Fasly-Kam

For Eli and Craig and me, our extended families live at least 90 minutes by plane (and at this time of year, $1000 minimum) and further. Due to school and work schedules, and familial obligations, seldom do we get time for just the three of us to enjoy time together, guilt-free, without feeling like we have to either, a) run to one relatives house for a large holiday (Jewish, Christian, Secular); or b) do chores/fix up the house/do laundry/run errands that don’t get done on normal days. Eli’s first Thanksgiving was one of sleepless drama (the child was anti-slumber until he was four and even now can do zombie-inspired four-hour anti-sleep binges worthy of the worst of college drunken study habits and expect one of us to joyfully participate with him. Years two and three we hazily remember as having my mom come out and some friends visit but we aren’t really sure and can’t find any documented proof. So in 2012, we decided that Turkey Day weekend was just for US, for short trips just the...

On a previous life track (before kids, and with full time professional employment) I would shop. a lot. For baubles and clothing and life embellishments... and more food than I needed. Wasteful to be certain. With the current austerity program initiated with the birth of our son and my work taken to part time, and most recently the recent gentle belt tightening of hubby being between jobs, my cravings for "more" have greatly dissipated. Perhaps the yoga practice helped hone the skill and tune in to non-grasping, but admittedly the reality of avoiding debt and waste played a big part. Truthfully don't want an overstocked refrigerator (to clean or to organize). I don't want more clothes to put away or things to dust on shelves, or collectibles about which Ill just forget. Having mindfully "not-shopped" for a bit, we found ourselves positioned to utilize funds (that would otherwise be squandered on a few dinners out and theater movies and maybe some more price...

5 Steps to Intention Setting During Your Yoga Practice see more at http://yoganonymous.com/5-steps-to-intention-setting-during-your-yoga-practice#sthash.RmRkZM8X.dpuf Attitude of Gratitude:  When you arrive for your practice start to shift into a state of gratitude. Take a moment to be grateful for this moment and the time you have on your mat that you have set aside for yourself. Practicing gratitude is a great tool that will help you a lot in becoming more open and more receptive. Assess the Situation: The first thing I ask my students to do in my classes when class begins is assess the state of their body, the rhythm of their breath and then, the state of their mind. Chuck Miller, one of the founders of Yogaworks in Santa Monica, used to say that before you start you first have to stop. Create an Offering: After their assessment, I ask my students to take a moment to offer their practice to someone they love or to the Universe. This small gesture can be felt immediately. Just by...

The last time I traveled to Sacramento I went to one of their local hot yoga studios. In fact, it seems like that's most if not all of what is up there, which is fine at least there are studios that I can afford. Don't get me wrong I enjoy a good sweat just fine, and luckily after 11 years I (usually) know how to gauge myself to keep it real and out of potential injury (and I guzzle more water than probably two or three hot devotees put together). I'll usually position myself in back and just do the class a lot slower, because I know that if I build up too much heat I just pass out, or I render myself unable to stand up for a day or two because I've overstretched. When the instructor asked who was new, I raised my hand as I hadn't ever attended one of her classes before. She started class with the usual "pace yourself, embrace the process" standard patter, but even though there were just a few newbies, neither she nor her unshirted mail assistant came by m...

I have been involved with the National MS Society Challenge Walk in Southern California since the same year my yoga practice started: 2004. I raised the minimum donation ($2500) for TEN years, walking in all but one of the events (my son was born during the walk in 2009). This year, year 11, I was unable to commit the fundraising and unable to commit to the training, the time and effort it was going to take to prepare for the walk. With a son entering elementary school, a technology part-time job and a new yoga studio/coop blossoming, there was just no time. But I couldn't give it up altogether. I squeezed in a few hours here and there to help build a blog for the people who wanted to map out training plans and schedules, and ran a fundraiser for some friends who were doing the walk. But even that wasn't enough. I still wanted to be part of the event. After 10 years of sharing 72 hours with an amazing group of teachers, moms, lawyers, scientists, fathers, children, cousins, par...

I received a lovely email today from a treasured friend and instructor from my YTT program. I share this with you as a way to deepen your personal practice. It is about a new Iphone App called Gratitude Journal developed by Matt Elmore of www.buildafreeyogawebsite.com and www.pranatothepeople.com . Writes Matt: "I'd like to share with you something very dear to my heart. For the greater part of 2012, I had been putting together a non-profit called Prana to the People, an organization dedicated to spreading happiness through modern technology. Proceeds from Prana to the People go to various non-profit and relief organizations chosen quarterly. I'm excited to say that the first product, Gratitude Journey: an All-In-One Gratitude Journal for iPhone and iPad, has just been released. "The idea for Gratitude Journey came about as a sudden realization. I had been using a gratitude journal for months to essentially start my day on a happy note, and keep that going. For ...

Today was my first official teaching class at the Northbrook Yoga Center (NbYC) and I was presented with two terrific students: a woman and her 12-year old son. I asked them about their yoga experience, and the sweet mom said, almost apologetically, that her practice had been erratic but she had been doing yoga for many years. When I presented the question to the boy, inquiring as to what he liked, or wanted to work on, and he shyly offered (and with zero flippancy) "whatever works today." The mom added that he had spent most of the previous summer practicing yoga to videos. This took me by joyful surprise. I wanted to create a class that challenged the preteen, but not overwhelm him, and yet still be a class at a level that would (could) engage his mom. I wanted to open up the ideas of really noticing the intrinsic parts of your body doing yoga rather than just getting to any specific posture like a test of physical strength or acrobatics. So on this rainy day,...

Why? Now, what is your least favorite yoga class? Why? I have been told and am slowing learning this: that things which you find most difficult or not desirable might be what you should explore! Trying to embrace this lesson, I brought to my yoga class this morning the ideas of moving slowly, cultivating a place of quiet, of silence...a meditative space...and one infused with non-judgement. I am not a power vinyasa girl, but i do like to move, to challenge myself, and keep my mind busy. So practicing meditation does not come naturally for me...and therefore all the more reason to 'talk myself through it' as part of an experiment in Community Yoga this morning. We started with a discussion of OM - what it means, what it is...what you can do with it, and what it can do for you. From there we moved to chanting OM - and new yoga people being shy, of course, i was the sole voice resonating the AUM sound - and I was happy to share my sound with the group and help them experience i...