Hit the mat last night with Ms. Barbara, who dug deep into her history to teach the Ashtanga primary series. Before class (a smattering of the 2008 and 2009 teacher trainees jumped at the opportunity) my friend Jane joked "at least there won't be any abs" and I thought that Barb wuld sneak some in there. I was right - she found time for one set of abs before we moved into a pretty standard issue Ashtanga class.
A tad bit slower than a class filled with Ashtanga diehards might be, I suspect. We moved through vinyasa between postures (not between sides) and Barb stopped to demo a few things as we moved deeper into the twists and binds part of practice, but in general it was a deep and rolling practice. I can see how Ashtanga fans love it - it really gets in deep; the body gets nice and warm and loose. So it was not surprising, really (although I was, in the moment, shocked) to find myself sitting in full lotus pose (twice, for a few seconds) near the end of practice. First time ever. And like all of my "edge" postures - handstand, wheel, forearm balance - it was both exhilerating and terrifying.
I can see how a regular Ashtanga practice might blow out the body - shoulders, wrists, back - which is why it's not a regular studio offering. But it was so delicious to work through a practice that was deep and strong and challenging. Barb might make one practice a month a regular Ashtanga practice (a treat, there are plenty of folks in the studio who would love it, and we always get calls from folks looking for this variety of yoga). "It's a hard practice to teach and assist" she said afterwards - and I encouraged her to make use of her teacher trainees - there are two classes of us - 70 yogi's - who would jump at the chance to step into the studio and assist her, take a little bit of the load off.
Afterwards, my teacher and friend Nykki who took the class (and in fact, was the instigator of this little experiment) was beaming. I practice with Nykki a few times a week, and I practice with her regularly, and it was sweet to see her really enjoy a practice at the studio. One thing I have seen is that teaching really impacts one's ability to get one's own practice in (less so for me, I do not teach all that much and my own practice has plenty of space for growth) but some of the senior teachers do not really get the chance to get deep into their bodies with the regular class schedule, they get kind of pot bound in a way and need to go outside of the studio for their yoga fix. So it's nice to see a friend and beloved teacher with that post-practice glow and buzz.....
Was pretty happy with my body last night - the usual kvetching about belly and flesh getting in the way of the deep twists and binds, of course. And the crankiness in my shoulder during vinyasa in the middle / end of the series. But my strained left calf muscle was pretty quiet - reverse triangle was really the only place I struggled and needed to modify - the warrior, triangle, pyramid, and forward fold postures (where I might expect some difficulty) were all fine. A little sensation and awareness, but no pain or strain. And it all feels good this morning....beyond the deeper, yummy ache of a strong practice.
I'm teaching a lot in the coming week:
* Friday 7/3 - WHY Power I @ 10:45 AM, $5 Gentle @ 12:15 PM * Sunday 7/5 - Gentle @ 9:00 AM (sub for Sharon) * Monday 7/6 - $5 Gentle @ 12:15 PM (sub for Sharon) and Core-Ab at 7:45 PM * Tuesday 7/7 - Gentle @ 9:15 AM (sub for Sharon) and Hot @ 4:30 PM (sub for Carissa, maybe) * Wednesday 7/8 - All Levels @ 9:00 AM, 7:00 PM class in Meriden (sub for Dennis) * Friday 7/10 - WHY Power I @ 10:45 AM
Then off to Kripalu for a weekend workshop with Shiva Rae! Yeah!
Just summarizing June (cleaning up my work calendar, teaching calendar, and setting up July and August) and I note that I taught 20 yoga classes last month. That's not counting assisting (a few times) and of course all the classes I took. And looking ahead, I have 24 or so already scheduled for July and 20+ in August.
Pretty sweet - when I think that last year at this time I was just getting started...I am truly fortunate to be able to do what I love.
No particular reason, just kind of nice to write it all down once in a while. Always a busy day or two.....
