More snow?! Le sigh. Here’s some sun for you.

A month ago, I left for a fantastic opportunity to teach abroad at a yoga retreat.  Mimi Loureiro included me as one of her senior teachers on this amazing trip.  So, this year, my teaching and my learning  began with some dynamite asana on the Maya Riveria in Tulum, Mexico where O2 Yoga holds their annual retreat.

This was the studio’s 14th trip.  I was invited by the founder/owner Mimi to co-teach at this seven day yoga reset.  It was better than I could have imagined. It was an honor to teach alongside my root teacher (Mimi’s teacher training was the first training I took and when I realized I wanted to be a teacher).  The bonus of being invited was that I got  to soak up the sun!

Being away kept me fresh and constantly thinking how to use that energy back in my weekly classes. Come to class and check out the adventure.  Tonight, after I taught, a student commented, “that was so interesting! We did so many things I’ve never seen before!”  Another student, added “Your classes are always creative, experimental and fun. Thanks for a great class.”  I do experiment but I think he meant exploratory. I strive to practice all the classes I teach and I am constantly asking myself: Why did I choose this order of postures? How else can we approach this asana? If I move this way does the pose feel more integrated?  How can I get this same posture with less force/effort?  Am I learning something?  And, when I ask myself those questions, I have to change it up, I have to keep evolving.

Last week in class I tried a new cue I polled the class to see if they liked it.  I saw the students bodies respond but when I polled them, the success rate was 50%.  There’s a disconnect between the teaching, the practice and their awareness. So, I go back to the drawing board.  I practiced the sequence more this week and changed it a bit and changed my words. Practice is an opportunity for awareness and realization.  It is not abstract.  Moreover, for me, teaching is so much about learning. I am forever a student.  And I am so grateful for the opportunity Mimi gave me to go Mexico. It’s was a difficult year and I was confronted with new challenges right before I jet set. I am just so humbled by my community of teachers and the generosity of small actions. And my students, you, are more inspiring than you know! Thank you!