tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24141927083073461832023-11-15T23:44:34.288-08:00108 BlogsDebbie Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04378628557290777457noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2414192708307346183.post-76144310366636623832018-04-07T13:46:00.001-07:002018-04-07T13:46:21.325-07:00Find the Warrior in You<br />
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April 5, 2018</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I turned 65. WooHoo! I didn’t think I would make it, as my
mother didn’t. This is the age we baby boomers associate with retirement. It’s
another coming of age. I am Medicare eligible and accepted. Yay! It’s an age of
exploring new territory, physically, mentally and emotionally.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also made a 3,000 mile move across the country, from a
house, a city, and friends of 30 years. Another adventure! WooHoo again!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some people saw this move as brave, even courageous. I don’t
know, it was just time. I was complete with where I was and ready for something
new. I couldn’t have done it so easily without my good friend driving across
country beside me, as my emotions were raw then, as I was tired and stressed. I
couldn’t have done it as well without the help of my daughter, who ensured a place
to live and work that was already lined up. I couldn’t have done it so easily
if I hadn’t visited this town a couple times a year for the last 15 years, so I
knew people and places. There was a sense of familiarity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But all of this can be disarming, to some, to me. Before I
left VA as I was ridding myself of many years of keeping things, I burned my journals.
As I tossed them into the fire I would occasionally see a word, a drawing, a
poem, or something I tore out to keep, as a last memento. I read about and
didn’t keep my words saying I did not like competition because it made me feel
inadequate. Wow! How many times have we not ventured to do something because we
don’t feel competent at it so why try? How often have we not ventured out the
box of our comfort zone to explore something unfamiliar? <o:p></o:p></div>
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My good friend from Virginia also said to me that I liked to
do the things I wanted to do. Well, yes, because those are the things I feel competent
at, and not so much maybe things some other people suggest. I am also reminded
of being in many art classes where some of us feel very intimidated by the
professionalism, or expertise, of others in the class. We compare ourselves and
come up short and lacking. I personally look at an empty canvass and want what
I put down to be “perfect”. How hard are we on ourselves and dismissive of our
own abilities and capabilities?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember after I had
been teaching yoga for many years, a fellow student and yoga friend invited me
to a meditation group. I thought about it for about half a second and firmly
decided I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go to such a meeting because what if I didn’t
know what to do, or how to meditate correctly? I would not meet the expectations
of the group. I wouldn’t be accepted. I wouldn’t be able to do the very thing
that was proffered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I am working on my insecurities. I am trying to do new,
and old things, that I don’t feel very competent at. This idea of competition
reminds me of yoga. Because we don’t compete in yoga. We don’t compare
ourselves to the yogi on the next mat. We don’t try to be the first, the
fastest, the one who can hold the pose the longest. We don’t attempt to show
off and be the most flexible, or the strongest, or the most balanced. We may
try to show up in those ways, but it is discouraged. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What I am struck with is how many people say they cannot
attend a yoga class because they don’t know yoga and they don’t know what to
do. That’s the insecurity I was experiencing, about not trying something new.
It’s just about being confident enough to say, I can do whatever they’re doing,
or something similar at least. We come to the mat to practice Warriors, especially
Warrior 1 because that pose is about feeling confident, about being a warrior
in our lives. We practice being a warrior so we can go out in the world and be
brave and do anything. We can walk up to a stranger and say hi. We can help out
a person we don’t know, or even one we do, if it stretches our limits. We can
climb a mountain, take a trip, sew a pillow, whatever is our dream.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I invite us all to think about where we can be a warrior,
where we can open ourselves up to new things, where we can be confident and living,
as well as loving. I invite you to come to the yoga mat, and check it out. Take
a trip toward yourself for your benefit and the benefit of all those beings
around you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><b>If Dr. Seuss was a Yogi</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Hello, good morning, today is the day <br />
That you start your life in a totally new way.<br />
With yoga you practice from a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bed or a
chair.<br />
You do it with company or on a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dare.<br />
You can balance on your hands or on your feet.<br />
You can even try it on the stre</i>et.<br /><i>
Where you are is where you start<br />
You need a body and a lot of heart.<br />
But most important is that you try it today.<br />
We’ll help you get started. Namaste.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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--from <i>Fearless after Fifty: How to Thrive with Grace, Grit
and Yoga</i> by Desiree Rumbaugh and Michelle Marchildon<o:p></o:p></div>
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I honor you. Namaste<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Debbie Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04378628557290777457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2414192708307346183.post-80808600649939143712017-12-29T16:54:00.001-08:002017-12-29T16:57:45.905-08:00Yoga for the older student<div class="MsoNormal">
So I was asked by a student to address what to do as an
older yoga practitioner. As many of us are 60 plus, I thought I might speak to
this issue.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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First, do not hurt yourself. Pain is the body’s signal that
you should stop! Go to that place where you can feel an effort in your muscles
and in your mind. But don’t strain or work so you cannot catch your breath. Do
not work to the point of feeling intense sensation that stays in one place.
