Category Archives: A Yoga Manifesto

Yoga Manifesto – This I Believe

Saturday Senses

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A way to capture the spirit of each week…

shovel sculpture saturday senses mid december

tasting ::   old fashioned vegetable soup, thai yellow curry with tofu (and as it turns out dairy! what’s up trader joe’s? ugh), vegan ravioli with olive oil and sauteed broccoli, avocado toast with olive oil, burger and fries + a beer, vanilla vegan protein shakes for breakfast, lots o’ chai.

hearing:      toddlers singing jingle bells whist shaking jingle bells. as you might imagine, breathtakingly adorable.

smelling ::     temper tantrum essential oil.

seeing ::     patterns everywhere.

feeling ::    really tired today. nightmares, late night bloody nose + bath – morning caffeine = super tired mama. thrilled my new year’s day workshop is starting to fill up. (if you’d like to join us, sign up early – space is limited.)

wishing/hoping ::     both my loves in this world a happy, happy birthday!

What about you?

What are your senses this Saturday?

Looking back, how was your week?

Leave a comment and tell me all about it. I’d seriously love to hear about your week. Now’s not the time to be shy.

This weekly tradition inspired by Pink of Perfection’s Five Sense Friday.

Don’t forget to click the links!

{imagesource: my instagram!}

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Do you wish you could end the school year feeling as energized as you started it?

Did recovering from the school year take most of your summer?

Are you ready to press reset but have no idea where that button is?

The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher is the reset button.

HHST

Keep up with The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher here.

Self Care for Teachers

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Know that self care is important and don’t know where to start? Wish you had time to gather the information, but right now you’ve got to wrap up your school year?

I’ve got the perfect solution!

Self Care for Teachers board on Pinterest is made with you in mind.

Already on Pinterest? Great! Follow the board.

Not on Pinterest yet? Sign up here.

What other boards would you find helpful?

Ten Things I Loved In May 2013

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For the last few months I have been doing these reflection posts after being inspired by Rosie’s. Taking time each month to reflect on the good things that happen each day/week/month has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff. 

bear hug

Ten Things I Loved In May

Things I/We Did

1.      Solo parented for a whole weekend. I know people do this ALL THE TIME, but I don’t. I was super scared for months before and then my friends stepped up and totally helped this mama out and life was fun. Yes, we missed papa. But now I know I can take care of Little Girl if necessary.

2.     Night swimming. Have I ever told you how much I love swimming pools? Seriously, my happy place.

3.     Taught a yoga teacher training class. The weird/awesome part was they were upright and taking notes. These days when I teach, I’m usually looking at napping-ish faces.

4.     Faced some internal demons. A long, ongoing process, but I’m feeling hella proud of myself that I’m taking these beginning steps to put this mess to bed already. Trauma be gone!

5.     Announced The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher. Have you hear about my partnership with Rosie Molinary? O!M!G! I can’t remember ever being this excited about a project. This is a class I’d want to take and I hope you do too.

Products and Services I Dug:

6.   Delta Workshop is opening soon! I got to sneak peek because the owner is awesome and I know one of the artists being featured in the shop.

7.    Google docs, reader, etc. I can’t even remember life before.

8.    Mailchimp. So nice to have a service that is easy to use and makes you look like a pro. A restorative yoga newsletter (Restorative Resources) is coming soon – are you on the list?

In My Blog Reader

9.      Rockstar In The Classroom AND In Your Life. First post on the Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher blog. Have you read it yet?

10.     Web Time Wasters – Sarah from Yes and Yes finds amazing links every week. And every week I click through. You should too! It’ll be fun.

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Are you a teacher or know one who loves teaching, but wants to have more work balance in their life? Have you heard about The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher: Sustainable Self-Care for A Successful School Year? Check it out!

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So what are you loving lately? I’m always on the lookout for what is delicious in food, drink, fashion, and life. Leave me your favorites in the comments or write a post of your own and link back here.

Image Source:  Bunny Bear Print Original Ink Drawing Black … by mikaart on Etsy

Saturday Senses

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A way to capture the spirit of each week…

tasting ::     mint iced tea, so many potato chips (i may need an intervention), pasta with faux meat sauce, cornmeal crust veggie pizza with vegan cheese.

hearing ::   huuuuuuuuug. kiiiiiiiisssssssss. someone was feeling particularly affectionate this week.

smelling ::  the tiniest bit of spring rain.

seeing ::   the week fly by in a fuzz. it went so fast and i don’t feel like i have much to show for it. i am officially blaming the wind.

feeling :: refreshed after taking a restorative yoga class with a friend. people, this stuff will heal what ails you. if you haven’t already tried it, go now.

wishing/hoping ::  wishing for peace and non violence in the world and my social media feeds. hoping people can process world events in a way that is helpful to themselves and others.

