The Yoga Of Quitters

I love that yoga still surprises me. After 10+ years being a student of yoga it can still sneak into my life and just floor me. So how is yoga surprising me right now? Yoga is allowing me to be a scared, self-doubting little quitter. Or put another way yoga is allowing me to be a good mama.

You see, after closing my studio a few years ago, suddenly and pretty much out of the blue I’m going back to teaching. I thought when I closed my studio it would be a lot longer before I ever taught again, I was in fact trying to change careers all together. I wanted a job that was steady, something that would allow me to work from home every once in a while, take a sick day or even a vacation! And all because I was planning on moving off somewhere and starting a family once I had a shiny new degree in Graphic Design.  Then I got knocked up! See, the planning a family thing was a solo project and I hadn’t been dating my fella very long and are where taking some serious anti-baby precautions.  But I guess my son really wanted to get born!

I carried my growing baby along with my art supplies and USB drives all through the next semester at school and despite him being only 3 weeks old I went back the following semester. I still had in my head the image of a new job, of one day living out in the country working from home and taking care of my critters (human and animal). So to me it seemed like I needed to plow through school at top speed so I could get my degree and get living.

Then I got sick and my getting sick led directly to my baby getting sick. So I was missing school trying to get well then hurrying to catch up then getting sick again because of stress and all the meds I was on were making the baby unhappy and colicky and… well it was all to much. I dropped out of the semester. It was heartbreaking. It felt like that last little piece of my non-mother identity was gone. I was a…gasp…stay at home mom! But it worked. I stopped getting sick, my boy got over his colic and we got bored. Not like there wasn’t anything to do bored, I was still trying to keep the house and just cause he wasn’t colicky anymore doesn’t mean my boy wasn’t still demanding and a nap fighter and all around tiny tiny dictator (moms, you know what I mean and that I mean it with love and laughter). No, I mean bored in the “I haven’t spoken to an adult in over 36 hours kind of bored.” So I did one thing to help me grasp onto a shred of my former self, one thing to possibly get me out of the house every once in a while, one thing that seemed healthy and not about the baby or my fella or the laundry list of things I “should” be doing; I asked my prenatal yoga teacher to keep me in mind if she ever needed a sub.

She didn’t, she needed someone to take over the class, she was giving it up and did I want to it?

YES! Yes, I want it! But wait, how can I be a stay at home mom, full time graphic design student AND teach yoga. Well the answer is I can’t. And right now I don’t want to. See I’m starting to doubt myself. As the semester I dropped out of chugged along I saw my former classmates excelling, making beautiful and smart things! I felt so insecure about my abilities. How would I ever catch up? Would it be worth it? Am I cut out to be a designer when there are so many other amazingly talented people out there? Right now, I do not feel like I am.

And you know what? Yoga makes that ok. I know I’ll finish my degree in time but having a job, having a Community that is more accepting of my massive life change is a huge relief. This opportunity takes so much pressure off me, I don’t have to hurry up and plow through these next few years so I can get a job and be a good mom. No, I can be a good mom now! I won’t feel like a burden to my partner (which is self put upon, he doesn’t feel that way!) and I can give some energy back to place that has been so good to me since I got pregnant.  I can be a quitter and still be a good yogi. Thanks yoga, you sneaky little life changer you!

The Yoga of Popehood

I don’t know what it really means for the Catholic Church that the Pope has decided to step down but for the Pope I say “well done, sir.” 

When Pope John Paul II died even my long lost recovering Catholic heartstrings were tugged. But mostly it was my yogi heart that leapt in awe and admiration. For someone to be so close to God and so aware of their body to know the moment of death was coming and to call upon the members of his Community (Church in the case) and basically tell them he’s going and to please prepare for that, because he understood the responsibility he had, he understood the importance  his role in his Community was. And also to know the moment his soul was ready to leave his body and ask for his last rights, one final blessing before leave his earthly body. That’s pretty darn amazing!

 

I may not be a god fearing yogi but I have the utmost respect for the position of the Papacy. (even though I think the word papacy sounds really really silly).

