April 2007

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Yoga From The Heart April 2007
Spring is here!

Let the season blossom with each breath.  Time for new beginnings, a fresh perspective and warm weather (fingers crossed)!

Love,

 Chrissy
www.yogachrissy.com
I couldn't hide the smile that crossed my face as I sank into my chair by the pool. Pina Colada in one hand, sunscreen in another, I sat back and admired the yogis practicing handstand in the deep end.  A flock of yoga teachers gathered around their beach towels to discuss modifications of Trikonasana for students with scoliosis.  It was yoga paradise.  This was the moment I had envisioned since the glare of computer screens flashed those tiny stock prices in my eyes.  Hours, days, even years of expectations went into my very first yoga retreat, right down to the shopping sprees on Fifth Avenue that would ensure I looked every part the tropical yogi goddess I had envisioned myself to be.  Just two days earlier I had packed every detail, every plan into my trusty suitcase and embarked on an adventure that would surely live up to my expectations.

The reality of my perfectly packed suitcase of expectations was that, well, it never got there.  While it had been my plan to look fabulous, it turns out the universe had other ideas all together and I was, quite literally, without clothes.  My plan of arriving a day early to get my bearings and welcome my guests was also foiled due to a very dramatic voyage through snow and ice, on trains and planes, to what felt like the edges of the earth and the edges of my sanity. My perfect plan was shoveled away with the snow that fell on the tarmacs of Newark International Airport and twenty-four hours later I was in Philadelphia, waving goodbye to my luggage for what would be the very last time.  I experienced all five kleshas (causes of human suffering) on that journey...avidya (ignorance that Life would unfold as I had expected), asmita (my ego in thinking that I could bribe fellow travelers at the Philly airport to cut in front of them when the sight of a five-hour line to check bags and the possibility of missing the only flight to Dominica proved to be more than I could handle), raga (the painful attachment to my luggage, which is still missing), dvesa (aversion to the entire chaotic travel experience) and abhinivesah (the clinging to bodily life when the potential reality that I would miss my own yoga retreat set in).

Ah, life's lessons so subtly delivered.

Yet there I was, lounging on a pool chair in the bikini I had so smartly packed in my carry-on, my yoga retreat still very much a reality and as it turned out, an even better trip than I could've expected.  I somehow managed to get by without any of my fabulous new clothes, or really without many clothes at all. My students seemed to have an amazing time despite the fact that my luggage and my itinerary were lost somewhere in Aruba. The trip unfolded as naturally and organically as if the snowstorm and my late arrival had been a part of my original plan. Instead of harping  on my lost bag of expectations, I sat back and realized that my expectations had not been fulfilled...they had been surpassed.  This amazing group of people came together for such a sacred week of inner devotion with friendships that arose faster than it took me to get there. My expectations, although created with the best intentions, had only limited the potential of my experience.

Packed in my new suitcase for the next big adventure is a crsip set of new expectations.  I expect to be surprised.  I expect to have my expectations surpassed.  I expect to have to let go of what I know.  This yoga retreat was an opportunity for my students to learn more about themselves and yet I think I was the one that walked away with lessons learned.  To attach yourself to your expectations is to confine your reality to the constructs of your mind.  Choose, instead, to expect the unexpected.  Oh, and always pack extra clothes in your carry-on.
Full Moon - April 2nd
New Moon - April 17th



Light on Life
B.K.S. Iyengar

This book is my new obsession, along with everything Iyengar (oh boy, I never saw that one coming).  I have every page turned down with a different quote or inspiring philosophical idea.  It always amazes me how tidbits of Life's lessons are handed to us when we're the most open to receive them.  I want to thank one of my teachers, Lisa Walford, for suggesting I read this book, right at the right time.  

Yoga-Bands Workshop with Suzanne Ausnit
April 30th
7-9pm
www.devotionyoga.com

Join my friend Suzanne, the core-guru, for this workshop designed to deepen your regular yoga practice and develop greater body awareness. Therabands stretch and strengthen specific areas of the body while you're holding a yoga pose. In fact, Therabands do what yoga doesn't. They help isolate individual muscles that don't get proper attention in yoga, building strength in areas that are usually weak. We'll be targeting the rotator cuff, biceps, triceps, gluts, psoas and of course the core. All levels welcome.

Inversions Workshop
Sunday, April 15th
2-4pm
http://www.yogachrissy.com/inversions-workshop2

Flip your life upside-down THIS SUNDAY! 

Inversions bring clarity to stagnant issues, offer insight and integrate our bodies into our center.  In this workshop we'll practice the preparations for handstand, forearm stand and headstand, building our structures in a firm understanding of alignment.  A strong, heating practice will help us warm up all the component parts needed to float upside-down and an acknowledgment of our fears will help us take the first steps in overcoming the obstacles in our way.  Advanced variations will be suggested for those of you looking to deepen your inversions practice and encouragement and support will be available for everyone!

Yoga Works 200-hr Teacher Training - JUNE INTENSIVE Open House
Thursday, April 26th
7:30-9:30pm Westside
amanda@yogaworks.com to make a reservation

I'm excited to be teaching the June Intensive with Sarah Bell! Yoga Works offers one of the most comprehensive Teacher Training programs in the country for aspiring teachers and serious students of yoga. Our cohesive, multi-specialist approach to teacher training blends the best of the yoga traditions from the East and the West. Our mission is to provide you as a yoga teacher with the foundation to teach skillfully - with compassion, integrity and safety – as you discover your own unique voice and style.

Teaching Schedule
www.devotionyoga.com
www.yogaworks.com/newyork
I'm back teaching my regular schedule at Yoga Works and Devotion!  Come play!
Spring cleaning can be a mindful and meditative experience.  As you clean out the old to make room for the new, be sure to use eco-friendly cleaning products!  Myers and Seventh Generation are two of my favorites.

www.mrsmeyers.com
www.seventhgen.com
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Posted on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 by Chrissy Carter