While being so completely overjoyed with this opportunity I had to take my practice in a different direction for my changing body. I practiced yoga while I was pregnant with my other two children but this third pregnancy was so different. And although I was a yoga practitioner I hadn’t gone through extensive teacher training that I did these past few years. I was more aware of how I could modify poses but still able to take a regular yoga class. When I had my first two kids, the lovely Miss Annabelle and funny boy Anthony I was told to take prenatal yoga classes. Don’t get me wrong I think these classes are great but I wasn’t getting what I really needed.. physical strength!  I think this is so important during your pregnancy, birth and after the little baby is born.  This time around I felt strong and ready to meet our tiny bundle.

I’m so grateful that I had the experience on how to keep my regular yoga practice during the entire pregnancy up to giving birth that I would like to help others do the same.  I would love to have the opportunity to help students learn how to modify poses and share some tips and tricks from one pregnant girl to another.

Just about two short years ago, I came across a blurb on a neighborhood blog announcing the opening of a new yoga studio a few blocks from my house. How exciting! Then, on the website, the most amazing photograph. A woman, blond, with her back to the camera with the most beautiful muscle tone in her arms, shoulders and back. BEAUTIFUL. I thought “THIS is what yoga does?” I immediately picked up the phone and lucky for me Dora answered. How in the world she could transmit the Dora-energy through the phone, I will never understand but she sounded wonderful! Starting a business is no joke and I’m sure she was running on pure adrenaline those few days before her first community class. I didn’t call any friends to come with me. I decided to start this adventure all on my own.

So, I went to my first Vinyasa Power Flow class. Surprises? SWEAT. Energy, light, breath, peace, strength, lots of laughter and MORE SWEAT. All of these things I found from day one.

Just about 30 minutes in to this 90 minute class, my head started to swim, I saw white lights and I decided it was time for me to exit the class before I tipped over and hurt myself or someone else. The amazing thing was that I was NOT discouraged. Well, not really. I was a little disappointed in myself for being so out of shape but I was elated! I felt the energy coming from the people in that room was extraordinary. I attended my next class within days and have never looked back.

To my Spira family, especially (angel) Dora, I say thank you. Thank you for this amazing gift you have given us! YOU J

Peace,

T

Dora as a young gymnast

More years ago than I care to admit my budding curiosity for yoga was fueled by a shopping spree for VHS tapes. OK, OK, I may have just given away how very long ago all this may have been… It was before yoga was something that people talked about. Before there were any fancy yoga conferences, yoga journal and certainly before commercial festivals sponsored by SmartWater  like Wanderlust.

Yoga was something that some folks viewed as mysterious and even weird. I felt there was something to this art. After my Rhythmic Gymnastics ‘career’, my exercise routine was “reduced” to trail running. I loved the trails, I still do love the trails, love nature, but I was missing the multidimensional movement of gymnastic. I missed the feeling that every muscle in my body got worked, got attention.

My shopping binge resulted in a lot of funny purchases. Right away I knew that there was a type of yoga for everyone. Every yoga style is very much valid and good. But just like not every shoe fits all feet, not every teacher is for everyone.

David Swenson

I am spiritual, but also very much scientifically minded. I am Easter European and the New Age “love language”, and the moon and the stars stuff just did not resonate with me. I also felt that for my mind to rest and come into the moment, I needed movement. Even today after so many years of yoga, I do my seated meditation after a rigorous practice. It does not work for me the other way around.  Physical exercise releases chemicals- endorphins in our brain. These endorphins have been proven in laboratories to reduce stress, and create an elated mind. We all know instinctively that it is true, that is why we feel so good after a rigorous walk in the woods. Yoga styles that focused on stillness did very little to bring me into peace.

So there I was on a search for a style of yoga that moved, that was physically challenging.  I was looking for a teacher that spoke with straight up tone of voice, with an intellectual curiosity and a sense of humor. I was looking for someone who spoke of the philosophy of yoga, but reflected love and support in the way of being instead of showering me with lots of fluffy words.

David Swenson

And thus I found Ashtanga….And David Swenson. I right away bought all his VHS tapes. I still have them even though I don’t have a player anymore.  It was a momentous occasion in my life. I would pop in either “Short Forms” or the “Primary Series” and magic happened. His being, his tone of voice right away transported me to a peaceful place in my mind. I started the sun salutations with him on my little bulky television set in my tiny room and just marveled of what unfolded inside my body and mind. It was truly an experience of elevation. Similar to what believers in a church talk about when singing in a choir. It was spiritual, but somehow the rhythm of the breath and the movement placed this rather mystical experience into the physical.

