Free Class Week is NEXT Week (and a reminder to slow down)

ByElizabeth

I woke up early this morning, all ready to go up to Takoma Park and teach free classes.  I am fully prepared — I’ve been enjoying contemplating one of my favorite first class themes,  practicing great ways to enjoy our bodies (when we’ve been on vacation), thinking of what I would get at the Co-op during the break, looking forward to chatting with the work studies, who I love.

Good thing I checked my email this morning before leaving the house and subscribe to a lot of list serves.  Mid-Atlantic Yoga had an announcement from Willow Street that free class week is September 14-21.  Feeling a little anxious about my mix-up I checked the Willow Street web site.  Under today’s classes it says there are no regular classes today.

I could get all grumpy with myself.  I made a mistake.  I missed an opportunity to go out of town for the weekend (though I have a big speech on Monday, and it would behoove me to be well-rested).  But I am happy to be here; I already have planned a massage, a Sunday brunch, and a potluck dinner.  Now I also can spend a luxurious morning in the garden and have time to get seriously fun into baking for the potluck.

I also have a no harm done reminder that maybe I need to slow down a little.  These kinds of slip ups, which are very rare for me, are definitely a sign of being over-scheduled.

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    11-11 is the eleventh day of the eleventh month of our calendar.  It is Veterans’ Day (still on 11-11 and not on the nearest Monday).  It is a day to contemplate what I, as a citizen, can do to invert a National policy of creating war and turning our young people into soldiers and then neglecting and abusing them when they come home wounded physically and psychologically.  Surely, it should be the reverse:  we should be doing everything we can to avoid war and then do everything we can to take care of the health and welfare of those who have served.

    11-11 is also a day for me to honor my own ancestors; it is the anniversary of the day my beloved Grandmother Rose left her body.

    11-11 is a day of celebration; it is my mother’s birthday.  She has said that when she was a littlge child, that she thought the parades and the day off from school were for her birthday.

    11-11 is also a delightful treat of relative leisure (Federal Holiday in the middle of the week).

    It is rare for me that a single day has so many different personal imports.  Each day, though, indeed each moment, impacts all of us so differently depending on our life circumstances.  Some of those impacts just happen; some are chosen; some are how we react both to what happens and what we choose.  I’ll be enjoying my day off to the fullest, but will also be sending loving energy to those in need, especially those suffering from current and past wars.

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    A Weekend of Practice (Ways of Maintaining Focus for the Long Resistance)

    ByElizabeth

    This was the first weekend in some time where I did not have any commitments. I knew I’d have to get some errands and correspondence done, but I’d thought it might be nice to find an asana class on Saturday morning. I ultimately decided to go to the opening class at the new Yoga Shala studio in Shaw . I really enjoyed the class, the studio itself has a good vibe, and they are looking to integrate into the neighborhood, sharing the block with Bread for the City. I expect to return. After class, I took a long walk and a good nap and then made a nourishing meal and went to bed early.

    On Sunday, I noticed in my “promotion” emails, that Dharma Mittra was leading a day of classes at the convention center; Yoga District had arranged for him to come. I’ve never felt a calling to study with him, but I like Yoga District’s community focus, Dharma Mittra is an iconic figure in Western Yoga, and there he was and there I was and I’ve recently had a few different students ask me about the Dharma yoga classes in town, so I took the master class and stayed for yoga nidra.  It was a deep three hours with an enthusiastic group of practitioners.  I found some of the darshan of interest, though Dharma Mittra speaks too much of God and is [insert politically correct way to say sexist; he’s 78 and originally from a macho culture]] to resonate with my beliefs, and I prefer more focus on alignment with the physical postures.  I liked very much that he says the first principle of yoga is compassion and that one must maintain the state/practice of compassion throughout all the other practices or they do not have any import.

    It was good to reinvigorate my practices and my intentions for all that I can offer.

    And it was really a treat top watch Dharma Mittra demonstrate poses.

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