New Year, Fresh Start

As I sit down to write this the first thought in my head is how can we be here already?? It seems like we blew through 2010, at least this morning it does. At times in the last year it has felt as if I would never get through the day let alone the year. There were hard days, yes but looking back today I see that I made it through and came out the other side stronger and better than when I walked through the door of 2010. In light of all the changes and things that happened in the last year so much happened it seems unreal that it was only one year. Perspective, perception very interesting things. Then this morning I got an email with a quote in it and I just felt this sense of resonance and found myself nodding my head. "What you see is real - but only on the particular level to which you've developed your sense of seeing. You can expand your reality by developing new ways of perceiving." Wynn Bullock.

This just confirmed for me what I woke up feeling this morning, I have the choice to look back with a sense of respect and awe at what I learned this last year or I can tell the story that it was hard and I am so glad it is over. I feel a little bit of both but in reality I am in awe that I can on this day look back at times when I remember feeling that I was hanging on by just a couple of finger nails and hoping that they didn't break while I was hanging and see that it truly brought me to such a better place. Those experiences brought me right to the space I am today and I wouldn't be here with the appreciation, gratitude, respect, and sense of wonder and joy I have without every single one of them. Attitude is everything... I learned that many years ago while playing sports and over the years I have relearned it several times. Today however I have a different understanding of just how true that little sentence is and I have a sense of awareness that I have never had before.

Moving forward I have the opportunity to expand my reality beyond anything it has ever been. I know that I will stumble along the way, I will have days where I am not plugged in as well as I could be and I will strive to remember that each and every experience brings me something to learn about myself and the world I move through every single day. I have the choice to make it be something positive and life affirming or hard and scary. Just like learning a new yoga pose, it is all about approach. If you approach a new pose with the attitude that it will be hard and you bring perfection expectations along with it, well it will be hard and you very well may not meet those expectations. As I tell all of my yoga students, we all have to start at the beginning, none of us really knew how to do yoga before we started practicing. Yoga is never about comparing yourself to someone else or competing with yourself, it is a humbling, expanding, ever changing and growing experience with yourself. It is about more than just the physical body and the asana's and it has a habit of creeping up in your life without you sometimes realizing that you just pulled some lesson you learned on the mat into your daily life off the mat. Approaching a new pose with the attitude that you may very well stumble, fall, feel frustration and wonder if you will ever "get it" opens you up to learn, have fun and laugh along with asking yourself to move outside your comfort zone. Now if I can do that in yoga on my black mat I can certainly do that in my every day life too.

Giving up attachment to a certain outcome is amazing and freeing. Like doing half moon pose for me is amazing and freeing and like flying. That was my least favorite pose to learn at first and it is now my favorite. There is a sense of openness in my heart and body that no other pose really gives me. It is all about expansion in the pose, expanding open with the front of the body, letting the heart revolve open, drawing energy up the standing leg and sending it through the body and drawing the lifted leg outward, expanding away from the body. Now taking that and looking at life, it would be easy to collapse inward with pain and disappointment, close your heart, contract into yourself. It takes the same amount of effort to do that as it does to expand and open and lift. It is all about energy, drawing it in, sending it through the body. What feels better, expanding or contracting? Speaking for myself expansion wins every single time. Every single time I have offered up expansion and openness in my poses I have been met with such a free feeling and my body has changed and embraced it when I allowed it to. Applying that off the mat has brought me the same experience. Amazing things and people have moved into my life with expansion and openness and allowing..... Ah the key word here being "allowing"...

We can as thinking, intelligent beings think up all sorts of things, dreams, wishes, hopes, best case scenarios if you will but if we do not move into the allowing space it will never come to pass. So for 2011 instead of getting bogged down in the hows and the whens of what it is you want to bring into your life, define what you want in terms of the end result. Live every day as if your deepest desires have come to you, be open, allow and create space and expansion. Remember that attitude is everything, it takes the same amount of energy to expand as it does to contract and trust that you will know in your deepest heart what is right for you in any given moment if you allow yourself to listen and be present. Take the lessons that you have learned in the last year and bring the ones forward that resonate and let go of everything else. Most of all allow yourself to love and be loved every single moment of every single day.

Happy New Year!

Namaste

Changing seasons

I realized today it has been awhile since I have posted and then I read a little article that got me thinking it was about time I posted. I saw a posting on Facebook from someone I am following called Earth Empress. She posts some very cool recipes and thoughts on life etc. Today she posted about a book by a man named Robert Rabbin called Authenticity Accelerator. As I have been on a journey the last couple of years to live my own life more authentically I clicked the link to see her thoughts on the book. She gave it raving reviews and posted what Mr. Rabbin's considers to be the 5 principles for authentic living. The 5 principles encompass only 10 words:

Be Present

Pay Attention

Listen Deeply

Speak Truthfully

Act Creatively

Nothing earth shaking or really new in those words but direct and to the point and fairly easy to remember and process. Or are they? The suggestion was to read through them twice then look away and try to recite the 5 principles. The one or two that you blanked on could be the ones you need to have in your life most right now... Interesting concept. I had only one that I couldn't recite, Pay Attention.... I would have said listen deeply because my brain tends to move fast or as my friend Cyn says at warp speed.

Pay Attention, that I will have to ponder on for a few days to determine where I need to be paying more attention in my life. I love how simple and direct those 5 principles are, all 10 of those words resonated deeply with me. So for the rest of my week I plan to not only work on paying attention in my life but to be aware of how I move through my day and checking in with those 5 principles. It is so easy to get busy with life and all the things we have to do and all the places we have to be, especially this time of year with the holidays approaching.

I would like to challenge you to do the little test with the words above and for the rest of your week bring awareness to which of those you had trouble with and how it could apply in your life. Slow down, dial in, stay plugged in and observe what happens when you do.

Namaste
Sherry

Back to School

I took the end of summer off from blogging to finalize the sale of my house, move twice in three weeks and get settled in my new space and find a new routine in my new surroundings. It was a daunting experience and the one constant through all of it was yoga. I never stopped teaching during that time period thankfully, it was the one thing that helped me to keep at least one foot on the ground when I was feeling like I would fly away because I was untethered.

Now we are in September that time of transition from summer to fall, from the lazy days of summer into the back to school mode. Even if you aren't still in school thoughts turn to cooler days and nights, sweaters, shoes versus flip flops and just what new things to add to the wardrobe for fall and winter. It is also a time where I focus in my life and my yoga classes on feeling rooted and grounded into the earth's energy. Feeling the rhythm of the earth changing as my own rhythm slows down to match it. My yoga practice changes a little as well as my daily walks.