It was like moving and breathing in peace.

With the commercialization of yoga, something did indeed get lost in the translation at least that is my perception. I have attended many fancy yoga conferences, teacher trainings and festivals, but they all came up far-far second compare to David’s tapes.

So it was time to see him in person…I was nervous.  There is this human tendency to put people on a pedestal when they are in your television set. But David was David even in person. He is approachable, down to earth, funny, humble and inspirational. I didn’t feel that he was out there to be a “guru”, I didn’t feel he was out there to “grow his yoga business” and find followers. He was just a nice man practicing yoga, he just happened to have practiced much longer than I have. He was out there to share his love of practice and teach us how to be our own teacher. As David said in class: “ Ashtanga yoga is there to wean you off of a need for a teacher, and to teach you to practice on your own daily.”

I found my teacher, my version of yoga.

When I asked him if he would come and teach at Spira, I really did not think that I had a chance. I have looked at David’s schedule; he was booked for years in Europe, Asia and the Americas. What on Earth would he be doing at my neighborhood studio? But he said yes. Wow…..

If you like Spira’s philosophy and style there is a really good chance that you will like David Swenson. Here I have posted some inspirational video, and an interview.

David Swenson demonstrations

David Swenson speaks

These are demo sequences for your jaw muscles, not the stuff that we will be practicing. J Please note though that you don’t have to be super advanced yogi to study with David.  Ashtanga like every yoga type can be modified to fit your needs. It is enough to be present and breathe.

David Swenson will be at Spira on March 9-10. For more info click here: http://spirapoweryoga.com/david-swenson-march-9-10-2013

Spira Power Yoga

February 23, 2013 12:30-3:30pm

Upcoming meditation workshop with Jonathan Bowra at Spira Power Yoga, February 23, 12:30-3:30pm.  We’ll chant, drum and do sitting meditation, there will be time for Q&A and for discussion.  For those of you who weren’t able to attend the last meditation workshop and for those who did, here is another opportunity to learn and practice the life maturing practice of meditation.  In the last meditation workshop at Spira Yoga 25 Yogis and Yoginis from the Spira community and from outside the community came together to explore through chanting meditation, sitting meditation and drumming meditation how to be present in our life moment to moment.  Meditation is waking up to the present moment, surrendering to the present moment, so that we can connect more deeply to ourselves and to those around us.  Come to this meditation workshop; begin your journey to deeper connection.

Here is a little more information on this workshop:

Are you curious about meditation? Do you want to learn how to meditate?

Have you tried to meditate and have questions about your meditation experience? Are you wondering what type of meditation practice might be appropriate for you? In this experiential workshop you will learn and practice different forms of meditation.

• Chanting meditation.
• Sitting meditation.
• Energy meditation.
• Walking meditation.
• Bowing meditation.

The workshop will begin with a short 20-minute yoga session to prepare the body for meditation.  Then Jonathan will give an introductory talk sharing his experience living in a meditation center developing a daily meditation practice, the benefits of doing meditation retreats and how meditation can be beneficial to your work, life and yoga. During the workshop, Jonathan will teach different forms of meditation, one at a time, describing some of the benefits and who might benefit from doing this form of meditation, we will then practice this meditation. After each section there will be time for sharing your experience meditating and time for Q & A.

Benefit from Jonathan’s extensive experience in meditation.  Learn practical meditation techniques that can help you in your daily life.

Jonathan began practicing Zen Meditation in 1980 in Berkeley California.   He lived and practiced in the Empty Gate Zen Center for 8 years.  After sitting a 90-day meditation retreat in Korea he became a novice monk, returned to the US and lived the next 4 years at the Providence Zen Temple in Cumberland Rhode Island.

Meditation is a quest of self-discovery, it takes faith, courage and determination, it opens your heart and allows you to see you as you really are, this is the root of compassion.

