Tender Mercies

This just happened. I am officially a certified yoga teacher! Can I say, Hallelujah? It's interesting how time can change things. Two and a half months ago when I completed my 200 required hours of training, I did not necessarily feel ready to teach. However, after a couple of substitute classes under my belt, teaching my husband in the evenings at home, and getting more training in since then, I now feel qualified. Sure, I have tons more to learn, but my sweet teacher Suzette has been teaching for 30 years and she is still humble enough to learn from her students. THAT inspires me and motivates me to be my best self.  When I first began the program and looked at all the books and training manuals I needed to study, never mind the weekend intensives that I was required to attend, I was overwhelmed. For starters, the Sanskrit names for the many yoga poses was intimidating. So, for the first couple of months I didn't really worry about the books. I flipped through t...

The stereotypical yoga image is a tall, slender woman, wearing revealing clothing while balancing in some outrageously impossible pose, or some old guru sitting in a cross-legged position in deep meditation. Luckily this isn't the case, for I will be the first to admit that I have practiced yoga in my pajamas and I'm still working on those ridiculously hard poses. Yoga is something that came into my life right when I needed it the most. It was at a time when I had overused my body in excessive exercise, a time when "the blues" were heading towards deep depression. Yoga was a gift from God that helped me dig deep to find my inner beauty. Yoga was a gift that led me to a place where I could connect with a Greater strength than my own. Yoga was a gift that gave me the opportunity to keep moving and strengthening my body when I had to stop all other forms of exercise. Yoga was a gift that has truly altered and shaped my life for the better.  Two years ago I ...

I love that quote. I'm nearing the end of my 200 hour yoga teacher training, but I do not feel any more qualified to teach yoga than when I began. Strange, isn't it? However, I am grateful to have a teacher who is confident in my progression and has faith in my abilities as I improve each day. Thankfully she gives me opportunities to sub so that I can practice my teaching.  Yesterday I subbed a class with 11 women around my mom's age and older. They were all friendly enough.  Oh how I just wanted to be another body in the room instead of in the front leading the class!  I like to begin my classes with a quote to set the tone for the practice. Quotes are wonderful nuggets of inspiration that most students can somehow relate to.  Yesterday I used the above quote by American-Cuban author, Anais Nin. How ironic it was that the quote really said a lot about how I was feeling in my heart, never mind inspiring the students.  Why can growing be so scary...

Last night I taught my first "unofficial" official yoga class! On Sunday I was asked if I would be willing to do a class for the 16-18 year old girls at church on Wednesday. Although I said yes right away, I was immediately nervous because I hadn't ever taught a class before. I wondered what I would teach, how I would fill up the time, if they would like it, and whether it would be too easy/hard. So many questions filled my mind, but I knew I had to do it, and I was excited nonetheless.  The day before the class, I put together an intermediate flow. I didn't want to make it too simple and slow because I was teaching teenagers and I know that I would have wanted a fast-paced class when I was that age. Here is what we did: Focus for the Class: Energize and Trust Begin in Sukhasana with right leg crossed in front Close eyes and take hands palms down to the knees.  Bring awareness to the breath  Place right hand on naval and left hand on collar bone Breath...

"Breath is the power behind all things...I breathe in and know that good things will happen. " Tao Porchon-Lynch   I rolled my mat out on the hardwood floor in the middle of the room. I had arrived 30 minutes early for a special guest class with Tao Porchon-Lynch at a yoga studio I had never been to. A month ago I saw a flyer announcing the visit of the world's oldest yoga teacher at the end of August in Overland Park, Kansas and I knew I just had to be there. At 97-years-old, she radiated wisdom, love, and more life experience than I ever thought possible. Just look at the picture of her embracing me above. That was taken at the end of the class at 9 PM, after she had been up since 3 AM to catch her plane from NYC to Kansas City. And yet, there she was, so happy to take a picture with me, acting as though she and I were besties and that she had just awaken from a refreshing nap. It was truly an honor to be in her presence. "When I wake up in the morning, I kn...

During a family reunion that involves a wedding, stillness and solitude is not something that is easy to find, except for maybe during the wedding ceremony. Although I was with my husband during the trip, I felt like I hadn't spent any time with him. He had been spending time with his brothers shooting, rappelling, and staying up till the early hours of the morning (5 am to be exact) talking with his brothers and cousins. I had been going to bed by 11:30 or midnight (which is super late for me) and was taking a nap when they left to go rappelling so I missed out on some bonding time with him and everyone. Which was okay because I value sleep a whole lot, but by Thursday afternoon, I was sure itching to get outside with just my best friend. You could even call it a mini-date.  Down the road from the house in Sterling, Utah was Palisade Lake . It was here that I did yoga each morning out on the dock before anyone was awake. What a beautiful thing it was! The lake also h...

This picture makes me so happy. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because I am make-up free, except for the Alaskan Mascara. Normal people sleep in on Saturdays. I'm not normal, and was up before 6 am this past Saturday.   There is something very peaceful about waking up before the rest of the world. The air is still and my mind is more clear. Marshall and I decided to wake up and go on a little 3 mile run in before Conference began at 8am. We got a little Vitamin D therapy, some endorphins going, and quality time together.  All before 7am.  I had not run outside since September because I am taking a break from running, but this felt good. We ran out along the ski trails in Creamer's Field, through the trees, and watched the sun rise. The quiet solitude was priceless.  Plus, I got my Alaska mascara fix. Be jealous.   It's all smiles after our run at 7am on Saturday Morning. Temp: 18 degrees F After our run, I did what I have wanted to do all winter...