As I think about the word transition in both the seasons and my life I decided to look up the word in the Merriam Webster dictionary. Transition: 1. a: a passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another. b: a movement, development, or evolution from one stage, or style to another. 2. a: a musical modulation. b: a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another. 3. an abrupt change in energy state or level.

I like the musical part in #2 and the abrupt change in energy state or level is interesting as well. I also love these descriptive words: passage, movement, development, evolution, modulation. Life is always in transition, you get somewhere and there is change, passage, movement, development, evolution and modulation. Being flexible like a tree in the wind, adaptable like a chameleon and able to roll with the punches as my mother always said is necessary to live life fully and openly and with joy.

We have the choice to fight transition. Trust me I am a world class fighter, over achiever, hyper extender and all around resister at times in my life. The older I get the more I can relax into the transitions, movement, passages, developments, evolutions and modulations. This ability however came only after I have learned the hard way what fighting and resisting brings with it. I have stepped in many holes over the years, sometimes the same ones over and over to learn whatever it was I was supposed to learn at the time. In the last 2 plus years I have had to learn more than I ever wanted to and the biggest one was not resisting transition, well with a big side helping of patience...

Looking back now over the expanse of time behind me I can say this, it was hard as hell, I struggled more days than I want to really think about. I was at times filled with fear and worry, doubt and uncertainty. I had help along the way from many wonderful people in my life who each brought something to me just when and how I needed it. I also always had yoga, every single day, whether I was on my mat or not. I am a student of yoga, have been for 25 years. I am a teacher of yoga, have been for 9 years. I teach because I have a desire to bring the benefits of yoga to as many who wish to join me on the journey and better their lives with yoga. I have a student who tells me a class with me is like a great stretch and a therapy session all in one. I teach from what I know, I teach from my heart and I want every person who does yoga with me either in person, via my DVD or from my YouTube channel to walk away feeling better than when they started. I am not perfect as a student of yoga, I can't do every pose or fold myself into some of those pretzel positions. Well I could try but I wouldn't walk for days after and who wants to not be able to walk. I teach about transitions from breath, to movement and back to relaxation. I offer up a yoga that allows people to find success, their own success in the space they are in that moment.

All of those things and so many more from yoga are what helped me make the very big transition over a spans of time. I have to say looking back that though it was hard I managed to in spite of my habit of resistance move through, evolve, develop, change and move (in the literal and figurative sense). I am responsible for getting here and so grateful to be right where I am today. I know that I can adapt, be flexible and stay connected even only by one little toe and passage will happen and I will find the grounded space I need.

What is something that you are resisting right now in your life? Are you fearful, uneasy, worried etc because you feel a lack of control? Would releasing a little bit of the control give you some ease? What things do you do for yourself to give yourself space to relax and feel grounded, connected to your heart and it's deepest desire for you in this moment? When was the last time you sat down and asked yourself any of the above?

Take a few moments and sit in a simple cross legged pose, up on a blanket will give your hips a lift to open and release a little. Bring your palms to meet at your heart, take a deep inhale and exhaling close your eyes. As you continue to breathe, relax your belly, let your breath deepen and expand. Relax your face and jaw, release your shoulders down your spine and let you weight melt down into your sit bones. Now imagine growing roots from your sit bones, roots like a tree has roots, down into the earth, feeling that connection into the earth's energy. Every inhale drawing that energy up through the roots and up your spine. Relax your heart open with every exhale, dropping down into your heart center, the deepest part of your heart. Let something float up for your that is your heart's desire in this moment, it doesn't have to be something big. Let it come up for you and don't worry about how to make it happen just think about what it looks like to be there in that space, how it feels, smells, tastes. Breathe it in deeply. Now think about what is one thing you can do in the next 24 hours to bring your heart's desire forward in your life. Take a deep inhale, exhale and let it go, trusting that your heart has all the answers that you need in this life. Slowly open your eyes and continue to breathe deeply for a few more moments.

Namaste,

Sherry

Both feet on the ground

Here I sit in front of my computer when I need to be doing other things. I have accomplished quite a bit today, most of my errands and I made the conscious decision not to work out today, just not enough energy. I considered just pushing through and working out anyway, work through it and come out the other side. In the end however I chose to head out and get my errands done instead. I got more done than I anticipated and still have loads to do but I decided to take a pause and sit down and write.

I taught class this morning feeling disjointed, having not slept well and feeling the intense feelings of the fact that I must be completely moved out of my home in 2 weeks. I felt like I didn't have both feet grounded firmly. I had one foot hanging in there ok and trying support the wobbly other foot and leg and the rest of my body feeling like it was blowing in the wind. It's an odd feeling, I have pretty great balance, even on the wonky days. I spent some time walking on the beach, looking at the low, low tide happening. I walked all the way around the point that takes you right out into the shipping lane in Puget Sound when the tide is low like this. I tried to sit in the sun but for some reason today the sun decided to shine and the rain decided to hang around and play too. Nothing seemed quite right.

As I walked back to my house my phone rang and a friend was on the other end of the line. We ended up talking for over an hour and it was relaxing and comforting to spend time talking to him. He is a great listener, asks great questions and always has great responses. He also offered some interesting new ideas for me to explore and gentle encouragement when I really needed it. I hadn't planned to share all that was blazing around in my brain pan but he has such an easy way about him that I felt like it was ok to share some of those fiery thoughts. By the end of the conversation that other wobbly foot was firmly planted back beside the other one and I felt some balance that I had been sorely lacking.

The funny thing was I had tried many of the other things for me that usually bring balance, yoga, meditation, walking the beach, talking to friends. Why this particular friend at this moment in time was the one that stepped in to fill that space I don't know but it happened and though at first I meant put on a bright shine to things I let myself be honest on this particular phone call and was happy to find that it helped bring me right back to where I found balance.

Being vulnerable can be a scary experience, I see it so much in new yoga students and always do my best to welcome them into a safe and fun experience. Asking for help whether it is with yoga or any other aspect of your life is hard at times and there may be times when you are rebuffed and left feeling that you never want to do that again. Then the right person or circumstance steps forward and you have to trust that it is right to move into that space. I firmly believe that everyone we meet and have in our lives is there for a specific purpose and those change with time and you may not realize what it was they were to bring until much later. Staying open even when you want nothing more than to run and hide allows what you need to come to you.

So take the time to be honest with yourself and what your needs are, do your best to take really good care of yourself and when things still seem out of balance hang in there. Don't shut down, stay open, know and trust that what you need will step forward to meet you if you allow yourself to be open to receive it. And don't forget to keep your breath moving deeply into your body and relaxing with every exhale.

Namaste,

Sherry

Letting go....

It's been a little while since I have posted, many things changing and moving in my life precluded me finding the time and thoughts to sit and post. I am in the process of moving out my old life and moving into a brand new space. I have found myself going through things that I have had in my life and deciding is this something that I need to keep, do I love it, will I have room for it?