All  this said as I mentioned daily deals have been a great marketing tool for Spira. My favorite business to work with is Groupon. Their customer service and sales relationships are fantastic. I feel like I am the most important thing on their agenda, they are respectful of my needs as a small business. Living Social has been good to work with as well,  though their sales Representative is not nearly as responsive year round as Groupon’s.  Amazon Local is now forcing businesses to open the coupon to all customers.  They say it is better customer service experience, I say they make more money on those deals… So you may not see me working with them much longer. Sad since they are our local Seattle employers.

In short this is Dora’s guideline for responsible Daily Deal shopping;

1.) If you are new to the business – go buy it, they want you to try their business.

2.) You have been there and you like them…. make sure to read the small print. If it is open to repeat customers ask following questions and let your moral ethical inner self guide you to the right decision…
a.) Am I in the financial situation that this coupon is the only way that I can enjoy this night out, food, service and so on…
b.) Do I see the owner at this business all the time? – Guess what, if the owner is there all the time he or she probably can’t afford a full time help. Trust me  every owner loves their business, but it is crazy hard long hours. We all would take a little time off for our families if we could afford it….
c.) Does this business have multiple locations and maybe a corporate office elsewhere? Larger businesses can write off losses and distribute gains across multiple business locations, they are not as sensitive to single point losses such as a single coupon.
d.) Finally, is this a business that makes your neighborhood richer, nicer place to live? Would you be sad seeing it go belly up?

The rest is between your conscience and your God. Remember you create the world you live in more ways than you may realize.

I am honored to introduce Jonathan Bowra to Spira Power Yoga folks. Though Jonathan hardly needs introduction. If you know yoga, you know Jonathan. He has been practicing yoga for over 30 years. He is one of Regan’s mentors. I am delighted that he will share his fountain of knowledge and experience with us.   I am (Dora) simply  amazed that he has offered to teach at my studio.  Ladies, if your man has not tried yoga for whatever reason… this is it.

Try Men’s Yoga Tribe™ Classes
Every Sunday
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
at Spira Yoga
regular drop in rate or  membership

Experience the camaraderie of Men’s Yoga Tribe™, yoga for men.  In a class designed specifically for men’s bodies and men’s needs, enjoy overcoming similar challenges together. Regardless of your experience level, flexibility, or physical limitations, the Men’s Yoga Tribe™ is key to your improved health and well-being.

I asked Jonathan to share with us a few thoughts on yoga. I asked him to address mostly two questions; Why only men? Why should men take yoga?

The “Men’s Yoga” Difference by Jonathan Bowra

Men’s Yoga is by men, for men. We men have a lot of competitive genetic programming which can distract us in the usual yoga class. Men’s Yoga Tribe™ has been created as a safe place for us to let down our guard, be fully present in the moment, and remove ourselves from the competitive worlds we live in day to day. Yoga is a process in my class, it is a path you walk to health and vitality. Every pose can be tailored to fit the stiffest hamstring, tightest neck, or sorest back, and – with regular attendance – your physical abilities will improve, along with the mental benefit of improved confidence.

Men’s Yoga Strengthens Mind and Body

Whether you are out of shape, over weight, stiff, tight, live with aches and pains – yoga is for you and you can regain your gusto and enjoyment of life.  If you’re an athlete, golfer, runner, body builder, cyclist, hiker – yoga can increase your breath, stamina, strength, balance, coordination and overall awareness of your body, making you better at whatever you do.

Yoga is not easy, you will feel some soreness, and learning a new physical activity is challenging, feels awkward at times, and causes muscle soreness.

I teach in a way that makes you feel good about learning and good in your body.  If you stick with it through the initial learning period you will be won over to the amazing benefits of yoga that will serve you for a lifetime.

8 things that will improve in your life after doing yoga:

1.             Deep breathing
2.             More relaxed
3.             Less stressed
4.             Better posture
5.             More energy
6.             Stronger
7.             Sharper focus
8.             Increased flexibility

Take the first step to recapturing your vitality – come to a Men’s Yoga Tribe™ class.

When your body is healthy and strong you have more opportunity and inclination to create a better quality of life for yourself and those around you.  If you are healthy, you are more likely to be happy, and if you are happy, you make others happy.

