TSA Yoga

Triple Crown....

It's with a heavy heart that I lead this last class.
I've been at this studio for over two years and I see it growing leaps and bounds but without a place for me.
So, today, I move on, with a full room of students and a great topic that resonates with all things yogic.
We are now well into fall, a very contemplative and retrospective place in the year and in our lives.
Things are getting chillier, we are rethinking and revisiting where we are with our careers, friends and commitments.  I saw the first bright red and orange leaf fall on Montana Boulevard on my run yesterday, the same day I saw my first sunset over the water.  To many of our east coast friends, they think the sun sets over the water all year round but for those who live by the water, we know that sunset, prime, ready and perfect over the sea starts around the first of October and shifts slowly until Spring when it sets lazily over the Santa Monica Mountains.
And so, we see the seasons most prevalent when the Pumpkin Spice lattes make their way to the Starbucks menu.  It's subtle but so so nice and we imbibe the calories and comfort and the holidays...they are right around the corner to surround that comfort.
This week marks a record breaking moment in Major League Baseball, the triple crown.
I don't think Miguel Cabrere sought to break this record per se, but his skill, timing and effort made the record breaking moment happen which hasn't occurred since 1967.
Every day we hit our mat, we have no idea what personal records we will break.  Every day and every practice is a new chance to succeed, test our boundaries and try something different, even if we take styles of yoga that lean toward the same sequence.
I love being surprised with the sequence I go to practice but I often teach the same sequence steeped in the idea of history.  Today marks a new day in history.  You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate reaching and achieving success.  I'm often amazed at what people think is and is not successful.  To some, you need to be in the public eye, on television or written about.  To some, its monetary.  To me, it's breaking out of my own comfort zone. As soon as I feel fear, I know I need to do  whatever it is that scares me.  Once that decision is made and said aloud, there is no stopping me.
I know there are patterns where I get stuck or just get used to the day to day, but as soon as I place myself in a position where I am uncomfortable, I know it's right.  A lot of the times, the things I try, I'm just glad I did and don't have to do again, scaling tall heights, trapeze, running a marathon - ok I did that a few times or jumping out of a plane - they are all adrenaline fueling moments.
Just recently I went to ComicCon in San Diego, by myself on a press pass from LA Yoga to suss out the scene for my comic strip, Lady Yoga, Superhero that's published every month in LA Yoga Magazine.
To me, that was scarier than jumping out of a plane or living in NY on 911.
To be alone in a huge crowd and try to be heard or scene, it was terrifying.
But I did it and the energy that was created after that was amazing.  I was able to get done things I wouldn't normally do in a week because I was reeling off the superhuman strength it takes to get out of the 'routine'.
I was inspired to do and live more and there was no one tracking that record for me, just me and every time I stretch beyond my comfort zone, it is a success.  It is an Oscar winning, triple crown success, for ME.
Let's use the idea of reaching past what we THINK we can do and lean in to the fear of what we think we CAN NOT.
Any thing is possible.  Anything.
Anything.
Anything.
So go into it.  Breathe deeply.
BOOOOOO!
Are you scared?
Good.
Go for it!

Triple Crown 2012

He Dreamed. Reached. He Succeeded.  In honor of the triple crown, let's use his record, and hit our practice out of the ballpark. Reach past what you think you can do and go for it. Strike out, fall and pick your butt up again. Set your record, beat it and set a new one. It's all good. Hot dog!

It is more rare than a perfect game and about as uncommon as an unassisted triple play.

Miguel Cabrera won baseball's first Triple Crown in 45 years Wednesday night, becoming only the third living player to achieve the feat.

Cabrera led the American League with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs, making him the 15th Triple Crown winner and the first since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Cabrera said. "It was hard the last two days because everybody talked about it. I just had to focus, I had to go out there and do the job. The hardest part was to go out there and focus and win games. I said, 'If we win the division, everything would take care of itself.'"

Cabrera joined an honor roll of Triple Crown winners that includes Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb. Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby each did it twice.

"I am glad that he accomplished this while leading his team to the American League Central title," Yastrzemski said in a statement. "I was fortunate enough to win this award in 1967 as part of the Red Sox Impossible Dream Team."

Los Angeles Angels rookie Mike Trout was second in the AL batting race at .326, while New York Yankees slugger Curtis Granderson and Texas star Josh Hamilton finished tied for second with 43 homers. Hamilton ranked second with 128 RBIs.

Until Cabrera's run, Triple Crowns seemed to be a relic from another era. When the feat was last accomplished, the World Series was still played in the daytime, there were no playoffs and each league had eight teams.

Cabrera had topped each category before, winning the home run title in 2008, the RBI crown in 2010 and the batting championship last year. His remarkable 2012 season ended the longest gap in baseball history between Triple Crown campaigns.