What about you?

What are your senses this Saturday?

Looking back, how was your week?

Leave a comment and tell me all about it. I’d seriously love to hear about your week. Now’s not the time to be shy.

This weekly tradition inspired by Pink of Perfection’s Five Sense Friday.

Don’t forget to click the links!

{image source:http://fourlittleindians.tumblr.com/post/25721051108/talulah-mine-please-do-not-change-delete-the via pinterest

I cut off all my hair and other news.

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If you follow my boards on Pinterest, you probably have figured out by now I have been thinking about a drastic hair change for a while. I was a pixie pinning fool.

It’s so nice not to have to wear my hair in a ponytail because it’s over 68 degrees. Tari at Parlour by the Park is the transformation queen. If you find yourself itching for a change, make an appointment with her. She cut off 4 pounds (!!!!) of hair and not one tear was shed.

Here’s my new do! I love it.

pixie what

Other news:

My friend Sarah over at Yes and Yes reminded me I’ve been meaning to tell you about how to see all the Teacher Goes Back to School news and whatnots in your Facebook feed since they always changing what we see (or not see as the case may be).

If you’re following Teacher Goes Back to School on Facebook but haven’t been getting these all-important-yoga/hair/cute photos of my kid updates – you can fix that by:
1. Going to the Teacher Goes Back to School Facebook page
2. Hovering your mouse over the ‘liked’ button
3. Checking ‘get notifications’

Still other news:

This month’s Sunday Snooze is happening just a bit later this month due to a workshop.

If you are planning to come to class, please note we’re starting at 4:15 and going until 5:45 this month only.

So, what’s new with you?

Teacher Goes Back To School Turns Two!

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{via}

To celebrate Teacher Goes Back to School’s 2nd birthday today, Jenna from This is My Happiness suggested I participate in the My 7 Links project.

Before I share my favorites, I’d like to say thank you for all the support and love {and comments} over the past two years. What a joy it has been. I’ve made connections with new friends and deepened connections with old friends. So much love.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

So without further ado..

The most beautiful post:

How honest is too honest?

The most popular post:

Meet Ruby: 32 Months In the Making

The most controversial post:

Yoga Isn’t All Fucking Sunshine and Rainbows

The most helpful post:

It Could Happen To You

The post whose success surprised me:

Profound Moment  — Paying Attention to the Details

A {series of} post{s} I felt didn’t get the attention it deserved:

Yoga Manifestos

The post that I am most proud of:

Pregnant for 21 Months and Counting

So those are my picks, dear readers.

What are your favorite TGBTS posts?

My Yoga Manifesto – PART III- All People Can Do Yoga

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iay awesomeness - photo credit: vanessa vichit-vadakan

Manifesto: a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization (or in this case, yoga teacher).

I believe all people can do yoga.

Yes, even you.

Some folks may be put off by yoga because they may think it’s about twisting their bodies into impossible poses usually found in a bag of pretzels.

Some people may be put off yoga because they think they are too ( chubby, old, young, busy, injured, poor, sad, happy, stressed out, tired, cool…)

Other may be put off yoga because they think they aren’t (flexible, strong, rich, fashionable, knowledgable…) enough.

Still others don’t do yoga because they think yoga is too (weird, out there, religious, trendy, bendy, slow, foreign).

I’m positive people that can find 1,001 reasons not to practice yoga.

I’d like to change all that.

You’ve just got to find the right teacher for your kind of yoga. The right teacher for you.

The right kind of teacher for you, right now, in the body you live in.

The right teacher for you will give modifications, work with the body you have, not have expectations of you, not judge you, not push you, not laugh at you. Generally not make you feel bad about yourself.

The right kind of teacher for you will explain what you are doing, help you move in and out of poses safely, show you how to use props to help you go places you can’t go on your own and maybe even make you giggle on occasion.

The right kind of teacher for you will help you see that yoga isn’t about perfecting poses, but about living in the body you have right now.