Establishing New Habits

Often we know what’s good for us and what will improve our quality of life but we don’t take the first step: Changing our habits.  Starting a yoga practice is a matter of changing some habits, and the first step is to show up to a yoga class!  If you show up to class, a good teacher will take it from there.  They will lead you through the class at a pace that is both challenging and accessible for any student, providing simplified positions and postures until the student is ready to advance.  There is no doubt that for many men, it can be challenging to begin yoga, but regular practice will also make you feel better, provide you with tremendous physical benefits, and become a tool you can use to refine your mind and body for a lifetime.

The Genesis of Men’s Yoga Tribe™

I have always been muscular and not very flexible.  Building strength is important to me because it creates a strong foundation that makes physical learning easier. At some point in my yoga practice I noticed that even though I was fairly strong, my limited flexibility was hampering my practice. The muscular strength I built was preventing me from getting the most from some yoga poses, and excluding me altogether from others. It was clear to me that I needed to focus on increasing my flexibility, making it imperative for me to develop a yoga practice that was more suited to my body: a man’s body.

Drawing on my 30 years of yoga practice, and 9 years of individual instruction from my yoga mentor Ana Forrest, Men’s Yoga is designed for the male body.

My male body has its challenges and its benefits.  Since I am physically strong it makes poses that require strength easier, but depending entirely on strength carries the risk that I will neglect to strengthen my weak areas, thus creating imbalances in my body.  Some of the imbalances I have are a weak lower back – which leads to constant low level back pain – and overworking my shoulders, which leads to shoulder and neck tightness.

Slow and Focused

I am fairly flexible now, but that has not always been the case.  A number of years ago I decided that I needed to modify my yoga practice to increase my flexibility. I needed to find a balance between strength and flexibility. To do this I slowed my practice down.  Slowing down gave me a chance to relax into my flexibility instead of pushing into my flexibility.  Pushing causes my muscles and mind to tense up and become rigid, whereas relaxing allows my muscles to let go of tension and relax, thereby increasing my flexibility.  Still, flexibility without strength can lead to imbalances as well, that is why core strengthening (abs and leg strength) are such important parts of my yoga.

In The Room

Typically a class I teach starts with deep breathing exercises to help increase breath capacity. Deep breathing helps our bodies to de-stress and relax.  After breathing exercises, we do slow stretches and easy spinal twists to warm up and stretch our muscles and to open our joints.

Then comes the core work.  I use different abdominal exercises to strengthen abdominal muscles.  Strong abs are beneficial in many ways; strong abs help to support the lower back. If your abs are strong there is more support for your low back, if your low back has support there is less likelihood of constant back pain.

After core work comes preliminary leg strengthening and abdominal releasing.  One thing that is an important part of Men’s Yoga is the combination of building strength, while also relaxing and stretching muscles.  During the core-strengthening segment of class I will often combine core strength with deep relaxation, we’ll do some strong core strengthening exercises and then deep relaxation.

Another aspect of Men’s Yoga is the importance of lengthening the muscles… strengthen then stretch. Long strong muscles are more resilient and ultimately stronger than short hard muscles.  Once we have established deep breathing, warmed up our muscles and joints, ignited our core we are ready to move into the main body of the class.

Yoga has many traditional poses and more poses being created all the time, each pose has numerous benefits for the body and all together the poses create a dynamic workout that has tremendous healing and strengthening benefits for the body, mind and spirit.

In my classes I do not play music, I want you to focus on what is going on in your own body and music can be a distraction. I teach poses with attention to detail. I teach using the English names for the poses (mostly) so that it’s easy to understand and follow. I teach at a pace that includes everyone. I have taught literally thousands of students from beginners to advanced; I know how to make the class accessible and relevant for each student.  I teach how to get into the pose, what to do in the pose and how to come out of the pose.  The classes I teach have a smooth relaxed flow and at the same time you’ll be challenged at whatever level you’re at in your practice.

The Men’s Yoga Tribe™ works in a clear, no nonsense style with detailed personal instruction to help you understand and gain the benefits of men’s yoga.

My name is Jonathan Bowra and I have been a hoodlum, a Buddhist monk, a wanderer, and more, for 32 years I have practiced yoga and for the last 15 years I have been teaching yoga. I strongly believe that men who are attuned to their bodies through the regular practice of yoga are standing on a solid platform from which they can achieve great things. Join the Men’s Yoga Tribe™ and experience what putting your mind and body in balance can do for you.

Come and join Men’s Yoga Tribe starting at Spira in mid September!

