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.

Don't Mess with My World

I was running a few errands the other day and was leaving a parking lot. As I turned onto the main street, I saw a drink cup fly out of the window of the car in front of me. Being the "save the world and recycle" kind of girl that I am, I was appalled and considered getting out of my car to pick up the cup and give it back to the driver. I figured I would just be left standing in the road with a paper cup as the offending driver drove off ahead of me. So, I gave up on that thought.

It turned out that we were both stopped at the next light side by side, with her to my right. My convertible top and windows were down and her window was open. So tempting, so so tempting. I just had to say something (being the "say what's on your mind" kind of girl that I am!) and so I did. "Please don't throw trash out your window" I said in a polite tone. She yelled back "Did you see me throw trash out my window?". "Yes, I did.", I replied. And she continued yelling all sorts of things back at me - including "mind your own business!". "It is my business. You are messing up my world", I replied. I felt sorry for the three kids in the car and only hoped they would see that throwing the trash out the window was wrong, not that their mom going ballistic was right. Maybe the driver would stop and think next time before she threw something out her window. I can only hope. It ended peacefully and I am still alive. She rolled her window up and I considered making a u-turn and going back to pick up the cup.

I think it is important to speak up when things are not right. It is not always the easy thing to do but sometimes it is the only way to get things to change for the better. Let people know things are not ok.

I occasionally give out cards to my yoga students. There are three questions on the card -

1. What am I doing that you like and want me to keep doing?
2. What am I doing that you don't like and want me to stop doing?
3. What am I not doing that you would like me to start doing?

They said there wasn't anything they wanted me to stop doing. I guess things are all right - at least in my yoga world.

Confirm Receipt

I noticed on my phone that I missed a call from one of my personal training clients but there wasn't a "message waiting" symbol so I let it go. Sometimes people accidentally dial your number and hang up quickly before you answer. The next morning I went to pick him up for our workout session and he wasn't ready. "Didn't you get my voice message?", he asked. "No, I didn't", I replied. I checked my phone and there were no messages. I didn't doubt he called and left a message. Cell phone technology leaves much to be desired. I told him it wasn't a big deal but to think about the implications in other business situations. He is a young man, new to the business world. I suggested that he confirm receipt of messages when dealing with business associates. As he could see, you can't rely on voice messages and text messages to always go through or be read by the other person. Their time table for checking messages may be very different than yours. He agreed to the importance of confirmation.

A few years back I was carpooling to a yoga event with a girlfriend. We were going to ride together in my convertible. The weather was perfect for a "hair blowing in the breeze, sun on your face" kind of day. A friend of hers decided to join us for the class. My car only has room for two ("Useless" - is how one friend's husband has always described it. I say - room enough for my friend and our two beach chairs. Who needs anything else!). I needed a top down day and left her a voice mail message on her work phone that I would ride on my own and meet them there. After a while I didn't hear back so I called again but couldn't leave a message because her voice mail box was full. I called and left a message on her cell phone and her house phone and e-mailed her, but never got a confirmation that my message was received. I went to the rendezvous spot to wait, thinking she hadn't received my message. She happened to drive by on her way to the class and see me in the parking lot waiting. She pulled in and asked why I was there. "I thought you were going on your own!". "I never got a confirmation that you received my message!", I replied. A simple e-mail, text or quick call back would have avoided a lot of confusion.

In yoga, I ask permission to adjust a student's pose. And they give an indication it is ok or let me know of an injury or issue to watch out for as I help them get deeper in the pose. I always encourage them to listen to their body as they move into poses and pull back if it doesn't feel right. Your body is trying to return your call and let you know the message was received. Watch for those cues.

Fun Size

Catalogs arrive at the house weekly - even more near the holidays. I like to look through the ones with entertaining t-shirts and games and puzzles. My most recent favorite was a t-shirt that read "I'm Not Short - I'm Fun Size". I have several friends that are shorter than me and considered whether they would find this entertaining or insulting if they received it as a gift. Actually, I think I am shrinking down to fun-size myself. We keep track of our sons' growth on the wall next to the kitchen pantry. The last time we were all together we lined up for measuring. I have to get on a stool to measure the boys as they are several inches over six foot now. Because of that, they don't have to get on a stool for me, even though I am a tall woman. On my turn, I was shocked to find I had lost a half an inch. I was sure that with yoga I would stay the same size forever. It was disheartening as this is one of those "you are getting old" signs.

I find I have been more focused on getting my yoga students to lengthen their spine and stand up taller in all of their poses since my shrinking revelation. "Try to touch your head to the ceiling" I say as they practice their tree pose. I guess I am hoping somehow to regain that lost half of an inch or keep them from being the bottom mark on the measuring wall at their house.

Maybe my husband just tilted the ruler when he measured me so I would think I was getting shorter - how funny would that be? Or maybe I should just accept my new Fun Size!

A Humbling Experience

I was interviewing an executive friend of mine for one of several books I always seem to have in progress - "You Don't Look Like an Engineer!". We discussed her career and I asked her if she had any advice for a new leader. "Remain humble", she replied. "I always try to remain humble. I know I don't know everything and I know I can learn from everyone." I know it came naturally to her but it doesn't always come so easily to the rest of us.

The yoga mat can be the most innocent of humbling devices you may ever come across. So many times I hear comments from students about how flexible they used to be, the things they used to be able to do, how they didn't know they were going to sweat. Or there is usually someone making the competitive comment before we start - "How hard can a little stretching be?". And then the crying and the whining start. Ok - maybe not really crying, but I do hear whining. It can be an especially humbling experience for those that are used to being in charge and excelling at other areas of their life. I encourage them to relax, consider it a benchmark, pay attention to the feelings in their body breathe. I suggest they modify the pose to make the pose work for them and be open to taking things a little more slowly. It is hard for them to give in - but it is not giving up. Some day soon they will be laughing about that first day.

It is a lesson for us all - no matter what our position in life - to be open to learning from everyone and everything - even something as innocent looking as a rubber mat.

What Are You Afraid Of?

I started a group on Facebook called Fun N' Fit to promote fun activities involving fitness. Our next event is this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. We are doing a yoga pose freeze flash mob. If you are not familiar with the concept - it is an event that happens in a crowded area. One person will start singing a song or dancing a routine out of the blue and within a short time a whole "mob" has emerged out of the crowd to join them. The song or dance finishes and the participants fade back into the crowd. We are going to meet at the fountain at the local mall today and freeze in a yoga pose for two minutes. Our original plan was to do a yoga warm-up routine but we simplified it to a single pose because many students were too fearful of performing it in the mall. Enthusiasm and participant count has been steadily growing since the change.

As the hour draws near I find myself getting a little nervous - which is so out of the ordinary for me. What if no one shows up? (we are meeting 15 minutes early in front of the chocolate store to assure we have enough for a go). What if we get arrested? (we called the mall and let them know we would be doing it and received no objection - and our state and city hasn't made a flash mob illegal yet - so we should be safe - besides I have another instructor set up to teach my class tomorrow if I am unavailable - aka locked up). What if I can't hold a pose for two minutes? (I told students that it was ok if they had to drop their arms or switch their pose to the other foot - it will not be a problem). So every concern has been taken care of.

I recently sent out some marketing packages for my creativity and innovation classes and need to make some follow-up calls - yet I hesitate. What am I afraid of?

It sound like the yoga pose freeze flash mob is perfectly timed. Not only does it encourage people to engage in fitness activities and fun but sometimes the activities can be a little scary. But if we participate and push ourselves out there, we gain back our fearless selves - ready to conquer the world.

I have a feeling at 4:03 today I won't be afraid anymore - how about you?