With yoga practice we breathe and hold postures to the degree that we feel
muscles stretching, relaxing or working in a curve, where the sensations shift.
If a posture is not serving your body well, ask your teacher for a modification
or alternative. It’s okay, that’s what the teacher is there for, and someone
else in the class may appreciate the response!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t compare or compete with others, not even yourself. Again,
this is standard yoga protocol. As we age we tend to let go of trying to better
someone else. We also remember how flexible or strong we used to be. So maybe
use that as a carrot in front of you to strive for doing more than you can currently
do. I am taking a core strengthening class with my daughter, Jen. I am fully aware
that I am the oldest, and the weakest in the class. My goal is to continue to
work, not overdo, and enjoy and appreciate the benefits of increasing strength
that I receive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Practice shorter holdings of the postures, with more
repetitions. Again, not to overdo, but remember that your muscles appreciate
repetition. In yoga we move slowly and hold postures for the muscles to work,
to strengthen or relax. So stay in a standing squat-<i>Utkatasana</i>-for 3-5 breaths. Come out of the pose and then repeat. Squatting
is a great exercise to continue to practice as we age. Balancing postures are
also very important, mainly for focus of the mind. Remember it’s perfectly
acceptable to come out of a pose before other students do or when the teacher
says.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do work on your joints. Feel free to rotate and circle with
your joints, like ankles, hips, shoulders, wrists, but not your neck, please.
Don’t circle with your neck like an owl, but allow your head to go down to your
chest and make half circles, like grins across your chest from one shoulder to
the other. Moving joints increases
synovial fluid around them, which lubricates the joints and makes them happier.
Be mindful of pain in joints, because that is not what you want. With our aging
ailments you may want to ice or take an Alleve to help your yoga practice be
more effective and pleasurable. Drink plenty of water before and after yoga practice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t be afraid to use props. This is not a sign of weakness,
but rather a good choice. Using props, like a wedge for your hands in downward
facing dog, or a folded blanket under your hip in pigeon may be the difference
between being able to practice the pose or not. If you don’t know what to do,
ask the instructor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Above all else, don’t give up. Keep moving! And keep
practicing yoga!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know this may sound like all the usual yoga “rules”, and
they are, but maybe as we mature we can actually listen to the rules!<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Namaste</div>
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See you on the mat!<br />
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Debbie Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04378628557290777457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2414192708307346183.post-37375820617830672282017-03-19T12:50:00.003-07:002017-03-19T13:00:30.228-07:00Finding a yoga teacher<div class="MsoNormal">
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A yoga student thought I was retiring. Not yet, my dear
yogis and yoginis. You don’t get rid of me that easily! And even when I do
retire, I will continue to teach yoga as it is my passion and my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That brings us to a yoga lesson: be here now. This student
was worrying and thinking about the future. Yoga teaches us to be present, in
the moment. Let go of worry and fear. In the present we experience happiness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This brings to mind the question: what do we look for in a
teacher? A yogi friend was recently at training and shared with me how she did
not enjoy the teacher. Oh, horrors! We go away on retreat or for training and
we don’t like the teacher! That inhibits the learning process for sure. It also
makes us reach for the positives. This particular student noted the teacher’s ego
- that it was all about him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also had a horrible training once with a teacher who was
so insecure that she could not allow any of the students, who were all seasoned
yoga teachers with experience galore, ask questions, or more importantly answer
questions and share all their knowledge. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I had teachers come to my studio on Franklin Road , back in
the day, who refused to listen to what a student was telling them about their
bodies and why they could not practice a particular pose. The teachers instead
instructed the student(s) to do what they were telling them to do. Another visiting teacher once told me that a
student was wrong when I reported what the student had said about how they were
treated in a class which I did not attend. This student had a particular injury
that she was nursing and felt like the instructor was not hearing her. The teacher
clung to her ego and insistence that what she did was correct and that the student
was in the wrong. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you see where I am going here? All of those teachers are
ones I do NOT want to take classes with or receive yoga training from, or have
my students exposed to. The ones who came to teach at The Yoga Center were not
invited back to teach there again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The examples listed above are traits and ways of being with students
that I do not care for. What is important is to identify your <i>own</i> needs when seeking a yoga teacher or
class. I will enumerate some traits I think are important in a teacher and ones
that you should look for. <o:p></o:p></div>
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1) A teacher who is pleasant and cheerful to work with. Why
would I want to be with a teacher who is a grump? A good teacher can roll with
the flow of life, and may have some less cheerful days, but on the whole seems
truly happy to be in front of the class and sharing what he or she knows about
yoga. I love yoga. I want to take classes from a teacher who also loves it and
enjoys teaching it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2) A teacher who respects students’ boundaries, as well as
what the student(s) says and knows about his or her own body. You are really
the only one who knows how you feel, or what illness or injuries you have sustained.
