Catch-Up

Happy Monday, everyone!


Goodness! So much to unpack from the weekend and today-- funny how my week days rather than my weekends have shaped themselves into the time when I can think and write and unwind a bit. Thursday's post encapsulated and froze fairly articulately the dominant feeling that has revealed itself to be the underbelly of the brilliance and inspiration and fun that I'm feeling in my life right now...and I think it is so crucial to include this so that there is no misconception about the rhythm of my days and the thoughts and actions that occupy them-- no, not everything is easy, and no, I am not always living with perfect integrity and grace and patience. I'm sure Alex and my students could attest to this! ;) But I'm breathing into it and constantly readjusting...

Friday was a long day-- but full in an uplifting way, especially because Alex finished a rough week too and we could really just exhale. Four classes, tutoring, yoga and running, plus snuggle TV time made for a positive pause. Saturday it was full-speed again-- up to Huntington Beach from 10:30 to 6:15, with two yoga classes-- one really amazing; an advanced level heated Vinyasa with an instructor who had a voice and an energy-- a presence-- that made one feel that one, in spite of the crowded room, was the only person to whom she was speaking...It was simultaneously the longer and shortest 75 minutes I've experienced in a long, long time-- the most I've been present possibly ever-- at least until our guided meditation on Sunday...Anyway, it was mind-blowing in the best way. This second class was followed by chanting and a lecture on the koshas and other "yogi theory" and history, specifically as related to the Bandhas...These are the locks that exist in our bodies through which vital energy releases-- in yoga, ideally in all of life, we engage these locks as a means of controlling and utilizing that energy most effectively on all levels of being. The most noteworthy of the bandhas are 1) the mula bandha (basically, the lock on our pelvic floor-- the "pee stop") 2) the uttiyana bandha (essentially the core; located just below the navel) and 3) the jalandhara bandha (located in the throat). By engaging these areas, these locks-- yoga apparently becomes easy as does life (;) hehe)-- so we took the time to explore this idea in depth in an hour long session led by Jen (my instructor) on inversions. Now, I must admit that, secretly, honestly, one of the major reasons I was even compelled to do this training was because I wanted to learn, for real and once and for all, to do these awesome inversion poses-- to strengthen my muscles and deepen my confidence and trust so much that I can, upon graduation, do things like handstand and Peacock and Squirel and be able to really PLAY in this exciting contortionistic way...I've definitely made incredible progress-- and have the Crow Pose bruises to prove it-- but there is SO much further to go...So this portion of training was a highlight and a challenge. We ended the session with a breaking down of the Chakras-- SO FASCINATING! We took self-evaluations to determine our balances in each-- I found that the Chakra to which I am most atuned, both for better and for worse, is the Third (located in the Core and YELLOW in color)-- look it up and see if this fits with who you know as me ;)! More on this at some other point-- basically, such cool stuff...

The day wasn't yet over though after the training in HB-- I had to make my way down to Irvine for a fundraising event for school-- Silent and Live Auctions, dinner and dancing at a GORGEOUS golf course so enchantingly decorated in the spirit and splendor of autumn harvest-- almost New Englandly so! I, in spite of my exhausting and my solo status ( I couldn't ask Alex to pay the $95 price tag for a ticket, especially when I thought it was going to be incredibly boring-- had a nice time, especially we chatting with parents and my colleagues, and loved, too, being able to show my face wearing something other than my "Games Teacher"clothing...Getting home, though, I crashed once more-- luckily having Alex to catch me and put me to bed...

To get up and do it all over again on Sunday! Tutoring at 8:30 am after a run on the beach; breakfast out with A. and then to Aliso V. for more class and training. The class was fabulous and the meditation (guided) that we did during training was phenomenal-- I've never before been able to sit still for 40 minutes, let alone reach any sort of meditative state really, but here, I achieved a shadow of it... And how awesome it was!

Speeding on to today-- because I am feeling the pull of the present and wanting to be there rather than here-- knowing I need to honor that-- I had a FANTASTIC experience of getting to sub for the High School English teacher at school! 9th Graders starting A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM-- I soared through this so joyfully, I surprised myself at just how much I MISS teaching this discipline-- God, my body was physically craving it-- but now that I've gotten my fix, will I be satisfied or just need more??? Yikes.

The chaos of the day came from 4th Grade who took advantage of the sprinkler system going off in the middle of class on the field and got TOTALLY soaked-- much to the chagrin of me and their next teacher, particularly as it was not exactly a sunny or particularly WARM day (actually getting chilly here!) Just hope that the changes of shirts I got them warded off any colds....

Last note: Basketball had begun, as has Tennis-- still trying to get swimming set up for grades 6, 7 and 8...Keep you posted.

Love to you all-- namaste and good night.