* Download monthly ticket orders for EST, sort by type, and send report to client * Pull Google, Yahoo, and Facebook advertisisng stats and expenses down for invoicing EST * Put together EST online marketing spreadsheet and forward to contacts * Pull WHY outgoing emails, craiglist ads, constant contact mailings and record in-studio hours from calendar(s) * Capture outgoing emails from laptop for retainer clients (EST, SMS, TE) * Capture outgoing emails from desktop for retainer clients (EST, SMS, TE) * Export Site reports completed for SMS
* WHY invoice (email) * EST Invoice (PDF and paper) * SMS Invoice (PDF and Online Invoicing Site) * TE Invoice (PDF and paper) * TAMS Invoice (PDF and paper)
* Record monthly yoga classes - regular classes and subbing * Erase Dry Erase calendar for present month * Set up Dry Erase calendar for month after present one
* Export personal and business checking into spreadsheet for tax purposes, document checks recieved for subbing * Clean up SMS sites (delete expanded files), periodically archive sites to CD ROM (copy to client) and delete aged sites from Hard Drive
Looking forward to it on multiple fronts. I have never been to Kripalu for a workshop (just enlightement intensives and concerts). I've never worked with Shiva Rae, although two of favorite teachers have worked with her and I love what I perceive to be Shiva Rae textures in their teaching. And I frankly need a little time away from teaching - to eat good food, get away from the computer and the office, get some decent rest (she writes at 1:46 am), get some time for meditation, contemplation, and self.
Let you know how it is. Any local yogis who might be going, let me know. Maybe we can carpool.....
I've been among the walking wounded the last week or so. I think I pulled or strained a muscle (gastrocnemius or soleus) in my left lower leg (inside calf muscle). A lot of walking / biking / hiking proceeding the strain. So I've been taking it easy. But I think working around the strain has also pulled my left knee out of alignment - I've had some torn cartiledge in the knee since my mid 20's that has never been acute enough to treat (surgery....no thanks) and it's all pretty benign as long as I do not stress the knee (no running), and the rest of the leg remains healthy so as to keep the knee in alignment. But I think this calf strain has upset the balance in the knee, so the knee has been cranky as well.
I noticed this big time doing a Supine abductor stretch with strap, although I'm also kind of cranky with forward folds and abs with straight legs. So I've been nursing my left leg through my practice and teaching - taking it easy.
It's actually been a really interesting anatomy / asana lesson working with this. Each posture becomes a mental checklist "not tight in my calf" or "tight in my calf" or "tight in my inner calf (ouch!)" or "tight in my outer calf (cool)" - I'm noticing that tightness (and the need to modify) in some unexpected postures. I commented to Brab tonight "if there were a way to simulate this sort of restriction in various muscles, one could really learn about postures". Now that I think about it, I think maybe Tias Little did something like that in his teacher training (maybe using a strap to restrict movement).....will have to review the material and my notes.
Practicing tonight - I cranked into a deep (for me) Hanumanasana (full splits) and Nykki kind of watched with that scared "should you really be doing that with your leg?" face - but it was fine (right leg forward) - on the other side I did a little Janu Sirsasana stretch instead.
Things are healing up, a little stronger and less pain each day, and I continue to practice consciously. A little roadbump, and an educational one at that.
I've been living with Zippy since 2001 or thereabouts - before that I owned a home in Waterbury for 12+ years. That homeowner experience was painful - bought the house for $111,500 (right near the late 80's peak) and sold it for $84,500 (right near the bottom; it sat on the market unoccupied, for a year). You do the math. To add insult to injury I had an ARM and was paying close to $1000/month through much of the life of the loan. And I never could refinance, so I just kind of hung on until I was finally able to get out. And in hindsight, if I had remained in Waterbury a few more years, I might have gotten out with some pretty nice $$$. But hindsight is 20/20; I was ready to leave Waterbury, moving to Hartford has been positively live changing.
So, Zippy and I have not been coupled for a few years now, and to be honest, we're kind of wearing on each other. There are two sides to it; but Zippy needs his space, needs less clutter and more calm, etc. My energy and focus is scattered - my teaching, my engineering, etc. engage me such that I do not spend much time or energy on the home front. I ned to make some pretty significant shifts in my life and that work is not getting done in my present living situation. So I'm thinking it's time to mosey along.