Class by the pool

It was magical! Four days and three nights of fun and laughter.  Each of us made 22 new friends, ate fantastic food, did two yoga classes per day, went hiking, biking, enjoyed sauna, hot tubs and heated pool….and somehow ended up with 47 empty bottles of wine….

Laughter is the best medicine. Laughter connects us to the present moment, lights up our spirit and relaxes our mind. I have to admit, there was not a lot of silent meditation during this retreat. Not that there was no opportunity to find silence, but our group craved to hang out and have fun. So that is what happened.  Buddhist monks claim we can find happiness by  “faking” a smile for a few hours every day. The idea is that eventually  the physical action of smiling will connect  us to the mental sensation of joy. Well, we had a somewhat more western route to this smiling meditation… We simply had a good time!

It is hard to pick where to start this memoir. So why not start in the middle.

The backyard of the property ended on the Shore of Wenatchee River. Here we had a beautiful fire pit in the garden by the pool. This was the place where nightly the men showed off their skills as the builders and protectors of fire. Regan and Steve played a lot with the fire.  There is a saying in Hungary for little kids: “If you play with fire you will wet your pants at night.” I am not sure if it is true. But I warned them of the dangers never the less.

It was around this fire that I found out that Sarah is an English teacher. She told us that she can tell when someone else edits someone’s writing. She even told me that she could tell that Regan has been editing some of my newsletters to make it readable…. So here we go! I am attempting this blog all by myself, all in the spirit of giving you a truly authentic memoir of this experience.

The fire-pit was also the place where ‘Crumb’ taught all of us how to make smore infusions. We became very mesmerized by this innovation. Anna made quite a few, but she insisted on sacrificing some to the fire gods. Fortunately, we are all yogis and instead of banning her from marshmallow privileges we supported her need to practice…

But not everyone wanted to be part of the fire pit. The lodge was so huge; there was something for everyone’s mood. Downstairs late at night Regan found some old movies. Thus one night we had a showing of Footloose and the other night Dirty Dancing. This was not a very quiet affair…so occasionally I went upstairs to the main living room to check out the “chill” conversations on the couch. But instead of chill, I found folks filming each other dancing – using some new ap from I-phone that turns your dance production into a silent film.

It seemed that the  whole Retreat was infected with laughter. Wherever I went people were laughing out loud.

As you can imagine, these evenings were not short… Thus our morning practice did not happen till 9:30am. We all had a chance to get up and lazily enjoy a gorgeous breakfast. Here I want to acknowledge our cooks Sarah and Alex. We had an  abundance of many choices all day long. We were spoiled with three full meals per day and snacks in-between. They worked from 6am till 11pm everyday either cooking or cleaning and they managed to do all this with a smile! Truly admirable! Because of them, we had fresh fruit, salmon, veggies, soups, eggs anyway your heart desired. I cannot give it justice writing about it. You have to come next time and experience it yourself.

We were lucky that the weather cooperated somewhat, it was a bit on the cold side  but we  managed to have all our yoga practice outside. Some on the covered front deck, some on the lawn by the river, some by the pool. We even used the tennis court once for inversion workshop; those fences around the court catch more than just tennis balls! They are great “walls”  for handstands. Lena made  it her practice to smile all the way through  Regan’s  inversion workshop. This  created infectious bubbles  of laughter throughout  the group. Of course this was not too hard since across from Lena some  girls (remain un-named) kept cracking fart jokes (pun intended). Here I publicly would like to apologize for the vegetable soup with too much cabbage. I promise next time we will take that particular item off menu.

Between classes  everyone did whatever they wanted. Some went on long bike rides, some soaked in the hot tub and read books. I went on hikes both days with a few folks. On our second hike we spotted a huge bear paw print on our trail. As we descended the mountain, this adventure turned into an imaginary bear meeting in the forest and as we sat down for our dinner with a glass of wine it developed into “Dora and the Bear” epic journey of a yogi warrior princess.

Before the bear paw...

What else is there to say? A lot more has happened. But what happens in Leavenworth stays in Leavenworth. So if you are curious…join us next time! We cannot wait to return to the Heaven Can Wait Lodge!

