Places Slept 2013

Kind of a slow year. Not that that's a bad thing. Just different than normal.

Cedar Falls, IA
2/8-2/9-West Des Moines, IA
3/14-Bedford Park, IL
3/15-3/22- Buena Vista, FL
5/18-Chesterfield, MO
5/24-5/25-Edina, MN
6/15-West Des Moines, IA
7/2-Ogallala, NE
7/3- 7/6 Copper Mountain, CO
7/7- North Platte, NE
8/2-8/16- West Des Moines, IA
9/13- St. Louis, MO
10/5-10/6- Bloomington, MN
10/25-West Des Moines, IA
10/26-Mount Washington, MA
10/27-10/28 Montreal, Canada
10/29- NYC, NY
11/15-West Des Moines, IA
12/20-West Des Moines, IA

Yoga Workshops: Taught by Me!!

It's been a crazy couple months of yoga teaching. I thought I had a teaching opportunity that eventually turned shady, but the stress relief and pure contentness I felt just in thinking I could leave the studio I was at, was too much to ignore. So I left. And the owner of the studio turned that into a sour experience even. I went into a lack of yoga phase, teaching nights only twice a week, to a clientele that didn't seem to want to be there. But that group is picking up, I'm adding morning classes at the same gym not hot, I'm starting at a brand spanking new gorgeous studio for a few classes a week, even though she'd love for me to pick up even more, AND starting Saturday classes at NLXF (first class was last weekend and it went awesome!)

But that's not even the point of the post!

This fall, my yoga partner in crime and I hosted our first ever foam rolling workshop. It was one of those things, getting it promoted and getting people to sign up was like pulling teeth (with the opposite of help from the studio owner). And the morning of was a nervous nightmare, but we ended up with about 7 attendees and they loved it.

I was a total wreck and I thought I would forget all the points that i wanted to say and that people would be skeptical and disinterested, but at the very beginning a woman piped up about how foam rolling changed her life. And from there on it was smooth sailing. First third was talking about the history and benefits and anatomical points, and then the foam rolling began, working through the body. There was moaning and groaning and giggles. Perfect. 

And then we did it again at his home studio just recently. Set up was a disaster as we had some drama with another instructor (who happened to be in our teacher training group, *gag*) and then the current training class was hogging our space until right before. So much for getting the heat down. 

BUT. Bigger turn out. Even more chatter. And people stuck around after to keep going, ask questions, and just shower the compliments. So I really can't complain, can i? And we've been asked back to teach the same at their second location. Soooo. I think it went well. 

DPP 13: Mmmmm mango!

DPP 12: KABOOM!!

Apparently -6 degrees was a little too cold for the 7up to handle…KA-BOOM

DPP 09: Solace.

DPP 08: No Mommy! Don't Leave Us!

This is what happens when I tell the children that I am leaving for the gym in the morning….

DPP 07: Strength and Savasana!

Forgive the lack of technique in the shots, they were taken for me, as I was teaching the first ever NLXF yoga class this morning. And totally on cloud nine. Totally love. It's been a long time coming and I finally get my chance :)

DPP 06: Sleepy kitten.

DPP 04: Chinese Truth.

Kind of cheating today, not my photo and not even from today. But it was sent to me a few days ago and seems to be my current mantra. So I'm rolling with it :-)

DPP 03: Fog

And this is exactly how the mood of my day went all day....

DPP 02

DPP 02: Odd acrobatic cat award goes to....Castle! Impressive feat!

DPP 1

DPP 1: Four cats. One tree. This will be the first of many....

The End is Here!!!! Day 14

I'm not even to my first standing pose of GSP on our very last morning, and James comes over to talk about my hands. He did that earlier but I guess I had no idea what he meant. But apparently I do a hand "wiggle" showing a lack of focus? I've never noticed, so now I'll have to see if I can catch myself doing it.

My handstand is so perfect, he starts having me drop my elbows to dismount out of it. Far harder than they make it look....

At the end, Mathew again comments on how much I've progressed over the past two weeks, and seems super genuine. Ok, so maybe by the end of it, I actually kinda like the kid. I just really needed to see his method and see him open up a bit first.

Our last session together was even shorter than the end of the 300, the business lady was back, and she gave us some charts to fill out for goal setting. Still hot off the hot seat, I pretty much just sat there. I guess I did write down that I need an IRA....does that even count? In the end I made two lists. One i would have made prior to Wednesday, and one for after. I'll let you guess which waa more productive. I just wasn't in the mood, at all. Thank god it was fast.