When you share that with your yoga teacher, that information, as well as your
person, deserves to be respected. A good teacher encourages students while acknowledging
their limitations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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3) A teacher who is supportive, not degrading. I so enjoyed being
with Baron Baptiste. He was fun, funny and spiritual. He was not how I thought
he would be. And he was so grateful to be with us as students. I do not care
for the teacher who puts me down or criticizes my posture or my body. That kind
of behavior is not acceptable, nor does one recover easily from it. An art teacher once laughed at my work (which was not intended to be funny) and it took me about 10 years to venture into the art world again. Donna Farhi,
in her book <i>Bringing Yoga</i> <i>to Life</i>, says that we unconsciously look
for teachers who support our own self-image and talk. The teacher who berates
you may be mirroring the violence you dish out to yourself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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4) A teacher who is encouraging and takes you places you may
not have ventured before—who takes you to places you didn’t think you were
capable of. I was overwhelmed when I went to a Power class with Baron Baptiste at
Kripalu. We were handed towels as we entered the classroom and we needed them!
We worked so hard, I sweat so much, my glasses slid down my face. AND, I
practiced postures I never thought I could because he warmed us up properly and
led us in a supportive way to get where we were going. He believed in our
skills, as well as his own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5) A teacher who offers more than is expected. A lovely
training I had with Judith Lasater included some information about Nonviolent
communication as well as being present in the moment. She talked a bit about these
2 things, while incorporating them into the topic of the training and
demonstrated what she was talking about. Loved her!<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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6) A teacher who is observant of her students and their bodies,
and who knows how to help them modify and how to take them farther in a posture
and in the journey. I like a teacher who checks in about injuries or simply even
how I am feeling today. Again, I want to know the teacher has something other
than her or his own ego showing up at the class.<o:p></o:p></div>
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7) A teacher whose ego isn’t the most important thing. It’s
not about the teacher, it’s about the student(s). Again, I have been to too many
classes where it was all about the teacher, and hearing him or herself talk, or
even watch themselves demonstrate postures. <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">L</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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8) You may also appreciate a teacher who is respectful of
your time, and generous with her or his own time and person. I have asked some teachers
questions after a class, and they just basically sent me on my way, without
taking time to answer me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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9) I also appreciate a yoga teacher who promotes yoga and
its teachings, without promoting her or himself. I have had teachers who were
all about themselves. Really? I coulda stayed at home and done my own practice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once a student questioned why I didn’t wear yoga pants when
I taught class. And why I didn’t practice with the class. I remember the first
time I attended a yoga class and the teacher walked around and did not
demonstrate or practice with us, but instead led us through the practice with
his voice. I was surprised, but got over it and enjoyed the practice. Rolf Gates didn’t dress like a yoga teacher,
and was one of the best I have practiced with. He demonstrated one pose because
he could see we were all a bit confused. He was tuned in to the students.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe you need to see someone doing a pose. Perhaps you like
hands on assists, or don’t want anyone touching you. You should be able to make
this clear to the teacher and have your wishes respected.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What about the level of the class? Does the teacher speak to
your needs? At the beach I attended a class labeled Gentle and beginner. The time
suited my vacation “schedule” and so I went. The student next to me was a
beginner, older and a man. Needless to say we were not the same person, nor did
we have the same needs or abilities. The teacher was really good, though, as
she was able to attend to the beginner mind as well as give space for
additional holding or postures which served me well. In fact, I simply just
held some of the poses longer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of us appreciate a routine, and keeping things the
same. If that is what you need, look for a teacher who offers that style.