"He's the best hitter in the game," Trout said. "I think his approach, the way he battles with two strikes; you leave one pitch over the plate that at-bat and he's going to hit it. He had an unbelievable year."

Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back. - Babe Ruth

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. - Babe Ruth

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime. Babe Ruth

You just can't beat the person who never gives up. Babe Ruth

And some other home runs...

To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act. Anatole France

We need men who can dream of things that never were. John F. Kennedy

The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning. Oprah Winfrey

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Henry Ford

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. Les Brown

The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible. That goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. Doug Larson

Goals are dreams with deadlines. Diana Scharf Hunt

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T.S. Eliot

If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up. J.M. Power

Life's problems wouldn't be called "hurdles" if there wasn't a way to get over them. Unknown

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. Unknown

God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them. Unknown

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. ~Life's Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle. Unknown

How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to? Anthony Robbins

Sometimes the path you're on is not as important as the direction you're heading. Kevin Smith

The impossible is often the untried. Jim Goodwin

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs. Vance Havner

It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is best from the top. Arnold Bennett

I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done. Henry Ford

One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks. Jack Penn

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. Beverly Sills

Know your limits, but never stop trying to exceed them. Unknown

Part of the issue of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals, but that's one of the hardest things to do because you don't always know exactly where you're going, and you shouldn't. George Lucas

The greatest dreams are always unrealistic. Will Smith

Out of the strain of the doing, Into the peace of the done. Julia Woodruff

The only thing that has to be finished by next Tuesday is next Monday. Jennifer Yane

Map out your future, but do it in pencil. Jon Bon Jovi

Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.Charles C. Noble

Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another. John Dewey

Fuck fear.  Go for it. 

Yours always, 

Lady 

Lady Yoga Comic Strips. She's Two Years Old!!!!!!

PhenomeMOM 2012

Today is Mother's day.  Whether you have a strong mom in your life, you are a mom, you have no mom, you are mom to a pup, you are a dad or whatever, today is celebrating MOM - the idea that the nurturing nature of MOTHER is strong within us, guiding us towards our passion and purpose, taking care of us so that we can take care with ourselves and everyone around us.  

Let's tap into that strength, the strength of the mother as we practice or go through our days. 

Strength...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Stand a little taller

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter

Footsteps even lighter- Kelly Clarkson

So tenderly your story is

nothing more than what you see

or what you've done or will become

standing strong do you belong

in your skin; just wondering

Jamie Cullum

"If you don't take care of your body, where will you live?" -- Anonymous There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, Beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our hearts -- Chandogya Upanishad Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf  -- Rabindranath Tagore If we could read the secret history of our enemies we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. --Longfellow What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.  -- Richard Bach You are a child of the Universe, no less than the moon and the stars; You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, No doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. -- Max Ehrmann 'There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. -- Martha Graham Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons. -- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Just think out for yourselves, if a man who was good yesterday has become bad after having come in contact with me, is he responsible that he has deteriorated or am I?   -- Mahatma Gandhi Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. -- Carl Jung Think of all the beauty thats still left in and around you, and be happy.  --Anne Frank Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission. -- Arnold Bennett The thought manifests as the word The word manifests as the deed The deed develops into habit And habit hardens into character So watch the thought and its way with care, And let it spring from love, Born out of concern for all beings --Buddha Enlightenment means choosing to dwell in the state of presence rather than in time. It means saying yes to what is.  --Eckhart Tolle Who can tell what miracles Love has in store for us if only we have the courage to become one with it? Everything we think we know is only the beginning of another knowing that itself has no end And everything we now can accomplish will seem derisory to us When the powers of our divine nature flower in glory and act through us  --Iqbal, Sufi Mystic "The Sun Never Says" --Hafiz Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, "You owe Me." Look what happens with a love like that, It lights up the Whole Sky. "Your Mother and My Mother" -- Hafiz Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions, For your mother and my mother were friends. I know the innkeeper in this part of the Universe, Get some rest tonight, come to my verse tomorrow, We'll go speak to the Friend together. I should not make any promises, but I know that if you pray Somewhere in this world -- something good will happen God wants to see more love and playfulness in your eyes For that is your greatest witness to Him Your soul and my soul once sat together in the Beloved's womb playing footsie. Your heart and my heat are very, very old friends. "A Great Need" -- Hafiz Out of a great need We are all holding hands and climbing. Not loving is letting go. Listen, the terrain around here is Far to Dangerous for That. "Desiderata" Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly andclearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. -- Max Ehrmann "The Guest House" This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meaness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of is furniture, Still, treat each Guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. -- Jelaluddin Rumi We have come into this exquisite World to experience ever and ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom and light! --Hafiz Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a Judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the Laughter of Gods - --Albert Einstein If you could only keep quiet, clear of memories and expectations, you would be able to discern the beautiful pattern of events. Its your restlessness that causes chaos. --Nisargadatta Maharaj What we are is God's Gift to us; What we become is our Gift to God. -- Eleanor Powell A light is bright and guides the way but it also attracts the flies.  Just keep shooin so you can keep movin' N.P., Conductor

Cheers

On May 20, 1993 - The final episode of "Cheers" was aired on NBC-TV.  Cheers was an American institution, a sit-com that ran 11 seasons from 1982-1993.  It was a staple that stood the test of time.  The theme song included the lyrics ..."You wanna go where everybody knows your name."  It emphasized community.  We are in each others business constantly and connected in ways that were unheard of in the 80's and 90's but we long for that community of coming together in one space, no matter what our background or what kind of day we came from. We long for a place to come where everyone knows our name and can share in the community of movement, a great frothy beer or some laughter.  

