instructing from within

Good Tuesday to you. I hope you are feeling good in your body and breath this morning. I just returned from an epic road trip to Oklahoma City for a wedding. With a nine month old babe and all! Shew. Glad to be home. I am attempting to get back in the groove with both family and work, with ease and joy. So far so good!

 

This morning I'm gathering my notes, resources, thoughts, and books as I refine my teachings for a retreat I'm co-leading next weekend in Asheville (pssst, there is still one or two spots open, details here. )

I wanted to share with you this poem by Mark Nepo that I'll be sharing::

The Appointment

What if, on the first sunny day,

on your way to work, a colorful bird

sweeps in front of you down a

street you've never heard of.

You might pause and smile,

a sweet beginning to your day.

Or you might step into that street

and realize there are many ways to work.

You might sense the bird knows something

you don't and wander after.

You might hesitate when the bird

turns down an alley. For now

there is tension: Is what the

bird knows worth being late?

You might go another block or two,

thinking you can have it both ways.

But soon you arrive at the edge

of all your plans.

The bird circles back for you 

and you must decide which 

appointment you were

born to keep.

The poem illustrates the beauty of listening, the power in following our intuition, and the possibilities that exist when we allows ourselves to follow those possibilities.

Yoga is a beautiful tool that helps us grow our capacity to listen. We listen to the teacher and ultimately we listen to our instructions coming from within. Free of right and wrong, good and bad, we move forward in each pose, listening within, following our breath, until we choose when and where to stop in each pose.

Isn't that amazing?

Speaking of amazing. I'm so happy those two yoginis are teaming up to lead our very first Yoga + Wine event this Friday from 6:00 - 8:00. Pre-regisration is required. You're coming, right? Register here!

a conscious pause & recommitting to yourself

   

It's July. Which means two things:: We are deep into Summer and officially halfway into 2014. Can you believe it?

For those of you who attend my classes, you are familiar with the "conscious pause" we take throughout class. It's a beautiful, brief moment in which we hit the pause button and take notice of the body, breath, and tone of the mind. An opportunity to reconnect to an intention and get curious about any changes we need to make as we move deeper into the class.

I think July is a perfect moment for a "conscious pause" in the flow of our year. In January we set intentions (or hopes or goals) for our year. For many of us, come July, we have forgotten them. The shininess of the new year has long faded and many find themselves just "getting through the day."

I am a lover, a believer, in the beautiful power of the yoga practice. The practice on and off the yoga mat.

Since my very first time on the mat I've known this was a practice that I wanted to last a lifetime.  In order to sustain my practice and use it as a tool to thrive in my life, I pause at times to reflect on where I am with my practice, asking questions and making changes as needed (and there have been many changes these days considering I am a mama to a busy nine month old).

Questions like these help me to refine my practice as needed. You might want to grab your journal or a piece of paper and ask yourself::

1. Is my current yoga practice, serving me in the ways I most need for this day, this season of my life?

2. What has changed in my life and do I need to make changes in my practice as a result?

3. What is the heart of my practice right now? What has the most meaning?

4. What changes do I need to make in my practice? 

5. What is one small change I can start today?

For some of us, we need structure, some support to create change (which is just one of many reasons why I love coaching). In the spirit of that, I would like to extend an offer to you......

We offer a monthly unlimited "auto renew" yoga package at the treehouse. If you've either::

A. Fallen off the yoga wagon and want to get back on

B. Are ready to more deeply commit to yourself (and your yoga practice) by coming to yoga at least twice a week......

And want to more consciously, more strategically move onward into the rest of the year then I'm offering a free coaching session for those of you who sign up by July 15 for the monthly unlimited auto renew package at the treehouse.

We can do this 45 minute {yoga-minded} coaching session any time over the next six months. This can be beneficial in a number of ways. We can::

** {Re}design a yoga practice that nourishes you from the inside out. 

**Identify what helps you feel most healthy and happy and craft a self care practice that fits your needs (and your schedule).

**Map out what needs to happen to end your year on a delicious high note.

**Create an intention for the remaining year that inspires you AND identify ways to infuse your days with appreciation and joy. 

These are just a few ideas about the ways you could use your free coaching session. Of course, you might have your own ideas!

So if you're ready, willing, and excited (and maybe a bit nervous too) to sign on for the monthly unlimited yoga package ($70 a month) then send me an email and we'll get it arranged for you. Then we can schedule your coaching session. Yesyesyes! 

So exciting....