Integral, Bikram and Ashtanga styles all offer the same set of postures, in the
same order each practice. Or if you like to mix it up, seek that in a teacher
or class. Kripalu is an example of each class not being the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Is there a deal breaker for you? Is there a
quality you don’t want in a yoga teacher or something you absolutely have to
have? Check in with yourself to see what you need. Then find a teacher and find
a </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">class. Trust your instincts. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Got enough ideas? Really and truly, it comes down to whether
or not you resonate with a particular teacher. We are all different and have different
needs and respond to different styles of yoga and different styles of teaching. I remember the yoga joke: 2 students left a class and one proclaimed: “That was the best yoga class ever. The teacher talked the entire class!” The other student countered with: “That was the worst class ever! The teacher talked the entire class!” Find what makes you feel good, happy, and complete.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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As one of my favorite chiropractors said to me one time when
I was shopping for a new one: “I don’t care if you come to me or not, but
please do get some help!” I support you
in practicing yoga, in your way, with the style or teacher you enjoy. Please do
practice yoga!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bottom line: Find the teacher and class that help promote
what you want to receive from practicing yoga. It’s your body, your life. May
you find ease in your body, peace in your mind and compassion in your heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Namaste<o:p></o:p></div>
Debbie Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04378628557290777457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2414192708307346183.post-33833984218734652202017-01-02T05:33:00.000-08:002017-01-02T05:36:08.753-08:00End of the year reflection, or how yoga has helped me<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhji6LP1d_V4FOtzW6xS9uuLbPS7sI47ReNLwGZZCyuE8dbOqBHOwU7_SUplFqWHdAMjSQS1gJFUAIHWZhAZ4C8jVOpJTWMHD-HfL4HAFeu9MfwcKehuFDTrWnool_L35wqJFNVIqSTUAMI/s1600/google+photos+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhji6LP1d_V4FOtzW6xS9uuLbPS7sI47ReNLwGZZCyuE8dbOqBHOwU7_SUplFqWHdAMjSQS1gJFUAIHWZhAZ4C8jVOpJTWMHD-HfL4HAFeu9MfwcKehuFDTrWnool_L35wqJFNVIqSTUAMI/s320/google+photos+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a difficult year…of changes, transitions and
losses. My yoga practice has both failed me and sustained me. Change has been
inevitable. Suffering was not a viable option.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A yoga student shared that it took her a year to be able to
write about an event, as it had so great an impact on her. When she was able to
write I imagine it was cathartic, a letting go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One day I made a U-turn on Grandin Road. This is a metaphor
for my life. After that I learned that I would no longer have the space at
CoLab, on Grandin Road, available to me after the end of June. Maybe I should
be more discriminating when it comes to making U-turns! But I do it when there
are no other cars coming and I have room to make it in one turn. So I believe I
do it safely and cautiously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So in my life I have made a U-turn. I am back to where I
began, almost, but not completely the same. I am teaching yoga like almost 30
years ago, at different locations, and as an adjunct to the rest of my work. It
no longer serves me to have a studio, especially when there are many fine accessible
ones in this town and its surrounds. My energy is not up to the struggle of
locating and leasing a space, nor managing teachers other than this one! Other employment is what puts the gas in the
car and food on the table, so I am back. I have returned to that place where I can say
that I can teach yoga and give myself to it instead of trying to run it as a
business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past year and a half I have counted several losses,
including the loss of the space above Grace’s Restaurant, my grand dog, Mary Jane, a friendly relationship that dwindled away
over the last couple years, my 9 year old cat, Tia, who was my heart, and my
likely 100 year old maple tree. And then there were the procedures and surgeries.