I'm a bit fearful of this move - I've been in a reasonably stable place financially for a while - my rent + 1/2 utilities to Zippy is peanuts, and as a result I've been able to maintain a small office (required, the house is too small for me to work out of), fund my IRA, pay my quarterly taxes, fund my HSA, have some expendable income, etc. If I add residence rent + office rent up, I have enough for a decent monthly rent or mortgage. So moving is certainly doable. Zippy and I have been discussing it for a while, and the inertia to stay put has come along two fronts - his ability to pay the bills and support himself without my assistance, and my concern about moving my personal life and my professional life in one fell swoop, and the decluttering and purging that will be required.
But it's getting to be that time. And after looking at apartment prices and options for the 2+ bedroom places I would need (to be able to work out of the house), and the required 2-3 months rent / security needed to get in, I'm seriously looking at buying something. I have a bunch of accessible money in my IRA that I can use fo ra doanpayment, and the time is certainly right (market conditions, mortgage rates, incentives) to buy something.
I'm a little fearful of a condo - between the mortgage, taxes and condo fees, I'm afraid of overextending myself and not sure how I would do with condo living (I've beein in single family homes for 20 years or so). Most single family homes on the conventional market are out of range. Been looking at foreclosures - and there are some deals out there. But I need to be cognizant of the fact that I am no longer a 30 year old with unlimited energy - I barely have enough time for life as it is so a fixer-upper is going to take some doing.
So my brain is churning (hence the 1:00 am blog posting here). I found, and went to look at a foreclosure in New Britain this afternoon - and while it looked reasonable outside (for a place that has been vacant 6 months) the inside was pretty funky (not stripped out or anything, but needing much work). Nevertheless, I am proceeding with a mortgage pre-approval and going to keep looking.....the lure of a place of my own. A room for quiet, meditation, yoga. A backyard where I can have a dog. An office in the house....all very tempting.
So, I'll throw it out to the universe. If you know of an available place (in the general axis of Plainville - New Britain - Hartford) keep me in mind. Entertaining rentals or buying something, and anything from an apartment complex, place in a multi-family, townhouse, or single family. 2 BR minimum, and I'd like to be safe with ~$800/month.
Spent a long day at teh studio yesterday - taught my 10:45 WHY Power class; a 12:15 Gentle class, and then assisted the 2009 teacher training class from 1:00 - 4:00. So I got out pretty much in time for the Big Storm.
I was running errands as the storm was heading towards Hartford - over on New Park the skies were getting dark. As I hit Elmwood (Corner Pug) dark, low clouds overhead were showing signs of circular motion - probably the first signs of what might have been a mini-tornado. The rain started as I crossed South Street, and by the time I got home, the storm was in full fury.
I parked my car in the street; and listened to NPR with the engine running in case an escape was needed - the winds were whipping up the three big trees on the street (one right over our driveway) and I could just imagine a limb falling on my as I parked. Then the hail came - maybe nickel sized at it's worst - as I waited things out. Finally, I made a dash for the house.
The power went out a few times temporarily - but mostly stayed on, as did the cable.
Around 6:30, I headed out to Wood N' Tap in Farmington for "Yogis Eating Non-organic Food VI". The lights at the end of the Rte. 4 exit off I-84 were out, and there was pretty slow traffic all the way down Rte. 4 to Brickyard Road, at which point Rte. 4 was closed.
Amazingly, the Wood N' Tap had power (although we did get to watch a tree limb slowing falling onto the patio). So a nice meal was had by all (I had the Thai Salad w\ Shrimp which was a little too noodley and not green enough for my taste). Afterwards, driving home, I realized that power was out pretty much the whole way from Wood N'Tap to my house is Hartford. Kind of eerie to drive down Rte. 4 and New Britain avenue sans power - post-apocalyptic even. Wondering if the studio had power, I drove over there to see the studio dark but the teacher trainees cars filling the lot - was kind of surprised that there was not even candlelight visible (the yoga studio has plenty of candles hanging around). Must have been an exciting evening down there.