“This I believe” about 40 days

Lessons learned during the 40 days’ workshop at Spira

“This I believe” is an NPR radio series that features a chosen number of men and women who unfold their philosophies of life and share what they deemed important. Not that long ago I have purchased the book “This I believe on love” that holds a collection of stories sent in by many folks in America featuring lessons in love. I like to read one story every morning.  Each story is only about 3 pages long and I have found that it is a beautiful way to start my day. Often I end up choked up in tears about the bond these stories tell about romantic love, or love for family friends and pets. We have a lot of choices to start our morning off in the right mood.  I find reading about love instead of World News and Economy makes a difference about how I look at my life. Waking up to seeing love in humanity sets me in the trajectory to see love and humanity throughout my days even if there are challenges on the road.

Here is my contribution to the series, though I am not sending this to NPR, I am just humbly posting it on Spira’s blog….maybe you get to read it one morning instead of the newspaper.

This I believe – The birth of a community

Spira has been growing like a mushroom in the forest, 30% every two months. I believe it is because of love, students not only come here to practice, they find friends.

When I set out to teach 40 days I knew something special was happening at Spira. I have taught 40 days before but I wanted to totally recreate the workshop to reflect my views and opinions. I don’t care if people practice for 40 days on the row. What I care about is that they find softness kindness and forgiveness in their own being. I believe too much discipline is violence against the self. In our culture we are already very good at pushing hard, working hard and  getting through goals. I was interested in teaching introspection where the students are challenged but learn to listen to their mind and heart to find balance between self-discipline and self-love and simply find joy in life.

I went on a mad hunt for a book that would support my scientific curiosity and down to earth approach. After reading many I selected two;
The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt and the 5 Love Languages by  Gary  Chapman. I am forever grateful to the authors for their knowledge and wisdom.

To my surprise there were 42 people signed up to 40 days and one of them was my old VP from my corporate life. I was touched to tears, and a bit frightened;  How was I supposed to teach anything valuable to a room full of professionals and moms (one who used to be my boss). Folks who clearly had more life experience than me. I swallowed my fear and stepped into class in my funny white socks as usual.

The rest is history.

7 meetings; each 2 hours long,
450 pages read,
Some optional movies, and additional bibliography
Group exercises,
Weekly homework (that I know everyone did diligently )
Meditations
Nutritional discussion (thank you Simon, this workshop  would have been  much less knowledgeable and enjoyable without you!)
Daily yoga (as much as possible)
Daily journaling and introspection on specific weekly topic….

Finishing 40days – priceless

Stating in words what happened during 40 days is impossible, and against our rules. What happens at 40 days stays in 40 days….. I guess if you want to learn more you have to join the next session (yes this is the place for shameless self-promotion. Don’t blame me; I have to make a living too!

So to keep my students privacy, instead I will tell you how I have changed with teaching 40 days, and include some testimonials from students on their experience. Let their words speak the story…

Once Baron Baptiste told me; “There will always be people who love you and people who don’t like you at all, you may as well be yourself.”  This I hold close to me.

Starting a business in a down economy after a divorce is quite a bit of adversity to handle. But I believe adversity is a true blessing. One of the many things that we read about in 40 days is adversity. Cognitive science regards adversity as a filtering device. If we process our life’s lessons well, challenges are nothing else but opportunities to start again.  This year I had an opportunity to start new. I reset my priorities and  found supportive friends and filtered out the rest. I am a lucky girl, I was given a second chance.

I have built a new community around me, at Spira my teachers are also my closest friends. They say don’t do business with your friends.  But I believe if we truly teach yoga this is exactly what we have to do! We have to be a family of love. Children learn mostly based on how parents act and not what they say. So if I want to create a tight community, I cannot just talk about it. I have to live it, and take the risks with as much education and preparation as possible.  If we cannot live in a community of love how can we teach a community to love? I know that there are risks mixing business with private. But there are also endless rewards. We must be willing to take on the risks if we want to create change.

As I was teaching 40 days I have realized that I have already applied part of the messages in the book (such as coping with adversity) into my life. But as we progressed in the book and I presented the subjects for review and discussion my great lesson emerged.  My lesson was in faith in love.

I obviously knew cognitive therapy science well enough to teach it, but I have not fully felt every topic. Being in 40 days helped my feel and fully absorb the concepts.

