Visual Gratitude: #1 Early Morning Yoga

For my first day of my 30 days of Visual Gratitude, I decided to take a picture of something that I love and kind of hate at the same time. I teach 6am yoga classes every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The alarm clock goes off at 4:30am on those days, and as I hit the dismiss button on my phone I always ask myself, "Why am I up so early?" However, once I get to the studio and see my amazing students' faces I'm reminded why I do this.

Early morning yogis are the best! They roll out of bed, walk through the studio doors half asleep, and go through their Sun Salutations with sleep still in their eyes. That is inspiration! I am forever grateful for these dedicated yogis.

30 Days of Visual Gratitude

In light of my most recent post on why Instagram is better than Facebook, I became inspired to take more photos. More specifically, I'd like to take more photos of the things around me that bring so much happiness to my life.

It's easy to lose sight of the good things in our lives. I figured this month long "visual project" would help me to stay focused on all things great and beautiful.

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy." -Anne Frank

Why Instagram is Better than Facebook

Social media is everywhere. You just can't escape it. Criticize it all you want, but social media is morphing the way our society communicates and conducts business. I actually love social media (obviously). Although it often times becomes a substitute for actual human interactions, I think social media is an amazing way for people to express themselves in a low pressure environment. Of course that's only when it's used in a positive manner. I won't even touch the subject of negative use of social media. 

My first interaction with social media goes back to the MySpace days. However, I'm just going to skip over that because I like to pretend that those days never existed... So... My history with social media goes back to my freshman year of college. At the time I was enrolled at a local, private college. I was working at an on-campus restaurant and my colleagues were all excited about The Facebook. They were discussing the rumor that The Facebook might start to include our school. I had no idea what The Facebook was, but my colleagues had informed me that only large universities, like the University of Minnesota, were included in The Facebook. Of course as time progressed The Facebook started to include smaller colleges, businesses, and then it just became open to all. Oh, and I can't leave out that "The" was eventually dropped and it's now just Facebook. (If you aren't familiar with the whole history of the social media empire just watch "The Social Network".) 

Facebook opened me up to a new way of socializing. I could "friend" people I barely knew. I could then read their posts for the day, look at the pictures they uploaded to their page, see what restaurants they frequented. I could even "poke" them and throw a virtual sheep at them! Facebook started from fairly humble beginnings with small colleges just waiting anxiously for their school to be added to the list, to what it is now. Facebook is now an enormous corporation with over 1 billion users worldwide. It has become a regular part of most people's lives. We wake up, brush our teeth, and check Facebook. Everyday.

I find Facebook to be utterly fascinating. I, of course, am an avid user and love to tag myself with certain people or at certain locations just so that all my "friends" know how cool I am. However, I have become so overwhelmed by the use of Facebook as a way for people to air their dirty laundry or start conflict. Most personal matters are meant to be kept private. Most personal matters should not be posted all over your Facebook wall.

Last summer I was introduced to another form of social media, Instagram. I noticed on Facebook that all of my friends were posting pictures via Instragram. When I finally got a smart phone I had to figure out what this whole Instagram thing was. I was obsessed! I was taking pictures of anything and everything and tried out every single filter so that I had the hippest pictures around. Of course after my pictures were posted on Instagram I then had to post them on Facebook so that even more people could be privy to my level of awesomeness.

Of course the novelty of Instagram slowly started to fade. My phone's memory became overwhelmed and I actually had to delete my Instragram app. I took a few months off of Instragram and recently decided to make space on my phone for Instagram again. As I started flipping through the photos of the people I follow, I realized that Instagram is just so much better than Facebook. I could spend all day going through people's photos. Sure some of them are dumb pictures of people hanging out at a bar or self indulgent "selfies". But I look at most Instagram photos as a way to see from someone else's perspective. Ultimately I am seeing the beauty of the world through the lens of others. With Facebook I'm bombarded with words about all sorts of topics. With Instagram I'm bombarded by images that my "friends" took the time to capture and manipulate. I could much rather have the latter.

I would rather see the beauty in this world than read negative words. In a post from a while back I introduced the world to Bodhi the Lionfish Slayer. Of course his name isn't really Bodhi, but he started this awesome page on Facebook called 15 Steps Project. The idea is simple: Take no more than 15 steps from your front door, take a photo, and then post that photo on the page. The inspiration for the page is for people to see the beauty in the most mundane images we might see every single day. The page is filled with photos from all over the world and, to me, does exactly what I see from Instagram. Take a picture of something beautiful. No need to ruin it with words.

Life Lesson from Yoga #4: It's Just Stuff

I love my cats. I'm not necessarily a crazy cat lady, but I do really love my cats. Owen, the fluffy one, has been by my side since November of 2005. Bodhi, the chubby one, has been with me since July of 2007. They are great companions and always keep life interesting. 

