The last two weeks have been maybe the most exciting of my career. I went from a local yoga teacher to a name published in every major newspaper in the country. It's been fun and there are lots of good lessons within this story.
I won't rewrite what I wrote for Yoganonymous (http://www.yoganonymous.com/alice-van-ness-fb-yoga-teacher-turn-off-your-phone-and-turn-on-your-life/), I'll just tell you about this translates to you and your yoga practice.
I usually have an "Anusara like" theme for class. Since Anusara fell apart earlier this year I have been more relaxed about this theme having a heart quality and always connecting to the Universal Principals of Alignment. It's really great when all those things come together, but lately I feel like the yoga practice speaks for itself. How does a hot class make you feel, a restorative slow class, a class full of back bends?
So the last two week's themes was really simple: standing up for yourself. One week we explored ALL of the standing poses. Well not literally all, but all the big ones. Class included lots of lunges, sun salutations, warrior 1, 2 and 3, side angle, tree pose.... you get the idea. This practice is both grounding and makes you feel strong, but it can really tire you. Yoga is hard, I'm always really clear with my students. You have chosen a path of resistance.
Then the next week we came at this idea from a different angle: Before you can stand up for yourself one must know what to stand up for. We explored a quieter practice, starting with Supta Padangusthasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/483) and lots of hip openers. On Saturday we started with restorative poses.
If we can learn to be quiet and just sit and listen inside the truth of what we really want will come up. There is a time to let things go and there is a time to make your voice heard. It's always about balance.
Namaste,
Alice
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