Power seemed to come back as I passed the Spot Eatery on New Britain Ave (but only on the south side of New Britain so the neighborhood was bright. Pretty amazing news photos, and of course, a lot of Storm Updates) on the news from 5 - 6:30). THis morning dawns bright and clear......bout time!
I heard about this book on NPR - an interview on On Point with Tom Ashbrook. From the publisher's website:
Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. When our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. Once our hominid ancestors began cooking their food, the human digestive tract shrank and the brain grew.
Sounded interesting, so I ordered it. Could not put it down - I've read it pretty quickly despite a fairly busy life and other reading obligations and opportunities. Wrangham makes a strong case for control of fire, and cooking being the primary driver of human intelligence and evolution. Making his case via the fossil record (things like brain size, tooth characteristics, pelvis and rib cage signatures), via evidence of human culture (fire pits, tools, animal bones showing signs of being cooked / eaten), and human / animal physiology (experiments done with raw food, vegetarian diets, etc.)
An incredibly interesting theory, and presented in a very engaging manner. And an interesting tangeant from the whole food / vegetarian / raw food perspectives I normally encounter in the yoga world.
He expands his theory past the physiological to the social, making the case that cooking food drove humans to pair up into M/F households - with the woman cooking so as to provide a higher quality of food and the man providing protection (physical or through social relationships) from other men for the otherwise vulnerable larder of cooked / stored food. (other primates eat food as soon as it's available, so that there is less need to guard the family food supply)
Does not really change too much - we in the west still eat a too rich diet, filled with additives and chemicals, carrying a high carbon footprint, and we need to change. But it certainly makes me appreciate the value of cooking, the possible historic significance, and provide some basis for better understanding food and physiology.
So the people of Iran are in the streets, and the President of the United States is not shooting off his mouth, posturing, and giving the Iranian religious leadership a bogeyman to rail against and use to rally the populous behind.
The right wing may call it timid. I call it cagey, smart, thoughtful and wise.
And thankful to have a President (for the first time in a long time) who seems capable of seeing past polls, avoiding a knee jerk response, and taking the long view.
A few weeks ago, I was taken on a hike where my hiking partner related a "heart attack on this very hike" story. She then proceeded to comment "I think this is heart attack hill" on each significant incline. Reassuring.
It's Sunday morning, and I am embarking upon the first week of what could be a challenging summer.
I take on two new yoga classes this week. Monday night, I am teaching the Core/Ab class, a 10 week series, that has been heretofore taught by Barbara, the studio owner and my own teacher. Needless to say, big shoes to fill. (not that we actually wear shoes around the studio but you get the idea). I don't teach as much power yoga as I do other styles (Gentle, Hot, All Levels), and when I do teach, it's somewhat less structured and more intuitive (checking out the energy and bodies in the room, even if I have a bit of a class plan it is rarely more than a particular body area (say, shoulders or lower back), a handful of postures I want to get in or work up to, and my instincts.
A series demands some discipline. Core-Ab will focus, of course, on the core, and on abdominals - so I will be tasked with building up the students from the start through the finish through an increasingly strenuous set of core strengthening postures. I will be working with a more or less fixed group throughout the series. And I will be working within the structure of WHY Power, the studio's signature practice.
At the very least, I'm putting together lesson plans, an outline for the series, and an outline for each class - and I suspect I might spend Sunday afternoons working through some of the postures and sequencing. Prep work for yoga - definitely something I have not spent a lot of time on since my early days of teaching.
On Wednesday mornings, I take on an All Levels class that has been taught for many years by Shankara, one of the more beloved, experienced, and charismatic teachers down at the studio. He's embarking upon a grad school program that will take him out of town a few days each week, and so I got the call to what is a pretty sweet opportunity (to step into his successful class, to work with some experienced students). I've been taking this class the past month or so, and it is different on two levels.
