Spring Has Sprung
Spring has sprung in the Pacific Northwest. Every day reveals new blooms and blossoms while evenings bring the sound of bullfrogs in our back yard. All in all, a promise of hope and renewal has accompanied the change of season this year. I received my first Covid-19 vaccination, I am making plans for visit to Texas the first week of May, and I am excited to offer a new weekly program called Pathways of Return with my friend and mentor, Mary Angelon Young. Along with being long-time students in the same lineage tradition, Mary Angelon and I share a love and passion for accessing the inner life through symbol, story, dream work, and active imagination. When we hang out together, you can be certain that one of us has a dream to share or a synchronicity of some kind to explore. After a year of our collaborative writing program with Regina Sara Ryan, we decided to expand our exploration of transformational tools, rather than offering another course on the craft of writing. It’s gonna be great.
Most of you reading this blog know me because of my long-standing work as an asana teacher— which I continue to love and in which I continue to take great delight. In fact, one of the hidden gifts of Covid-19 has been my return to a more structured practice and teaching schedule. Without the ongoing coming and going associated with travel, my routine has been more stable than it has been in years. I am even seeing some capacity return and a few poses I had given up on come back into range, which has been empowering. So, I do love asana.
And, as some of you know, I have always felt that asana was one tool of many that has helped me grow into myself over the years. Truth be told, I’d probably give ongoing psychotherapy a lot more credit than asana for most of my growth. I have never been a person for whom the advice “take it to the mat” or “keep sitting” or even “practice and all is coming” was sufficient. Maybe I am a tough case, but I have needed a whole lot more than the poses to sort through my particular complexities over the years. At any rate, this is certainly not a therapy course, but it is not an asana course. I think of Pathways of Return as an “inner work” course for anyone wanting to deepen and enrich their relationship with themselves in the good company of other sincere human beings.
Of course, as is often the case these days, my yoga-related musings and course offering announcements might seem (or even might be) a bit tone deaf in the midst of a week that brought two mass shootings to the United States. I wish I had something smart or reassuring to say about these tragedies. I don’t. To me, the shootings are another round of the unchecked violence that lives at the core of our patriarchal, white-supremacist systems that deem some lives valuable and others expendable. And, living in the face of that reality is heart-breaking. I mean, I have good dharma raps and good philosophical perspectives on it all, but really, for me that mostly boils down to working on myself enough to stay tender, courageous, and engaged in the face of the ongoing unfolding of pain that come with each news cycle.
So there is that.
The rest of this post is announcements for my April classes, If you get my newsletter, you can stop reading now. If you are not on my mailing list, SIGN UP! At any rate, I am offering another round of classes in April. I will take a week off the first week in May to take my trip. I will be live streaming a few things while I am gone so stay tuned for that and for more information about in-person events coming up in post-vaccination times. I plan to keep offering live stream classes as long as people keep attending them and while I am looking forward to future live events, my plan is to be home a whole lot more than I used to be as a new normal unfolds.
All right. Keep the faith. More soon.
Level 4/5 is an intermediate/advanced-level back bending class known as Build Better Backbends or Heart is the Hub and is now titled For Back Bend Enthusiasts. This is a long-format course for people comfortable with urdhva dhanurasana, handstand, forearm balance and who are willing to respect and challenge their limits intelligently and with good cheer, although some good-natured complaining is always encouraged. If you are interested in exploring back bends beyond urdhva dhanruasana with a group of hard-working, curious, and supportive practitioners, this class is for you. Live streamed on Mondays 11:00-1:00 PST. (April 5- June 28.) $195
Level 1/2 is a perfect class for new and experienced students who enjoy a thoughtful, mindful approach to basic postures. I call this class Depth in the Basics to indicate that depth of insight, action, and experience is not limited to advanced postures. This ongoing class utilizes props, progressive sequencing strategies, philosophical themes, and thoughtful forays into commonly practiced postures. Live streamed Tuesdays at 4PM PST. (April 6, 13, 20, 27) $40
Level 3/4 is designed as an intermediate-level group practice many of you know as Asana Junkies. Asana Junkies builds on the techniques and analysis given in Level 1/2 and Level 2/3 but moves through more postures each week, with less of a “peak pose strategy.” Each week utilizes s a repeated standing pose template for consistency while incorporating different poses each session for a broad exposure to a variety of postures. Modifications and substitutions are always encouraged and a willingness to work within your own limits is the key to enjoying this challenging group practice. Live streamed Wednesdays at 12:30-2:30 PST. (April 7, 14, 21, 28) $65
Level 2/3 is designed as a strong practice for experienced students looking to expand their capacity in a progressive and encouraging atmosphere. Each class incorporated familiar postures and explores techniques to advance in standing postures, back bends, arm balances and forward bends. I call this class Dedicated Action as a reminder that strong poses and the actions needed to make them come alive can be dedicated to what is much deeper than the pose itself. Live streamed Thursdays at 4PM PST. (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29) $50
Level 2/3 Flow also known as Informed Flow is a 60-minute vinyasa class aimed at developing strength, endurance and joy. I often think of it as Yoga Happy Hour on Friday night and plan a variety of standing poses, arm balances, back bends and hip opening postures in creative sequences. While there is no need to be able to do everything in any flow, this class is best for students who are already familiar with basic alignment and modification strategies, since due to the flowing nature of the class, I spend less time with explanation, demonstrations, and problem solving. Live streamed Fridays 4Pm PST. (April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30) $50