Let's bring that community on the mat and move together in that community...on the blog or in the studio. 

Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there. Viriginia Burden

You can make it, but it's easier if you don't have to do it alone. Betty Ford

Without community, there is no liberation. Audre Lorde

One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions. Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Keep in mind that our community is not composed of those who are already saints, but of those who are trying to become saints. Therefore let us be extremely patient with each other's faults and failures. Mother Teresa

What cannot be achieved in one lifetime will happen when one lifetime is joined to another. Harold Kushner

The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life. Jane Adams

I am a part of all that I have met. Adam Tennyson

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something. Sandra Day O' Connor

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it. Marianne Williamson

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. - Chinese Proverb

Independence"... [is] middle-class blasphemy.  We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.  ~G.B. Shaw

On this shrunken globe, men can no longer live as strangers.  ~Adlai E. Stevenson




I nod to a passing stranger, and the stranger nods back, and two human beings go off, feeling a little less anonymous.  ~Robert Brault

We cannot live only for ourselves.  A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.  ~Herman Melville

Insert attempt at a song here...

Making your way in the world hot 8 (where we practice)

Takes everything you've got;

Taking a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows hot 8,

and they're always glad you came.

You wanna be where you can see,

our troubles are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows

Your hot 8!

Yours on the page and on the mat,

Lady

3.2.1....Happy new year...

We're very confident.  No miracles have to happen here.  Just focus on the business and get your results.  There's a long way to go, but we're on the right path.  ~Dick Clark.
Not a yogi but a yogic sentiment.

Resurrection, reinvention, rebirth!

Funny that when you think of Resurrection you think of Jesus. When you think of Reinvention, you think of Madonna...the singer.

Today is Easter and although not all of us celebrate we are Hallmark bombarded by pink bunnies and blue eggs.

It doesn't matter whether you are religious or not - the feelings of the season are upon us. We are in the belly of Spring - a rebirth of flowers and grass - a great time to re-engage in your resolutions for the year, your intentions for life and your passions. Spring fever (and hay fever for some!) fill the air, days are longer and sun shines brightly.

Spring springs forth ideas of cleaning - removing clutter from your physical and mental space, eliminating obstacles so you can remain clear and focused for the months ahead.

I love this time of year and even though the story tells us that Jesus waited three days, I'm not wasting any time preparing for a time to re-invent my practice and passion for yoga.

Think about something you would like to re-ignite in your life. For me, it's all about returning to my roots in Ashtanga/Vinyasa Flow - moving with the spirit of music and breath. It feels good to come back to the mat, balance on my hands and come back to postures that scared me, saved me or renewed me.

If you are religious or not, believe in the Easter bunny or not - resurrect your fervor for the thing that brought you to the mat.

Earn your chocolate bunnies and have fun and don your bonnet.

Here's some fun history to get you started and some great quotes to keep you in the moment.

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival commemorating the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Pascha eventually came to mean Easter.

Where did the whole Easter egg thing come from?

Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

Spring symbolizes new life and rebirth; eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility.

What's the deal with the Easter bunny?

Hares and rabbits have long been symbols of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America -- particularly Pennsylvania -- brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs.

Overcoming Obstacles/Reviving/Reinventing

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

Francis of Assisi

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

William James

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Helen Keller

Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

William James

Families are about love overcoming emotional torture.

Matt Groening

Fresh activity is the only means of overcoming adversity.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

Albert Schweitzer

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.

Moliere

“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.” Alexander Graham Bell quo

“The greater difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” Epicurus

“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”

It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation, which give you happiness. Thomas Jefferson

But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people, and do our best to help them find their own grace. Barack Obama

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow” Thomas Paine quotes

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” Stephen R. Covey

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” Lee Iacocca

“Art begins with resistance-at the point where resistance is overcome. No human masterpiece has ever been created without great labor.” Andre Gide

People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out. Warren G. Bennis

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. C. S. Lewis

Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. Abraham Lincoln

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Mark Twain

It always seems impossible until its done. Nelson Mandela

Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Zig Ziglar

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Walt Disney

When you're finished changing, you're finished. Benjamin Franklin

Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid. Lady Bird Johnson

Paas Out,

Lady