So the death of John Paul II, or as my devout Catholic friend calls him JP2, got my thinking about strong connection to spirit and the parallels between devout religion and devout yogis. I’ve always been kind of a stickler when it came to arguing that yoga IS NOT a religion, the scorned ex-Catholic rears her ugly head. But actually that argument came from a more vulnerable place inside me, it came from a place of having a very devout Southern Baptist father and trying desperately to explain that the only thing that made it able for me to accept the idea of any greater being: God, the universe, the divine spirit whatever!, was yoga. Yoga is not a religion it is a way of life, it is a path that leads you to connection with god without naming that god. After being baptized and raised in a monotheistic religion I had a hard time giving ONE name to a supreme deity. Yoga made it ok for me not to name it. Yoga made it ok for me to have faith without know exactly what in. Yoga made it ok for me to pray without directing that prayer to anything specific. So the death of John Paul II inspired me to be a better yogi and to dive into the murky water I know faith and find the relationship with my ex faith and my new way of being in yoga. And then my dog took off after a rabbit on our morning walk and I got distracted. Oops.

So when I heard the news of Pope Benedict abdicating it drug up some of this dialogue I had going with myself that I had forgotten about. Yeah, sure it was a very philosophical/important conversation but honestly the emotion I found coming up even more was from that scared and scarred little girl who had to fight for her freedom. Who fought so long and so hard that learning to ask for help was the biggest and most difficult lesson I ever had to learn. And so when this man stood up with full knowledge of the weight and gravity of his position, his leadership and life and said, and I paraphrase,  “I can’t do this, you need someone stronger than me” I was again in awe of the Pope. Say what you will about the Catholic Church and its scandals and propaganda but I won’t, that’s not what this blog is about. This blog is about yoga and how it works its way into my daily life and when Pope Benedict stood there and made that announcement he was the embodiment of a yogi. He knew that Church needed someone to lead and to be a clear minded strong leader and he knew he couldn’t do that. So he did the bravest thing I know, he surrendered. And he did it not because he was defeated but because he wanted his church, the institute of his faith, to be lead by someone that can give their all. And as any yogi teacher will tell you that is the hardest lesson to teach a student; not to go passed their limit, not to test their body to the point of breaking.  To know that being a “good” yogi means not causing harm, not only to those around you but to yourself.

The last thing I can think of to say about the Papal resignation is they controversy that I can only assume has been created by the news organizations about what will happen where there are 2 sitting popes. Well there won’t be 2 Popes, there will be one. The one Pope that the Cardinals elect to the Papacy and Pope Benedict will spend his last days in prayer communing with the God that he has served faithfully. Just like the yogis that go into the hills and meditate in communion with god. So maybe I should pick up that conversation I started having all those years ago because no matter how I feel about the Catholic Church, its politics, or its controversy, that Pope guy is a pretty awesome yogi.

Good Links

Ok Yogis, I have a few good blogs in the works for you but right now I'm up to my 3rd eye in yogic cramming for my oral final on Saturday. Am I worried? not really but I REALLY like my teachers and I want them to be proud of me so I've been focusing more on my studies than my observation of daily life. As far as "off the mat and into life..." it's all mat all the time! So when I get back to my life I'll get some blogs up about the two.

In the meantime however here are a few of my favorite yoga and yoga lifestyle-ish websites that I dig and sometimes visit when I need a study break.

Foat Designs: This is a small independent business run buy the Foat sisters, two rockin' yogis who reign supreme in the upcycling, save the planet with good fashion realm. I  met them a few years ago at a yoga conference and picked up a pair of custom leg warmers for in between workshops to keep warm.

Heart Of The Sky Fair Trade: Y'all know I live in a tiny town in Wisconsin and how much I love my tiny town and the amazing Community here. Heart of the Sky is run by one of the amazing women in the amazing Community, Melinda. Melinda takes trips to Guatemala where she cultivates relationships with women's co-ops and small family businesses, she pays them fair market value for the goods and brings them back to sell not only to promote these women's and family's talents and business but also to help raise awareness for the Network in Solidarity With The People Of Guatemala.

Daily Cup of Yoga: DCY is a great blog (that actually updates regularly) the life and styles of yoga.

Joyful Belly:  If you are a reader of this blog you notice that I mention Ayurveda pretty regularly. If you are curious about Ayurveda or are a follower of the Ayurvedic lifestyle and looking for some good resources this is the place to check out!

Ok readers it's back to the books for me. I promise new and exciting things when I return as a dually certified yoga teacher. 

