Magical Yoga Nights

Some nights teaching yoga is a job. A job I love, but still a job.

And some nights, teaching yoga is magical. The right words come out of my mouth without me even thinking about them. The vinyasas flow with ease. The energy in the room is electric and everyone can feel it.

Monday's are my crazy long days. By the time I get to my last two classes of the night I'm over tired, over hungry and my muscles are over worked. And yet, the yoga happens.

Tonight as I set up the room for my sixth of seven classes of the day, my class walked in grumpy and frustrated. They threw their mats down, complained about their jobs, and shared worries about the ever increasing flooding in our area.

My original plan was to have some fun with bakasana and baby bakasana, but instead I realized that what we all needed was to slow down and turn inwards. I began with a meditation and ended with a visualization on gratitude.

I really don't know where I pulled it out of, but it was there and through the grace of the divine it came through and it was perfect. We all left class feeling invigorated and inspired.

My last class of the night is teen-age ballerinas. Yep, seven long classes of the day ends with teen girls. No matter how tired or hungry I walk in to the dance studio, I always end up laughing and smiling. We've been working all year on core strength and alignment. It's getting very close to recital time so their minds really aren't on staying focused on a list of poses to work through.

So tonight, I blared the new Adele through the speakers and we choreographed a yoga dance. The whole dance was nothing but yoga asanas linked together in what the dance school owner called "an amazing modern dance choreography."

We had a blast. It was the perfect way to end the night.

I drove home feeling very grateful for the opportunity to have a job doing something I love. Nights like tonight remind me why I teach and keep me motivated to keep teaching.

Thank You To My Stand In Moms

Being married to a military guy, I've spent most of my adult life living away from family. I haven't had the luxury of having my mom close by for holidays, babysitting or daily advice.

That's where my stand-in moms come in.

I've been extremely fortunate to have an amazing group of intelligent, strong, loving women step in and be there for me when I needed them.

When I lived in Jacksonville, FL my boss at the newspaper was more than just a boss. She was the first woman to take me under her wing. I'm embarrassed to admit I can't remember her last name anymore, but when my my first child was born,  Sandy was right there outside the hospital nursery crying and hugging me with my own mom. And when my mom had to leave Florida to go back home, Sandy was there to tell me it's OK, sometimes babies just cry and I'm not doing anything wrong.

Never too old for yoga!

My current group of stand in moms is quite literally a group. They are my SilversSneakers class members at my local YMCA. SilverSneakers is a senior health and fitness program. We meet three times a week for yoga and low impact aerobics. They range in age from 50ish all the way up to 84.

Eighty-four years old and still stepping back into Warrior II and bee-bopping around the room to blaring 60's music!

My SilverSneakers class has stuck by me through sick kids, financial issues, work issues, husband issues and this year, they helped me through losing my mom.

As mom was dying of cancer, knowing I needed to get to work each day with a smile on my face and stand in front of this feisty group kept me going. And the days when I didn't have a smile on my face, that was OK with them too. And even on the tough days, I always left class smiling.

This group has been through it all. They've lost parents, children, spouses and friends. They've lived through bad times including wars, floods and financial losses. Yet they keep going and show up to the YMCA every morning.

My SilverSneakers group, and yes I call them MY group, never hesitates to give me advice (wanted or unwanted), encouragement and most of all their love.

All the things I no longer can get from my mom.

I miss my mom, but am eternally grateful for all my stand-in moms.

Happy Mother's Day.

God Bless the South

God bless the South.

Those aren't usually the words I use when I talk about adjusting to life in the South. But those of us that live here are weary. It's been more than a week of one tornado inducing storm after another. The waves of torrential rain just keep coming.

We need a break.

The Mighty Mississippi is over flowing, causing flooding through the smaller rivers and local roads. Two of my close friends have moved their belongings upstairs and have their kids clothes packed in order to evacuate once the order is given. Another friend took her babies and left to her parents to get out of the way.

My kids have hid in the bathtub so often this week I've lost count of how many times I've given the order to get in and put the blankets over your head.

And we're the lucky ones.

The state of Alabama has been declared a disaster area. My dear friend Jilda, who writes at Transformation Information  has been out of touch for days now. She is safe and her house is still standing. But in the one brief message I got from her she said power is out everywhere and the area around her looks like a war zone. She and her husband are out helping in the search and recovery efforts.

My iPhone Weather Bug says the storms are supposed to continue a few more days. There are constant updates on the flood maps.

The South is on high alert again tonight.

Stormy Night Social Night

I'm sitting here tonight with intermittent power, listening to the rain and thunder crashing outside. It's night two of a three-day long tornado siege that is raging across the South. Twice so far tonight I've huddled the kids into the bathroom as tornado sirens wailed and winds howled around our home.

The irony is, I moved to Tennessee six years ago when I was fleeing Hurricane Katrina. Had I known then that I was running from a hurricane state to a state known for tornadoes, I might have kept going.

I'm staying logged on to Twitter and Facebook as much as possible because it's the best way to keep in touch with friends and make sure everyone is safe. And since the satellite TV signal goes out in even a slight wind, I can track the storms and tornado paths and know when it's time to run.

Stormy, scary nights have become social media events.

Earlier this afternoon I posted to Twitter and Facebook "tonights yoga practice is knowing that teaching class isn't worth going out in dangerous weather & not being bothered by those who disagree." Most didn't disagree with me and my students were glad I let them off the hook to go out and drive in this weather just to get to yoga class.

The storm texts began about dinner time.

"You guys OK up there? No power down here"

The TV wasn't working anymore so I logged onto Facebook from my iPhone. There was our local weather channel tracking the tornado heading my way. Once the kids were safely huddled in the bathtub I went out on the front porch with my oldest to watch for the funnel cloud.

