It’s quite a ritual with auspicious food to celebrate Girls:) It’s Sakura mode here in Japan this time of the year – pink, pink, pink … All gratitude for all the girls in my life and … being allowed to be forever a girl.
I had fun subbing for a very well respected senior Iyengar yoga teacher – using the ultimate prop – the yoga wall! This version of yoga wall was a bit more complicated than the standard yoga ropes used at most Iyengar studios so I felt a little anxious to sub-teach the class. What’s different? Jason’s wall has all the bells and whistles, with safety buckles, balls and sockets, additional props – the belt, handles, bars – so I might say that there are yoga walls and there are GREAT YOGA WALLS.
Hearing that Iyengar certified instructors are only permitted to teach in that style, while I highly respect the Iyengar teaching, liking sounds and flow more, I had never pursued their brand of teacher training. Rather I pursued the Yoga Therapist training at 800 hrs. after the 200 hrs. and 500 hrs. with Yoga Alliance. Still, Iyengar school , I so respect as there are so many fundamentals and superb take aways from Iyengar teachings.
Treating the class as more of Iyengar Inspired Yoga Therapeutics with Yoga Wall, I am happy to report the 75 minute class progressed smoothly, a student walked out saying “it was awesome! ” even, much to my delight – all thanks to Jason Cull’s Yoga Wall training level 1&2. Yes, happy to report that my fears of someone falling off and getting injured, thank goodness, did not happen. Rather this super enthusiastic guy I was worried may fall out of the strap, didn’t and walked out with that awesome comment.
Thank you Jason – I’m glad your training prepared me well to face room full of students with diverse body types and needs. Now if I could only get this wall home – especially after a 10 hours flight back from Asia, use of yoga wall felt soooo good as I got to lengthen strengthen the compression I felt along the lower back – and ah what elation – to go up side down without worrying about my cervical spine ( I had a whiplash many years ago when a drunk driver rear ended me on HW 880 between Berkeley and Silicon Valley – the nightmare commute).
Yoga wall is so therapeutic- I was one happy yoga therapist last night.
Yoga Health Center is the only place with this Great Wall here in the Bay Area.
Feels sooo good – just hanging out -Blissed our:). Thank you also to Maria and Regina for entrusting me to lead the class. I usually rise to the occasion and that’s one of the many benefits of yogic lifestyle – to say YES ! whereas before yoga, I might have snubbed it – too busy, too tired, too sudden, too unprepared, too unsure, too imperfect, too hard, too risky … etc etc. Today, I just say YES:) Yes, Saying YES to sharing the teachings of yoga brings Joy:) Yoga is not about pretzel poses and stern serious faces – it’s about connecting to our higher Self … that inner Joy that is everyone’s birthright.
Hanging out … floating weightless to me is …about inviting this natural rush … you are flooded with this sense of …
Euphoria:)
& … there’s functionality to each of these beautiful ceramic pieces – a work of art. Starbucks is ubiquitous in this land of rising sun but … Japan is a tea drinking country after all.
There was a silent vigil to remember the victims of the Tohoku earthquake from March 11th. It’s hard to believe that eight years ago, so many lives were lost and people’s lives forever changed. Some went about ignoring the announcement but I was fixated on a beautiful young lady, who like me, put our palms together in Gassho at our heart center.
I am here to care for a precious family member and I am happy to be here where refinement and delicacy is not seen as a weakness but strength and that of … beauty.