I start my yoga classes with breathing, drawing the focus inward, drawing the breath deeper, drawing the attention into the breath and at one point on the exhale giving the direction to release, relax and let go. Letting go of your day, your week, where you came from, where you will go and anything that may be weighing heavy on your heart and mind. Permission to let go, sometimes we need someone else to give us that permission.

The last week has been stressful, clearing out, selling what I no longer need or want, trying to figure just what will fit into a new much smaller space to live and along with that letting go of the memories both good and bad that are tugging me backward instead of forward. I haven't slept as well as I would like and well I have been stressed out about that too.. I got a comment from a friend that I have heard before, "strange to hear that a yoga instructor is stressed out.". Well even yoga instructors can and do get stressed out. I don't live in blissed out yoga zen 24 hours a day. My personal practice is just as much a journey for me as it is for any other student of yoga. Just because I also teach doesn't make me immune. What it does do for me is that it gives me a way to explore, learn and then pass on what I have experienced to my students in the hopes that I can help someone who may be struggling with some of the same things that I do...

I know from experience that holding on tightly doesn't work and many times makes things worse. I have had to get really good with change, release and letting go in the last 18 months. Do I like it any better than before, not so much... But I do know that I can and will move through and come out the other side and the more I resist the harder I make it for myself.

So today was a garage sale that unloaded a lot of my stuff, I sold some furniture to a friend that I no longer want and every penny goes into my new furniture fund. It was hard work going through all that stuff and deciding what to sell and for how much but I feel so much lighter and excited to pick out new things that are just mine, to build a new home that is a reflection of the me I am today. I will be homeless for about six weeks until I move into my new space and this has concerned some people but really for me I am looking at it as a vacation!! A vacation from my life as it was giving me space to relax and release before moving into a brand new space that feels so good. A healing space and one that will be what I create just for me.

As someone who holds on to things thinking I may need it at some point or it has some sentimental attachment for me I had a lot of stuff, some of it I forgot I even had. A few of the things that mean the most to me will go into my new home but once I got over the sense of loss and honed in on the sense of openness and room for new and wonderful things to come in to fill the cleaned out spaces I felt light and happy and free.

So what is it that you may be holding on to, what things do you keep dragging with you mentally of physically from space to space? Do you need all that stuff? Wouldn't you love to feel free? Close your eyes, drop your breath down into your belly, relax your shoulders down your spine with your exhale. Check in with your heart and think about letting go of something, small, big and anywhere in between. Just start somewhere and allow yourself to release and know that you will be safe and life will be there for you. A little lightness is good for the soul, the heart and the mind... And remember you are not the only one letting go, I am right there with you.

Namaste,

Sherry

Hesitation, apprehension and doubt, Oh My....

Last night was my "graduation" from the WA CASH entrepreneur class. We had a sales contest, food, an overview of the class and the presentations of our certificates. Stuart our leader for the class had a list of three things he wanted us to answer. When it came time for me to stand up and get my certificate and speak, well it went something like this....

Stuart introduced me and said that he was happy to know someone who had been on TV in reference to my story on the local news. I think I thanked him but the rest is a blur because at that moment it came over me so hard and fast like the waves at Waimea on the North Shore Oahu in February. I lost it, me the one who could get up and give a great elevator speech, me who can talk about yoga until the cows come home, me who usually is never at a loss for words, me who teaches multiple yoga classes a week in front of groups of people. I turned into a blubbering idiot due to that wave of "Oh my god I just realized how far I have come in nine short weeks!"

When I walked through the doors for that first class nine weeks ago I was hesitant and apprehensive about being there. I had to come a long way each week to get there, 45 minutes each way and I felt that I knew a lot about business and what I wanted to do. I was doubtful that I would get enough to make the investment of time and my limited funds to continue. I went because my friend Judy told me I should contact the Worksource people and when I did a lovely woman named Carolyn talked to me for some time and told me she could help me find a job but she felt I was headed in the right direction and that she felt that the class with Stuart would do me good. After that first class as I was driving home I realized just how juiced I was from attending and getting up to give my elevator speech that first night I did pretty great for a first run and on the fly. I know my product, I know my services and well I spend a lot of time talking to people while I teach so I am comfortable in front of a group of people. It was wonderful to spend time with people who were all trying to find their way with a business as well. Our coaches were wonderful and I made some really great friends in the class.

Since that first class so many amazing and wonderful things have happened.... I met my friend Nate Murphy who does PR and marketing. We spoke and he proceeded to tell me that he felt that I had a great thing going on and would like to help me with some exposure. I was thrilled and passed him my head shot along with some of my marketing materials and off he went. I had no idea what that might look like. As a result of our time together he has given me multiple ideas on things I can do to expand my brand and to get exposure. He is the man who put me in front of the reporter who did the story on me on KCPQ Channel 13 in Seattle and I was off and running.... I was quoted briefly in a story for CNN Money online and on June 11 I will have a feature article about me in 11 publications in the Sound Publishing family in Kitsap County. Now none of this has resulted in huge sales of videos or people signing up for private sessions but it sure has done a lot to get my story out there and along the way I learned a lot more too.

I am not that great of planner when it comes to my life, I like to go with the moment. I don't like restrictions and I love to have the option to change my mind whenever the mood strikes. I don't like feeling boxed in and yet on some levels I love knowing the space I move in and the routine around it. I am however a risk taker and good at listening to what feels right and when I get the fear to kicked to the curb ideas flood my head and the wheels churn and people show up to help me do things I never thought I would ever do. I had to write a business plan, oh man that was a struggle for me... Mostly because I have multiple pieces to my business and no firm set idea yet on what the magic mix is to be able to support myself doing what I love. I did however get in and sit down and work the numbers and put things together in a way that made sense to me so that I could have a clear idea of just what I would need to make financially to have my business be viable. I put it all together with my logo on the cover, my flyer on the inside, my business card and a copy of my DVD and was happy to turn it in last week for Stuart to review.

Each week I refined my presentation around my story and each week I set up a list of 3 things to do before the next week. Sometimes I was successful and other times not so much. Then last week I answered a Help a Reporter Out request and the result is the story on June 11 in 11 publications. There is a symetry to those numbers. A funny thing happened while I was telling the woman writing the story about what I do to stay sane while still looking for a job. As I shifted into talking about my yoga and what that has done to help me stay sane and how teaching has been a huge source of sanity for me we started talking about my finding a job and how I was shifting my view to thinking I would have to create something for myself and sell it to the right person. It's hard out there for job seekers right now and what I know after everything that has happened in the last 18 months is that I don't want to go back to doing what I was doing, that I have a calling, my path and purpose to do more with my yoga than I thought. As we continued to talk an idea that had been tumbling around in my brain came into sharper focus. An email the day before had things churning and tumbling and the conversation with the writer sharpened it down some more. At the end her comment was " you need to get your proposal put together, put on your selling hat and get out there and sell this. You have a wonderful idea and the passion behind it, don't stop."

