yogagodess

Have a vegan and talk about your day. LOL

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Because it is the very thing you will face again. I know I have said that Ana Forrest’s Advanced Teacher Training was the hardest thing I would ever have to do, yogawise, but I was WRONG.

Now I am trying to plan something for 2013 that will be harder. Yup I found it and yup I want to do it. My shift in yoga from the meditation and yoga retreat came in believing that I have a lot to learn from Ashtanga and I want to teach it. So in the next two years my plans will be in that direction culminating in something HUGE for 2013. I won’t say what it is or where until it is LOGISTICALLY feasible. But I will work in that direction.

That pic is a hint. LOL Advanced and Intermediate students get ready for a litte Intermediate Series ride among other things.

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My Husband who never yells at me, is funny, likes to drink wine, is fun on vacations, and likes to stay home.

My beautiful daughter.

The beauty of nature.

The full practice of yoga.

All of my teachers.

All of my students.

Marit and Dar and everyone at Inner Fire.

My mom who cooked marathon holiday dinners for over 20 and I watched and learned.

My dad who worked hard for us. Dad we are recalling Walker for people like you who worked hard for families and were given the ‘tools’ to do so, a decent pay, insurance, and reasonable hours.

My family.

My friends.

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I am doing a two hour yoga detox class at Inner Fire Yoga Center on January 1, 2012 from 1 to 3 pm. I am really excited that one of the teacher trainees, Adrienne Pederson, is going to assist me. Yeah!

I am also focusing my Friday classes as shorter versions on post Thanksgiving detox. It will be fun and will stoke the fire to get whatever OUT of your system.

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http://www.lululemon.com/community/blog/who-is-john-galt/

I am a little late on blogging on this issue. I first saw this when I was in San Francisco right after I had seen the Occupy movement march around Union Square.

My feeling on this is that their marketing department is wallowing in avidya. I find it difficult to believe that any large corporation would KNOWLINGLY touch this issue.

Anyone who is at all politically aware that RIGHT now in our country there is a strong division of people and politics can be excused from taking one quotation out of context from the novel and use it as an attempt at a positive yoga message. If that is the case, this is a pretty big error. So one issue, is Lululemon making a political statement and allying with the Tea Party/Extreme right? If so I would say said marketing department does not have a strong handle on who their target audience is. Um, I teach yoga in Wisconsin and I don’t see that element too much in my studio. Most of us are extreme liberal and/or Occupy movement/recall Scott Walker advocates. Not all, but for the most part, I would say that. So is it possible the marketing department did not realize that the likes of Paul Ryan, among others, believe in the view that Rand took on how an ideal society looks in the same way that the Scientologists view Dianetics by Ron L. Hubbard?

If they WERE aware, at worst, it seems a poor choice to choose this subject for marketing any product, not just a yoga product. Most corporations want to make us believe they are FOR us, the middle class so we buy their products. Yes some of the words sound nice that they employ in using this as a marketing tool, but it seems unwise viewed on a larger scale. Taking things OUT of context, usually are viewed as being partial truths. Political ads and political commercials do this ALL the time. It is annoying but some people HEAR the line, and believe it as a truth.

I do not personally view the Rand philosophy as realistic, maybe more idealistic for the extreme right, but we all have the right to choose. They can do what they want. For me, it is one more product to boycott because the message is what it is for me and I do NOT support it. The tea party and extreme right is currently holding our economy as hostage in order to support tax breaks for the wealthy, while taking away from the middle class, poor, the sick, and the education of our children.

A lot of the supporters will ask if people have actually read this book. I actually did in college. I thought it was boring, long winded and that the philosophy was self serving. I didn’t relate to it then and I don’t now. The characters were boring, flat, and one sided to me. Hey, that is just what I think.

It will be interesting to see how Lululemon responds, if at all, to the controversey. There are plenty of products out there and it is always good to know what you are buying and what the company represents so if that is what they stand for, I do appreciate knowing that.

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What I learned is respect for my teachers and their knowledge and going back to the eight limbs to understand the discipline of practice.

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My yoga retreat is complete. I spent six days in one of the most beautiful places on earth immersed in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh limbs of Ashtanga in a silent retreat. The teachers, Sarah Powers, Tias Little, and Richard Freeman are all great examples of master yogis who live the life they teach.

The silence was not difficult to practice. It illuminated the other senses as well as increased awareness in asana.

It also brought me back to my first yoga practice, Ashtanga. I had thought I was toonold for that practice. But I was wrong about that so now I will pursue that practice and practice the principles in my teaching.

But to reduce the experience into words at this point is to reduce it to theory and does it a disservice. Pictures will follow.

Thank you Richard Freeman.

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I signed up for this silent meditation/yoga retreat MONTHS ago and here it is. I had a LOT of obstacles in my path the last few weeks, but I achieved my goal of leaving tomorrow. Esalen I am on the way. I am flying to San Fran tomorrow, staying overnight by the airport, and then taking a shuttle to meet a limosine to take me to Esalen.

During my stay, which is SILENT, I will participate in up to four yoga classes daily with master teachers Tias Little, Sarah Powers, and Richard Freeman. I am going to chronicle my stay to the best of my ability. I have two cameras, an IPAD, and my phone, BOSE headphones. But I know communications are LIMITED and there is probably no cell service.

You are either the type of person who thinks silence is BLISS, or you are horrified at not being able to have the normal communications system that you are currently using. Remember when you were only accessible by phone when you were home? And you didn’t know who was calling.

When I was in high school I had a TELEPHATHIC means of communication with my best friend and when the phone rang and she was on the other end, I always knew it. I was always right.

I was using other resources. I probably don’t have that resource now because I always know who is texting, emailing, or phoning me. If you don’t use it, it is LOST. So I hope to refine my intuitive skills while I am there.

To be honest I am tired of the sound of my own voice and the repetitive STORIES I feel I need to tell over and over. I think this will help me break the thought patterns that are not useful. Because the truth is, do people listen? Really listen?

You have to learn to listen to yourself before you can begin to really hear others.

See ya.

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