I just finished teaching my first yoga class to the inmates at the women’s jail in SLO county. Are they really called inmates, I wonder? I feel so humbled and blessed! How did I even find this life changing practice called yoga? I don’t know what they did to bring them to the jail, but I do feel that yoga can help everyone in some way, shape, or form. I’m thankful they were willing to practice with me. I asked, what are you hoping to get out of this class, and their answers were simple, mostly to de-stress and stretch. I wondered if they were only attending because it’s something different in their days, they shrugged and it didn’t seem like it. This photo isn’t from me today, but pretty inspiring!

I thought we should start class seated and connecting to the breath, but hell, I needed to move a little to get my teaching grove on. Sitting cross-legged on the floor was pretty uncomfortable for most of them. One women showed me her knee and I can’t say I’ve seen a knee scar with bones sticking out like that before. I noticed another crying a little after Let it Be played by the Beatles. I wondered if they’d be resistant to me assisting or touching them, and they weren’t. As I touched them it was pretty amazing to notice the deepening of breath and of the stretches themselves. I noticed another with her face crinkled throughout the entire class. It seemed like she was having some intense feelings and it showed on her face. I think she was crying a bit too at the end. I was surprised by the young, intelligent faces, and the older, painful ones as well. I ended up teaching a lot less poses than I thought I would, and holding them a bit longer. I walked around and barely held any poses myself. I had to remind them to close their eyes and breathe constantly, but it definitely seemed to help shift their energy. Their was a big difference before and after class. Before class I couldn’t hear their breath, they kept looking around at each other. After class, they were breathing deeply on their own and savasana seemed extra sweet.

Their was a sense of lightness in the class. They cracked jokes and laughed when they couldn’t do something which was fine by me. I had to physically help them get into postures quite a bit. They asked if I was a flexible pretzel and I said not really, but I am much more flexible than I once was. I pointed out that there is always someone more flexible, strong, prettier,…than all of us, that we have to be ok with ourselves where we are today, and try to not take that personally. They were so grateful afterwards. I am going to print what I taught and bring it to the next class in hopes that they’ll be able to do a little on their own.

What an experience. It left me feeling so blessed, honored, and respectful of these women. I’m so blessed that life dealt me the hand it’s dealt me, and that when it has been challenging, I’ve found a way to turn those lemons into lemonade. Much of life is our choices, but much of it seems to be luck of the draw. And what about that secret beast, Karma? It seems to me the only way to create change is to become aware of karma, and try to put the positive energy out there, somehow, even when life seems to be feeding us the negative.

I’ll probably write this up more formally, but the following is what we did today. Next time I might teach the “max” ladies. That means maximum security. We agreed they would like to move more, and I’m ready to bring some sweaty vinyasa next time!

A Simple Class for the Ladies
Cross-legged forward fold, forward, and to the side
Cat-cow
Ragdoll
Mountain
Standing forward fold
Hands & knees to Cobra
Childs pose
Bridge x2
Seated single legged forward fold
Both legs forward
Legs wide
Butterfly
Savasana

PS. Image is from http://www.amanuddinfoundation.org/yoga-jail-bamyan.html.

Is it already that time of year again? My how time flies when you’re having fun. Actually, you don’t even need to be having fun, it just marches on and on either way. We are all on the accelerating time train.  Grab your bags, it’s not that long of a trip!

Some things to ponder before the holiday parties take over: What are you grateful for in your life? How do you express your gratitude and ensure you are paying it forward? How can you make your holidays a little more about that which is really important, and less about shopping and over-committing in our lives?

My top 5 grateful list today:

• Amazing food. The fact that I usually get to eat whatever tasty food I’m in the mood for, whenever I want it.  I’m serious.  I’m on day 9 of a 14 day cleanse of eating vegan & eating only kitcheree.  Cheese almost brings tears to my eyes at this point.  How many people have such plentiful choices of what they eat?
• SLO. I get to live in this great place with such great people.  How did I find this little slice of paradise?  How did I get so blessed to be surrounded by such great people?  So thankful for all of you!
• My mom. She taught me how to work hard, amongst many other things, but right now, the ability and desire to work hard strikes me as special.
• Yoga. Like you didn’t see that coming.  I’m so thankful I found yoga.  It has taught me how to live a better life and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
• Smiling Dog. Mindbody.  Grad school. Undergrad. Rouge.  All those life experiences that have taught me so much.  It’s true that sometimes we need struggle to really learn.  I am thankful that my struggles have made me who I am.

