Fueling the Fire

Let me allow you a glimpse into who I am and what makes up my physicality. I have very open joints and not much muscle mass. My body is very Kapha in that I am "padded" and loose. Which means I've got tons of flexibility and no strength. (I've also learned you can't tell anyone that without them thinking of some sort of sexual joke.. them's the breaks) Obviously, my specialty in teaching yoga would be Yin.

Now, my teacher, my friend, and my boss (all one person) is really trying to train me on how to teach Vinyasa Flow. It's not easy for me. Not only am I quite weak but I'm not exactly the best with verbs and queuing. So after my flow class this morning my teacher writes out a chart for me.
2/3 of the class warm up and build up to a peak pose. 1/3 is just lesser versions of the warm ups to cool down and ready for savasana.
I found it really helpful!

It also got me thinking a little. Maybe I need a bit more structure in my life. I was just doing an interview with my Dancing Queen for a documentary she wants to make and I found myself really yearning for motivation. The words were just flying out of my mouth about how much I wish I had that fire inside of me to get shit done when it needs to be done. I so tend to lean towards shying away. I would rather step back than push forwards.

Maybe I need to be making those active steps by taking that first plunge into life with charts. It sounds silly but writing everything down may just keep me accountable. Maybe it will give me that push I need to drive forwards. Lord knows I need a push. A shove. A slap. A mind jolt. Something to keep me moving. I'm craving change, as of late. I need to continue onwards and upwards.

What holds us back? What causes that recoil? Comfort? Fear? If I've been learning anything, it's that life is gorgeous and there is nothing better than living it fully. So why hold back?

Have you ever craved something so much it takes over your thoughts? What stops you from making the move and achieving it? Situation? Circumstance? What inspires you to push forwards? Who makes you want to do more? What music makes your energy just fall into place? What actions allow freedom in you?

Maybe write these things down. Document. Learn. Grow.

The meandering mind of Meri.

Active Practice In Public

After a week or so of sickness, my Lady Love friend and I decided to do a much needed yoga walk. My Man has a Cannon 40D so we thought, why not take some awesome pictures, do some sweet poses, and get some excersize? (And of course be as silly as possible in every situation we encounter)
Along the way, we (A) met up with a few lovely puppies. The one shown in the picture here is part wolf part husky. Gorgeous girl, she was. Her name was Luna and she wanted nothing but buckets of love.
We (B) took some fake pictures on a film camera which the film didn't end up actually catching on so it didn't actually turn out. Oh well, we looked cool and I got to teach my lovely friend of the ways of shutter speeds and depth of field. It's interesting to see someone's photography style unfold in front of you.
And (C) ended up getting swarmed by mosquitoes whilst trying to be at our most "zen" in these outdoor poses! Apparently those bloodsuckers like to really test your focus in certain (well, actually all) yoga poses. It's not easy to support yourself in shoulder stand when you can see 3 mosquitoes flying around your legs and landing on you. Especially when you're as sweet as us and know you'll be swelling up within the hour... It's that bad.
I think this is something I'm going to do with a couple of my yogi friends. Perhaps invite my Dancing Queen to come next time as well. She'd be a fun person to ad to our silliness. (Seeing as that's pretty much all we do, permanent goof off mode) I want to almost document my progression through yoga. Not just in this summer but all the time. I want to see how far I've come with my practice. And like we were saying when we were doing handstands about 40ft away from a baseball game, it's not about how deep you can get into the pose or how strong/flexible you are. It's about your stability and engagement. Are you capable of feeling the full extent of the pose? When in dancers, are you able to square your hips and still feel the full stretch through the shoulders and hip? I obviously have quite a way to go in some of my poses but I love that I'm able to learn and grow without beating myself up about it anymore. I love that people can do different things than me. My lady love is capable of a completely different practice than I but it makes us interesting. I love learning from her flow and strength and teaching her the things that I'm "good" at.
The same goes for my classes and teaching style. I love when teachers attend my class and critique my style, wording, phrasing, transitions, everything! It makes me feel as if I'm growing in my yogic journey to be able to converse with people about our practice. Connecting to people who share the passion is so gratifying, I don't think I would choose any other career.

There is something so awe inspiring within the yogic practice of mind and body. Sometimes it lifts you, sometimes if floors you, either way, you learn with every step, breath, and thought.

What a life.

What a love.

What a passion.