Looking for words to help define the feelings I was experiencing, this morning, while updating the June Yoga Loft schedule, I googled quotes on change. Not disappointed , I found this from Bruce Barton :
“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change- this is the rhythm of living.”
At the time the Yoga Loft opened in August of 2004, I was the lone name on the schedule . Nance Spence ‘s Soto Zen meditation groups action of joining the Yoga Loft began the first wave of interest. The flow began. Yoga instructor Hoyt Cory’s gift of a jade plant resulted in his staying to teach for a while. Others followed. Newly certified teachers, dancers emerging from their chrysalis and events of dance and movement began to contribute to the studio. The flow coming into the Loft was high until the tide changed. Teachers like Hoyt, Kira, and Carly moved on. My first experiences in editing the schedule to reflect omissions left me feeling sad, alone, afraid and mostly surprised. By the time Christian Damek joined the Yoga Loft in 2006 I had began to understand the ….”Rhythm of living “and trust my connection to the planetary tide flows.
“All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. “
Ellen Glasgow
I still grapple with changes that have not benefited the Loft . Nance Spence’s group continues to leave a void after 4 years at the Loft. I wish that Forrest could have stayed forever. I was bitter when Yoga Level 2 Spring Semester was cut. I was sorry that the Columbia College budget cuts effected Terrie’s Wilderness Women Within group. I continue to be discouraged by the lack of participation that some classes have been met with, despite the enthusiasm, effort and monetary cost put forth by their teachers.
“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. “
Anatole France
Some changes to the Loft’s schedule are exciting. Hoyt who left the Loft in 2005 returned in 2010. Ebb and flow. Darca the only Capoiera teacher in Sonora is pregnant with twins. She’s cancelled her class (temporarily). Susie Lawrence, our Cardio Hula Hoop instructor, in keeping her weekends free, moved her Sunday class to Darca’s spot. Ebb and flow. Christian, earlier this year, took time off to heal from a serious bike accident. Onto our shores was swept Nora, from Ibizia , she graciously covered his classes. Ebb and flow.
Steven Espinoza has left his Friday am spot to teach at Sonora Sports and Fitness, not a great change for the Loft ( great for yoga students at the Fitness Center). Danielle will begin to offer healing Reiki treatments at the Loft, starting June, on Fridays. Ebb and flow. While the Loft will pine the loss of Marguerite’s nia class, I am excited to see what Marguerite will offer next. Ebb and flow, I trust so.
“All things are transient”
My teacher and wise friend Patricia Harrelson
Melancholy, movement, excitement and trusting, these are the emotions pulsating thru my energy channels this morning. Much appreciation to all the teachers who have shared their wisdom, trials and efforts at the Loft over the years. From them I have learned to trust the tides. The June schedule is ready for printing.

Hoyt’s Helpful Hints

Someone once said the mind has two muscles: imagination and memory.  We either live from our past experiences (perceptions and interpretations) or we create new ones.

In our yoga poses we can bring imagination to the mat and create a new relationship to our body’s memories or habits.  We can imagine muscles lengthening and expanding, opening into other muscle groups or structures like two lane highways merging into six lane freeways; we can imagine tension dissolving by spreading it out to make it disappear; or we can imagine our breath filling in the space of a tight muscle like blowing up a balloon.  There are infinite, creative ways to explore this idea.  What’s needed is a desire or intention to be more easeful in our practice, and a focus or attention that penetrates the memory or habit of past interpretations that we label as tension or pain.

We can accomplish this by linking our breath with our awareness to direct both the thoughts and feelings (attention) to the sensations of our experience.  For example, in Janusirshasana (half forward fold or head to knee pose) when the hamstrings register “tight”, we can imagine breathing directly into the tension as if the muscles were our nose or mouth and then see, sense or simply know that the muscles are lengthening and expanding in all directions to release new sensation into the buttocks or the knee, or up into the belly, or out beyond the edges of our skin.

This combination of breath and awareness is the essence of yoga practice; engaging the imagination adds another dimension to create options for being with the memory of habitual associations in the nervous system.  It can also make our practice more personal and empowering, and possibly more fun!

Of course the other way to employ this linking of breath and awareness is to take our attention off the areas that register “tight” and focus on other parts of the body.  Remember, yoga is a “whole body” practice – everything is connected and there are always compensating tensions for the ones you may be experiencing at any given moment.  So let go of the distracting sensations (the hamstrings in our example) and deliberately direct you attention to your eyes or jaw, the shoulders or belly etc.  Each pose will reveal what other muscle groups are involved and you can apply the breath, awareness and imagination to releasing what you find there.  When you return to the presenting tension, you may be surprised how things have shifted.  Take a deep breath into that area now and feel the ease and expansion go deeper into the whole pose.

Give both these ideas a try in your next practice and let me know what you discover.  Make your practice light and fun…imagine!!

“Practice, Practice, Practice……..

and all is coming. ” This is a much cited quote from Sri Pattabhi Jois that has deep resonance for me. I started Yoga simply because it was offered at my gym and I was looking for a group exercise class to replace aerobics while my knee was on ice. Knowledge of the Practice quote , Sri Pattahbhi Jois and all things Yoga came later, as of course Jois predicted. What started as a pursuit of enhanced phsyical fitness became the pursuit of uncovering the spiritual heart .

Physical practice was easy. Naturally athletic and flexible it was easy for me to love the poses. Other elements of the Yoga practice such as breathing and sitting in silence were difficult if not painful . Slow exercises in non judgement self reflection were very new and disquieting to me. Lured by my adeptness in poses I conceded to the other components in class and before I knew what was happening, I was practicing, practicing, practicing….. and things started happening…..all was coming.

From my first Yoga Breath I began to move closer to my authentic self and my life began to improve. I learned to relax, to control my mind fluctuations ( or at least I learned to laugh when my mind diverted me from controling my fluctuations), to be less snippy, to be more helpful, to be more open. To share. To be part of something bigger than me. All was coming. The practice of the physical was my key into the world of Yoga. A huge universe of philosophy, physics, mystics, sages, subtle body, ayurvedic, amazing teachers, places and possibilitys My practice moved from something I did on a mat to something I did in life. From my Yoga practice sprang romance, home, job, community. Gratitude.

Sri Pattahbi Jois describes that the spiritual heart is surrounded by 6 poisons: desire,anger, delusion, greed, envy & sloth. Internal purification comes from posture, breathing and gaze and of course practice, practice practice…

All continues to come.