I must learn to keep my goals always in check to make sure I am in the “flow” (joy of work – necessary for happy life ) and not chasing a target that succumbs to the “adaptation principle”  (a new watch or a title front of your name is stuff that you get used to so it does not give  lasting happiness)

So what exactly does all that mean? Looking at everyone in class smile, cry, and come to some kind of realization about their life made me feel what is important in my life.  At times I do get caught up in keeping up with the business of yoga. Can I have more studios, better studios? Should I have my name in the yoga journal? Can I teach at yoga conferences? Will Jo Mo from Wachum County know who the heck I am.

After 40 days I can honestly say; I don’t care if Jo Mo from Wachum County never reads about me in Yoga Journal. Teaching  is what I love. One class, one neighbor, one smile at the time. This is my truth. This is why I love yoga. And as far as I am concerned this is yoga. Yoga may be a business but if we treat it like any other business, it will become like any other business. All that other stuff is fluff to distract us from what is important; Love and Community!  40 days students helped me to focus my priorities by showing me that by teaching I am already doing all that I need to make me happy.

So…..this I believe. Love happens. If we listen and create time for our visions and our loved ones, love happens….and everything else falls in place.

By the end of 40 days, we have laughed and cried. I witnessed the birth of a community. Students were hugging, and making dinner arrangements to see each other out of class. Gifts and thank you cards were flying, and I was doing my best to keep my voice as my vocal cords were being swallowed by tears.

To tell you the truths, I am still not quite sure how it happened. I am sure it was not just me, and the books.  I provided space and time, shared from my heart, and everyone else sprinkled in the secret ingredients.

Now I realize that the magic is just beginning.  If you keep your eyes on the right priorities, and build lasting valuable relationships – you may just a reach happiness! As for enlightenment…. heck it is a long life. I am happy to be on a kick ass journey filled with joy and happiness even if I am never enlightened… Whatever that means anyway! Find your truth, find your happiness!

Now here are some letters from students;

I am a runner and really needed some balance for my body.  More stretching, less stiffness, more fluidity.  One of the things I love about running is the movement, and the time to be on my own, my time to think.  It is my meditation if you will. I was once, eons ago, a gymnast so I knew I would like yoga and would get all the benefits I was looking for – the limber feeling I needed. However, I didn’t want it to replace my running and I was skeptical about the new-agey, pose holding, slow, meditative side. That has never been my thing, I need movement.

So, when I signed up for the 40 days it was really just to work in a good long stretch, a good fluid feeling in my joints again and to commit to something.  I was unsure of the introspection side of things and looked at it as an aside.  I was hooked from meeting one.  It wasn’t brainwashing.  I’m a curious person and really see a lot of value in questioning and understanding things.  I’m not one to jump on to a trend, or a movement.  I like to take my time and understand what is involved before I dedicate my time to something.  This is exactly the approach Dora took.  The book she chose, The Happiness Hypothesis is a pretty involved book and worth looking into.  But the real benefit was discussing the issues raised in the book and how they applied to us and our view on life, where we are, where we want to be. Not a quick fix, not an instant solution but a real, true understanding and discussion. These were thoughtful, supportive, engaging and understanding conversations that contained no judgements and no criticisms.  Dora is honest and straightforward, she asks for discourse, she welcomes opinion. Yoga studios vary and can be very rigid about their philosophy, one reason I’ve avoided it in the past -you aren’t required to subscribe to anything here.  This is all for you to take away and use as it applies to you.  And there are a surprising amount of things you might want from this.  At least I did.
I was genuinely surprised at how I appreciated this.

On the physical side of things – all I can say is 40 days of yoga will do amazing things for your body. Spira classes have such a good flow that for someone who needs the movement (like
me), you’ve got it, but for someone 20 days into the 40 who need to slow down (me too), there are instructors who are gentle.  Before I signed up, I was in the habit of self-correcting my posture – I had that neck pain thing on a regular basis and knew posture had much to do with it. Now when that automatic check-in kicks in I’m already in a good posture position, and it’s comfortable– no more neck / sciatic nerve pain.  My muscles are engaged as they should be.  I’m feeling muscles in my feet and along my spine that have been dormant for years. I’m no longer stiff and uncomfortable when I climb out of bed in the morning.  I had a very fancy engagement to go to during my 40 days.  Not one to dress up I’m usually out of my element at these things.  This time it didn’t matter.  I chose something I was comfortable in and felt confident all night long, with loads of compliments.
It was definitely a physical and mentally positive feeling.