"Do you hear the sirens? R those for us?"

Yes! I texted back. Grab the baby and get to the bathroom. But put your shoes on first in case you have to walk over broken glass.

Darn Southern newbies! By next year they'll be standing on the front porch watching the storm roll in too.

Once I decided it was time to get off the porch and get in the bathroom, I saw a Tweet from a friend that the river was beginning to overflow and they were moving their electronics to the upstairs of their house.

"Hard decision -if tornado hits want stuff downstairs, flooding upstairs."

You gotta go with upstairs. If a tornado hits you can just kiss your iPad goodbye. But if it floods maybe it can be saved if it's upstairs.

The tornado party continued on Facebook once power returned.

          "Power lines down on Highway 51."

          "Half-dollar size hail down here."

           "Power out thru most of Millington and Arlington"

"Alright I'm off to bed. Someone call my cell phone when the flooding starts in Atoka."

We've got another 12 hours or so of this so I'm off to try and rest between thunder bursts myself. I'm not worried about missing a chance to run for the bathroom - I'm signed up for automatic weather alerts. If a tornado is in my immediate area every phone in this house will ring and alert me.

Social media and technology take a little bit of the unknown out of the storms and provide a little bit of piece of mind.

Here We Go Again: Another Stormy Night

It's been almost exactly a year since Millington and Nashville, TN were hit with horrible flooding, tornadoes, straight line winds and millions of dollars in damages.

Now tonight we're sitting here eyes glued to the tv watching the weather reports and making storm preparations.

Right now it's quiet at my house. But just south of here they are reporting 92 mph winds. No, that's not a misprint. Winds clocked at 92 miles per hour. The weather guy is saying it should begin here in 12 minutes.

Some of my friends make their families sleep in the living room on nights like this so they can quick get into a bathroom in case of a tornado. I let my little kids continue to sleep in their beds, but each of the older boys knows when I say NOW they need to grab a younger sibling and get into the bathroom.

We've hidden in the bathroom more than a few times since we've lived in Tennessee.

The irony is we moved to tornado ridden Tennessee when we evacuated Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Less than 24 hours before the storm hit NOLA, I packed the kids, including kid #6 who was just a newborn, the dog and some dirty laundry into the car and headed north.

I had no idea at the time my life in New Orleans would be washed away and I'd be starting all over again. Although the good thing about a hurricane, if there is a good thing, is you get enough warning to get out of the way.

Even when the tornado sirens are going off (they aren't here yet), you don't know where the tornado will hit until it's right on top of you. And you can't out run straight line winds and flooding.

I hear the winds starting to blow outside now and the satellite tv signal is starting to get fuzzy.

It's going to be a long night.

Personal Yoga Space

I was browsing YouTube videos tonight and came across one by my friend and mentor Leeann Carey. (LCY video tips ) Let me admit here that I have placed Leeann on a bit of a pedestal. I'm not sure I'll ever learn as much as she can teach me, but if I'm half the teacher she is I'll be thrilled.

Leeann's YouTube video was shot in her home yoga studio. So, keeping in mind the glamorous vision I've created for her, imagine my surprise when on one side of her yoga mat was a book shelf and on the other side was her desk.

Wait, where was the cliff overlooking the ocean? Where were the birds chirping and breeze blowing? Does the lovely Leeann really have to squeeze her mat in between real life too?

Here is my normal home yoga practice place. It's the corner of my bedroom, between the bed and bookshelf. Notice it's also where new puppy sleeps. It's also the place where things get thrown when I don't know what else to do with them. So when I'm ready to roll out the mat, I have to move this stuff -and dog - out of the way first.

Since my mat is in the corner, it is nice to open the blinds and throw open the windows. It's not an ocean breeze but it feels good as I'm flowing my practice. And how nice to be able to turn my face to the sun during morning meditation.

Sometimes there are other people or dogs or too much stuff in the bedroom and I'll move out to the living room. Again, moving the rug out of the way, pushing the chair over and usually moving dogs again.

My favorite place to practice when the weather is nice is my backyard deck. The deck provides ample space,  the perfect mixture of sun and shade in the morning, a nice breeze and even birds chirping. Often on a Sunday morning I'm flowing through vinyasas while one of the kids is on the swings and one of the dogs is chasing birds.

The deck is also big enough that I can invite my yoga friends over to enjoy the space too. Last summer when our regular yoga place got flooded, class continued on the deck every Wednesday morning. We slathered on the sun screen, let the kids run around the backyard and we got our yoga on.

Now that I have the deck to myself again, sometimes it feels a little lonely. But I still enjoy the quiet, the breeze, the sun and the space to roll out my mat. And there is plenty of room for the dogs too!

Yoga Fun & Flying

Yoga is supposed to be fun.

So often I take a look out at my class and I see strained faces, clenched jaws and that look in the eye that says "I can do this (even if I can't or shouldn't)!"

Relax! I remind them they are in class voluntarily and yoga isn't meant to add one more stress to their day.

Today I took some time off from my regular vinyasa practice and attended an Acro Jam. If you don't know what acro yoga is think Cirque Du Soleil. One person is the "base" and one person is the "flyer". Both base and flyer require core strength, upper body strength and trust.

And a willingness to have fun.  And an incredible sense of trust.

Let's be honest, if I'm going to come into full dhanurasana while balancing only on the bases feet - I better trust him not to drop me. And if my base allows me to soar in flying bird he better be able to believe I have the core strength to lift myself and understand what hollow body means.

But most of all, we both need to just relax and have fun. I might fall ( I didn't today by the way), but as long as we can laugh then it's all good.

There is a therapeutic aspect to acro yoga that incorporates Thai massage. We didn't get in to that part of it today. Today's Acro Jam was all about having fun and flying.