Yoga joy

yogini tea

During the Second Series workshop my yoga friend Crissy told me she was planning a tea at her house, and the women invited are asked to bring a donation that would go towards my goal of $20,000 in the OTM 2009 Seva challenge.

While catching up and enjoying the company of friends Crissy and her tea raised $100. I am touched by this simple act of great generosity. Namaste C & tea friends....

Mysore & second series Maui style

This past weekend was an Ashtanga second series workshop taught by Nancy Gilgoff. Nancy is my teacher's teacher and she learned the Ashtanga practice from Pattabhi Jois in the early 1970's.

The entire weekend was a refreshing and challenging reminder of why I do yoga. Nancy has a humor and a laid back ease that dissolved any anxiety I had about being in the presence of such an elder yogini and learning the second series asanas. And up until this point I had sort of avoided going to mysore class - and well, this workshop made me go, so I got past that hurdle in the company of many others new to mysore.

Mysore is a style of yoga class (originating in Mysore, India) where the teacher is present but the practice is not lead. You simply go in, do your practice, and the teacher is there to assist you and guide you. It really is one of the best ways to learn the yoga practice. I had held some anxiety about this style of class - mostly worried I would not remember the order of the asanas. The first morning mysore class during the workshop was a refreshing and peaceful. No sound but the steady breathing of the people practicing and the morning light in the studio washed a serene calm over everyone. My body and mind remembered the sequence of poses with almost no problem and I am hooked on mysore... it makes the practice your very own.

And so thank you to Nancy and to Bobbi... for passing on the flame of yoga to many, many students.

What a little Rasa can do...

This past week I was off the mat. I joked that I was doing the yoga of screen printing. A break always seems nice but only for a day or two. After that it is down hill. I went an entire week without any of my practice. Just work, more work and screen printing. My body did not really appreciate this as I stood for long hours and really did not care for myself in the best way... the busy of life took over.

The accidental hiatus was almost worth it after going to the Prana Flow class tonight... I literally feel juiced, wrung out in the best possible way and reconnected to what brings me to the mat. There is a delightful freedom that can be found in all that movement and presence.

Tonight I was reminded how amazing our class is, how special a place it can be and how life altering the practice of can be. I know it sounds dramatic but it is true. The practice of yoga will transform your life in some way. It can crack you open. Or, as it was so beautifully said tonight, yoga takes the gray flat world we have grown accustomed to and adds depth and color.

Thank you Harrisburg!

With contributions from the night coming in at over $3,015 and monetary donations and shirt sales still rolling in I would have say that Uganda Rocks! was a huge success. I am still riding the high from the event and am happily blown away by the support that came out on Friday night. Our town is pretty fantabulous, and once again music brings people together creating social and world change.

I am fairly certain a good time was had by all - the pictures from the event are all of megwatt smiles, dancing and laughing. Even after the whirlwind of the last minute preparations have subsided I am still finding it just a little surreal.

Current times can seem uncertain but in this moment I do know this, I am thankful and surrounded by generous people and joyous people. That there is hope, and one night in history went down as a really, really good one. And those are the ones that count, the ones we are living for.

Thank you everyone you came out and supported the event and raised the money in all the ways that you did. Thank you to the talented and generous musicians who gave it their all. To the gang at ABC for rockin it. Big ups to my crew for helping me make it happen - both at the brewery & in the basement (aka the "bat cave"). And special thanks to Megan Caruso whose fabulous design is now scattered across the country (I just sent a bag to a friend in Santa Monica).

Together we are all doing some good work.