Overall, very anti ceremonious goodbyes, got our certificates and see ya. Mathew was really the only person we even said good bye to, and that was even a hug.

But the two weeks ended in tradition. Lunch at Jason's and packing up the car. I mean, if I hurried, I could make the last Gauntlet, and trust me, I had some aggression to work out.

Just like last year, the two weeks took forever and flew by all at once. Intellectually, it was light years easier, much less information to actually learn. But emotionally it was that much harder. Thank god I had a solid friend going through it with me and I wasn't playing hear say all the time to share my stories. Definitely saved my sanity.

Wanderlust Colorado Day Two!

Day 2 @ Wanderlust



You'd think yogis would be punctual. Not so much.

7 Ways to Rock your Cortisol taught by an integrative physician/yoga teacher. More about stress relief. Not my thing.

But getting to sit on the floor on pillows with pillow backrests? I can listen for an hour.

Random fact: Alzheimer's starts in your 20s.

I'm sorry, but no matter what you say, I don't believe that my iPhone camera can measure my heart rate.

Beastie Yogi w/ MC Yogi &DJ Drez- yoga class led by MC Yogi, spun by DJ Drez set entirely to Beastie Boys mashups and MC Yogi songs and b-boy samples

To Enter the Center
You can taste the nectar
But to enter the Center
You must surrender

200 people waving their hands in the air is cool.
200 people doing downward dog and waving their feet in the air is awesome.

"Don't bump into anyone's Lululemon"

Its unbelievably easy to groove to hip hop during yoga sequencing.

Am I the only one that has never thought about twisting to each side in standing yoga mudra?

At the end MC Yogi called us all up to the front to take a family picture. Something about that, just makes me happy.

Guiding Empowering Yoga was supposed to be a class for teachers to help with sequencing and whatnot. It was not. It was a a flow sequence that had poses I have never heard of in my life. It wasn't what I wanted, but I came out with enough that it wasn't total loss.

The lady next to me was from England and now teaches yoga to parolees with swastika tattoos.

All the ladies love that Tim is not only here, but actually doing yoga too.

Live music propelling class is happiness inducing.

I have hamstring death. There is also a death that involves the top of your foot bearing into your plushy arch, and it makes me go OWWWWW.

There is a sun salutation that involves rolling like a ball. I dig.

I totally concurred big toe grab side plank extend leg today. This makes me proud.

Tonight we braved outside of Copper and went to the Mexican joint in Frisco, and as always, it was delicious.

There is such a thing as "Wanderlust" time.

MC Yogi bounces on trampolines and makes me smile. Great mini concert. And then, came the happiest picture in awhile.

 

Getting To & Wanderlust Colorado Day One!

Driving to Wanderlust Colorado! We will skip the first ten hours. Because Nebraska SUCKS. 

Copper Mountain!!!My Colorado home.

Shopped inside the d'Om. Thank God there wasn't too much unique stuff, I'd have been so screwed. But we came out with a single piece for me and a single piece for Tim. I consider this success!

Vendors with free food will always be the favorite.

Budokon Yoga: Floating and Inversions- Cameron Shayne was late, so Matt Giordano subbed.

Sweet class, learned some new techniques for poses like high lunge, chair, pigeon, side crow (although that one got about 10x harder) and how to drag toes for floating. 

And there will for sure be introduction of the real cobra into my classes. Inchworm butt! So will "heart up to thumbs" instead of twisting.

"Lift your pinky toes if you want to experience God" -Matt Giordono

In my 15 minute break, Tim brought me my sandwich before I ate a skinny yogi chick.

AcroYoga is always fun, but how much fun relies completely on your partner(s).

Cole from Lulu was fabulous and energetic, but Nicole from Jersey was tiny tiny tiny. Sunburnt Jen was an amazon and rather pushy.

Charlotte was my second amazon, but the first to fly me in the class and holy cow that lady had LEGS, it's just too bad this ADD kid was our spotter and he acted like a coke head. 

But I learned some new group work and a bunch of new partner poses: double plank child's pose, knees on back lifts, and throne.

Plus at the end they led us through some short Thai massage and there's an outter shin technique to die for....

After quite the time outside, and nowhere near enough water intake and the sun and yoga had put my head in quite the vice. And since I've done Thai massage before and I feel like I myself would have been the sucky partner, I opted to skip out.

So Tim and I walked around the Village getting all the cool stuff at vendors. Toyota had a cool tent to get screen printed bags, engraved key tags, make your own mat cleaner, make your own granola, and get pictures taken. It was a fun walk around the village collecting goodies.