First, this class has developed into a more spiritual space - with silence beforehand, with some yoga teaching woven into the asana practice, with music and chanting. While I have a pretty strong spiritual core that supports and guides my practice, it is mostly under the surface. The skeleton and muscles of my practice - you know they are there but not really on the surface, and talking about this, teaching, is not something that comes naturally. So, in the Jude personal growth department of "being seen" - this class is going to be a challenge.
Second, the class as it has been taught, has been less of a flowing practice, and more a practice of sequential asana - postures stacked atop each other working toward a goal or pinnacle, or strung together in a discrete but coherent chain. My teaching is a lot less structured - my sequencing less about what postures connect theoretically and more about how the postures resonate in the body, feed the spirit. At my best, students feel connected to a flowing, natural feeling practice without a lot of start/stop. So either teaching from a different place (like Shankara has been teaching this class, with his many years of knowledge) or guiding these students into a practice style that is more authentically mine - will be interesting.
And finally, well, Shankara is a beloved teacher for good reason. He's incredible wise, experienced, charismatic, and intuitive. His students love him and woe to the teacher who steps in to sub - there is a palpable disappoitment, resentment, anger even directed at the poor schlub at the front of the room who is, above eveything, NOT SHANKARA. So I've got that going for me.....
I'm really not sure which way it will go right now - being true to my own style is important and trying to be someone else is a recipe for failure, but this is not about me, it's about my students - it's their yoga class. Time will tell how well I do with this. Right now I plan to expand and revisit my yogic reading - seeking inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras, Iyengar's Light on Yoga and Light on Life to start. If I can find a theme for each class, do some reading and meditation about that, and build an asana practice from there, it just might work.
It's a temporary thing, these classes. Barb will be back at the helm of the Core-Ab class in the fall, most likely. Shankara will finish grad school or his class schedule will change next semester. Nevertheless, as the summer of 2009 commences, I am feeling a mixture of yogic emotion - happiness at being called to teach, pride at having come to this point in my own teaching, awe at being permitted to step into these important classes and experienced shoes, and a little bit of fear about not being good enough.
Went to see the new documentary Enlighten Up this afternoon, at the Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton.
The plot, basically: Film-maker Kate (Churchill) recruits journalist Nick (Rosen) to undergo a 6 month yoga journey, to dive into yoga and see if it changed his life. After sampling a multitude of yoga styles in NYC (good place to start) he travels further - California, Hawaii, and finally, India - and in the process meets, works with, and interviews some of the fathers of Asana yoga coming to the west. Filmmaker Kate wants subject Nick to get enlightened. Nick sort of never gets it in the way she expects him to.
Definitely a mixed experience. I loved to see and listen to these legends of yoga - BKS Iyengar, the late Pattabhi Jois especially, but many others as well. Many of the national yoga teachers have small cameo interviews. I loved to see Nick's experience with all the various yoga styles. A documentary wrapped around yoga, pretty cool.
Yet, the film's premise was, from the start, kind of rotten. 6 months of yoga, I don't care how extensive or concentrated, is pretty much scratching the surface. As if one were visiting the Jersey shore and coming to decisions about the Atlantic Ocean from that experience.
Kate is pretty brave, at the end - willing to bring herself into the film (I am reminded of the way Linda Hattendorf broke down the 4th wall in The Cats of Mirikitani, blogged here, although Hattendorf was a little more poetic about it. Kate allows herself to look like the bad guy here, to document her pressing Nick, and finally owning her shit (Nick says, and she keeps in the film, something like "I think Kate should have done this for herself". So her filmmaking rises above her frustration with Nick, her frustration with the failed experiment. Most tellingly, she opens up with a shot of Nick on a rock climbing wall, and closes with a segment of him climbing a cliff in Colorado. All that yoga, just to find himself.
Troubled too by the hubris of we westerners - thinking we can "get" yoga in 6 months, or by jumping on an airplane for a few weeks with a master. Not the first community I chaff against those who jump on the "fast track". The phrase "pearls before swine" came into my head a few times - Kate and Nick were able to gain access to some of the most enlightened beings and it seemed kind of funny watching them wrapped up in the making of the film and the project as this incredible wisdom lay open at their feet, were they just to stop, put down the camera, and pick it up.