Grieving has not been easy, and yet it has been. Thankfully I have been able to
be with family more than usual this year, and my old and new friends have
stepped up to the plate to comfort me through these times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I stayed away from the mat because I didn’t want to feel. I
didn’t want to break down. I didn’t want to tap into what’s inside because I knew
it would be real and it would be painful. And yoga always brings me to what’s
truly going on. That depth was scary to me. I could not take the pain of
finding my insides open and exposed to me. So my yoga practice failed me because
I didn’t do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But when I found myself frustrated or sad, or even confused,
when I remembered my yoga practice, all became clear. My yoga practice has
helped me physically: my ankle and hip ailments subside. My yoga practice
helped heal my heart and its wounds. My yoga practice helped me remember my
mission to help, not hinder, others. Yoga reminds me to breathe into the
moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">and there was a new
voice</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">which you slowly</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">recognized as your own,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">that kept you company</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">as you strode deeper and deeper</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">into the world,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">determined to do</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">the only thing you could do–</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">determined to save</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">the only life you could save.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">from Mary Oliver, poem:
<i>The Journey</i> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A reminder from Mary Oliver’s poem that the journey isn’t an
easy one. We need to keep coming back to it. We go off the path and we find our
way back. May we all find our way back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s no going back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">where I came from<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is only now and where I am now</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Namaste</span></span></div>
Debbie Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04378628557290777457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2414192708307346183.post-89020721122544831012016-01-25T07:11:00.003-08:002017-03-19T12:55:48.486-07:00Snow Daze<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A clean white blanket</i><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
A clean white blanket of snow<br />
A clean white blanket of snow covers<br />
A clean white blanket of snow covers everything<br />
A clean white blanket of snow covers everything outside my windows</i></div>
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3 days. 3 days of quiet while the snow fell for 2 days and
the sun came out for one. 3 days of being sequestered inside. In the quiet. Birds
flew and landed on tree branches. Squirrels ran up and down tree trunks. All as
usual. But with no sound. All was quiet, outside my windows.</div>
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This was an invitation to go inside myself and be quiet. I
did do some self-reflection, some worry about our world, some anxiety about actually
getting out and driving with my new automatic transmission car in the stuff.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Focus on going inside. Focus on the quiet of the mind. I got
a lot of things solved this past weekend, solved in my head anyway.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It was easy to do some laundry and some reading, some
cooking and some eating. It was easy to relax with the cats purring on top of
me. It was easy to stay warm and watch Netflix and keep up with the outside world
through Facebook.</div>
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Beyond those tasks, it was challenging. I almost felt stifled
by the snow, afraid to go out in it, not wanting to shovel, while imagining it would
melt by Sunday and I could easily get my car and self out then. If I had another
person here I would have been more adventurous in going out for a walk or a
tumble or creating a great snow sculpture like I have seen on Facebook. </div>
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It all comes to self-discipline and getting myself going.
Yes, we are often bustling and busy, so snow days give us a rest from the
routine. I sure took it off! Hot cocoa, making hot soups, lighting candles, appreciating
electricity. It’s ok to be a slug at times.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To find the balance, that is the key. To work and to play,
to be disciplined and to take time off. What I recently discovered about myself
is that I enjoy the creative energy, the trying to figure things out and get
them going or get them right. My new website is an example. I loved the creative
process of finding a new name for my business, and then creating a logo, which
was a collaborative effort with my web person. I enjoyed the looking at what is
past and deciding where and how to go next, to make things easier for myself and
students. There was the anticipation of when the website would actually be
live, and making new business cards. And then, it’s almost like letting the air
out of a balloon. It’s done, and on to the next thing. Exhale. And move ahead.</div>
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So I am excited about my new business concept, of truly getting
back to the roots of teaching yoga and helping others find what works for them.
I’ve been doing that since 1988 when my friend and yoga teacher Katya left town
and passed on her yoga classes to me to teach. It progressed to Piccadilly
Square, my first yoga center space. My business became incorporated and
teachers came and went. Now for a year I have been itinerant again, only me,
well, except when Evie teaches yoga for relaxation. My space has been pretty
much CoLab in Grandin Village, while I maintain teaching at Roanoke College,
Hollins and Elm Park Estates.<br />
<br /></div>
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What about 108? Why did I choose that name? Well, many many reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we can come up with 108 reasons for practicing
yoga. In yoga and Hinduism 108 is the number of mala beads. Mala beads are used
similarly to rosary beads, in meditation, as a way to quiet the mind. I see 108
Yoga Works as a path to quiet the mind and dig deeper.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And we come back to the snow and the quiet. I am off to
meditate and practice my own yoga; however it shows up today, as something new
in the moment.</div>
Debbie Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04378628557290777457noreply@blogger.com0