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| Yoga
From The Heart |
April 2007 |
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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
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 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.
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Full Moon - April 2nd
New Moon - April 17th |
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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.
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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!
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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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