Promo

This is me talking about my teachers Jim Bennit and James Tennant of Tejas Yoga Teacher Training and Mentorship. It was also filmed and edited by one of my yogamates Jacob Gigler!

Amy Mills on Tejas Yoga Teacher Training from Jacob Gigler on Vimeo.

If you are in Chicago and thinking about becoming a teacher or are looking for a way to deepen your practice go visit Tejas. You won't regret it!

Guest Blog: YOGA WITH HANNAH

Dear Reader,

I'm writing and studying. I'm in the middle of a few blogs that are putting up and emotional fight to get out of me (you'll see) and also studying for my yoga midtermns. So the free parts of my brain that I usually use for this cleaver and resourceful blog are all used up. So in lieu of my brilliance I offer the brilliance of Hannah Alexander, a dear friend and fellow teacher. I hope you enjoy her blog stylings and if you are ever in Wisconsin look her up for a private or maybe a class here at Second Star Studio.

Enjoy. Namste,

amy

 Original post march 30th, YOGA WITH HANNAH

2 Resources for Online Yoga

Many students have asked me for recommendations when it comes to free online yoga.
 Have you ever tried googling it? So many options come up, it's both wonderful and dismaying. Here are two resources I've become fond of, and why.

Yoga Today
This site has been my go-to for years. Three women out of Jackson Hole, WY: Adi Amar, Neesha Zollinger, and Sarah Kline.

Each with a distinct style and personality, each hosting hour-long yoga classes using local athletes and yogis as their students/models. The instruction is very sound, and often inspired.
The classes are primarily filmed outdoors, against the incredible backdrop of the Tetons, or maybe the red rock desert of Sedona, yet more recently they have begun to film classes indoors as well.
 The website  www.yogatoday.com streams one free class a week (plus mini-sessions on their blog) or they have memberships: something like $10/month or $90/year for unlimited access to their hundreds of classes. If you really love a particular class, you can download it to own for a few dollars.  A wonderful way to have access to great yoga classes whenever you would like, for a very affordable rate.  They offer a free two-week trial to the unlimited access option, which you can access with an ambassador ID: hannahcosetteyoga.

Yoga Glo
A more recent experience for me, this site also offers a free two week trial access (as far as I know they do not have an ambassador program, instead you sign up with your credit/debit card, and if you don't cancel after the 15 days are up, they will start billing you).

Their membership is a little more expensive, at $18/month. Still, for that price, you have access to more teachers, both male and female, including many whose names frequently appear in Yoga Journal. You can also track your practice, and you can sort for classes by teacher, by style (Ashtanga, Basics, Vinyasa Flow, Yin, etc.), by level of difficulty, by duration (anywhere from 5 to 120 min), and specific purpose (travel yoga, stress reduction, partner yoga, immune system, backbends, energize, insomnia, etc.). I really love the option to track practice, I think you can even enter the non-Yoga Glo classes you take. And being able to access such a diversity of teachers and classes is very appealing as well.

You may be wondering why a teacher would undercut herself by revealing where her students can access cheaper, still-quality yoga. For the price of a drop-in class, access a whole MONTH of yoga? Why would any thinking student go to actual, in-person classes anymore?

1. Because there is nothing, NOTHING, like sharing a room with real-time, warrm, breathing, souls in the practice of yoga.

2. Because the on-line teachers, as good as they are, cannot see you, and therefore are limited on how well they can actually teach to you. They can offer verbal adjustment for common issues with certain poses, but they will not be able to know what you specifically may need.

3. See #1

4. Because coming to yoga class, for me as well as you, fosters community, and that is what human beings are craving at this point in time. Look at how the internet is organized, with Linked In, Facebook, even Twitter. With infinite ways to participate in gatherings of the mind, the internet can do little for our bodies, the vehicles of our experience in this lifetime, except allow us to share with each other information, such as video, about our physical experience. We are each seeking out the tribes that we belong to. When we come to share space with others, even if we simply show up, participate, and leave quietly at the end, we share energy, meditative/experiential focus, and soul-time.

So GO, be free! Explore the world of internet yoga, it has much to offer to deepen your practice.
 I know that I will see you in class.
Because like a gourmet choosing only the finest produce for their meal, the deepest satisfaction and beauty comes from the exquisiteness of responding exactly to this moment, to the day, the seasons and all the phases of the moon and our sun/star, from skillfully surfing the vagaries of life.