The final segment, with Gurusharanananda, was most beautiful, as he seems to pull Nick in to a spiritual quest, not so much fo rgod or enlightenment, but for himself. Was a delicious exchange caught on film, and I think, a turning point in both the experiment and Nick's own growth and quest.
Definitely recommend it. On some level it does seem to paint hatha yoga (asana practice, as most often embraced as yoga in the west) as self involved and a bit neurotic. Funny - the Kunda-loonies, as Nick refers to them. Sad - the "Yoga for Regular Guys" practitioner, Diamond Dallas who closes his class with "Namastitties" and sees hot babes as the incentive to get men to practice). I saw a lot of yoga classes that I would probably walk away from upset or pissed off or frustrated by. The Bikram instructor in particular seemed kind of bored and detached.
If you want to lern about yoga - find a teacher, find a class, go do it. This film is interesting, but it's not yoga.
Noticed this "coming soon" sign posted at the former Sleepy's store in the Walmart plaza (Flatbush Avenue, Hartford)
I'm guessing we are looking at another asian fruit and vegetable market (think Appletree or A Dong) rather than a traditional New England farmer's market.
Edward Tufte and Aldrich Museum - As Heard on Faith Middleton
More community service. I heard this mentioned today on Faith Middleton's show (WNPR) this afternoon and have had a few blog hits already. (I blogged about a Tufte workshop a few years back and also mention NPR / WNPR a lot)
Here are some links: Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art / Calendar of Events
Faith Middleton show. Here's a link to today's show, although this is not listed in the summary (was just a quick mention. Although a blog with links and events mentioned in the show might be a nice feature...
Come to this event, described as a major fundraiser for the Hartford Public Library. It's Friday, June 26, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. It's at the Downtown Library. Wally Lamb will be there, Colin McEnroe is the Honorary Chairperson.
4/17: I'm splitting this into two posts to allow the event (which is a totally good and cool thing that I plan to attend) from the pretty obvious marketing abyss that seems to have accompanied this event.
Part II: Bitching and Moaning
I spotted this event on Facebook. I'm Colin McEnroe's Facebook Friend, and he posted the event. So I clicked through to the link and found the above information. I posted the following comment to his post.
Is this one of those "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" kind of things? Because I cannot, with pretty sharp understanding of The Google, find the cost of this event listed anywhere.
I can call the number or email listed on Facebook to find out , I suppose, but based on a couple of quick web searches, this thing is just not out there on the internets....how people not on Facebook are going to get this critical contact information, I am not sure, neither phone nor email is listed on the invite PDF
And go to the HPL website (I dare you!), and try to find this "major fundraiser" (per Hartford Business Journal) listed or linked. Because I cannot find it.....
HPL, you need to get the word out if you want us to come (which I hope to).
I'm kind of involved in the marketing and advertising field - one of my clients is a pretty visible local tourist attraction, and I work with them on their website, email marketing, keyword / search marketing. If we had a big event running in 10 days, you can be sure you would be able to plug the name of the event into Google and come up with something. Not so this event. You can be sure that if you visited the HPL website, you'd find a button or message on the front page announcing this event. We'd have it on Facebook, we'd try to seed it into blogs, we'd Tweet it a little. Something. Just to get the word out.
I'm pretty sure the mere act of my posting this to my blog will make this the only searchable web reference to this event. I'll keep an eye on my blog referrals the next few days and see how many hits I get, and follow the links back to see what other hits pop up. Does this make me the honorary marketeer / webwench for this event?
I dunno, maybe this is for the cognoscenti; you need to be on the mailing list or something. Maybe it sells out every year and they really don't want or need to get the word out. But if they did want to draw in some new faces and new blood, they need to do some marketing.
The Give Back Yoga Foundation is a non-profit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting certified yoga teachers in offering the principles of yoga to underserved socio-economic groups who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformational benefits of this powerful practice, in all its aspects--from asana and stress reduction, through breath work and meditation, to general service to others.
