Everyday Yogini

I am participating in a creativity circle online with Kimberly Wilson for the next eight weeks, and today, I am just brimming with excitement for this course and gratitude for life in general! The course focuses intently on the book, The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron, so I’ve been writing my morning pages for about a week now and planning Artist Dates for myself.

For my date this week, I will be taking myself to Villa Borghese with my sketch pad for an hour of people watching and sketching. Although this might sound sort of humdrum, I haven’t pulled out my sketch pad since Clara was born, not to mention all my art supplies were in storage when we were living in Arlington. This is very exciting for me and I am looking forward to this time… I am no Picasso, but I so enjoy drawing and painting!

The following week, I am going to this place called Acqua Madre with a friend and her daughter. Technically, these are supposed to be solo outings, but really. This is definitely a pampering date with myself!

In the spirit of pampering and self-care, I chose to take a nap in savasana at the end of my Yoga practice today. A few weeks ago I was messing around with shoulder opening poses and injured my right shoulder. My neck and shoulder have been tight and painful ever since, so I’m not sleeping well. I took advantage of my naturally sleepiness and relaxation post-practice. It was lovely and I felt so refreshed when I woke up!

I have also decided to put a serious cap on computer time when Clara is home. Through my explorations with morning pages, I keep bumping up against my own guilt at how much time I spend on the computer versus engaging with Clara. So, for the time being, my Gatha stands. Now, of course I have ample time for the computer when Clara is in school, but tomorrow, I am interviewing for the position of editor/writer of the embassy newspaper. I am very, very excited about the prospect and look forward to hearing more about the job! Wish me luck, although this is one more thing that will require my attention!

Such a large part of living Yoga (or any spiritual practice) with a family and small children is striking a balance, and I suppose that’s what I am working towards as life here becomes busier. It really is a dynamic, never-ending process to attend to one’s own needs and also meet the needs of children, partners, deadlines, homework, etc. Being mindful and fully present to the moment at hand is the best way to achieve balance… because the present moment is the only place from which we can respond, with clarity and an open heart, to what is required of us.

My friend Kristen told me about Kimberly Wilson and her podcasts when we were still neighbors in co-housing. Kristen still lives there and we still own our home, but we won’t be back for many years. I miss it terribly, but, in any case, that’s neither here nor there. The point being, Kristen introduced me to Kimberly and Tranquil Space and I thank her!

The Yoga and Writing workshop was (thankfully) small, with only five of us participating. It was a bit intimidating for me, because all the other gals have already been published in some form or fashion! But they were all wonderful and very supportive and open. We started out by discussing why we were there and Kimberly told us about her own process and background in writing. I have to say, Kimberly is extremely engaging and supportive, with terrific energy! It is no suprise that her ventures are all enjoying high success.

We spent time at the beginning of the three hours talking about why we were all there and what our ultimate goals with writing are. The desires were all very different, from being published in glossy magazines to achieving name recognition organically, through more of a grass roots, “Have you read that book by….” channel. I was completely fascinated by the different ways there are to define success as a writer. Why I never thought of this before is a testament to my ignorance and everything I have to learn if I’m going to pursue writing!

Of course, we talked about the connection between writing and Yoga practice. Both are, indeed, practices~ something to be done on a regular basis, that evolve and change as we grow and expand individually. Both can either challenge or restore, depending on how they are approached. They are both cathartic practices and encourage emotional release. Also, Yoga and writing require steadfast perseverance, because, as with anything, there will be days when showing up seems like too much to ask of ourselves.

Kimberly led us through a fairly brief Yoga practice, focusing on asanas that help keep the body supple when you are sitting hunched over a desk all day muttering at your computer! She had some great insights into using yoga to take a break, to clear the mind, to create some space for your writing to emerge. Most important, she reminded us all that in order to be fully present to write, we have to be solidly in our bodies. Of course!!! I know that I often feel like I become a weird, disembodied head when I sit too long in front of my computer, so I really related to that!