 To prove my point, the puppy just pulled her collar off the coffee table, toppling a stack of books on to the floor. She is saying, get off that computer and let's go out in the rain! It's lush and green out there, things are blossoming and there must be all kinds of new smells since last night!

Meet the Blogger

Greetings readers,  I feel the time has come for us to meet. See, I'm a little shy when it comes to the internet, never really sure how much info i want to put out there. I don't really know why but for whatever reason I've been running this blog rather anonymously, today that changes, I am coming out of the cyber closet! And I'm starting with my name, Amy E Mills. Shocking I know, but when i look back over my blog there are some very personal things here so why not give y'all a chance to relate not to a faceless ghost writer but to me. I hope it's not too much of a shock like when you see a picture of your favorite public radio host.

So that's me, blogger with resident bead head as seen usually with a cup of (usually decaf) coffee. I am Amy, I live in southern Wisconsin (in a tiny town) and I am a yoga teacher and part time blogger.

And since this is a blog we should get down to the actually post for today and since I'm being all honest here are 5 true things about me as a yoga teacher.

1. I never intended to be a yoga teacher.
Nope, I went into my first teacher training with the goal simply to deepen my practice and gain a greater understanding of yoga's history and philosophy.

2. I don't practice everyday.
Nope again. I try to get on my mat but sometimes I get bogged down by my schedule, my emotions and on the off days an illness. And sometimes I have to accept that my yoga for the day is walking my dog or the couple of sun salutes I did between classes or simply trying to bring a little more awareness into my posture for a day.

3. I'm pretty dyslectic so mirroring is really tricky for me.
Yep that whole right and left thing has always alluded me. I flip numbers in addresses and credit card numbers, i write lower case Bs and Ps and sometimes i can't tell the difference between a lower case D or B without major debate. So with my natural inclination so switch things around in my head I went into theater, even more backwards because stage directions are given from the audiences perspective and left or right. So, should you ever take one of my classes you might hear a favorite catch phrase which is, "I'm going to turn my back on you know, not that I don't love you I just can't mirror today." My students love it!

4. Sometimes, when I'm standing in the classroom watching my students practice I get teary because they are so inspiring.
Speaking of students, I have an amazing group of dedicated yogis. I am easily one of the most blessed teachers ever, I know everyone's name and have seen their practices grow and change over the past 2 years. Sometimes it's what gets me through a class.

5. Quite often I have no idea what pose I'm going to teach next.
So True. I have gotten away from using my teaching notebook. This has its ups and downs; I'm not running to the front of the room every sun salute to see what I have planned next. But sometimes I build a great sequence on the fly and then forget it as I am saying the words out load. Sad but true. My students don't seem to mind or notice for that matter and sooner or later I'll hit the happy medium of book vs. improve.

Oleation: a slippery slope

Do you know what it feels like to swallow a mouth full of oil? Now I don’t mean oily food like French fries or fresh bread dipped in oil I mean like go get a shot glass fill it with oil (in this case flax seed) and throw it back like it was Cuervo Gold. (insert the sound of a shuttering head shake here…). Well I do. Why might you ask, do I make it a habit of tasting fine oils of the world in the manner? Nope. I’m simply a yogi, a yogi on a wellness plan.

So 21 days of wellness, the first 21 days the Teacher Train that I recently began. But wait, don’t I already teach yoga, yes, but I initial training was a long time ago and I have been itching to be a student again for a few years, also I never registered with Yoga Alliance and I’d also like to go on for an advanced 500hr certification. But enough about me, on to the oil. The wellness plan that I’m on is based in Ayurvedic medicine, the sister science of yoga and a thousands of years old tradition of keeping the body balanced. One of the largest keys to keeping the body balanced from an Ayurvedic stand point is through your diet. But Ayurveda doesn’t want to just throw you off the deep end, nor does it want to start giving you medicine that your body isn’t prepared to absorb. So, to begin with you start observing yourself, then you start editing out certain foods and behaviors, then go you willingly jump into the deep end; you go on a 5 day mono-diet or cleanse. 