Locally, a few events. Down at Newington Yoga Center (which I need to visit someday): Celebrate Solstice with 108 Sun Salutations / June 20 / 12:30 p.m. More info here
And up at Heartsong Yoga (also need to visit) in Eastlongmeadow, MA, 108 Sun Salutations, June 20 starting at 7:00 am (now that is something a morning person like me can appreciate) More info here.
I treated myself today - have been eyeballing a yoga mat down at the studio. It's a black rubber mat that appears to be identical to the pricey Manduka Mat (we had both in stock, so I really did a close comparison), but a lot less expensive. This is pretty much what they looked like coming out of the box (no frills!) and since I unpacked 'em and priced 'em, I ought to know!
We got them down at the studio from David Swenson, and according to his website:
"This German-made Premium Black Yoga Mat has gained a worldwide reputation as the most durable and stable yoga mat available on the market today. I have come across a onetime opportunity to purchase a quantity of these mats direct from the factory at such an incredible price that I wanted to take advantage of it and pass these savings on to you."
With my teacher discount it was pretty reasonable and I like the idea of getting the good quality mat without the label for a lot less. We'll see how it works with a little sweat (maybe as soon as tomorrow night, assuming I practice with Barb) - but even if I still need a mat cloth, it's nice to have a second heavy-duty mat for when my Jade Harmony is soaked through and needs to be dried / aired out.
I moved to Connecticut in 1983, and I think I went to the Agora once - perhaps to see Michael Stanley Band. Or NRBQ. Or something. Hard to remember. And do not have particularly fond memories of the place.
But the story is interesting in two ways. The Topix thread for this article has actually generated some interesting comments - reminiscences really. Kind of neat to see the positive aspects of Topix; I am accustomed to seeing Topix wholly as a problem / nuisance.
And second, I had no idea where 165 Dexter Avenue in West Hartford is. So I looked it up on Google maps, and surprise, it's nearby - and I drive by it at least weekly. I've often wondered about the building (it's a pretty desolate industrial area, apparently long abandoned) - and now I know.....
I'm not much of a bus person, I confess. I do not go places where the busses run all that often, so that when the bus might be an option, I'm clueless as to the routes, times, etc. and connections give me a headache. This despite the fact that my neighborhood is sandwiched between two bus routes - the 39 (which runs along New Britain Avenue) and the 41 (which runs down through Newington into New Britain). And looking at the Greater Hartford bus route map, I see lots of possibilities for bus trips from point A to point B in my life.
Mostly, I do not take the bus for the same reason I do not partake in healthy "slow food" that I know is good for me - I try to cram way too much into my life to afford the time to get from Point A to Point B via anything but my own personal carbon spewing vehicle. So (as on one day last week) I am teaching two yoga classes, sneaking in a few hours of work before and after, running to the grocery store, hitting the bank and the post office going to a doctor's appointment, meeting a friend for lunch, hitting the studio for my own practice, and and and and..... you get the idea. A car is the enabler that let's me cram my Type A life full, and if there is an extra 15 minutes in between stops I try to stuff a little something in there. I suspect I'd be a lot saner and happier if I were to slow down a little.
I hereby vow to find a good reason to take the city bus this summer. I thought about saying "weekly" but I'm sure that will not work (some weeks I do not leave the neighborhood) but there are potential trips downtown (the Science Center beckons) as well as out towards West Farms. Maybe it's a bit colonizing (this is vital transit for some, I am looking to have "an experience") but I need to start somewhere.
Just a quick aside, I ran into Werner John at the Sustainable Energy fest and picked up copies of his CD for a friend (wonderful yoga music, I suspect). I'm a big fan of licking up independent musician's works when I run across them, and glad I could buy some of his stuff.
Just seemed like a very grounded and spiritual sort of guy, with some beautiful flutes and equally beautiful music he has made using them.