And about the cleanse.  Luckily, I am past the crazy, “I just want to lick that pumpkin pie”, phase. This is my 3rd time doing a cleanse like this, I try to do one every fall and spring.  No matter how strange and intense the experience is, I always feel grateful for it.  It’s so interesting to notice how attached to food we can be, my tendencies toward salty, heavy foods during stress, the little signs of unhealthiness that can go unnoticed.  Click here to read about my cleanse notes, books, resources.  xxxoxoxoxox.

Isn’t everyone challenged in at least one of these three areas at some point in their lives? I suppose not everyone, but I wonder. What a neat little challenge package this provides. Watch out for money, sex, or power, they’re like the boogy man hiding around your next curve! This cycle of life I am challenged by time. I am moving. I am trying to change my career a bit. I am trying to practice yoga for reals yo, rather than acting like those five minutes before I pass out on my couch count as meditation. Balance is elusive sometimes. But change is good. And money, sex, and power are sneaky little devils that may be behind your next freak out or fearful moment indirectly. Watch it. And maybe add ego to that list.

Ziggy Marley said it best, the only thing that lasts is Love. (He is in in this months issue of Yoga Journal). I will keep that in mind.  Toodles for now bloggerini peeps. I miss you.

This Busters on his iPhone talking to his friends,
Picking up some cayenne pepper for his master cleanse.
You’re the most annoying dude I’ve ever SEEN brah…
Could you PLEASE move? You’re RIGHT in front of the Quinoa.

Damn, I’m about to check out.
Pay my 80 bucks for 6 things and get the heck out.
The express lane is moving hella slow…
Man, these fools don’t know… that shit is getting REAL….

What really surprised me most was how much the practice of yoga is really just taking the space to attune with the reality of the human drama, your own human drama. The last few weeks I have found myself a tad bit grumpy. I didn’t want to work, be social, cook for myself, let alone practice yoga and stick with my meditation. Then I got sick, and all I could do was sleep and watch my favorite teenage drama (which I shall not name). Maybe some of you felt this way. I know some of you have. But for some reason, knowing my nearest and dearest felt the winter forces as well didn’t help me release it, accept it, or like it. I think I was even wallowing in it. Yet, on this call today, when we were in our smaller groups being encouraged to share what’s up in our lives with complete strangers, hearing Sheevs say she has felt it too, I had a complete shift. Maybe it was the anonymity, maybe it was just my time to let my inner Oscar The Grouch go, but listening to other people be honest in this way, allowing myself to be vulnerable with these strangers, seemed to melt the funk off of me.

I wonder how much of the worlds problems could be released if we could just be there for each other in this way more often? Why did I need Sheevs to open this door for me? I wonder how many people dealing with depression, funky, grumpy, loneliness, insecurity, discomfort could just let it go if a random person smiled at them and said, share it my friend, let it go. In case you’re curious, that’s what a yoga teacher training is like. It’s like group therapy, with lots of yoga, sharing, talking, and it’s not annoying at all, it’s wonderful! Ahhhh, I’m getting so touchy, feely, softy in my old age. I’ve been away from Detroit too long.

Sheevs ended the call saying that feeling the shadow forces, self negating, holding us back kind of funk despite this joyous time of year is normal. The ritual of Christmas, the Yule Log/Candle, Santa Claus, Gift Giving, Feasting, all of it is part of the process of letting go of the dark and finding the space, joy, peace, and light with your closest friends and family. We were invited to create a solstice ritual of our own to connect with this auspicious time of year, which has me totally intrigued. Here are some tips if you are intrigued as well.  I have always wanted to try 108 namaskars (sun salutations, i.e. a whole lot of yoga), maybe this is my time?