Since Ayurveda views food as medicine there are a few foods that they found have a neutralizing effect on most body types. So for 5 days you eat nothing but this balancing blend of basmati rice, splint yellow mung dal and a very specific spice blend. And if that doesn’t sound like fun (this is where the oil comes in) for 2 days beginning the diet you have to oleate the GI tract, as in, drink a shot glass full of flax seed oil. So if that wasn’t enough here’s a little tale about my first oleation:

First things first the training that I’m going to is 3 hours away from where I live, so I’m basically couch surfing my way through this program. On this particular occasion I was staying in a family member’s vacant studio apartment, might I emphasize vacant. The first hiccup in the oleation process was ghee or clarified butter, this is what you traditionally oleate the body with but because I was in a vacant studio apartment I didn’t have a pan to melt butter in; separating the milk proteins from the pure oil which is essentially what ghee is, the oil part of butter. Now because I’ve made ghee in the past and know how utterly simple it is I refuse on principle to pay $8 for a pint of it at the store and beside Trader Joes didn’t have it anyway, but they did have flax seed oil which is an acceptable substitute. 

The morning of the oleation: first thing you do is take your herbs and let those herbs do their work in your stomach for about 20 minutes. My herbs that morning seemed to be in overdrive and about 10 minutes after I took them I was ready for breakfast but nope, the oil must be taken on an empty stomach as well so 10 grumbly minutes later I marched into the empty kitchen open up the flax seed oil after a good shake, took a whiff and realized there was not a spoon to be found in the place, least of all a Tablespoon. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, I had a plastic soup spoon from takeout the night before. If you’ve never done a side by side comparison of a plastic spoon to an actual table spoon I’ll just tell you, you have fit 3 plastic spoons into a table spoon. I was supposed to take 2 tablespoons of this stuff. But I’m tough, I’m a yogi so I poured my first shot into the spoon and gulped, before I lost my nerve I tried to get one more down but my gag reflex kicked in and  I only got about half of that spoonful in (insert full body shiver). As I began to pace around the apartment like a cat with peanut butter on its tongue my partner went in for his 2 table spoons. He remarks before oiling up his mouth, “it smells like paint varnish.” He got 3 down before joining me in the mini-studio-walk-a-thon. After a few minutes we walked back to the kitchen, my partner picked up the bottle of flax oil and told me as a matter of fact flax seed oil it the same thing as linseed oil which is used in varnishing and in treating dry wooden furniture also that he works with linseed oil so much in his job that he really did feel like he was “downing paint varnish.” Pour guy but enough science just give me the bottle before I lose my nerve. After watching him swiftly down his 3 spoonfuls I decide I can’t do that particular method again and decide just to take a big gulp and whatever I get down is what I get down. Know I appreciate my partner for many things, one of which being his Venus fly trap mind, anything he reads he instantly retains, which I find fascinating, but I wasn’t a little distracted by the thick, particle filled oil that was currently dripping down my throat and chin to care too much that an average size person’s gulp is one ounce (something he read about staying properly hydrating on long distance runs). But what it meant was that in one gulp I had thrown back my 2 tables spoon and could continue on to my walking marathon of the vacant Pilser studio apartment. 

So what does oleation have to do with yoga? A lot really, not just the Ayurveda stuff but trust and about being open enough to see just what your body can do. I may not be wise enough in the Ayurvedic tradition but I trust that this process has worked for thousands of years and helped thousands of people. And no I didn’t think I would be able to drink oil without projectile vomiting all over the place but I did and I have little flax seedy burps for the rest of the day to remind be to be proud of all the cool things my body can do.

Yoga Teacher Juggling Lesson

When teaching a yoga class your single pointed focus is, of course, the class; however the class is only the sum of many different parts. A yoga teacher must juggle many different variables to ensure her students have a good time on their mat. Here are a few things that I try to keep my eye on when teaching a class.