The right kind of teacher for you will help you find some stillness in the over-scheduled life we all seem to be living these days.

The right kind of teacher for you will help you see the beauty in the world.

The right kind of teacher for you will help you see the beauty in you.

If any of this sounds good to you, come take a class with me. Right now, I’m on the rotating new teacher schedule at It’s All Yoga in Sacramento. We’ve got a free class on Friday afternoons.

FREE Fridays at 4:30 with the new It’s All Yoga teachers (21st and X in Sacramento) –  sign up online www.itsallyoga.com.

If you are looking for a restorative class in Sacramento, we’ve got one of those too.

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What do you think makes a teacher right for you?

My Yoga Manifesto – PART II- Kindness

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Like most people who come to yoga, I was first drawn to what I needed least from a yoga practice.

  • heat
  • intensity
  • power
  • competition

Too much heat and intensity for my already intense personality burnt me out quickly.  So I stopped going.

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Manifesto – a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization (or in this case yoga teacher).

II. KINDNESS

Eventually I found what I really need from a yoga practice – kindness.

You may be scratching your head wondering what the hell kindness has to do with stretching and contorting your body into funny shapes.

As it turns out, a lot.

Let me explain.

When I first started taking classes with Michelle at It’s All Yoga (Sacramento), I was struck by her warmth and friendliness. She’d always greet me with a hug – and by hug I mean a full body embrace (she gives the best hugs)– and welcome me to class like we were long-lost best friends.

kindness

Then before we’d begin class, Michelle would remind us to work somewhere between effort and ease. She’d invite us to explore how we felt in our bodies in the different poses and listen to what we needed to feel good in that moment.

Admittedly, at first I thought this was crazy talk.

Why would I come to yoga class and not do my best poses?

Why wouldn’t I push myself harder than I had the day before?

How would I ever get better at yoga?

In these early days with Michelle, she’d walk by my mat and lovingly put her hand on my shoulder and say “For you my friend, 70 percent.”

I tried to do what she said, but it felt so foreign.

Who was this person that didn’t want to see the best that I had to offer?

Didn’t she see that I could do more?

What did she know that I didn’t?

Over time, what I learned from Michelle is that yoga isn’t a performance.

It’s isn’t a competition – even with yourself.

That what you could do yesterday doesn’t really matter. Every time you do a pose it’s different because this moment is different from the last.

The only thing that really matters is the now.

Michelle’s kind reminders of “70 percent” were exactly what I needed to hear. I needed someone to teach me to be kinder to myself.

As it turns out, being kinder to myself is my yoga.

Michelle’s kindness is one of the reasons I’ve decided I want to teach yoga. I hope to touch the hearts of other people the way she has touched mine.

My Yoga Manifesto – Part I – REST

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Manifesto: a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization (or in this case, yoga teacher).

tami2012

I. REST

I believe in resting a lot in yoga class. Sometimes I lay down flat on my back like a pancake, sometimes in constructive rest, and other times I rest with my forehead on the floor in child’s pose. Sometimes I sit on a block and drink water while looking at the shapes other people make with their bodies.  [So beautiful, the human body, all those different shapes and sizes, lines and angles…]

Why do I rest? Partly because I work so hard doing everything else in my life and I’m tired.

I rest partly because I’ve had excellent teachers that remind me to rest when I’m tired or to not push past my edge.  [ BIG THANKS to the teachers at It’s All Yoga in Sacramento for teaching me this lesson!]

I rest partly because it feels good once you get past the weird ego thing of ‘I’m in yoga class and I must do everything better than everyone else.‘ Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about.

At this point, I consider my resting  in yoga class a public service.

I rest so that all those people that might want to rest can look at me and think “Oh thank god, someone else is resting, I can rest too.”

I know this happens because it used to happen to me. A lot. I’d want to come out of a pose, but I didn’t want everyone to know I needed to rest so I just powered through it.

One day something clicked in my head and I decided it was my mission to make people feel ok about resting.  By being the first to rest, I am modeling the behavior I would like to see in others.  Now when I see people listening to their inner voices telling them to rest and they actually do, I feel I’ve done my work here.

We keep joking in my teacher training class that I should open a studio someday that only offers 90 minutes classes of Savasana. I know I’d want to come to the class where rest is not only ok, but encouraged, so maybe other people would too.

If you are one of those people that doesn’t think they need to rest (I know about your kind….) I think you should rest too.

You’ll thank me later.