The next couple of days more things aligned, I spoke to people, new ideas joined in and the tide started moving forward faster than I anticipated. More people have stepped forward with help and to offer their connections and the proposal is starting to take more shape and have some clarity in my mind. I have hesitated doing some things and making some changes and I didn't know why but I suspect that after what has happened in the last week that something bigger and more involved than I anticipated has come forward and it was good to pause. I have people telling me that I will need employees soon.... I haven't even finalized the proposal yet and I have not figured out how to support myself, yet and people are telling me I will need to hire people and my career adviser has asked me to keep her in mind when I need to hire. Now that moment was a mind bender!! She called me "a freakin powerhouse" and told me that her heart gets full just observing me... We spent a lot of hours working together and where I am coming around to right now is eerily sort of full circle in many senses back to where we started when I walked through her door over a year ago.

All of this and so much more flooded in last night after Stuart said he was glad to know someone who was on TV and I blubbered my way through what I am sure was incomprehensible to most of the others there. I learned more than I could have said in the time we had to talk last night, how to listen, how to trust my ability to mine my past for all of the talent I have accumulated, to lean into my confidence and presence and feel comfortable there, that I need to keep talking and telling people about my ideas and plans and engage them to go along for the ride with me and that hesitation, apprehension and doubt are signs of so many other things that in the end mattered not at all. I will succeed because I believe in what I am doing and I will stick with it until I find the right place, the right people and the right combination to shine my light. The last question, what will I do tomorrow? I will wake up and dream bigger than I did the day before because the only limits are the ones I impose on myself and look at how far I have come in 9 short weeks.... Oh and I will walk the beach because it was too many days since I did it last....

Thank you Stuart for your wonderful class, thank you all of the coaches for your time and energy and support and thank you my fellow students for going on this journey with me. Thank you Nate especially for believing in my story enough to want to connect me up with your connections and get my story out into the world. If anyone had told me nine weeks ago I would be on TV and have an article written about me I would have probably thought that sounds great but how in the world is that going to come about. I wish everyone from the class all the success and joy you deserve and never, ever give up! Hold on to your dreams and find a way to figure out the mix to create the life you want to live and live it fully every single day...

Namaste,

Sherry

The seaweed of life

It's a beautiful day here and I saw that the tide was out so I made my way down to my beach for my daily walk. The seagulls are out, the other song birds are singing to their heart's content and the ferry is doing it's ferry thing, back and forth. As I came up on the other side of the ferry dock I usually stop for a few minutes to sit and look out at the water, watch the ferry and enjoy the space. I was sitting looking at some old pilings that have rotted off and are now close to the ground. They are surrounded by seaweed and with the tide out the tops of them are cloaked and covered with seaweed. It will take the tide coming back in and slowly covering the piling pieces with water for the seaweed to float again and uncover parts of the pilings.

As I sat there thinking and enjoying and getting my vitamin D quota for the day I started to think about how things and people in our life can be like seaweed. Those things and people can cover us up, all the way to the top and when the tide goes out, weigh us down. Then we have to have the tide come back in to get that seaweed to float up and give us space again but usually we come close to or actually drown before the seaweed lifts enough to give us some relief. Those entanglements can be awfully hard to rid ourselves of and usually it is our own doing that gets us in that position to begin with.....

We all have lives filled with things, family, friends, work, play, all the things that we surround ourselves with every day. As I have learned to live with more intention and truly staying plugged in to the moments in my life I have been trying to let go of the "SHOULDS" and stick with what truly works for me at any moment in time. Not because I SHOULD but because it feels right in that particular moment. I know many of my yoga students have very full lives filled with kids, spouses, family members, work, activities and that keeps them sometimes from coming to yoga class. They get caught in the gerbil wheel of life and forget that they need to slow down and recharge, refresh and take care of themselves besides passing out on the couch at night in front of the TV.

I also have students that are caring for their ageing parents and having to make decisions on what to do for long term livability, assisted care and for some the ending days. I have talked with enough of these people to know just how hard this can be as well as having been through it with my grandmother several years ago. Trying to decide what is right, dealing with folks that are resistant to giving up freedoms they have known for a very long time, role reversal in some cases and trying to provide some quality of life during illness both long and short term take a huge toll on those that are doing the arranging. Along with that are the questions concerning certain genetic issues that show up and seeing bits and pieces of your parents in yourself and wondering if you will be facing some of the same issues as you get older.

So many obligations we all have in our lives and trying to find space for balance and knowing when and more importantly HOW to ask for help can be daunting. How many times in your life do you say yes to something when you really wanted to say no? How many times do you just do something yourself because it is easier than asking someone else for help or worrying that it won't get done your way? What is it that holds you back from asking from help? Ask yourself this, do you really spend enough time taking care of yourself, recharging your batteries, filling up your cup and here is the biggest one, sleeping? Life is speeding up, more technology shows up every single day, we are plugged in like never before, have more options, more things to do and more choices than we ever have. Are we really any better off??

I was talking with my friend Sadie who teaches yoga in New York City. We were talking about students and consistent practice. Sadie said that in New York people run themselves ragged out to the end before they really start doing things that are good for them. That she doesn't see the number of consistent practicing yoga students that I do. After visiting her there I can see how that would happen, that place never sleeps from what I could tell. Manhattan island is the same square mileage that my island is but with huge differences in population and buildings. It was interesting having conversations with people, eventually they would ask where I was from and when I told them the Seattle area, the response was always, "Yeah, you have that laid back west coast vibe about you". At first I was thinking maybe I was less than for some reason, but then I started thanking them for the compliment. I would rather be laid back thank you, I know what it is to be stressed and strained and miserable.

The last year and a half for me has been about removing some of the seaweed of my life and slowing down and taking time. I have deepened my yoga practice and certainly deepened my yoga teaching as well. I have peeled back some of the layers of past injuries both physical and emotional with my yoga practice. It hasn't always been fun or easy I will say that.... It has given me in retrospect so many lessons, places of growth and expansion in my daily life both on the mat and off. The low tides of the summer are getting ready to show up in the next month or so and it is always so interesting to see the layers of the sea move back and what is revealed underneath all of that. Treasures and decay and life all come together.

