Making Change...One Moment at a Time

One of my yoga teachers, Jennilee Toner always says something like, "go make change in the world," after every class she has taught me. It is a very powerful statement. Its kind of like the phrase, "Think Globally, Act Locally."

But before you can make a change in the world, you need to make changes with yourself. This is something I've been working on for awhile. The words,
"daily meditation," are often enough to make most run for the hills. I'm one of them. For years, I was meditating incorrectly. I thought savasana was how and when I was to meditate. Boy was I in for a shock when I arrived at my Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) at Frog Lotus Yoga when I found out I had to SIT for my meditation. There is no reason to sit in lotus pose, (padmasana) but it is important to sit upright with an elongated spine. Maybe try hero pose (verasana). Rodney Yee says this about the importance of the "setup" when it comes to meditation:

"But complete ease in your position is very important to achieve when just starting out with meditation, because it will encourage you to meditate more frequently.

Hero pose and crossed-legs pose both facilitate the movement of energy in the body. You get a lot of grounding just by doing them. There’s already a connection to the Earth that you don’t get in a chair. It sets up a neurological pattern in the legs in relation to the spine."

So why do so many not simply sit and meditate? Oh yeah...because it takes for ever...right? Well, during my YTT at Frog Lotus Yoga, 27-34 of us would come together at 6AM and meditate for 30 minutes...six days a week. That is a lot of change! Of course, we all cleared our schedules to make time for us to make that change. The good news is....you don't need 30-minutes a day, 6-days a week to make change. You can...in fact...Make Change...One Moment at a Time. Check out this video it tells you how:

ONE-MOMENT MEDITATION!

Take some time for YOU...so you can make time for others! Make change within you...so you can make change for others. Even if it is only One-Moment at a time. ---Go with ease.

No Dairy...And No Cheese...It's Not What You Think!

So as many of you know, my loving doctor informed me almost three months ago that I could no longer have dairy. In fact, her words were, "you can longer have cheese, tomatoes, and peppers." To which I replied, "I literally eat cheese, tomatoes, and peppers...EVERYDAY!" Back to my current story. I have not had any dairy for nearly three months now. I've switched from half and half to soy creamer...which now I actually prefer. I've switched my whole milk for almond milk...which is also very good. For the past month and a half...I've also been meat free...vegetarian! Believe it or not, I really don't miss the meat, or most of the dairy...what I miss most is the CHEESE! I LOVE CHEESE. The picture is one of my all-time favorite, Asiago Fresco. I was at the store tonight and I bought some olives. They were right next to the cheese. My mouth started watering...and then I came to a yoga realization. Thus the connection to my yoga journey!

I'm thinking about asking for my money back because I really don't think the students are really all "fully present." Even though I'm not a fully trained yoga instructor yet...I know when a class is present and when they are not!

This pose is called Ananda Balasana, aka: Happy Baby. I can not fully express this pose because I have tightness in my hip flexors and my lower back won't soften to the floor. Thus, I'm not a good barometer for being "fully present." When students are "fully present" in this pose, (here comes the dairy connection) they more often than not...cut the cheese! Yep, that's right, fart, toot, pass gas, float...whatever you call it...IT HAPPENS IN HAPPY BABY! Except in my Yoga Teacher Training class right now. Come on...we've been here for two and a half weeks. Let it go! It's totally natural and it's kind of like burping after a good meal. It is MAD PROPS to the instructor. Show some love. I'm kind of sad! Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the class in some kind of solidarity has decided since I can't have cheese, they won't cut the cheese. If that's the case...then this is the best class EVER!

Inspiration

Hello, my name is Chris and I have been practicing yoga since 1999. I'm a 20-year Air Force vet who enjoys sharing my yoga journey with others. The above picture is of me and my friend Dave while deployed to Iraq in 2007. This is when I began sharing (teaching) yoga for the first time. I've been hooked ever since. I have been diagnosed with ADHD, allergies, and in '99 I pinched my sciatica nerve. Up until 2008, I was taking different medicines to help with each. Today, I am pain free and medicine free, and I give all the credit to Yoga. Currently I teach a vinyasa/power class twice a week, and kids yoga once a week. I have attended a couple of workshops and have my Level 1 certification with Yoga Fit. (FYI...very difficult to get certifications in Europe.)

I am at a crossroads in my life...retirement from a job I've been doing for more than half of my life...What to do next? I'm leaning towards being a full-time yoga instructor. But what does that really mean? What style do I want to teach? Should I teach one style and explore another? Join me as I look for inspiration over the next few years and transition from an active duty Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer to...who know what!