As most pet owners know, we love our pets when they're well behaved and feel frustration towards them when they're not so well behaved. Owen, the fluffy one, is often also known as the mischievous one. He really should be featured in the Cats Can Be Jerks video on YouTube. I'll be eating at the kitchen table and he'll most likely jump on the table at some point during my meal. Late at night he'll decide to pick at the cabinet door just to annoy me. But above all, he likes to eat clothing, blankets, and towels. Yep. Just like a dog. He eats stuff that he shouldn't. 

Sometimes I wonder if this behavior comes out because he hasn't gotten enough attention. However, it's hard to believe that the cat who is carried around by either myself or my boyfriend for a large portion of the day isn't getting enough attention. I also wonder if he's just unhappy. Nope. Owen purrs loudly and wags his tail all the live long day. I think I've just come to the conclusion that he's just a jerk.

His ultimate jerk move is when he eats an enormous hole in my favorite articles of clothing. This is a normal occurrence. If I leave my clothes laying around in the bedroom or if a sleeve is hanging out of my laundry basket, Owen thinks it's fair game for him to snack on. Today, for example, I went to the yoga studio to take class. I stepped into the office to put my belongings away and chatted it up with a friend. I looked down and noticed a huge hole in the shirt I was wearing! My favorite lululemon long sleeved shirt had been consumed by my cat. I shared a few choice words and got mad. Of course he never eats the sweater I rarely wear or the shirt I just got a stain on. He eats my favorite pieces of clothing. 

A few minutes later I rolled out my yoga mat in the studio and stewed in my outrage toward my cat. Of course my practice was going to be tarnished by my cat's appetite for shirts. I noticed my frustration with my cat rise up inside of me and then I just had to let it go. The shirt had already been consumed. My cat was satisfied by his snack. And anything I do or anything I feel moving forward will not patch up the hole in my shirt. Ultimately my shirt is just a material possession. My experiences with my cat are much more enjoyable than the happiness my shirt brings to me. 

One of my teachers talks about measuring your wealth by your experiences and not in what you own. I constantly have to be reminded of this idea. It's hard to not buy the latest yoga top in the studio or feel like I need the newest pair of Tom's. What I need are good people in my life. What I need are memorable experiences in my life. Of course deep down, Owen, the mischievous one, has the intention to eat my belongings to remind me that it's all just stuff. 

Practice with a Purpose

Back in December I became inspired by an amazing student of mine. Long story short, she inspired me to start giving more to those in need. I feel incredibly grateful for the fact that I make a living teaching yoga. At only 26 I have my dream job. There is definitely nothing awful about that! Since I was so inspired by this one student, for Christmas I made donations to various charities in my family members' names as a part of their gifts. My family and I are very lucky to have the things we have in our lives, and I thought it was important to give back to those who aren't as lucky. Not only did I want to give to others for Christmas, but I was hoping to inspire my family to give to others too. 

As the last few months have passed I started to brainstorm ways to inspire more people to donate, volunteer, and give back. I came up with a yoga challenge for my students. I have dubbed it Practice with a Purpose. The rules are simple: For every student that takes 25 yoga classes in the month of March, I will donate $10 to a local charity, Second Harvest Heartland. If a student signs up for the challenge but does not complete 25 classes in March, they donate $10 to the charity. I have 40 students signed up for the challenge. They are all so excited to attempt the yoga challenge, but they're also inspired to give back to others. 

When I first started to announced the challenge in my classes, smiles beamed across my students' faces. Some students have even been emotional while talking to me about the charity challenge. So many of my students feel lucky to have found yoga (I am also added to this group) and know what yoga has done in their lives. They now feel compelled to give to others since yoga has given so much to them. That right there is inspiration. It's all about Karma. Pass it on. 

Empower Your Students

A couple weeks ago I encountered a new student. Her friend, a regular student of mine, encouraged her to try this yoga thing and finally got her to come to the studio. Her first class was with another instructor. I happened to be in the studio lobby while this woman was in her first class. Within the first 20 minutes she walked out of the studio. While panting she asked, "How much longer is this class?" Now the class she was taking was a rather intense, more fitness based yoga class that is done with weights, but this poor lady was just destroyed. I responded with, "There's still 40 minutes left". Completely defeated, the lady dragged herself back into the hot and sweaty room.

Two days later, this new student returned to take my class. Her friend forced her to return and take the same class, but encouraged her to take my class. The new student said she had doubted this whole yoga thing. She thought it was for wimps and it would be a piece of cake. But two days prior she realized how wrong she was. (Granted this specific class format is not your gentle yoga class with lots of Wah! and MC Yogi softly playing in the background. Instead it's Crescent Lunge and Warrior II with bicep curls and military presses all while sweating the calories away to Rihanna.) After reassuring her that she'd be just fine in that day's class, she slowly walked into the studio and rolled out her mat. Her friend pulled me aside and told me to really talk about form and technique in that day's class so that her friend could understand what was going on. I assured her I would. Shortly after I walked into the studio to make sure everything was set up for class, the new student grabbed me. She looked at me and without hesitation said, "I need your help. I don't know what chow-a-bunga is". Of course I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. Of course she meant chaturanga (hi to low plank), but she honestly thought she was hearing the instructor say "chow-a-bunga" during her first yoga class.