So I leave you with this for the rest of your week: What can you do each day to remove a little of the seaweed of your life, to open and make space, to recharge and renew? Your life will function and flow better if you do a little seaweed cleaning and some self-care. Don't put it off, the time is now.... Get yourself some space, do what feels good, recharge, and sleep. I will say what I always say when people ask, yoga has something for everyone, there is a style and a teacher out there for everyone. What will benefit as a result? Your life, your relationships, your family, your clarity, your concentration, your piece of mind, your body, your heart, your spirit, your well-being and yes even your sleep.....

Try this: Stand with your feet hip width apart, with your weight even over the soles of your feet, arms resting at your sides. With an inhale draw your arms up overhead and as you exhale sweep forward with your knees bending and swinging your arms behind you and throw your breath out behind you, throw your troubles out behind you with your breath, throw the tension and stress out behind you with your breath too. Inhale and bring the body back up, sweeping the arms up overhead and repeat. Do that at least 5 times and notice what happens to your body and your mind.... You will feel better....

Namaste,
Sherry

The BODY

Our physical body that houses our spirit, heart and the knowing that we all come into the world with. What I find is that many people are disconnected from their physical body in some way. From not being aware of the breath and its power to not listening to the signals that it sends us on a daily basis that it is uncomfortable, in pain or needs attention...

I know this well, too well. I am one of the most physcially aware people and have been for most of my life. My mom started me in ballet at the age of 4 and I danced until I was 21. I played softball for 35 years and volleyball for 15. I have been physical most of my life and have had that strength and size to go with it. I am hyper aware of what goes on in and with my body. The piece I had to learn a hard lesson with was the knowing and listening to my heart piece... To learn that lesson my physical body was forced to get my attention in a way I never would have imagined.

In sharing the story I hope to help even just one person who may be suffering either physically or emotionally or spiritually to move forward, get the help they need or realize they are not alone. I struggled with a mystery infection for 2 years of my life. What I thought was a spider bite turned into something that took 6 months, 7 doctors (including an infection specialist), 6 needle aspirations, a mini surgery and one full on surgery, failed lab results and multiple rounds of anti-biotics to find out what I had enough to be able to treat it. A good bedside manner was almost non-existent, compassion sometimes even harder to find. After that it took over a year on high doses of meds to cure. I suffered through intense pain on a daily basis and when they finally figured it out I could barely carry on a conversation I was so riddled with infection. I was told that if I had TB it would have been easier to treat. There were and are no "knowns" with this, even my infection specialist was mainly guessing as to what brought it on. I was told by specialists, doctors and others that I didn't know what I was talking about and my observations and input were negated and discounted. I was sick, not stupid... I lived with this for 2 years and knew intimately what was happening to and inside my body every step of the way.

By the time I made it to the infection specialist I was angry and combative and wanted any new doctor to prove that they had the right to be on my "team"... He had never personally seen it in the body area that I had it and multiple times told me in my pain and continued outbreaks even on meds that he would normally just have it cut out but that would leave me deformed. I remember the only doctor I trusted and who was honest with me when I asked him for it. Early in the process he said that surgery would not necessarily cure it and indiscriminate cutting could in fact spread it. So though I was sick and not myself and feeling more vulnerable than I ever have in my life I was resolute in my stand that no cutting would happen again until and unless someone could prove to me that it would eradicate the infection. I could feel it grow, feel the next outbreak coming slowly up from the cells to the surface and the pain it brought with it. I learned to use my yoga breathing to help with the pain so I could stay away from drugs but it was something I know I will never forget.

I was not myself during this time. Most of my family and friends would tell you that I am one of the strongest people they know. I have been referred to as Superwoman, Xena and Elektra at one time or another. I am no shrinking flower of a woman, at 6 ft tall that isn't ever going to be the case.. I am also along with the physical size a mentally strong person, some would say fierce. I was during this time the "sick" person, the unsure person, weak, scared shitless and lonelier than I have ever been in my life. Unless you have been through traumatic illness you can never know what it truly does to not only your body but your mind and spirit as well. This came at a culmination in time of many things that were going on in my life, some of which I chose not to see. I think my body got to the point that it finally said if you refuse to listen to any other clues this one ought to get your attention in a very big way. Needless to say it did.....

In the end huge change has come as a result of this, some of it very hard, some of it very profound and some of it so filled with wonder I have to stop and be sure that I really pay attention. I still think I am more connected to my body than my heart at times, it is a habit, that space where I can slide into the groove of my body with yoga, dancing, sports... I don't have to think, my muscle memory takes over and the breath unites with my movement and it all just flows in the most amazing way. I lose myself in that moment and it is pure bliss. Yoga had a huge part of the healing that I did after my illness and I continued to teach my classes while I was sick. It gave me something to focus on other than myself which was a huge relief at many points in time. The yoga helped me not just on the mat but also off and I have done some of my most intense study and growth during the last year. Many times I would wish to have a break, just not have to process or deal with one more thing but just like asana practice allows for release and growth and moving through the pain so does the yoga of life off the mat. I came to a whole new place of gratitude, love, acceptance and peace. I have two new tattoos on my forearms to remind myself daily of two very important things in my life, bliss and truth. I stand tall and strong and look back on how far I have come and how far I have yet to go and know that I can move through time and space with grace and gratitude, strength and power.

So for those of you out there that maybe are not plugged in to your heart or your body right now as much as you would like I put this out to you... Do yourself a favor and spend some time with your heart and listen, truly listen. Your heart holds all the wisdom that you need and your body is the conduit. If you don't have a yoga practice I urge you to try a few classes, don't let one class or one teacher be the deciding factor for you. If you are a lapsed yogi, find your way back to the mat. I truly believe there is a style of yoga and an instructor out there for everyone. Do yourself the biggest favor and get thee to a class or a private session or a video. Yoga can and does help you plug in, breathe fully and deeply, move your body and open space. You will sleep better, feel better, think more clearly, and have light in your life.. Yoga is an equal opportunity pursuit, we all have to start somewhere. Please don't ignore what your heart and body may be telling you, the price can be large and navigating your back from the very edge can be very scary.

In parting if nothing else I offer this: Stand tall, feet about hip width apart, stack your body, knees over ankles, hips over knees, shoulders over hips, arms at your side, ball of the pelvis rolling back and down, dropping your tail down, lengthen the spine, roll the ball of the shoulders up and back, letting the shoulders move down your spine, neck extending from the shoulders, head floating on the neck, eyes looking softly off into the distance. Relax your breath all the way down into your belly, moving into a full three part breath, filling the belly, the solar plexus and then your chest and lungs. Weight even across all four corners of the soles of the feet. Now let your eyes close, feel the inner spiral of the legs energetically, starting from the feet moving up the legs like twin barber poles. As you move to the waist drawing the energy from the back of the body around to the front and have it sink into the body and move back again, spinning all the way up the torso and out the crown of the head. Fully feel your body, feet rooted and grounded into the earth, drawing up the energy from the soles all the way up the body. Feel all of your body, your breath, your heart beating, listen in closely your body and heart will tell you all you need to know. Bring your hands up to meet at your heart, taking a deep inhale, exhaling release your head forward, inhaling draw your head back up and slowly open your eyes. Take the feeling of attention with you as you move through your day, stay plugged in to what feels good and what doesn't and most importantly be open to receiving. You never know what will present itself when you are open and willing to receive.

