Hiking Yogini

Archive for April, 2010

I went to one of my favorite yoga classes tonight (www.innerhappiness.com), feeling almost … desperate for some release.  Work was successfully doing what it does almost every day — making me feel overwhelmed and inadequate to the daily tasks, and my neck and shoulders were responding in turn. I thought a yoga class would be the balm I needed … And it was, it just gifted itself in an unexpected way. Read the rest of this entry »

Hiking in the Spring offers its own unique gifts — copious mud, budding trees, and the awakening of all the little, flying, biting, swarming insects that can turn a brief stop along trail into a very annoying thing, indeed — IF you let it.

We went hiking on Saturday at Wachusetts State Reservation, picked for it’s variety of relatively easy trails … Perfect for breaking in new boots! The sun was warm, there was a slight breeze, all in all, perfect weather for a Spring hike. Oh, but the bugs! I don’t even know what kind of bugs they were, some type of fly, but they were prolific! The moment we stopped to take a break, they descended, and let’s face it, we were hot, sweaty and probably a fly’s idea of a tasty treat. Read the rest of this entry »

You ever have one of those weeks where everything just seems hard, even if some of what’s occurring possesses some elements of good?  Well, that is what this past week has been like for me. Work felt a little too hard, dealing with my moldy car (the back door is leaking and letting in the rain) seemed like it just might break me (I’m allergic to mold), meeting and disappointing family expectations seemed like a tragic train wreck … etc, etc.  BUT, in the middle of this hand-to-forehead-oh-my-good-gods-everything-is-too-hard week, the love of my life showed me great love and took me to something he probably wouldn’t choose as a way to spend his evening — a night of kirtan with Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Guest House — Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whomever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

I find Rumi, at this moment, both beautiful and *incredibly* difficult. My human house is overflowing today with all sorts of uncomfortable visitors — self-recrimination, feelings of discontent, restlessness, disconnection, anxiety, fear, joy, love … well, you get the idea. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my own phrases came back to haunt me this past weekend, “Expect the unexpected” … Or rather, “Suspend expectation.”  (Mind you, I’m sure I’m not the first Yoga teacher to utter those words!) I’d do well if I took these words and embraced them on a regular basis myself … If this was a daily mantra to which I turned. I know as a yoga teacher I’ve said this to my students many a time in class, “Suspend your expectations of what you think your practice … this particular asana, should be, and simply allow it to be what it is.”  So much of our suffering, angst, worry, anxiety stems from a situation, person, or an interaction not meeting our expectations. And two things in my life — hiking and yoga — repeatedly, and continually, remind me of this bit of wisdom. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year at my company when all good corporate employees must evaluate their own performance as a precursor to the annual performance review given to us all by our various supervisors. I dread this time of year. Every year. I procrastinate. I allow myself to get distracted. I help everyone else with whatever else needs doing — anything to avoid sitting down and honestly evaluating the good, the bad and the everything in between. And this year was no exception. Knowing it was coming, knowing it was coming two months in advance, didn’t prevent it from still being an adrenaline-deadline-driven project again this year. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the greatest impediments to my daily practice seems to be an ingrained habit of staying up way too late.  Even an hour (or a half hour!) past bedtime effects my ability to get up and find enough will power to get out of bed, let alone go to the gym for a cardio work out or get on my mat for some Sun Salutations.  And there are too many evenings I’m up much longer than an hour past bedtime. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll be honest … I’m not entirely sure what’s behind my motivation to blog about my Yogic journey, why I want to share the rawness of it. Choosing to live “yogically” isn’t easy, although it’s somewhat of a simple decision.  Incorporating yogic values into one’s daily life seems, at face value, an honorable, basic and high-falutin’ endeavor.  However, at it’s core, I’m sometimes thinking it could have masochistic leanings…  Ok, so apparently I’m starting my blog at a particularly cynical moment… Read the rest of this entry »