Yummy Yoga

I headed home, to the nest. It was Saturday afternoon, rainy, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to create that ever-so-healthy environment I used to have in my own space. I will not sit around and waste my life away. I will not do nothing when there is work to be done. I will not just ly down and die and think that I didn't work as hard as I could have towards those things for which I am passionate.

So I made it here, after 3 hours of pouring down rain. I didn't care about the gas money, nor Taylor on my new leather, nor the weather outside. I needed to get away, and fast. It's not that anything is particularly wrong right now, but rather, nothing is particularly right. You know, the kind of right that makes you lose sleep because you just can't separate yourself from that passion--whether it be a person, a book, a puzzle, a question... I just can't find it.

I briefly watched Oprah talk about "The Secret" when I arrived. From what I gather, the secret is about like attracting like, or create what you wish in your life and like will attract to you. I agreed with Oprah... she said that's how she's always lived her life, and didn't know it was a secret! I think that I too live a pro-active kind of life and I know that if I don't create what I want, it rarely appears.

So, here I sit, in the 'relax the back' chair. My mom, Larry and I went to a killer dynamic yoga class this morning. The teacher took a liking to me. He was from India, and boy did he smile! I started to think about what it was exactly in each powerful teacher I'd come across that made me anxious for more.

Jennifer was my first REAL teacher, and she exposed me to the world of Ashtanga. Her presence was strong, adjustments delightful, and knowledge broad. Then there was Amy, who taught Nia. She allowed a blank canvas for personal expression, a non-judgemental environment, and play! Oh how I love love to play in my own skin!

I practiced with Alyson for a few weeks before she left for India, and I think she was one of my favorites by far. She provided laughter to yoga... it was light easy laughter. The poses were challenging, the class still moved along, but that smile felt so good on my face. She didn't intimidate; she came from such a strong loving place, you couldn't help but to just think of her as a great person. She wouldn't get into poses just to show you that she was capable, and related to things sometimes being hard!

Then I caught a few weeks of Peter before he moved to Santa Monica. I felt like I'd entered a secret society. I had dabbled in and out of classes since my teens, but had always been seeking more. Peter was what was more. His students were serious, capable, dedicated, and friendly. He taught in a small room in a church, hidden from the world. His style is dynamic, he articulates very well exactly how to move, and challenges your strength... physical, mental, emotional. With a handful of these classes, I felt like I'd entered a whole new realm of yoga. He taught a class up above Cayucos in the mountains which I can only describe as epic. He built an outdoor stage under this enormous oak. Of course I got lost and was late, and ended up practicing at his feet, at the very front of the stage. The wind whistled past us, the practice was brilliant, the woods almost came alive to assist us in our asanas. I remember getting into headstand, knowing that falling forward or backwards was not an option; I knew I had to nail it. I did... and as soon as I turned upside down, I saw the oak, in clear view, completely balanced and centered, and the wind... cool and calm flowing past us all upside down. Oh so powerful.

I think that's what it is about brilliant instructors, they allow a blank enough canvas, just enough guidance, but assist in creating some of the most powerful, clean and clear energy to bathe in.

Tawny's classes are amazing as well. She uses the most precise articulation to really evoke internal energy. Her music selections are brilliant, and have brought tears to my eyes. She's a feeler, and in her practice, I can see her feel what she teaches... without judgement, without forcing it, by just being open and present. What a class; what an amazing goddess of yoga :O)

And there are more... the more I write the more I think about the influence brilliant teacher have had in my life. Hana's creativity, the other Jenna's discipline. The list goes on and on. Jillian Pransky at Omega, Gabrielle Roth and her 5 rhythms of movement. I know in the first exposure if I meet a teacher who I want to learn more from. But what is it? What is it that captivates the attention of like minds, so much that you make that class a priority. If you're tired, sleep deprived, hung over, aching, wound up too tight, what PULLS YOU to that class?

It must be a secret.