First: me. Who has ever had a day when they just didn’t want to go to work? Or felt just ill enough to consider calling in sick? Or had maybe a little too much fun the night before? I think we all have, being a yoga teacher is no different. No matter how much we love our jobs sometimes it’s just hard to get there. And like with many other jobs when you are a yoga teacher people depend on you and look to you as an example. You may feel like death warmed over but to your students you need to show none of it, you may be just not in your groove when that student (yes, you know which one, that one) walks in and you have to suck it up and make them welcome. Because really, you know it’s that student that needs yoga the most. And as much as yoga tells us that we should love our bodies no matter what you still have to help that body look like you belong in front of people. I’m not saying you have to buy $80 pairs of organic wicking cotton yoga pants (virtually all of my yoga clothes came from Goodwill) but you need to look like you didn’t just roll out of bed or worse out of the bar (by the way my studio is located right next door to the local bar). Just wear clothes that fit, especially if you do a lot of demonstrating in your class, brush your hair, and speaking of hair it is a personal pet peeve of mine when yoga teachers let their hair cover their face and shoulders while teaching. I for one connect with people by looking them in the eyes and if you want me to keep my arms plugged in show me what that looks like. Ok mini-rant over. And if you are a little sick or didn’t sleep well, it’s ok that that shows, but toss some cold water of you face before students get there or even a little, dare I say it, make up to soften the redness around the eyes. No matter how humble you are your students are going to look to you for and at you as an example you don’t have to meet those expectations but they’ll appreciate the effort.

Next: climate. Ok anyone who has been to my studio knows that it is climatologically challenged. Seriously! But I make it work, or at least keep it with the margin of forgivable error. And things that annoy the crap out of me like the sound of a the furnace blasting (yes blasting!) or the constant hum of an air conditioner, students will forgive because if they are too hot, they will lose energy on focus before class is over and if it’s to cold they will have to layer up to Nordic degrees to keep from shaking their asanas. Or worse their muscle won’t heat up properly which puts them at a great risk of injury. I worry about this but I try to keep an eye on my students’ body and layers and adjust accordingly. It’s not perfect but they stay comfortable.

Third: body language. This is as important as alignment in my opinion. Watching a group of students as a group rather than individuals, you’ll always have the yogi maven who plugs extra chaturangas and core work in just like you will always have a yogi who is 3 sun salutes in before hitting balasana. But if you notice that over all chaturangas are getting a little sloppy, or skipped all together or Navasana legs are slipping down then maybe the class is getting tired; and really how important is that third really cool arm balance you had planned. I’ve had classes were I demonstrated an arm balance and literally every student just sat there before doing something else or going right to child’s pose. Not fun for a teacher! So tone it down maybe or give them an extra few minutes in Savasana. On the other side of the coin if you notice students fidgeting in poses or a general glaze of bordem over their faces you may want to step up your game. One of the very first things I learned out there was to have a class plan you are completely prepared to scrap on the fly. You never know where the energy of the collective group will take you.

Lastly: music. I adore a well structured yoga mix! However not as many teachers take the John Cusack, High Fidelity, neurotic stance on building playlists as I do. Fine, to each his musical own. But let me just express (since this is my blogger and I’ll rant if want to-sung to…ok really you should get that reference) few things I feel all yoga teachers to take into acoustic account. The “random” button is unacceptable. I can no longer even count the times I’ve been in a yoga class where the energy was waning, starting either too cool down our practice or doing some inner awareness exercise when some crazy dance mix, or insane sitar leapt out of the speakers and poo pooed all over my groove. I for one am also a fan of mixing genres, I’ll throw a little Bob Marley, Sigur Rois, Lucinda Williams, or any other artist I like onto a mix but like with all yoga I do it mindfully. Using songs with lyrics is tricky, I’ve had students break down because a certain song came on, I myself have gritted my teeth though certain ones I’ve heard. So my advice is to stick to a theme and leave all “romantics” off. You can rock a “jammin’” flow with some reggae, and Caribbean sounds, or a blue grassy flow with some banjos and folksters. Or maybe even find some dare I say, uplifting songs by people you wouldn’t classify as yogis to spice up a mix. But keep it simple, keep it flowing and try as hard as you can to have the music match the pace and vibe of your class. If you should find yourself having technical difficulties try to keep music corrections covert or admit to your students you music has gone AWOL and practice in silence. Some people can ignore back ground music, I can’t, so what and how I rock my classes i take very seriously and I have had more than a handful of students ask me to burn them some of my playlist because they enjoy them so much.

So those are just a few of the things a teacher needs to keep in mind while here are as many as 20 sets of eyes upon her. We can’t nail all of them every time but a little effort goes a long way. And we find, just like in our practice, our very own teaching style and groove which morphs over time and circumstance. But again, just like in our practice sticking to the main principles of the discipline can lead to remarkable results.

a musical post for a cold rainy day.