May you know peace and joy, move in health and wellness and open your heart to the love that surrounds you.

Namaste....

Change is ever present

Yes change is inevitable and always present. I was never that great with change I freely admit it. I resisted it, compromised to side step it, held on tight to the known to avoid it. Which in the end I know in my head that I can't. I did my level best however. The last two years have been all about change for me, most of it I would categorize as not fun or anything I willingly would have done. I am now squarely looking at more change but this time coming with some hard learned lessons and wisdom.

I am about to close a chapter in life after 14 years. A chapter that I have mixed feelings about. I know it is the right time and on the one hand I feel freedom like I have never felt before, on the other hand I feel sadness and a deep sense of loss. I know that home is not really a place but more a sense of something deeper inside but place is where we sleep, where we keep our things that give us comfort and that space that tethers us to a place in time and space. Moving from a home where I raised my daughter, created a family with someone and had a way of life that I have so many memories both good and not so is bittersweet.

I dread thinking about having to clean out 14 years of stuff in this house, it's a lot of stuff. On the other side of that I feel that I can truly release some of what holds me back by simplifying, getting smaller and passing on what I no longer truly need or want. This will create BIG space for me to fill with all sorts of brand new things, new beginnings as my realtor reminded me. I have lived on my Island for 24 years and love the rhythm of life here, the beach, the water, the people and the pace. I can get to the city if I choose to do whatever I want but have the place to return to that truly replenishes and restores me. As I move into a space where I am putting myself further out into the world than I ever thought I would that feeling of having the place to return to restore and replenish is so very important. Not sure yet just where I will go, for the time being it will be here on the Island and from there I will wait to see what next adventure presents itself to me.

I was speaking with my friend Anthony and he said why don't you move into the city and my response was well I don't know anyone here. He paused and said well you have all my friends that are now your friends. Anthony has a huge heart, I love that about him. At that point he just opened my world a little bigger than it was. My life is pretty set here on the Island but that could change and it is so wonderful to know that I can let go of the feeling that moving to the city would be going where I know no one. I know that I could meet new people with time but for me personally I am all about feeling connected and thanks to Anthony I am connected in the city now too.

As I think about all of this change and the spaces it has opened and the lightness it has brought along the way, I think about my yoga as well. How through all of the change in the last two years and this big change I am in now I have my mat and my practice. Yoga is all about change as well. We start out new not knowing much and delve deeper with time, learning about breath, motion, our bodies. Your body changes every single day, balance changes, open spaces change and just physically things change. Taking that to the mat as a student of yoga you learn to explore gently and with great care how to move with how your body presents itself in any given moment. Sometimes with more awareness than others and sometimes with very small incremental changes and sometimes big leaps forward. In the last two years my mat has been ever present, my yoga, there in good times and in bad. Many times it was yoga that helped me to heal, mend and repair my body, mind and spirit. As I teach my students to think about what small change they could make in any pose to find more ease, my personal practice has brought that firmly off the mat. Sometimes with great resistance on my part but with a knowing that as I can't force my body to go into a pose I also can't force myself into a space I am not ready for either. All of this and so much more has brought new awareness as I teach my yoga students. I feel that I teach from a deeper place than ever before and have so much more compassion.

So as you approach your yoga practice or your life remember that change is and will always be there. Sometimes scary, sometimes exciting and though you may wish to resist moving into a new space in your life, know that with time, gentleness and compassion you can expand and move through to a brand new space. Just as your body can expand and move through asanas on your yoga mat, you can expand your life. Listen to your heart and your body just as you do when practicing yoga and they will guide you on your journey.

I hope that any change that you are now experiencing will flow through you as smoothly as possible. Remember that even when you are in the midst of change and it doesn't seem so, you will come out the other side knowing more than you did going in. You have the control to experience it with curiosity rather than fear and resistance and ask yourself along the way, what am I needing to learn here. You just might be pleasantly surprised what the answers are.

Namaste,
Sherry

Yoga of life

Yoga has so many aspects besides what happens every time we get on our mat. I tell my students that yoga is many times about small, incremental changes and openings in your body. Those changes and openings move with us off the mat as we move out into the wider spaces of our lives. It is a pleasure and a joy to see the changes that happen with my students. Many I only see as they enter or leave class aside from the time we spend together working on asana's during our class time.

I have seen students stand taller, move easier and with more confidence. After class I have seen happy, smiling faces and lightness. I have so much appreciation for the fact that they trust me to take them on the journey on the mat and I have had many speak to me about how much yoga has influenced their lives outside of the mat. This is why I teach, I love to help people with yoga. I feel strongly that yoga has something to offer everyone and that there is a style of yoga and teacher out there for everyone. My students inspire me to keep learning and growing as an instructor, to bring the knowledge to them and to learn from the wisdom that they bring to me. I do my best to be sure that everyone who attends my classes can be successful and walks away feeling good about their experience whether they are new to yoga or long time practitioners.

My demographic is mid life people, many of those haven't always taken good care of themselves as they care for their families and do their jobs. Several of my students are 60 and older and they want to stay flexible and moving with as much ease as possible. Some people think of yoga as a young person's practice or that you have to be thin as a pencil and flexible as a rubber band. My demographic is for the most part neither of those and frankly neither am I. It isn't just about women either, I have several men who practice with me regularly.

What I know is that for me personally I have attained so many wonderful benefits from yoga that I will practice for the rest of my life and hopefully teach for many more years to come. Yoga has been there during good and hard times and even times when body was in pain. It has supported me during times of illness and accident. My dharma has become clearer to me especially in the last year and I know that I am meant to help people with yoga. That is my truth, my path and purpose. Teaching brings my heart light out to shine.

I would ask that as you read this that you think about what your dharma might be, your path and purpose, what makes your heart light shine outward from the deepest part of your heart. Take some time, sit or lie comfortably, allow your eyes to close and relax your breath down into your body. Let your breath flow, deeply and easily, relax the space between your brows, let your eyes relax down into the socket. Relax your jaw, letting your tongue drop down into the bottom of your mouth, soften both sides all the way back to the top of your throat. Take your time and really let your breath flow, let the shoulders slide down your spine and then feel your weight relax down into your sit bones, feeling rooted and grounded. Now relax your focus down into your heart center, letting your heart open wide with your breath. Relax into the deepest part of your heart, where the true essence of who you are resides. Rest there with your breath and let whatever is your hearts deepest desire for you in this moment float up. Now slowly imagine what it looks like, feels like, smells like, tastes like. Who else is there with you? Relax deeper into that space, don't worry about how to get there, just be there in the moment, already manifested. Now think about what is one thing that you can do in the next 24 hours that could help you move towards your hearts deepest desire for you. Breathe that in deeply. Sit with it for a few breaths and then bring your palms to meet at your heart, on an exhale release your head forward surrendering to the wisdom deep in your heart. When you are ready slowly let the head rise and the eyes gently float open.

