{"id":10410,"date":"2015-06-09T08:57:22","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T15:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/?p=10410"},"modified":"2015-06-11T11:16:26","modified_gmt":"2015-06-11T18:16:26","slug":"bitter-sweet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/yoga\/bitter-sweet\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitter Sweet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7349.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7349.jpg\" alt=\"Prom_IMG_7349\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10459\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7349.jpg 500w, https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7349-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7349-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nRare for the fickle minded, I decided to commit to this teacher&#8217;s class after reading his books and felt compelled to learn more.  So I have started to go relatively regularly especially because the schedule is perfect (for me) and &#8230; because &#8230; I learn so much from this true yogi:) Teacher&#8217;s teacher&#8217;s teacher?  Like, Judith, anyone teaching for decades effectively is &#8230; a rare find these days and a true professional. Perhaps because it was a new place or new schedule, first class had only a handful of students &#8211; at one time, I was the first one to show up and was a bit worried that it may be a private session &#8211; wishful thinking:) next class was even fewer; and normally maybe 5-10 or so students so I was actually VERY HAPPY.  I mean, to have this incredible teacher in such cozy setting, I was all smiles, thanking the Universe for my good fortune.<\/p>\n<p>Well&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s that Buddhist teaching of impermanence summed up in two words<br \/>\nby late Shunryu Suzuki?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;Everything Changes&#8221;<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/sm_IMG_1507.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/sm_IMG_1507.jpg\" alt=\"sm_IMG_1507\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/sm_IMG_1507.jpg 500w, https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/sm_IMG_1507-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/sm_IMG_1507-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nLast weekend, I was startled to find that the class size more than doubled, tripled as I rushed in  &#8230; it was a &#8220;what happened?&#8221; twilight zone, double-take moment for me.  I looked over to my favorite mat space &#8211; um, that piece of real estate was already staked out &#8230; oh, no ~ We use the wall so found an okay spot&#8230; NOT the best Feng Shui but no choice. The room was full with some without the needed wall space. I could not tell if he was happy that the class all the sudden mushroomed or if he cared &#8230; I actually prefer smaller classes when I teach too where I can better remember students&#8217; names &#8211; more personal and cozy is what I like. But for him? This sudden big class of his, for me, was a bitter sweet feeling of a loss. As Judith described, I recognized this small &#8220;loss&#8221; but then I also recognized the gain, the joy to share with more students.  Still&#8230; Is it going to now be like a crammed Bikram class where you are identified not by your name but by the color of your shirt? &#8220;Hey, girl in the pink top, front row&#8221; &#8211; hate that.  Train of thoughts trailing off the tracks&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; I guess the word got out&#8230;(that he&#8217;s awesome) or maybe the studio did some promos &#038; marketing as they seem so IT savvy OR he consolidated other classes into this one &#8230; <\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Whatever the reason behind this sudden change&#8230; miffed as an outsider&#8230; reminiscing the small cozy class, sigh&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; I can&#8217;t keep him a secret serendipitous find &#8211; a sage for me and the few &#8230; what an illusion (or is it a delusion?) I got attached to.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; I hope this blog did not contribute to his popularity &#8211; sorry &#8211; I am so selfish and full of it &#8211; ashamed.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, as to makeup for this bittersweet feelings of loss,  a gift was bestowed to the unexpected &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>He says at 9:45, oh, by the way, this class is ending 10:15 not 10:00 &#8211; but you can leave if you have something better to do (no one left&#8230;)<br \/>\nSo he increased the class time to one hour and 45 minutes or 105 minutes from 90 minutes ! It&#8217;s not a loss after all &#8211; it&#8217;s a gain:) I am elated &#8211; Yeay!  What A gift:) I mean in a world when some yoga classes are just a blip of 60 minutes or less during lunch for the same price, he&#8217;s willing to extend the time &#8211; because he knows as much as I know &#8211; this:<\/p>\n<p>You have to give it time &#8211; you have to give it time for the fruits to ripen:)<\/p>\n<p>Then he goes on to say &#8211; I want to make this NOT all levels class but intermediate-advance class, so, it that okay?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, yes, YES<\/p>\n<p>!!!<\/p>\n<p>Felt waves of gratitude wash over me.  Blessed are dedicated teachers with so much knowledge he can bestow to those who seek it. <\/p>\n<p>AND<\/p>\n<p>Aren&#8217;t we all &#8216;that&#8217;?  Seekers &#8230; yogis are &#8230; seekers.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7344.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7344.jpg\" alt=\"Prom_IMG_7344\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7344.jpg 500w, https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7344-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Prom_IMG_7344-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n*Speaking of twilight zone &#8230; photos at dusk taken by me&#8230; overlooking San Francisco Bay.  Love this place where the setting sun glistens on the surface of the water.<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s &#8220;magnificent&#8221;:)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rare for the fickle minded, I decided to commit to this teacher&#8217;s class after reading his books and felt compelled to learn more. So I have started to go relatively regularly especially because the schedule is perfect (for me) and &#8230; because &#8230; I learn so much from this true yogi:) Teacher&#8217;s teacher&#8217;s teacher? Like, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10410"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10410"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10474,"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10410\/revisions\/10474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wagayoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}