Ok Yogi's after some online research I have decided that I am not able to post this entry the way I would like to, either because it is not possible or that I am not internet savvy enough to figure it out. So if you will bear with me, might I present to you: There Will Be Sun; a one hour play list for day’s you feel you will never be warm again.

1. Nya Sky: DJ Drez

2. Life is Beautiful: Amy Correia

3. I Was Made For Sunny Days: The Weepies

4. Blessings: The Dum Dum Project

5. Girl That Does Yoga: Damien Rice

6. My Sweet Lord: George Harrison

7. A Sunday Smile: Beirut

8. O-O-O Child: Nina Simone (Nickodemus Remix)

9. Bhakti Boombox: MC Yogi

10. Three Little Birds: Bob Marley

11. Devi “Rave”: Krishna Das

12. Sun Dance: John De Kadt

13. Gayatri Mantra: Deva Premal

(I was hoping to have these as links to the songs or better yet a playlist you could play while reading, but that proved beyond my blogging skill level)

So why a playlist today in all simplicity because it’s a yucky day here in my tiny town and all the motivation I had last night for projects I was going to do today is about as soggy as the leaves I haven’t racked yet. All I could think today while staring at my scraps of fabric and freshly clean craft/yoga room was “man, I need a pick me up.” So I made one and now I’m blogging about it.

I actually love making new yoga play list, I love pondering the intention of a class and rummaging through my digital milk crates (child of mix tape generation) and finding the right songs to fit. It’s a personal pet peeve of mine when yoga teachers just throw on any old cd or hit random on their mp3 players because I am a strong believe in the power of music. I feel like music can elevate, it can motivate, it can evoke and sooth so to be in a really great flow and then the music takes a crash into moody or worse sad tunes it kind of bums you out. Or the opposite when you’re in a very introspective class and suddenly there’s dance beats or chipper guitars strumming along. Granted yoga is fluid and the class you think you’ll be teaching often takes a turn so having “appropriate” music can be tricky. But today I made a go at it, below I’ve given a little blur about each song on the list and why I chose it maybe you can have better luck finding them in the cyber world…

1. Nya Sky. I love DJ Drez! I’ve met him at a few yoga conferences and be honored to have him spin live in some of the workshops I took. I chose this track because it is a little funky and engaging but not to strong as you warm up for some sun salutes.

2. Life is Beautiful. Hopefully this sweet track will make you smile as you start to move your body and help you affirm how great things are!

3. I Was Made For Sunny Days: this song keep the beat hopping while those sun salutes get alittle quicker and more heat building, and lets face it some of us just aren’t winter people, we were made for warmer climates (or were born in Alabama!)

4. Blessings. A little instrumental ditty as you start to get more focus in class and maybe start attempting more difficult asanas. But still groovy and keeping the energy up

5. Girl That Does Yoga: I love this song, it makes me smile and talks about orange trees is there a better fruit to remind you of warm climates and coastal breezes when it’s down right cold out.

6. My Sweet Lord: Shout of some happy for your lord, Krishna or so other named because we’ll be praying for 5 months (give or take) to them for a break in the snow and to please please please bring spring anytime now.

7. A Sunday Smile: remember strolling around on Sunday afternoons in the park barefoot? That’s what this song makes me think of and that makes me smile.

8. O-O-O Child: This song kind of speaks for itself but with a new beat to grove your asana to.

9. Here Comes the Sun: the sun will come back, it will and you will wear flip flops again one day. The Beatles promise.

10. Bhakti Boombox: I challenge anyone, yogi or not, to listen to an MC Yogi song and not be entertained on some level. I triple dog dear you.

11. 3 Little Birds: I like to think of Bob Marley as anti-anger music. I cannot stay mad when I’m listening to him. And if that doesn’t work than close you eyes and pretend your on a beach. And if that doesn’t work…well Marley has some other suggestions which I will not publicly condone.

12. Devi “Rave”. It took me a little while to get into Krishna Das, he just seemed ‘too much” for me. But sometimes I just want good music to yoga to that doesn’t sound all sacred. Let go and let flow with this one.

13. Sun Dance: Starting to bring it down now, a little instrumental song to help release any tension left over from your practice.

14. Gayatri Mantra: sit back in your Savasana and listen to one of the most sacred mantras known, giving thanks for the life giving light of the sun and the divine.

Namaste yogis and rock on!