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from a local yogi...
On December fifth I was attending my usual 7AM class at The Yoga Center. It was a lovely slow class, stretching each muscle to gently awaken my body. Not only is it a great way to start my day but my whole day is more balanced. All classes end in a rejuvenating meditation but today we were in for something really special. As we all rolled to our side coming to a seated position, we slowly opened our eyes facing the windows. Vanessa’s eyes opened first and she gasped. With wonder and awe in her voice she softly said “It’s Snowing!”.
For those of you who have experienced a class at The Yoga Center you already know what a special place it is. I feel that the first snow of the year is also a very special event (probably a hold over from my Frosty the Snowman days).
One by one we all opened our eyes to see the magic of the fluffy snow gently falling…….the first snow of the year! It was so incredibly beautiful, tears came to my eyes. But what was even more beautiful was the peace on everyone’s face…. mouths agape, ‘experiencing’ the magic of this moment. Just this moment, this beautiful moment. We couldn’t move. We knew this was a gift.
I hope you will consider starting your day like this also. I can’t guarantee that you will get to have a “Frosty” moment if you come to the 7AM classes yet, I think I can assure you the same peace and balance to the rest of your day. Peace begins with us. I wish you peace. I wish you joy.
Namaste
Kyle Knisely
from a not-so local anymore yoga teacher...The West Oakland Sutra
Many of you know that a few weeks ago Andrew and I moved to the SF Bay Area. Jobless, friendless and yoga studio-less, two young bright eyed and bushy tailed yogis arrive to Oakland, California. After getting a sublease apartment online, we soon found that our little love cottage was nestled snuggly beside highway 980, a liquor store, and a neighbor whose backyard looks like the official dumping ground for the entire U.S. stock of Redbull cans. Our second week in West Oakland, we had 10 police cars outside our house. Apparently, an armed robber had chosen our backyard as his den for covert behavior, and was being chased by ten officers, a canine and a few valiant (overly-zealous?) neighbors. A police helicopter sputtering overhead, I realized that all the commotion coincided exactly with my first phone interview for employment.
Now, I tell you all this not to scare you out of ever visiting Oakland (a really cool place), but to give a little personal example of one of my favorite Yoga Sutras, Sthira Sukham Asanam, or the seat (posture) should be steady and smooth. My teacher explains that this means that we should maintain a bright and steady body, and a joyful breath and intention within the ups and downs, twists and turns, or better and worses of the yoga we practice. What we do on the mat is a metaphor for how we may react later when life hands us the undesirable, the unexpected, or the stuff that makes our "little me" get upset, afraid or sad.
Let me just start by saying that, as the choppers flew over my head, my Asanam was far from Sthira or Sukham. Quite frankly, if my yoga mat were the metaphor for my reactions as of late, you can imagine me rolled up in it, covered in grape jelly, holding my nose. Steady and joyful, I am not.
And so, I stand today, sticky and disheveled in my new and scary place, and I ask myself these questions. How well can I practice grace and steadiness when I am confronted with loneliness or fear? How do I react when the world around me is not validating that created persona that I believed that I was? How do I deal with family illness or death? What about separation from loved ones? What happens with honking highways? How can I confront the escalating poverty and violence in this country?
This is when the real yoga is practiced. It is when it is frustrating, confusing, or scary that we cultivate that steady inhale and exhale that changes the patterns of that conditioned fear and despair. As Michael Franti said in a workshop I took with him, "When times get rough the teacher's in the room." And so with that, I publicly offer up all my gratitude, to the West Oakland Guru, to the gods of unemployment, to the great teacher Kali on the side of I-980.
With a big steady and joyful hug,
Katie (Silcox)
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