Namaste,

Sherry

It's almost April 15th, are your taxes done?

I must admit, mine, not so much..... I figure if I am having a sense of procrastination, stress and anxiety around tax time then there must be many out there that feel that same series of feelings as well. On the one hand I know I have until tomorrow to get them finished and postmarked so I am not too worried yet about completing them. Mine are pretty straight forward, I owe so why should I give up my money any sooner than I have too. In these times of economic strain and stress we all want to hold on to our money, that over riding sense of not enough takes over and we grasp and clench with all our might....

Looking on the other side, does grasping and clenching really help with all of that? In teaching I guide people to use their breath, open their hearts and release anything they may be holding on to a little too tightly. When we hold on, clench or grip with our hearts things get stuck there and tend to hang around for much longer than we need them to. Being creatures of habit we expect that if we have a so called "safe space" to grasp that everything will be ok. Habits also come into play with our bodies as well. We move into spaces that body is familiar with and can get to without much thought, not always are these spaces the best place for our body to move into but habit takes over. You get an injury, have an accident, sleep wrong on your pillow and your body makes subtle adjustments to allow you to move, alleviate some of the pain and before you know it your body goes there automatically every time, whether you are still injured or not. Everything subtly shifts and we move through days not paying attention to just how we move our bodies and what may still be painful below the surface. Eventually your body will begin shouting at you to get you to pay attention. Hopefullly at this point in time you are really serious about finding out what you need to do to care for yourself and provide relief, true, lasting relief.

Fear and worry can push us to clench and hold on, to move into a habitual "safe space". It can also paralyze you from taking any action or cause procrastination just to create some "relief". Fear and worry have never solved any problem that I have been deep in the middle of and that sense of being paralyzed is no safe space to be. Fear and worry also then move deep into the body, shoulders creep up toward your ears and feel like there are boulders residing in them. Your neck starts to ache, you may experience head aches and all of that continues down your spine. Your spine is such a huge highway for everything in your body. Nerves travel up and down your spinal column, your ribs are attached, your organs connect, your heart is supported. Oh your spine, that aching back that we only think about when we are in PAIN. Anxiety can cause the body to hold onto your stress and guess where it loves to hang out, you got it your spine, radiating in all directions. At that point I turn to the mat, even if it is just to spend some time breathing, deeply, slowly and fully. Feeling my sit bones rooting down into the earth, letting my shoulders slowly relax down my spine, relax my face and jaw. It is amazing what a few minutes of slow and concentrated breathing will do for your body, your mind and your spirit.

So before you sit down to work on your taxes or write that check before dropping your completed taxes in the mail take a few minutes to do some deep breathing, let go of fear and worry and anxiety, let your heart open a little further and release it all as you release that envelope addressed to the federal government into the mail box or mail slot. To help with that I have done some "Tax Relief Yoga" for you. The short version if you are in a hurry:

Seated in cross legged pose, allow your eyes to close, draw your breath down into your belly, slowly moving into a full three part breath filling your belly, solar plexus and then expanding through the lungs and chest.

You can continue to keep your eyes closed or open them and taking your hands to your knees breath into spinal rolls. As you inhale reach your heart forward, gently arching the low back. Exhaling, tuck the tail under and round the spine letting the shoulders round forward slightly. Continue that movement with your breath for at least 5 breaths. This will help loosen up your spine, get the breath flowing, relax the shoulders.

Take an inhale and come back to center. With your next inhale lift tall through the spine and exhaling rotate to the right, letting your head look over your shoulder. The rotation coming from deep in your belly. Hold for 5 breaths, inhaling moving back to center and exhaling rotating over to the left. Inhaling moving back to center. Twists are wonderful for the body some of the benefits include: tension release from the neck all the way down to the tail bone. Twists also effectively stretch the deepest layer of the spinal muscles, those that are the smallest and rest closest to your spinal column. Twisting also helps dissipate frustration, anxiety and/or fear that can be closely connected to tightness and tension in the spine.

From seated moving to hands and knees, bring your toes to touch and open the knees a little to allow room for the abdomen to relax and release as you move forward bringing the forehead down to the floor. Relax your belly, broaden your sacrum and relax your breath into the back side of your body. Bring your arms back, letting the palms rotate to face up, resting the fore arms on the floor. Relax here for 30 seconds up to 3 minutes. When you are ready to come out of the pose, brings your palms forward to press down into the floor and pressing all the way up to hands and knees again. Move to seated, close your eyes for 5 breaths and then get up slowly. Child's pose gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles. It calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue.

Don't forget to put those taxes in the mail!

Namaste,

Sherry

Filling your cup

What do I mean by that, well here is how I think of my cup. If my cup is full I can give to others, teach my classes, do all the things I need to do in each and every day. A few weeks ago it was mentioned to me by my friend Diane that I needed to make sure that I didn't empty my cup all the way and then have to work so hard to fill it back up. A better balance. So filling that cup up are the things I need to do to care for myself to keep my cup full, my energy balanced and gives me the go power to keep doing all that I want to do.

In my classes I see mostly women, mid-life and many are working, caring for families and maybe even caring for parents as well. They ask a lot of themselves on a daily basis and don't always make the time to care for themselves and keep their cup filled up. My yoga classes can do that for many of them and nothing makes me feel more joy around teaching than seeing those faces walk out the door at the end of one of my classes with a big smile and a spring in their step that wasn't there when they walked through the door. I start every class the same way so that they know just what to expect and it becomes the trigger for them to let go of their day and draw their focus inside, surrendering everything else but what is there in that moment.

Keeping that cup full can take time and thought around just what it is that will do that for you and more than likely it will be a mixture of things. Asking yourself on a daily basis, what could I do that would bring me some joy, peace and relaxation is the start of learning just what it is in each moment that can fill up your cup. Start small, those small things add up to the bigger whole. This should be about what brings a smile to your face and releases your shoulders down your spine and gives you the room to sigh in a good way. It can be as simple as enjoying your breakfast in the quiet before everyone else gets up, reading a good book or magazine, taking a walk outside, getting a massage, spending the day in your jammie's reading or sleeping. The point is that you take the time to move outside the "shoulds" or the "responsibilities" of your day and listen to your deep heart. Listening to that deepest part of your heart will tell you everything you need to know and allow that light that resides down in the deepest part of your heart to slowly move outward. This is the true essence of who you are.

