Sun Bed Distractions

I set up my "sun bed" on the beach.   I love this new term for lawn or beach chair that an English woman on the beach shared with me the day before.  It brings visions of sunbathing by a turquoise sea instead of sitting on a freshly mowed lawn (though I must admit, I love that too!).  As I settled in, I noticed a woman I met in the hot tub at the hotel the night before setting up her "sun bed" near me and greeted her with a nod and a smile.  I proceeded with my sun protection ritual of sunscreen, sunglasses and sun hat and pulled out my writing tablet.  Soon, I was deep into writing my novel - the continuing saga of the corporate consultant and her frustratingly arrogant nemesis.  Within a few moments my hot tub buddy was joined by her friend and the conversation between the two of them began.  They were close enough and the conversation was loud enough to drown out the delightful rhythmic crashing of the waves on the shore and disturb my thoughts.  Their conversation quickly moved from work problems to good old boys and cheating businessmen.  It was intense and the speed of their words picked up with every response.  I decided it was time for a walk to remove myself from their sordid tales and find peace again on the beach.  

Calm returned as I squished every toe into the sand by the shoreline in a few feet of water so clear you could count the fake diamonds on my polished toes. I walked down to a hotel landmark near the end of the beach and back.  When I returned from my walk, I adjusted my "sun bed" a few feet away from them so I could return to the rhythm of the waves and my novel in progress.  Peace again.

I went to a hot yoga class recently. As I lay on my mat in the dark heated room awaiting the start of class, I heard a student next to me unrolling their mat and settling into their place on the floor.  The smell of smoke permeated my breathing space.  I knew that with all the deep breathing we would do during class, this space was not going to work for me.  I quietly picked up my mat and moved to the other side of the room to settle again into the quiet and warmth of the yoga room.

It is important to remove yourself from distractions and continually bring yourself back to the place where you need to be.  

Little Things Are Big

As I walked the short trail back from the beach to the pool, I came across a groundskeeper raking the sandy path. I walked to the left to avoid his equipment cart and he gently cautioned me to watch out for the branches that hung over the fence above my head.  I smiled gratefully and thanked him not only for the safety notice - but also for raking the path.  When I returned to make my way back to my beach paradise, he was crouched down picking up dead leaves and flowers from the ground.  I thought to myself - "Wow, God made this incredibly beautiful place and this man was making it even more perfect with his careful attention  to the tiny details".  


As I teach yoga, I walk around the room passing from student to student - nodding signs of approval on their poses and efforts or just gently touching them with my fingertips so they know I  am there.  I remind them the focus is on the breath, then the pose.  And they are beautiful.  As they stand and try to balance in tree pose (standing on one straight leg with the second leg poised on their opposite thigh) I tell them all the trees in the forest are different - just like their tree poses and that is what makes them so interesting. It would be boring if they were all the same.  


In class, I turn their front feet forward, assist them in moving their shoulders or bending forward - any of a thousand little adjustments help make their pose more perfect or help them feel more in the pose.  


It is the subtle little things that can make such a big difference.  


And I continue on my perfect sandy path to the beach with a smile on my face.  

Something For Me - Something For You

I rented a beach house for my birthday.  To me, there isn't anything more relaxing than hanging by the beach listening to waves crash on the shore.  I stayed for several days and had different groups of friends and family visit. One day one girlfriend came to join me. Another day a whole group of girlfriends came to party all night.  Next - the family came to spend the weekend.  You could see the stress melt away as they climbed up the stairs to the beach house door.  The view from the deck and the sounds were amazing - the chatter of the seagulls, waves crashing, hot tub jets bubbling away, the blender in the background grinding up frozen margaritas, laughter and "ahs" as the atmosphere sinked in.  I rented the beach house for me as a getaway but realized it was ending up as the much needed break from reality for all of the visitors.  They seemed to need it more than I did and just watching them gave me a sense of peace and happiness that I was able to give them this gift.  


I used to do yoga in college.  I think then it was more of a personal challenge to try to get into some crazy positions as opposed to working through a series of poses for exercise.  After years of teaching fitness classes I took yoga training. I wanted to share this amazing form of exercise with others.  When we teach, especially when we teach an intense class like indoor cycling or a weight lifting class, we as instructors want to get our own workout too.  Though our focus remains on the members - encouraging, motivating, assisting with techniques and offering minor adjustments.  And it's not just the workout.  I always leave class feeling better, calmer, and happier than when I came - having shared my love of fitness and my love for them.


Like the beach house - we both benefit.  

Let It Come To You

As I stood at the top of the trapeze platform, the assistant reminded me to wait for her cue before I jumped. "Once you are out there - let the other person come to you. Reach out and let her grab you." she instructed me. I am not sure I heard much of it because the height of the platform was terrifying me. I held on for dear life and waited for the "hep" cue. And I was off - screaming with fear and delight at the same time all the way. I reached out, let her come to me - and felt her hands wrap around my wrists - contact - success - yes!!

