom Flow (which is what we aim to do at Barefoot Works)

I love teaching a class and looking out and seeing someone sportin' a barefoot works tee. Very exciting for me.

Sizes small through xl are available. The shirts are affordable at $26 (plus tax). If we don't have your size in a particular shirt, let your teacher know and we'll be happy to order it next time.

What renewed me?

~Andy and I took a few hours this week to put a tree and a few decorations up. We didn't go all out like we have in past years, but it was enough to put a smile on my face and get me in the spirit of the holiday.

~This short and sweet blog post from my friend Leigh Ann.

~This video on youtube.

~Sarah taught the most wonderful restorative yoga workshop last week. She is such a great teacher and I'm hearing that more and more often these days. I got to be the helper bee while Sarah taught. It was very rewarding to step back, assist in helping people get cozy in their postures, and to witness Sarah share her gift of yoga and teaching. In between postures I sat in the back, halfway meditating, halfway listening, but mostly just feeling the goodness of the people and the little place known as Barefoot Works.

That's my week! Feel free to play along with the questions on your own blog (or facebook page) and share with me if you do so!

my day

praying

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
~Mary Oliver

This poem is posted on this blog somewhere. I shared it today at the end of class and someone commented on how much they loved it. Thought we all could benefit from reading and sitting with these words.

~I love this pic of Tracy from our yoga retreat to Maya Tulum. Love the setting, love the sun rising, love saluting the sun as it rises. Love how beautiful the practice of yoga is and the sacred-ness of it all. Felt it was very appropriate for the poem.

yoga weekend in nashville

I took the yoga teachers away to Nashville this past weekend to celebrate the holidays and show my appreciation for the great job they do teaching yoga. We left bright and early Friday morning to make it to Nashville in time for a "power hour" yoga class at Sanctuary for Yoga. Tom is one of the owners and he was great. His humor and lighthearted nature made the focus of the class, which was crow and headstand much more doable. And of course we practiced linking the two and moving into and out them. Fun stuff! The wrists certainly got a workout!

After class we browsed Ten Thousand Villages and picked out a handmade tapestry from India that will go in the new studio. I also purchased some soup from the Women's Bean Project that I made last night and it was amazing! We had lunch at a big, beautiful, yummy Whole Foods with Emily's mom and dad (her dad is quite the funny guy) then it was time to make our way to our next yoga class at Kali Yuga Yoga.

Had we not practiced a power hour yoga class just over three hours prior, the gals and myself might have hung in a bit better (at least we told ourselves that ;-). I knew that when we started the class hanging out in down dog for, oh I don't know seven minutes, we were in for it. And not just regular down dog, but all sorts of goodness to go along. This class was about ten times as intense then the power hour class. At times I couldn't help but silently chuckle to myself. OK, maybe a couple times it was a little more than a chuckle, but I'm sure no one heard. Maybe Emily, but that's it! Let's just say that after this class I told the girls that I suddenly felt like my classes are a "cake-walk". Here is Teresa and Sarah moments after the class. Clearly they survived the class. ;-)

We had a great dinner with good eats and drinks, energizing conversation, and many good laughs. Boy did our arms tremble from the class when we raised our wine glasses for a toast. Saturday we went back to Sanctuary for another vinyasa yoga class. Daphne was the teacher and I LOVED her class. It was a level 1 and 2. When she told us we should have come to the level 3 and 4, we laughed and told her we welcomed the less challenging class. I'm not sure our sore, tired bodies could have kept up with another power hour.

We're all back to the studio and teaching now. Sarah taught a sold out restorative yoga workshop on Sunday and Teresa has taught three classes by now. Each of us agree how important it is that we get away to refresh, invigorate, energize and connect to the practice of yoga and each other. It was a very special weekend and we plan to do this a couple times a year.

head & heart

"Your head must bow to your heart"

That's what the label of my ginger yogi tea says, and I agree. I'm learning more about myself the more I ponder, feel, and listen to this heart stuff. I'm even having some cute long sleeve tees made for the studio and one says "Follow Your Heart, but instead of the word heart, it's the outline of a heart. Excited to get those in.

I'm treating the yoga teachers at the studio to a little yoga getaway to Nashville. We're leaving early tomorrow and squeezing in three yoga classes, good eats & treats, and shopping time. We'll swap yoga stories, teaching strategies, speak of a few wishes, and hopes for the new studio and new year. I do love this kinda stuff! We will be having all of our regular scheduled classes so come out sometime this weekend.

Have a lovely weekend. I fully intend to do the same. :-)

PS - Don't forget that the restorative yoga workshop is this Sunday at 1:00! Come out and treat yourself.....

video of new studio!

a day like today

I can't help but chuckle a bit when I think of my day so far. As a small business owner,I usually try to group together certain tasks and different things I have to do. Today I've done such random things. Here's a recap of my day so far:

~Work from home this morning from 8:30 - 12:30. Spent time answering and sending emails and mailing yoga gift certificates. The majority of time was spent reviewing and updating the "yoga techniques" portion of teacher training. Sixty poses in which I have benefits, verbal cues, adjustments, and modifications listed for the teacher trainees. Needless to say at the end my eyes were glazed and I was looking forward to painting at the new studio.
~Went to Lowes to buy more painting tape (I'm thinking I should have stock in this)and spent two hours taping and painting trim. I spend most of my time crouching in a yogic squat (malasana) of sorts. Thankfully, it's a pretty comfortable position. I'm looking forward to a yoga practice to stretch my back though.
~Spend another hour reviewing and paying bills....advertising, insurance, water, website gurus, water peeps, division of revenue, teachers, etc.
~Which brings me to now....Andy is sending me silly text messages. I play along for a minute, then kindly tell him "Um sweetie, some people are still working." His response, "Some people were working before you got out of bed." Fair enough. It's true.
~Now I'm going to tidy up the studio, treat myself to a yoga practice (gotta make time for this), the prepare to teach this evening. I hope to see you here!

Have a delightful evening!