Have you taken the time to really sit with yourself and ask, "What do I need in this moment to fill my cup/bring a smile to my face/lighten my heart?". Does that question bring panic or unease? Are you not able to come up with more than one thing? When was the last time you truly spent time listening to your heart and acting without any guilt? I know how hard these simple questions can be but the answers can be so wonderful and staying in touch with those things that fill your cup can change your life in small ways every single day. I am giving you permission to throw out the word "SHOULD" and listen to your heart for the "GOOD". Fill up YOUR cup and if a little sloshes over the side, just remember to smile and that could help fill up someone else's cup.

Namaste,
Sherry

Tilted off your axis...

I read the other day that the earthquake in Chile tilted the Earth off it's axis. My first thought was, will this mean that the rotation will now be wonky? I also realized that the earthquake happened right around a full moon. What I notice in my yoga classes around a full moon is that it tends to throw people's balance off for a few days before and a few days after. So I wondered will this axis tilting affect people's balance and make it wonky as well? More wonky or less?

What I noticed is that it did affect people's balance, not sure if it was any more than the usual full moon reason or a combo of both. The thing with balance through out your life is that it changes on a daily basis and it is something that as we age we lose but with practice, patience and consistent work it can come back. Yes there are a lot of things we see change as we age but one that we actually practice to retain and improve, now that I like. I have students that are living proof that with consistent work you can improve your balance. Some struggle with it but they keep at it and little by little I see the balance improve and the confidence comes with it.

Many things can affect your balance, colds, inner ear issues, vision problems, body aches and pains and your mental outlook most definitely. Your inner emotional balance can affect your outer physical balance. Of course the outer physical balance is much easier to see and gauge most times than that inner emotional balance. The physical practice of yoga is only one part of yoga. Traditionally the physical practice of yoga was done to quiet the body and the mind so that a meditation practice could follow. For many people in our society there is more focus on the physical aspect of yoga, but a good teacher can slip in those inner pieces without scaring people off and the transformation is amazing when it happens.

Yoga is a humbling practice, it forces you to be very honest with where your body is at. If you force it shows all over your body. Ease, surrender, relaxing into the poses and flowing with the breath is harder than it looks for many people. I can see those that struggle with that ease as they try to force themselves into a pose and then they hear from me "relax into the pose, use your breath, where could you make a small adjustment to make it easier for you to be where you are?". Or something so simple as, "now drop your shoulders down". It is like magic, everyone lets go of that tension in their shoulders trying to hold their arms out and suddenly their shoulders are no longer up by the ears!

The practice of yoga is also all about subtlety. Things in your body and your inner space shift in small increments, many times without people realizing what has happened. It isn't about big results but the building of small but intense shifts of the body and the consciousness. In our world these days it all about fast and big and how quick can I get there, get this done etc. There is a change happening, more and more people are drawn to yoga and what it has to offer to their daily lives. People are becoming more aware of their breath, their body and how it moves and for many a way to reduce stress in their lives and find some quiet in their day.

All this talk of balance and tilting on the axis got me talking with my students about not only physical balance but inner balance as well. It got me thinking about how using my physical balance can help me gauge what is going on with my emotional balance. It is at times easier to work on the physical piece and get to that space of balance outwardly than inwardly. When things come blowing through our lives that tilt us off our emotional axis it can create quite an upheaval just like the earthquake did in Chile. Sometimes being honest physically with yourself is easier than emotional honesty but I do know that the physical balancing act can help you with the inner if you pay attention.

Things can come into and out of our lives as quickly and unexpectedly as an earthquake and the shake up can take quite a toll. Those are the times to spend being kind to yourself as you shift and move through all the spaces both physically and emotionally. Remember that just like the physical practice of yoga, the shifting can be small and incremental and it takes practice and consistency and appreciation for all of the small things that add up to the whole. Think of it like this, when you do tree pose think of all of the small shifts and movements your foot, ankle and leg have to do to keep your balance. Just like a tree with roots to hold it steady so that the top part can move with the wind, your body does the same thing both inside and out.

So when you feel like you are tilted on your emotional axis spend a little time finding those roots, being grounded in what is important and what feels good it will help you with the blowing winds that will inevitably come into your life.

Namaste,
Sherry

2010 Start your engines....

Today is the final day to lounge around and say it is still a holiday weekend. Starting tomorrow we will be zooming off into a new decade, a new year and a whole new week. The days are slowly getting longer and before we know it spring will be rolling around the corner. So these next 90 days are ready to shoot out of the starting gate, what do you have planned?

I am reading a great book, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur that has helped me understand that not having a standard business plan and locked in goals isn't the end of the world or even bad, especially for someone like me who really likes to be able to move within whatever happens in any given day. So I have been thinking about what I would like to accomplish in the next 90 days both personally and professionally. I have some definite ideas and others not so but I know what I do have is the openness to approach each day as it comes and not lock myself into any one space just to meet a so called "goal" on a sheet of paper. You never know who you are going to meet or what idea might spark after a conversation or waking up in the morning.

My yoga classes are formed in the same vein. I don't walk through the door with a set class in my mind that I stick to. I always love to wait and see who shows up for class, what the general energy is and just how I personally feel at the time. I have my standard opening I always do to help my students release where they came from and where they will go to later and to drop into their breath and let go into the rhythm of their breath and drawing their attention further inward with each breath. Then the slow opening of the body with the breath and moving from there.

I have students who are slowly expanding their confidence as they open their body more with consistent, steady practice. In the last few weeks I have seen people get up into head stand that a few months ago looked at me like I was crazy asking them to move upside down. I have seen others feel more comfortable about moving away from the support of the wall in standing balance poses and stand taller for longer than they ever thought they could. As we move into the new year I plan to work deeper into strength and stamina and finding the lightness and open spaces too. The overriding theme will be to find that balanced space where no area of the body is overworking or under working. Staying in touch with all of the spaces the flow together in the pose with ease and awareness.

Using that same approach to my business this 90 days as well. Balance between too much and too little and finding the space of ease and open space that allows for movement in any direction... So what will you be working on for the next 90 days in all the areas of your life? Can you set the intention of staying present in each moment and easing into the space that allows for balance in all areas and allowing yourself to have room to move when the spirit moves or a good idea presents itself. How aware are you of what is moving and into your life every single day? If you presently practice yoga, can you find the way to bring the lessons from the mat with you as you move out into the world? If you don't currently practice yoga I would ask this, what is keeping you from exploring all that yoga has to offer???

Namaste.