In yoga, when we are doing a lunge pose called a triangle, I remind the students not to bend over to try and touch the floor. "Let the floor come to you", I instruct them. "The deeper you lunge, the closer the floor will get. Let it come to you." Some are patient and others can't wait - they bend over forward to touch the floor thinking that is the goal. I help them adjust their pose to remove the strain and allow them to move closer to the side bend benefits. In time, they will learn to let the pose flow instead of trying to make it happen. In yoga, as in life, our egos get in the way in so many unproductive ways.

Sometimes we need to stop trying so hard to get somewhere and allow things and people to come to us. All in good time.

Are You a Robot?

As I stood in line at the store check-out I could hear the cashier running through her spiel - "How are you today?", "Did you want to save 5% by opening a ---- account?", "Thank you for shopping with us", "Have a great day!". I flashed my charge card in front of her so that she could see that I already had a card. Surely I wouldn't hear the same "Did you want to save 5% by opening a --- account?". But the same words she had just delivered to the customer in front of me came out of her mouth without missing a beat. I said no thank you and mentioned I already had a card for her store, flashing my shiny red card again for her to see. She bagged up my items and I was on my way. I passed along the line of cash registers toward the exit and noticed my favorite cashier was working. He was ringing up customers with his usual "you are the most important person in the world - how can I make your life easier today? - I am SO glad you came to visit us today" attitude. It never fails. He is one thing you can always count on. I smiled as I left - making a mental note to look for him first before I check out next time.

Then I wondered. Am I a robot? When I teach my yoga classes do I run through the sun salutations with an "oh here we go again - sun salutation number 4,378". Or do I make each one a delightful new movement for myself and everyone. Either way - I am going to make sure I do going forward. No more robots.

Assessing the Stockpile

After Christmas I get in the mood to clean out closets and drawers. There is something about the new things I have received that gets me in the mood to clean clutter. I started going through clothes in my closet. Some of them have been there for so long without moving that the shoulders and the hanger were both collecting dust. I decided which ones I would actually wear again, had them cleaned and hung them back in the closet dust free. Other clothes ended up at the front door in bags waiting for the next donation center trip. I didn't stop with the closet. I moved on to drawers and shelves - amazed at some of the things I didn't even know I had. I've made it a goal this year to use up my lotions and potions and candles and incense that have been stockpiling unbeknownst to me. What was I waiting for? It takes a good clutter cleaning to realize what treasures we already have - even though it can be tough to get started.

Each year I attend a yoga conference in California. My yoga students look forward to the new poses (and the chocolate) I always bring back from the conference. This year I focused on taking workshops that helped me learn more advanced mechanics as opposed to just cool new poses (though I did get quite a few of those in the process). There are many adjustments we can make to the simple poses we have been doing for years that will help our progress and our enjoyment immensely. I encourage the students to perfect their simple poses as the base for the advanced poses.

We need to enjoy what we have and find pleasure in some of the old things from our closet or old poses from our practice instead of continually adding new ones to our stockpile. Here's to dusting something off today!

Don't Be Afraid of the Train

Last year I attended the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco. Wanting to try something new, I selected an instructor I had never heard of for one of my sessions. The workshop description sounded intriguing and the title -Urban Flow - resonated with my Detroit roots. It turned out to be one of the best, most fun and challenging of all the sessions I participated in. I was hooked and wanted more. I was hoping the instructor would be at the conference again this year since he owned a studio in the Bay Area. I searched the list and checked it twice but was disappointed to find he wasn't going to be presenting. So - I looked up the location of their studio in San Francisco and signed up on-line for a class during my stay.

The evening I was scheduled for my class I "Googled" the studio and found it was within a reasonable walking distance (note - reasonable can be five miles for me). I headed out the door of the hotel and then did a sudden unexplained about-face to the concierge desk to check on my walking estimate - just to be sure. Maybe God stopped me - I think so. When I told the concierge where I was going he said I could get there easily in 30 minutes but he didn't recommend it. I would be walking through the "tenderloin" area of town and it wasn't safe. He recommended the underground train. Coming from a small town and not really being a frequent train and bus rider, I hesitated at first. He assured me it was easy and gave me simple and complete directions. "You can't miss it" he said. "Haven't we all heard that before?", I thought. He recommended I take a taxi cab home unless I met someone in the class to walk back to the train station with. I found everything to be exactly as he described and ended up in the right place - though I did have a bit of a walk after I exited the train - and some of it was in the "wrong" direction in more ways than one (oops - wrong way on the street - oops - I think I hit the edge of the tenderloin area!). The energy in the yoga studio and the class was incredible and uplifting. I did meet someone to walk back to the train station with. We are still communicating and I know I will connect with her next year when I return to San Francisco.

Don't be afraid of the train - i.e. something new or unfamiliar. You might just find an incredible yoga class and make a new friend.