First off, I am a complete poseur when it come's to Dr. Horrible. Late to the party, and all. But it's amazing. Must get DVD or download or something. I confess to a small crush on Neil Patrick Harris all the way back to Doogie Howser days.
But as for me, I'd turn my scientific genius towards temporary personal cloning. I could use a few lately, and today in particular. As I posited on Facebook, I'd clone up two additional selves today so that:
a) Clone #1 can teach a couple of yoga classes. And then help Shankara set up for Kirtan.
b) Clone #2 could sit at my desk all day working on the ever-growing backlog of reports and projects. Seems like I dig through a handful of report and a few more come in marked ASAP or URGENT, burying the backlog that much deeper. Three website clients have begun to drop little projects on me (none particularly taxing, but it adds up to a few hours of work). And there are two largish new projects, one trip report and adding a website feature that I am completely dropping the ball on.
c) Clone #3 could sleep in, cook some nice healthy food for herself (and the other clones) and get some much needed downtime.
Wish I could say that the weekend will be either restful or a time to catch up - even though there is not anything large planned, there is yoga to teach and assist and practice, a party I've been vaguely invited to, a support space I dreamed about last night (good clue that I ought to be there).
In other news, Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you enjoy a year of health, loving family, and joy!
I appear to be surrounded by Geminids - Barbara and Kristen down at the studio, Zippy, my mom, each celebrated a birthday this week.
This Friday evening (6/12) is Kirtan at West Hartford Yoga, with Shankara and Friends (I'm the guitar and bass playing friend). It's our last kirtan for the summer, so come on out and get your bhakti on! We start up around 8:15, and end sometime after 10.
Saturday is a Free Intro to Yoga class, from 1 - 2 pm with Shankara (I'm usually there to assist). I'll be leading the Free Intro class on Saturday, July 18th....
Sunday I'm subbing for Sharon (9:00 am Gentle) and Monday as well (12:15 Gentle) so a few more opportunities to practice with me.
And finally, the Summer 2009 schedule (starting June 21) has been posted for the studio, online here. I'm picking up a few classes:
Coming home from work this evening, an interesting sight. Two yellow signs in the middle of the road, with the warning SLOW - KIDS AT PLAY Now, I am not 100% sure how I feel about this.
Neighborhood kids have been playing hoops in the street for a few years now - setting up those portable backboards that are never all that securely counterweighted, and topple over in windy weather. Slow down as I come up to them, wait for the next hoop or break in play, the kids step aside, with a small amount of "lets see how close I can come to your car with my body or the ball" that young men of all eras seem to use to prove their manhood. Have not (so far) experienced the old slapping the back fender with a hand as one drive by, and feigning an injury, but I suspect it might happen some day.
And more recently, kids using the road to play catch (proving their lack of wits, for each missed ball results in a hundred yard run as the ball rolls forever on the smooth, flat road) or football. I am reminded of Wayne's World - with the street hockey - "Game On! Game Off!"
Now, for the most part the neighbors are pretty kid friendly - retired adults or families with kids themselves who tend to drive pretty cautiously. But we do have the occasional example of Hartford's vehicular mayhem - road racers screaming up the road on 4 wheels or 2, as well as the occasional off road vehicle, piloted no doubt by an underage local.
So I'm in favor of any attempt to slow down the traffic. But plopping the signs in the middle of the road seems like it might not be legal, a diversion of the primary purpose of paved roads (transportation). You want to play on blacktop, do so at your own risk (the sporting way), or go to a playground.
A couple of weekends ago, a nearby short connector road (on the WH side of the neighborhood) was fully (and by all appearances, unofficially) closed for a party - cones and string and a sign marked ROAD CLOSED, a car blocking the road, and chairs, tables, and an umbrella plopped down in the middle of the road (for no apparent reason, the party did not seem all that large). Again, noted with some concern as to the propriety of colonizing public spaces for private use.
Something to keep an eye on as the summer progresses.....
Yoga addict, reluctant geek, wanna-be writer, public radio junkie, musical dilettante, balloon chaser.
Zippy (or Zipster) is my housemate). We co-parent two dogs.