After the humor passed, I suddenly felt compassion for this student. With zero knowledge of yoga postures, technique, or alignment, this new student was completely lost. Now of course I do not necessarily blame the instructor that taught the first class this woman took. Unfortunately, with the type of class this student had walked into on her first day, there's this mentality to push yourself to the limit. There's also the assumption that students already have a foundation of basic yoga postures before taking this class. However, there's always new students who just want a killer workout and jump right into these classes. What is an instructor to do when over half of your students want to get drilled into their mats for 60 minutes while only a few students don't even know how to set up a Low Lunge?

After my interaction with this new student, I realized I need to be held accountable for what I do as a yoga instructor. It's my job to keep my students safe. It's my job to make my students feel successful in the classes they take. For a while I was running with the mentality that when I teach an advanced level class, I'm only going to teach "advanced" level postures (whatever that means). For those who can't keep up, too bad for them. How un-yogic is that?! I never want a student of mine to leave my class feeling defeated, unsuccessful, or confused. Yoga is meant to be accessible. As Darren Main suggested in the Skype session I posted about a while back, give all of your students something to do. If they're more advanced physically, give them the option of binds/wraps, arm balances, and inversions. If you're faced with a beginner or a student looking for a more basic or foundation based class, then give them simple alignment to focus on and continue to offer modifications. Similar to the famous military quote: No yogi should be left behind!

So here's my request to all teachers: Empower your students. It doesn't matter if you teach  elementary school students, knitting, college level biology, photography classes, brick laying, the Russian language or yoga. Empower your students with the knowledge they need to be successful. Isn't that your job as a teacher?

When the Student is Ready...

There's a Buddhist proverb that states, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear". I've had many teachers and mentors in my time as a yoga student and instructor, but the teacher who impacted my life the most came into my life when I needed him most. Our relationship just kind of happened.

First, we started as colleagues. He ran one of the studios I taught at and I, on a whim, applied to be his assistant at the studio. I was transitioning from a very unhealthy lifestyle as a bartender to a clear-headed studio manager and yoga instructor. This was a time of transformation and there should be no surprise that I needed a mentor.

Although he may have not realized it, he was (and still is) an incredibly inspirational person in my life. He was a vegetarian, rarely drank alcohol, and had a relationship with his wife that all people should envy. Being around him made me want to take better care of myself and better care of those around me. Magically I started eating better, I didn't stay out as late, I became more committed to my yoga practice, and started to create better and more meaningful relationships with the people around me. Not only was he a great human being, but he was a tremendous yoga instructor. His classes were just marvelous. I hate to put people on a pedestal, but he was able to create a 60 minute class that felt like it went by in the blink of an eye. Dance was my first true love, and every time I stepped onto my mat in his class I felt like I was dancing. He also pushed me to try postures I never thought possible in my body. People often ask me how I learned a certain posture and I always have to give the credit to my mentor.

As time passed I realized that a position in management just wasn't the best fit for me. Almost three years ago now, I decided to step away from my position and focus more on teaching and my yoga studies. Although a part of our working relationship was severed, my mentor was extremely supportive of my decision and continued to challenge me both on and off my mat.

Two months ago my mentor decided to take a promotion in Colorado. Although proud of my mentor and his success with our company, I was devastated. First, it started as a rumor that he might be taking a position elsewhere. Then it became an email to the studio's instructors that he decided to take the promotion. And then he was gone. I was saddened because my teacher who inspires me and challenges me on so many levels was now going to be thousands of miles away. Was my teaching going to suffer because I no longer had the inspiration of his teachings? Was my physical practice going to diminish because I wasn't taking his classes anymore? Of course the answer to both of those questions is "NO", but in the first few weeks of his absence, I was constantly battling with these questions.

It's been two months now since his departure and the world hasn't ended and I'm not a train wreck of an instructor or student. Although I do miss my teacher and my friend, I believe his absence has actually empowered me. He gave me so many tools as an instructor that I can now fully utilizing the information I gained from him. His absence has also pushed me to seek out more teachers and I am so thankful for that. I got into a rut of only taking his and a handful of other instructors' classes, and not that he didn't encourage me to take other instructors' classes, but now I'm seeking out new and different teachers. A lot of those instructors teach nothing like him, and that's great!

At this point in my studies I may not be ready for just one teacher, but many. Or perhaps I'm starting to discover the inspiration and challenges that I see within myself.