Keeping It Fresh and New

The surgeon held the beating heart in his hand and gently turned it on end so that we could see the twisting motion of the left ventricle, like a towel twists when you wring it out. I was at the Pumps and Pipes Conference, a collaboration between heart surgeons and oil and gas engineers sharing their expertise and technology to solve each others "pump and pipe" problems. We were watching a live feed from an operating room a few buildings away at the medical center. I was grateful for the man laying on the table with his chest open who volunteered to allow us to view his bypass heart surgery. When I was in college I considered the specific discipline of bio-medical engineering within mechanical engineering, but never switched. Medicine and surgery have always fascinated me and the operation was amazing.

What I remember most are the words of the surgeon as he held the man's heart in his hand - "Isn't it incredible. Isn't it beautiful". Here was a doctor who has probably seen hundreds of hearts, if not thousands and his natural reaction was amazement and appreciation. This man truly loved his work.

This morning I drove downtown with the convertible top down on an incredibly sunny, though cold, day to teach two cycling classes in a row at the downtown gym. I had the heat on under my seat and the hot air blowing full blast as I clutched the steering wheel with my driving gloves on, wondering if the surrounding drivers thought I was crazy. (Probably!). I only teach at this gym occasionally, so it was a treat to work with a different crowd. Though the process is the same - warm them up, kick their booties, cool them down - and you don't really go anywhere, class is always a new adventure. The music changes, the people change (though there are always a few new faces - even in my regular classes), and their faces change as they struggle to survive. I like to teach at different gyms occasionally, just for something new. So, it always stays fresh and exciting.

In yoga class I try to work on different poses each time I teach so the members always get a different experience. I've taught for many years and still delight and enjoy it every time. Next week I will attend a yoga conference in San Francisco to learn new techniques and methods to keep my classes interesting. I am eager to return to my students and experiment with them. This retreat to one of the most beautiful and exciting cities I know is one way I keep it fresh and renew my attitude.

What will you do to continue to make your work new and exciting every time?

It is a new year. Keep it fresh. Keep it new. Happy New Year!

There's Something About the Water

Our boys (6'3" - 195 pound solid muscle, eating machines) are coming home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Being the good mother that I am, I head out to stock up on seafood for the pre-Thanksgiving Day eating fenzy that is soon to begin. I always enjoy going to the waterfront for seafood, even moreso on days like this with the top down on the convertible. It is an adventure compared to driving over to the grocery store. I smile as I enter my favorite seafood store and find the usual guys behind the counter anxious to help me with my selection. I like to pick out fresh fish, looking for clear eyes, not cloudy, as a friend raised by a fisherman always instructed me. I attempt to speak Spanish as I make my requests to have the fish fileted, and end up learning a few new words in the process. The workers are always polite and seem entertained with my speech, making me wonder if I said what I thought I was saying!

With my bags of iced down shrimp, snapper and salmon in hand, I head out the door. As I walk down the steps of the building I notice a patch of sandy beach thirty or so yards off to the right and cannot help but drive in that direction before heading to the highway. There is something about the water that always draws me to it. I find a newly constructed gazebo to hang out on and spend some time just watching the waves crash in as sailboats float out on the water in the distance. I am mesmerized for a while, then regretfully head toward the car. But, I am consoled by the fact that I invited my yoga class members to meet me for yoga in the park later in the day - and there is a lake (fake - but a lake!) there to enjoy.

I wish everyone could have come, but only a few were able to enjoy yoga in the park today, Not a cloud in the sky, not an ant hill to avoid, not a mess left behind on the grassy hill by a dog to accidentally roll onto during a sun salutation - just perfect everything from the people to the sunset. As we lay in savasana (on our backs in corpse pose) after a welcome workout, I turned my head to the side and opened my eyes to see the sun setting and the water on the man-made lake rippling from the gentle wind blowing through the trees. There's something about the water - isn't there?

(Won't you join us next time? Check the schedule at www.iyogaparty.com for the next Yoga in the Park)

The First Step is the Hardest

When they find out I am a yoga instructor, people usually respond with, "I really need to do yoga". They continue listing the things they used to be able to do and all of the things they can't do anymore. The reaction isn't limited to older individuals. I've heard the same responses from teenagers and twenty-somethings. I encourage them to join me at my next class, promise I will be nice to them and even give them a mat to use and some chocolate (a frequent give-away in my classes). It is always heartwarming to see them walk through the door that first time. Getting in the door or taking the first step is the hardest part of many ventures.

A new person walked into my cycling class this morning a few minutes late. I set him up on the bike and proceeded to lead the class through intense drills on flats and hills with entertaining and motivating music. I gave the new guy encouraging words throughout the session and told him that he had survived the hardest part - walking in the door. He hung in as long as he could and sheepishly slid off his bike after about 30 minutes, ready to call it quits. I told him that I only lasted 15 minutes the first time and I was very proud of him and that we all looked forward to him coming back the next week. He said he would. They always say they will as they internally shake their head from side to side! But I really think this one really will.

Sometimes the first step is the hardest to take - the first day of a diet, the first time we speak in public, the first time we create something and put it out there for reactions. The more steps we take, the easier it gets. Don't be afraid of that first step.

Scare Yourself Once a Day

I lightheartedly tease some of my yoga students in class when they make faces. Sometimes the faces are because they are struggling in a pose. I remind them to breathe through their nose and tell them if their mouth is open they are working too hard. Other faces are on the new people when I mention what we are going to do during the class (i.e. stand on our hands and let our legs float up into the air while twisting them into various positions). I calm their fears by letting them know we are going to try and see what happens and you just never know. I let them know every pose has many steps to it and they might only take the first step that day and not go any farther and that is ok - so RELAX! The response is entertaining but they appear ready to go. No one bolts for the door. That is always a good sign.