• Start at sunrise, noon, sunset, or moonrise
• Offer your ritual practice, be it meditation, chanting, movement, yoga, hiking, cycling, or fire poi
• Offer an intention
• Practice 9, 18, 27, 54 or a full japa 108 prostrations or namaskars

Ha!  I love it!  I found this website with some fun little inspirational yoga tidbits.

I participated in yet another awesome yoga workshop at Smiling Dog Yoga with Kira Ryder who has a studio in Ojai, California called Lulu Bhanda’s.  I had just returned from traveling and was super sleepy and lethargic and it was THE MOST PERFECT solution to my travel woes.  My favorite tidbits…

• She said that people who are cronic teeth clenchers should do lots of lunges.  A great one is known as “thigh torture.”  My students definitely know and love it, it’s great for runners and cyclists, but she did a new variation I really liked.  I will try to come back and document with photos, but it’s when you take your shin up a wall, with your knee on the floor or a blanket and your shin going up so your foot is near your hip.  She had us sink into a deep lunge while in this position which hurt oh so good.  Usually I do this trying to get my hips to the wall, then my shoulders.
• Kira has a lovely soul.  You can tell she has spent a lot of time just being on her yoga mat and learning about herself.  She is one of those teachers who teaches from her heart and experience.  The more yoga I do the more I realize that these are the best teachers.
• She spotted me into a drop back backbend (where you go from standing back into the backbend with no wall or laying on the floor)!  She made it so I felt it in my body for the first time which was so exciting.  I have been playing with walking down the wall for a while and it was fun to try something a little scary.  There is just a point where you have to let go of your legs and just fall onto your hands.
• I also loved doing big toe hold after intense backbending.
• She challenged me, yet didn’t kick my ass.  It was nice to be reminded that yoga (and probably all things in life) can be challenging in a slower, loving way.  I wonder where the concept of challenge became intermingled with painful, ass kicking, dramatic in my brain.  I think it is my practice in life to learn learn that less is more and that I am still taking good care of myself even if I don’t hurt myself in yoga class and can walk the next day.  I don’t have to do 50 poses to have a solid yoga class, nor do I have to make my classes so ass kicking power yoga like, flinging our bodies through so many sun salutations but never really feeling the energy the way I did in her class.  I don’t have to cry or hurt to have breakthroughs.  I have been reminded that there is a reason the tortoise beat the hare.

In the article the author admitted “I don’t really feel sadness or rage or much of anything.  It just feels normal.  For people my age and younger growing up in the Detroit area meant growing up with a constant reminder that the best ended long ago.  Our parents could mourn what it used to be and tell us stories about the wonderful downtown department stores and the heyday of muscle cars and Motown.  Bur for us, those stories are pure fable.”

The lack of the author’s connection to his home town, his apathy, made me think he sounds like a spoiled little brat. I may not know what it was like when my grandma took the bus downtown with her mother to spend a day shopping at Hudson’s, but I feel her when she talks about it. I’ve heard about Motown. Listen to those songs, how can you not feel something? Rosa Parks? Every old person has stories about the hey days, but what kind of people are we when we can’t relate to their stories in some way? It’s amazing to me that 90% of my immediate family was born and raised within a few square miles of Detroit, right near the original houses my ancestors lived in after they arrived from Germany. That kind of history creates culture and soul, no matter what happens to the factories, landscapes, and jaded youth who get more and more violent and pissed off. We had Bobolo Island. I feel comfortable in those streets, driving by deserted Fort Wayne on the way to Canada. I have my memories too and never felt like the best had ended long ago. I actually feel blessed to have grown up there and experienced a youth that wasn’t so freaking sterile that I can’t think outside of myself.

I want to know where the conversation is asking how we can prevent such decay and despair in our urban centers. Are we really this disposable? Because we are letting cities of people die a long, slow, depressing death and not giving too much of a crap to stop it. Maybe it’s industrialized societies turn?