Certifiably, Undeniably Unaware

YJ Entry #26: Thursday, October 2nd at 9:45 p.m. ~ Austin

There’s a saying that goes, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” Conversely, sometimes you don’t know how good you have it until you talk with a few others.  I mean, consciously you KNOW you have a good thing, but then you REALLY don’t know until you hear it from others.  Such was the case at the Yoga Journal Conference when I engaged in conversations about our respective teachers. Take my roommates from Canada …

One night, I asked them who they studied with. I was shocked when they said that they traveled more than an hour EACH WAY to study with their teacher. And then THAT was just a once-a-week basis.

I swallowed hard and looked down.  I barely have to drive 15 minutes to practice twice a week (and two classes both days) with a highly trained certified teacher.  THEN, I actually whine when she’s out-of-town sharing her training with others.  On top of that, she works to bring other great teachers here to Austin.  What am I complaining about?!

My roommate inquired, “Who do you study with, Pam?”

“Christina Sell,” I offered and started to list her credentials, “She’s … “

“Oh my gosh,” Shanti gushed, “I LOVE her book! I have given it to at least 10 people.  She is amazing!  You are SO lucky!”

Yes, she is. Yes, yes I am …

I remember the day I picked up Christina’s book, Yoga from the Inside Out: Making Peace With Your Body Through Yoga. I began to cry as I read the forward by John Friend. Halfway through the introduction I was sobbing. By the first chapter, I couldn’t breathe. Christina’s words touched me at my core … and THIS was before I really even knew her. She IS amazing.

Christina’s second book is about to be released. I was hoping that it would be out before the Grand Gathering, but it wasn’t off the press.  I’d tell you the title if I knew it, but she has contained the energy (hugged to the mid-line, so to speak) for one big burst of release.

When it’s released you can bet it will be mentioned here. I’m finally beginning to get it.

Certified Anusara Teachers: Elena Brower & Christina Sell

As the shirt says, “Shrilicious”

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“Houston, We have a Problem!” ~ Post Conference Reentry Issues

Yoga Journal Entry #25 ~ Thursday, October 2 at 9:30 a.m. ~ Austin

Okay so I am having a really hard time getting back with the program. Didn’t get a chance to post at all yesterday. Had to do this little thing called WORK which greatly interferes with my ability to post. All I want to do is write, practice asana and sleep … wait, that sounds like LAST week. I still have so much to post on the conference, including an entry on the band Shantala, insights from my workshops, and some more very fun pictures to add.

Plus, I promised my friend Anne that I would add more ELK photos. (By the way, I learned a new word “RUTTING” which is “the periodically recurring sexual excitement of the deer, goat, sheep, etc.” The etcetera being ELK. It is apparently their “rutting season.”) Yesterday, I taught my first yoga class since the conference. I was so filled with inspiration and ideas ~ wanted to share EVERYTHING with them ~ afraid it was a little discombobulated but they seemed to like it. Okay, that totally has NOTHING to do with RUTTING.

Spiraling Out of Control

I got home last night and worked a lot with my inner spiral. I am finally GETTING what a huge muscular ‘event’ that is. (Can you say ‘duh’?!) Inner spiral creates the space FOR the tail bone — I double-DUH, ya! — and makes OUTER spiral possible! More on all THAT later.

As I played with my legs ~ as we yogis like to do ~ I actually got some MAJOR rotation going on and started to catch a glimpse of just how it is that Noah Maze can stand with his legs rotated 180 degrees so that his feet are TOTALLY facing the back. And if you’ve never seen him do it, well, it’s a feat to behold (No pun intended!) I really want to get into that pose that’s sort of like baddha konasana but your heels are up with the soles of your feet together. (Help me, what’s the name?)

Then, I totally crashed. No dinner, no interaction with my kids, just zoned out with the season’s premiere of Grey’s Anatomy (which I DVR’ed while I was at the conference last week). Sound asleep by 8:30 p.m. I have GOT to get back on my game. As I dressed for work this morning, I was reminded of something that Noah said at his workshop last December: “We practice advanced asana on our mat so we are prepared for our advanced yoga life off the mat.” Not feeling quite up for the post-Estes “off the mat” challenge just yet.

The Gas Exchange

So nobody jumped in PUBLICLY about my altitude gas theory, but for the record I DID have some folks who validated my experience via email.  (Thank you very much.) A quick Google search and I have come to learn this phenomenon is known as H.A.F.E. ~ High Altitude Flatulence Emissions. Really, I got this off of an Everest trekkers site. You don’t believe me? Must be a case of the “HAFE’s” and the “HAFE-Not’s”! (And I don’t care WHO you are THAT’S funny!) Read more at: Do You Toot More at High Altitude. Who knows if it’s accurate, but it’s good for a smile. And just what IS it about farts that make you laugh anyway?

If you keep coming back for more ~ and granted I just may have driven you off with those last comments ~ expect to see my conference journal eventually broken up into individual posts. If you’ve bookmarked my site from the Yoga Journal newsletter – and one can only hope you have – be sure to update the link to my home page. I know you’d hate to miss out on these gems!

Crocs Sale$ Must Be UP!

I think Croc should add me to their payroll. I have become their greatest marketing rep since I bought my new sexy Crocs at the conference. First I made myself the designated conference show model and then I think I’ve sold another 5 pairs to teachers I work with in the last 24 hours. Love these babies! (Hello Croc people? I’m good at this!)

The Indexed Blog

One final tidbit for the morning. There’s a fun blog I like to visit called Indexed which is simply index cards expressing various relationships in the form of Venn diagrams and graphs. It’s usually quite funny and often thought-provoking. Here are two for you this morning. She calls this first one: “But like only after I do my yoga” which as a Starbuck’s lover, I totally get!

The second one I had to think a little more about ~ didn’t have my Starbuck’s this morning ~ but it’s a good one:

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