We finished up the last hour or so with some guided writing exercises and some questions to help us focus on what audience we are trying to reach, what we want accomplish with our writing, and what topics and writers speak to us. Almost everyone chose Elizabeth Gilbert as a voice that they really connected with. I suppose that’s no suprise considering we were at a Yoga and Writing workshop, eh?

I found Kimberly to be a wonderful mentor for the workshop. The most amazing aspect of the workshop for me was the feeling of clarity emerging for each of us, and the palpable excitement that grew from our collective awareness. I walked away knowing what I need to do to move my writing forward, with some new resources to explore, and a greater understanding of how to use my Yoga practice to support my writing.

Namaste and a big thank you to Kimberly, Tranquil Space, and the other gals who shared their excitement and passion at the workshop!

(Photo of Kimberly Wilson, courtesy of www.kimberlywilson.com)

The workshop at Tranquil Space Yoga with Doug Swenson was really interesting. And I mean that in the best way possible! I don’t think I have ever studied with a teacher that is so down to earth, funny, and just amazingly humble.

The class began with a brief background sketch of how Doug came to Yoga and how, in many ways, he was self-taught through books and a gentleman at the Unitarian Fellowship he attended as a child. So, it seems he was learning Yoga, without knowing what it was, until he visited California as a teenager and saw some people doing Yoga near the beach who told him what it was called! The upshot of all of this was that he began developing his own style of Yoga at a very young age because he wasn’t exposed to a lot of teachers when he was first learning.

His unique style of moving between the poses (called the vinyasa part of the practice) approaches dance-like movement with it’s mix of tai chi inspired movement linked intimately with the breath. Although Doug himself is an accomplished Yogi and showed the class quite a few difficult flows, he in no way implied that doing the simpler vinyasa made one less of a Yogini. (Thank goodness for me of the delicate wrist!)

The verbal cues he gave during class were impeccable and went right to heart of what needed to be adjusted in each and every posture. The two physical assists that I recieved during the class were also great and opened up each pose to me in a way I thought I couldn’t reach. His description of moving energy through the body was a totally different approach than any I’ve encountered, and I will definitely be working with it in my personal practice.

When Doug was talking about how we practice Yoga, I was so excited when he discussed how the attention and/or the quality of our Yoga practice closely mirrors our lives. In other words, if I have a Yoga practice that is very demanding and I place a lot of pressure on myself to do the asanas “right” and find myself frustrated with where I am in my practice, I bet my life is going to reflect that same sort of energy. From about the first moment I started practicing Yoga I found this to be true and have used this in my teaching as well, but it’s the first time I can recall hearing another teacher say something to that effect. (Not that they haven’t but it may have been in a way I couldn’t hear it…)

So, even though the workshop was only 2 1/2 hours long, he did a great job of covering a lot of territory without rushing the process. I would highly recommend taking a class with Doug if you ever have the opportunity. It will be a unique offering, to be sure.

Okay, I decided to go. I am still sick, but my fever is down and after being absent from teaching and trainings for so long, I really want to do this. Wish me luck and let’s hope I don’t set myself back.

The picture is of Doug Swenson, the man that is leading the first workshop. You can read more about him and his style of yoga here at his website. I will post tomorrow and give a review of both workshops.

Moving is just such an opportunity to be CRANKY!! Both my husband and I are sick and my daughter’s nose is running suspiciously again. Ugh. It is a challenge to stay calm and mindful, but most important, to keep everything in perspective. The perspective being:

1. All our stuff will be gone at the end of this week. We won’t have to deal with it until the middle of December.
2. We get to stay in a comfortable hotel until we leave for Rome.
3. We are going to Rome! Until we move into our apartment, it’s a big, lovely vacation for my daughter and I.

Assuming that I am feeling a bit better tomorrow, I am signed up for two, yes TWO, workshops at my favorite studio here in DC, Tranquil Space Yoga. One workshop is with Doug Swenson on Yoga Flow and the other, with Kimberly Wilson on Yoga and Writing. I am so excited about both of them, I hope, hope, hope, I feel soooo much better.