Satya

On Thursdays I teach a vinyasa 715 am, work 9-530, then teach beginners 730pm class.
It's tiring.  Not the teaching, but the work day sandwiched between classes.  My girls aren't thrilled
about me teaching an evening class, but the calling is there and I'm in the state of believing it will
work itself out.

Most weeks, as I grow in my practice, I try to find a word or something higher to bring into my class.
For me, I have a bigger fear in sharing my spiritual side than teaching asana, so I do my best to bring my
language in the forefront..at least in my mind.

This morning as I was glancing through Yoga Journal, I read their featured article on Tree Pose. 
I liked how they brought Satya into the description.
Satya means truth.
Unchangeable truth.

So, as I spent my day running this word through my head, I discovered it was easier to speak about satya in the evening than the morning class.  In the AM, I had just read the article.  It needed time to marinade in my brain. By tonight I felt better in my sharing of the word. The concept.
I didn't get totally into it---I may soon, but I realized that the body is not satya.
The mind is not satya.
Only the spirit, connected to higher, is truth, unchangable truth--along with 'god'...whatever that may be.

I also began class asking them to think of something they are proud of within themselves. 
We spend so much of our time trying to get better at this or that. Faster. Quicker. Skinnier.
When we already have so many things we are excellent at...what we are holding as truths to ourselves.
I liked that.
I like setting intentions too--but that sometimes points out the less than positive traits we think about within ourselves.
We're awesome people.
Maybe you rock at washing the dishes.
Maybe you sing in the shower beautifully.
There are qualities we should love about ourselves and share readily.

In satya.
love.
Om

Perspective

Perspective with my hands.
Perspective with my body.

As I work through my down dogs
upward
into
Warrior 1,
I find cactus arms
into straight arms up high
extending forward
placement between eyes

And I think,
it's all perspective.

Sometimes we can see plainly what is in front of us...
other times we are looking around what is right before us,
while other times we are looking too closely in the present.

It all shifts.
Our perspective.
Upside down.
Rightside up.

Finding the moments to be in that change,
loving what is.

Slowing down

Sitting in the sunshine, with a cup of coffee this early morning, I had a flash of meditation vs. the work week.



Often times meditation comes at the end of asana.
Our body has worked with our mind through all these poses, sometimes surging memories with present issues or simple joy.  And by the end of our practice, most people can sit.
Simply sit.
Much easier.

So, as I sat this morning, I thought about how joyous the simple act of sitting is--after a week filled with loving obligations, laughing and tears of exhaustion.
It is a gift.
Sitting.
Meditation.
Slowing down in the presense.
Putting the highest first.

Open heart, Open spine, Open words

I began slow
creaking morning body on the mat

listening to green tara
protector
remover of lions and greed
in balasana
arms overhead
fingers interlaced

onto my back for biking the agni path
rolling my spine
so divine
warming for the sunny salutes

head back
fingers interlaced
heart reaching towards the sun

Warrior 1: What is story?  What is your stance on Issues 1, 2, 3?

Lunge into peacefulness
dropping your sacrum
bending your knee to twist
your heart to the other side of the world
to the twisty parvokonasana
unwind
bind and travel again
Child
your hero
called your camel to finish
your heart

resting your legs up the wall

to begin the day

Family, svaha!

Often times
I recall
family

Often times
I wonder
about similarities
differences
joy

Often times
I inhale
exhale
svaha
woohoo
hail!
love

for
family