Plotting and Planning
I had a good weekend Zooming into The Woodlands Yoga Studio for a weekend workshop. Sue has opened her studio with the precautions of lots of space between mats, massive disinfecting, good ventilation, UV lights, etc. Some students attended the workshop live in the studio on a big flat screen TV, while many other participated on zoom from their homes. I felt good about the weekend. I taught some poses in new ways and I enjoyed seeing new and familiar faces online. One recurring silver lining of sheltering-in-place during the pandemic has been reconnecting with students I haven’t seen in many years and getting a chance to see many ongoing students more than once a year. I remain grateful for these relationships and the ways technology is helping us stay connected.
This weekend, I am attending a meditation retreat online and am planning to take a bit of a staycation following two weeks. My aim is decreased screen time, increased time for writing, asana, and meditation and getting up in the high country with Kelly and Locket.
In the meantime, I have been plotting and planning about upcoming programs and getting my ducks in a row to be freer of my computer for the end of July. I have added a 14-week Build Better Back Bends course on Mondays, a 6-week Level 1/2 class on Tuesdays, another 4-week Asana Junkies Course on Wednesdays, and a 6-week Level 2/3 class on Thursdays. So, four days of classes with different lengths for different levels. My thought is that, while everything remains uncertain in terms of how the pandemic will unfold exactly, having a structure of weekly classes for the next period of time would be grounding and stabilizing in the midst of so much that is unknown.
Beyond plotting and planning, I am contemplating how much I habitually plot and plan. And you know the saying about how you can make God laugh simply by telling him your plans, right? I am not new to the idea of groundlessness and uncertainty, but I do feel like the pandemic is functioning like a big spotlight pointed right at my compulsive tendency to live in the future. In the same way I am not new to the teachings of groundlessness, I am not new to observing futile tendencies within myself with some humor and self-compassion. Lee used to say, “You are not responsible for your first thought— only your second thought. “
I, however, have often needed four, five, or ten-thousand additional thoughts before I could intervene on the machinations of my mind with any success. The point of the teaching, I think, is that as soon as those thoughts can get into consciousness and, subsequently into choice, that is the point at which I can become responsible for them. And, as many of you know, the road between awareness-of and choice-over can be long, thus the need for humor and self-compassion. So far, this week, my sense of humor and tenderness for myself are holding up pretty well. (Thank God.)
Years ago, one of my counselors taught me that responsibility was “the ability to respond,” making a distinction between acting in response to life circumstances and reacting to them, which is another angle on this idea of getting into choice. As time goes on, and I continue to unravel the many internalized patterns of my family, society, and modern culture, I see how much work this kind of responsibility requires and how easily patterns of reactivity can creep back into my thoughts and behaviors. And, try as I might, I have yet to discover a magic formula that truncates the process of sustained efforts, over a long time, done with vulnerable sincerity.
One of my mentors describes spiritual work as more of a “grinding down” process than a “building up” process, which is another teaching I did not appreciate upon first hearing. Her premise is that the soul, our essence, our true nature, is already-present in enlightenment. At the deepest level of being, there is no work to be done. Therefore, the process of growth isn’t so much the building up of some new-and-improved self as much as it is a grinding down of the edifices of the false self that keep us identified with the surface of life, rather than residing in the depths of what is most real.
Like I said, I didn’t like this teaching much when I first heard it, but the idea is growing on me as I get older. Truth be told, life can not always build us up and expecting it to do so is a formula for disappointment. Suffering, struggling, difficulties, uncertainty, shocks, and surprises are not always a sign that we are spiritually “off” or in need of a new program of personal optimization. Sometimes, we are simply being ground down through no fault of our own.
Granted these kinds of teachings make the most sense when our basic needs are met— shelter, food, companionship, enough money to pay for the doctor when we are sick, or fix the car when we need to, etc. Also, these kinds of ideas are best applied in the context of one’s personal rights being protected under the law, equal access to opportunities, freedom from police brutality, etc. lest they end up disregarding the very real challenges that structural inequities, racism, poverty, and endless forms of discrimination create in people’s lives. Just so we are clear about the domain in which many self-help ideas are actually well, helpful.
At any rate, back to my plotting and planning in the midst of groundlessness. Here is an outline of my upcoming offerings in case you want to join me. And, as always, if you need a discount on tuition, please let me know.
Last month, probably on Day 2 or Day 3 of the Intermediate/Advanced Back Bend Intensive, I made a comment that getting through all these back bends— and really teaching them— was much more of long-term project than a 3-day project. I quipped something along the lines of “We should have a weekly back bend class to work on these over a longer period of time…”
The Build Better Back Bends 14-week course, conceived of in the midst of a 3-day intensive, will begin August 3 and run 14-consecutive weeks. Designed for the experienced student willing to work hard, grow their capacity, respect their limits, and can laugh along the way, this class has several weeks of preliminary work to help develop the strength, stamina, and mobility required for deeper bends. Find Out More
I have enjoyed the 75-minute format this last month and have decided to offer a 6-week session of Level 1/2 starting August 4. This session will utilize a peak pose format, as opposed to the full-spectrum format of the first session. Expect to explore poses such as Down Dog, Up Dog, parsvakonasana, virabhadrasana 1, dhanurasana, and uttanasana while incorporating general alignment principles you can apply to your practice and teaching. Find out more
I wasn’t sure what new poses and approaches I could add to the last three sessions of Asana Junkies, but I realized there are plenty of poses we have yet to work on, so get ready for another 4-weeks of Wednesdays. I love this group practice format— not just for the hard work on poses, but for the good questions, humor, and commitment of the group. Many people in this group have been in Asana Junkies with me since we started in 2013 and the livestream format, while different than the webinar format, still carries the same spirit of inquiry and exploration. Find Out More.
I am continuing on with Level 2/3 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdayas as well. This session, like Level 1/2, will feature peak pose sequencing. Expect to explore familiar postures such as urdhva dhanurasana, vasisthasana, ardha chandra chapasana, pascimottanasana, maricyasana 3, handstand and pinca mayurasana. Find Out More
Please note- If you need financial assistance or payment plans due to Covid-19 or you want to do more than one of the courses and a discount tuition would support your participation, please contact me directly. No questions asked.