I also want to mention one more thing about the practice and the studio itself. Yoga is another “movement” I was hesitant to get into because of the explosion o popularity about it.   I always worry that when something becomes this popular this fast, there are things that are overlooked.  Safety being the main thing. Often when something becomes a trend people are so gung ho they get injured. The instructors at Spira address this head-on. They don’t want you to get hurt and they don’t want you to compare your abilities to the people on the mat next to you.  They don’t push you and they correct you gently. It is very much a motto that you rest when you need to you and know the alternatives to the poses so you can meet what you need at whatever stage you are in.  This is truly a welcoming, comfortable place to practice yoga. -Keri

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Although I was not able to participate in the way I had hoped, my experience with Dora’s program was transformative.  The energy coming from all of the other people in that room was extraordinary!  I’ve discovered some great friends and that in itself is priceless.  Our discussions helped me to see so many things in a new light!  I never thought it could be done in 40 short days but Dora was a thoughtful (and kick-ass when necessary) facilitator who led us through discussions about nutrition, meditation, love, friendship, adversity, strength, peace and sooooo much more, and how it all intertwines.  The breakthroughs I witnessed AND experienced have changed me forever.  I look forward to doing it again and I can’t imagine how I’ll feel after being healthy enough to do the entire program. -Tracy

“Raising Children Who Transform Nations.” By Jen Ernst

This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to serve on a short-term  mission trip to the Dominican Republic, working alongside five friends from my  church. The purpose of our trip was to experience and see the work and vision of  the Children of the Nations (COTN). Children of the Nations’ mission is to  “provide holistic, Christ-centered care for orphaned and destitute children,  enabling them to create positive and lasting change in their nations.”

I will never forget one afternoon our group returned to the village we had  visited the day before. As our van pulled into the village about one hundred  children came running up shouting in excitement, “Americana’s!”. A little girl
named Rosalie, who I played with the day before found me through the crowd,  grabbed my hand and pulled me to the table where we spent the afternoon coloring and learning about each other. Because I speak very little Spanish, I learned  how effective nonverbal language and actions can build such a deep loving  connection. Rosalie finished her picture and gave it to me as a gift. I wanted  to tell her how grateful I was for her love and passion for life. I gestured  that I will keep her in my heart and I will always remember her when I look at  her drawing. Rosalie’s eyes sparkled with happiness as she embraced her arms  around me. I was truly touched by Rosalie and many of her friends that day. They  live boldly, with an open heart ready to receive and give love endlessly and  without judgment. Truly a lesson learned.

Rosalie and Jen

Spending a week in a very spiritually-filled, relationship centered culture  has opened my eyes to how Blessed I am. These children go without food, clean  water and often shoes on their feet. Despite having very little, the children  are full of deep belly laughs, unconditional love and joyful spirits. They may  physically be hungry but spiritually they are overflowing. What touched me  deeply is how generous, hopeful and strong each child is to persevere and shine.  I have been truly blessed by each child I carried, played cards with, blew  bubbles with, cried and laughed with, and held hands with. Their eyes were full  of life and light.

As I emerged back into the fast-paced task oriented western culture, I have  come face-to-face with many distractions. These distractions take me away from  the process of reflection. Busyness, obsession with planning and organizing,  food, music and exercise all have de-sensitized my emotions from what I felt out  on the mission field in the Dominican Republic.

So here I am, my journey begins now–to share my story and heart for the  children in Dominican Republic. I believe it is my calling and mission to  continue serving through yoga, youth empowerment programs and powerful  conversations. It would be easy to boil down my spiritually-charged adventure with a short blog post and a few touching stories in savasana, but it is my responsibility to empower and enable other’s to make positive and lasting change in their faith, health personal life and community.

God has continued to weave lessons from this trip into my everyday life and I  am excited to see what possibilities open up as I stay present. The eyes of the  homeless and broken are the same in every country, every yoga class and every home. This is where I can serve and this is where you can serve too. Although it  can be a powerful experience, you don’t need a weeklong trip to a 3rd world  country to see the brokenness and blessings around you. I encourage you to
cultivate a place for stillness to identify and remove your distractions to  really see what the opportunities and lessons around you. How can you can be of  service in your life right here, right now? Can you love endlessly with no  judgment like Rosalie and the children of the Dominica Republic?

From the words of Mother Theresa, “Peace begins with a smile.”