Yoga is a Group Effot!

Speaking from personal experience and from someone that tried to learn most yoga poses from a book or video, I will tell you firstly, it isn't that fun doing yoga in your living alone all the time and two you don't even know if you doing the pose correctly.  For example I had a really great book called 40 Days to Personal Revolution, by Baron Baptist and in one of his sequences he was doing Bakasana (crow pose).  I took a look at the picture, thought I could do it, gave it a try, landed on my face, skinned my chin, nose and thought I knocked my two front teeth out.  Not good!  In fact, I was so scared of that pose I didn't try it again for a very long time.

What's going on inside the poses is very important and not really obvious.  Example #2, one of my first or second yoga classes, it was at a gym and I don't think the teacher was a "yoga teacher" I think she took a weekend course on how to choreograph a yoga class.  I had no idea what I was doing, I was totally digging the blasting U2 song, bouncing and pulling my way down into a seated forward bend, when I heard a SNAP!  I heard a snap people, not good!  Then I couldn't walk, every time I bent over for a year and a half my hamstring attachment hurt.

Then I found a yoga that invites you to join, if you want to.  Creates a deliberate atmosphere where you meet other yogis, like minded beings and you become part of a fun and supportive community.  I didn't get it at first.  After a few years of pr acting with Todd Norian and Ann Greene, I had a chance to study with John Friend in Florida.  I knew nobody, was sort of scared of John, and was nervous about what was going to happen.  I was greeted with a bunch of radiant smiles at the door, got my name tag and was very proud to represent Canada, and set up my mat.  Everyone seemed to know everyone, except me.  I wasn't even there for 5 minutes before total strangers were coming up to me and introducing themselves to me.  I was blown away at this idea of community.

My past idea of community included being forced to go to church for many years, going on road trips with other snowboarders or rock climbers, or raves!  All of these were a bit dry for my hungry mind.  Sure I meet really great people along the way but now I like to spend my time with those people in the community living what they believe in, teaching others how to grow, expand, let go, make money, eat food, and drink wine together.  And I value more than anything else the engaging conversation about the world.  My friend D-Rail, informed me the other night over another amazing meal by KB (ktotheb.com), that the entire world population of 7 billion peeps could fit into the state of Rhode Island with 6 meters of space per person.  That conversation lead to a discussion on collective consciousness.

 I've decided I want to hang out with the beings that care, love deeply, care for our planet and all the animals that we share this earth with.  I want to learn how to do harder poses by teachers that not only know how to do them themselves because they have practiced them, but they can teach me how to get there too!  In my classes I get really excited when everyone can do the best that they can in crow pose or a challenging posture, and they are smiling while they are doing it.  We don't leave anyone behind either!  But we can only grow and expand as the people in our community are growing and expanding. 

When we come together to practice yoga there exists an opportunity that goes so far beyond a simple hello at the front desk.  Deep inside the hearts of everyone we long to be part of something bigger, a community that welcomes us and supports us just as we are.  I have found this community with Anusara yoga, as well as 200,000 other students.  Yep that's how many Anusara students there are in this world and that isn't by mishap, it was completely intentional.  John Friend is helping the world connect on the level of the heart and looks to me like he is doing a pretty kick ass job of it too.  It's hard not to laugh, expand and meet new friends when you attend one of his workshops or trainings.

My good friend Erin once said to me "wouldn't it be awesome if EVERYONE in London did yoga!"  My response was hell ya, that would be amazing and London would be a much different place than it is now.  I hope to see your smiling face at yoga soon.  If your at all turned off by the talking and laughing at first, give it a chance it might grow on you and you might meet some new friends too.

Me with Gert, we first met in the Anusara Immersion, now she teaches at my studio, Me and my hubby and BF Erin doing drop-backs, may seen scary but it's fun and safe with friends and know-how!  Next pic, is Florida right before going in to meet John Friend!  Some of the totally amazing gang from me Yoga Teacher Training with Todd Norian and Ann Greene in Lenox.

It feels so good to expand my boundries!!!

I am having a bit of a hard time typing since I am still buzzing from the yoga practice we did this morning. A few months ago I was randomly inspired to go deeper into my yoga poses and really breakthrough the places in my body that I feel are stuck or tight. I found the tightest place in my body is right behind my heart, that part of my spine has been the most stubborn to move, but not anymore. I realized how much hard work it takes to get into that place and I am more than willing to do it after feeling my heart fully open and expand.

There is nothing easy about the path of yoga! Yoga is not a casual effort you make every now and again. If you truly want expansion then you must apply the right-effort and not passively sit by the side-lines of life waiting for something to happen. Year after year the deeper I go into yoga, the more I learn about myself, my fears, my limitations, my boundries and by knowing that I can safely, slowly expand from there.

Today I was surrounding by some of the most amazing yogis in our community, committed to practicing 128 poses in a row, it was very very difficult, we were at our boundries and we smiled when we radically expanded from the place that we started. I have said this many times, I have NEVER been the same and neither has my yoga practice since doing the 3 Anusara Syllabus series from beginning to end. I hope you will be inspired to join us next time.

Smiling from the heart and through every fabric of my being,
Mindy
Check out the making of the Anusara Poster with the amazing Darren Rhodes

Kula

I used to think I could teach myself everything I needed to know about yoga from books and through home practice. I know that although I deepened my understanding of yoga and myself by doing that, I was also very limited in how expansive I could become alone. This is where Kula and community comes in. If you have been coming to my class lately I have really been trying to hard to inspire community, let me clarify, meaningful community in my classes and the studio. Without yoga friends this can be a lonely path. I love love love the community that we are building at The Mindful Body. I hold it in the highest light. I have seen friendships begin, old relationships end, love bloom and kinship of a special kind at the studio and it truly touches my heart. The bottom line is you need to get involved in the community, even if your shy, I get it but smile, say hello, take a chance to meet someone new every class, and you will see that it gets easier. I want students to know that most of the people that come to class would probably never crossed paths in this lifetime and to understand that not only have we crossed paths but I am honoured to walk beside you, as a teacher, student, and a friend. Love to my Kula, lets grow our community. Please bring your friends to a free class the entire week from Sept 7th to the 11th and spread the love!