I needed some encouraging words like that when I went to my last horseback riding lesson. I was going to have a lesson with another person - a very little person who seems to me to have no fear. She gets right up on this huge horse and follows the instructor's directions very calmly and precisely and happily. I was very calm and happy myself when I arrived until I found out that because the little person was on the mild horse, I was going to get to ride the Arabian. I call him the wild Arabian. He is in training (so am I). He doesn't like to stand still (which makes it exciting when you are trying to get up on him), he likes to go fast and he likes to dance around. I tend to prefer the mild horse that takes a little more to get her moving. Call me chicken - I don't mind! I am sure the horses do. I wish I could have had a picture of my face when the instructor told me I was going to get to ride the Arabian that day. And I thought my yoga students looked scared when I mentioned their legs floating up in the air.

Well - I did survive and actually did quite well on the Arabian. He was fun and challenging. I followed the instructor's directions very calmly and precisely and happily. I think I am over my fear of the wild Arabian until next time.

It is important to scare yourself a little every day. Get out of that comfort zone and see what you can really do.

Quick - Get the Camera

I recently attended a yoga workshop with an instructor who goes by the name of "Yeah Dave". He combines yoga, chocolate and wine - which I have always been an avid supporter of. I enjoyed the workshop, the refreshments and Dave - as a good looking male instructor always keeps me present in the moment in class. Dave heavily promotes this concept and has a video clip on his WEB site of him interviewing people in Hawaii being present in the moment (how can you not be present in the moment in Hawaii?). He sent out a newsletter after the workshop inviting us to send him pictures of us being present in the moment. I immediately began to think of creative extraordinary things I could do and then photograph to submit in response to his request. Then I came to my senses.

Last night I held a "yoga on the beach" party. My best friend and I went to the beach a few hours before party time to enjoy the sun, waves and friend time as well as make sure we were the first ones at the party. As the start time for the beach games approached I was disappointed that hoards of yogis were not descending on the area we staked out with our Hillbillly Golf Game (i.e. a game similar to horsehoes but played with a ladder frame and golf balls on rope) and our yoga mats. I lamented that we might be the only ones. She wisely responded (as she so often does) that "many people really wanted to come but it was Saturday and they got caught up with Saturday things and the time slipped away from them. Besides it wouldn't be so bad with just the two of us." She was right. If no one else showed up we would get all the prizes (including the wine and beer - how awesome is that?) and I would get more time with my best friend who has been working so much lately I have hardly seen her.

I relaxed and the yogis started to arrive. Some came for the games and more came for the yoga. People around us stopped to watch. We invited them to join us but they just continued to watch. The weather was incredible. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the water was clear, there wasn't any seaweed washed up on shore and the sand felt cool as you dug your fingers in to stay balanced in a pose. Some people from Florida or Hawaii won't come to the beach because it isn't Florida or Hawaii. They just haven't seen Galveston in October. If they only knew what they were missing their mat would have been next to mine on the beach.

The sun was getting close to setting as I invited the group to lie back on their mats, relax their legs and wiggle their toes, roll their head from side to side and let everything sink into the sand. Then, all we heard was the ocean, all we smelled was the clean cool air.

Quick - get the camera - snap a picture for Yeah Dave.

It's the Little Things In Life That Count the Most

One of the guys from my weight lifting class was working out with his friend a few weeks ago. They were running on the treadmill. He felt "funny" and funny enough to go to the doctor and get checked out. Fortunately for him, they discovered a problem with his heart through a stress test before a major disaster and were able to take care of it with surgery. I asked our weight class to contribute healthy snacks to put in a basket for our weight lifting friend and bring them to class today. His workout partner was taking the basket to him after class. The workout partner came up to me and told me that people were great and that this was such a nice thing and he was so appreciative. It was a little thing but it made a big impact and I was grateful to be a part of that event.

My husband is traveling and I called him to ask him a question this afternoon. He commented that the phone calls were non-stop since he got off the plane but he had to answer this one (mine) because it was the most important one. I laughed and told him I appreciated his joking - but I really think he was serious - could he have been? It was a little thing but it made a big impact and I was grateful to be a part of the event.

This evening in yoga class I moved about the room adjusting people and assisting them in making it deeper into poses.I helped one guy move deeper into a triangle pose. I helped him turn and then lean a little farther over and then I moved onto the next person. He came up to me after class with a big smile on his face, saying the class tonight was the best ever and thanked me. It was a little thing but it made a big impact and I was grateful to be a part of the event.

Go do little things. They will make big impacts and you will be grateful to be a part of the event.

Keep On Truckin'

I have had endless problems with my cell phone company as many of my friends well know. The latest episode involved a 40 minute telephone call to correct billing errors they made and a few trips to the store to exchange a phone that died - all in one day. After the call, I sat there on the verge of tears from the countless hours of frustration I racked up over the last six months and wondered - when is enough, enough? "Not until I get what I need!" I thought as I typed up a letter to the Chief Service Officer of the Company.

I admit, I am more persistent than most. I am always disappointed when I see new people leave the yoga room early in their first class. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. I wonder what I could have done differently to stop it. I am assured by the regulars that there wasn't anything I could have said or done differently. "Some people just give up more quickly than others", they say.

During class there are always people stopping, sitting down or laying down for a few minutes or more - finding a pose that works better for them at that moment. Some laugh as I demonstrate a pose with my hands on the floor and my feet in the air. I can hear their "no way" or the noises that tell me they are thinking "you have got to be kidding". But they stay. And they work through the poses and they rest when they need to and "no way" turns into "some day". And there they are - with their hands on the floor and their feet in the air.

Keep on truckin'!