Mini retreat to the room before we found this sweet seemingly secluded path along the stream towards the back of Copper. 

 Opening ceremonies at the lake, the Quixotic Fusion fire dancers, were fine, but I was far more enthralled with the violinist and drummer. Soothing and engaging and they just sucked you in COMPLETELY. 

The Wanderlust Spectacular was the night cap of the evening, if only we weren't so exhausted. Cameron Shayne is an animal. A pure muscular intense animal. Its inhuman. His eyes and his structure. Indescribable. But we also got to see Matt and Chelsey do acro and all the other instructors do their thing with MC Yogi as the MC (shocking). 

Sadly, we lasted only about 40 of the 90 minutes. Yoga in the mountains is exhausting!

Olivia REALLY likes the new house. And the Sun.

Pictures from Partner Yoga!

I just posted a long post about the awesome Partner Yoga class we held this past weekend, now i finally got my hands on some of the pictures!!! Enjoy!!

Getting Handsy in Down Dog!

So a couple of years ago, I had taken a partner yoga class, and absolutely LOVED it. Then when I took my teacher training, we were lucky enough to have one evening dedicated to learning different partner yoga poses, only reigniting my interest in it.

So earlier in the winter, I approached the studio owner about teaching a partner themed class around Valentines Day, and she was totally into it, and told me to go for it. So I did more research, got a full sequence ready, made the corny lovey playlist and it was on the calendar for 12 couples to come get their down dog romance on. It helps that we actually have a bunch of guys that come to the studio, so we knew they'd at least be into it.

We did some pre planning of the class, mainly just going through the poses to make sure the three of us knew what each pose was. And she went to town on planning food and the little touches (ie. rose petals on their eyes before the cool towel during savasana).

I got there Friday night, expecting that she would lead the class since she is far more experienced, and it IS a special event for the studio. And immediately I am corrected that no, I will be the one lead teaching. Thank goodness I was the one to actually write the sequence, but it had still been a month since I'd looked at it. Cue cramming. Although, we had gained extra people to help assist. The owner, the only instructor that taught there before me, and then the two newest instructors. One of which was my old instructor from way back in the day at the rec center.

Couples started arriving, the instructors got them signed in and we took their mats to get them all set up before they even entered the studio, because we are full service! They were all really cute. 11 boy/girl combos and one what is guess was mother/daughter (all types of love for valentines!). Some were far more romantic than others. Lots of hand rubbing and back caressing. In fact, a couple of them might have even gone a little overboard, cause it takes a lot to get me blushing, but boy did some of them achieve that.

All different levels of skill. One couple NAILED every pose, despite a solid 2.5 foot height difference. His legs were literally her entire body. Another couple, I almost felt bad for her. He might as well have been a baby deer just born. Had I not seen him walk in successfully, I would have thought he didn't know what legs were for.

18-some poses, and we got through them all! There was a quick warm up, and a nice long savasana (lights off, god only knows what fully happened). It was only supposed to last an hour, but ended up being closer to 75 minutes, but knowing our studio, no one should be shocked by that. And through it all, the owner only interjected a few instructions, and even those were completely helpful and only adding to what I had already said. She did teach two poses, but because i had asked her to, because there were two poses that she added herself, and I really had no idea how to even get a couple started moving in that direction. But otherwise, she was super smiley and happy and bouncing through the whole class. She was like a ninja photographer snapping pictures from every position when not helping assist the poses. At one point, she was in full reclined hero to get the angle she wanted. It was really cute. And it only continued after the class. She took photos of all of us in front of the buffet, and kept giving hugs and high fives and was clearly ELATED with the outcome of the class, making me extremely happy and pleased with my own doing. The couples all seemed to love it too as they finally emerged from the dark savasana. Lots of compliments and saying they would love to do it again. So that was pretty awesome.

And all the compliments were BEFORE the buffet after. Champagne, sparkling green tea (still have to pretend to be yogis ;-) ), truffles, other chocolates, mousse cups, chocolate covered strawberries, the works. And it was all fantastic. Perfect cap to the class. And once everyone left, the instructors all stayed, and it was actually the first time we have all been together, so it became a totally chat time, eventually working into finding two of them boyfriends. We also got to meet the owner's husband and daughter, who I had yet to meet so far.

Overall, a total success. Who wants to wait all the way until next February to do another one? Certainly not me. Although, I think going further into acroyoga might be funner….. :-)