Seattle Yogini

Pause for the Cause - Support for Midwifery

Sri Aurobindo wrote, "All Life is Yoga".  What he meant was that the work to bring harmony and union into our lives is done through every aspect of life, not just the time we spend doing our asana practice.  The bigger work of yoga - seeing, supporting and manifesting the Divine in all matter - must be done through every aspect of life, in each moment and with each breath.  This statement conveys the empowerment and responsibility that each person has to continually grow, inspire, and connect.

Today I am writing to beseech you to participate in a grassroots movement to persuade the federal government to support the Midwifery Model of Care in upcoming healthcare reforms.  Specifically, the intention is to mandate Medicaid coverage for CPM (Certified Professional Midwife/"Direct Entry Midwife") care...a step that would greatly increase the overall recognition of the outstanding level of care women and infants receive from Midwives.

We will need all the support we can get, as the AMA (American Medical Association) and ACOG (American College of Gynecologists), both large, vocal and well-funded industry associations/lobbyists are opposed to midwifery and homebirth (not all midwife-attended births are homebirths, but it is nearly impossible to have anyone but a midwife attend a homebirth).  Their position is not a fact-based position, but rather a $$$- and power-based one.  In contrast, it is notable that the World Health Organization's position is clearly for the midwifery model of care.

I strongly believe that the way we treat conception, pregnancy, labor, mamas and newborn babies has the potential to heal, or set us up for a great deal of hardship.  Gentle birthing practices that respect the mother and child individually and as a dyad are imperative.  With cesarian sections at 33% of births nationwide (an appalling statistic that merely represents the nation's average), the concept of "informed consent" questionable (to say the least), misinformation and mistreatment of women's (and babies') bodies rampant, we have reached a very low point in our method of welcoming new life.

The midwifery model of care must be secured as an option for those who seek safe, supportive, self-directed labor and delivery experiences.  Whether one personally chooses to use a midwife or not, the option must remain available for all families.

We have just about a week to make our voices heard.  Please review the statement below, from the Seattle Midwifery School.  Put your values of non-violence and compassion to good use and click through the link to voice your support.

Namaste,
Kelly

From the Seattle Midwifery School:

"We are at a moment in history that could affect the future of midwifery for decades.  We have the opportunity to positively influence health care legislation to ensure access to midwifery care or be left behind as details of a reformed system are established in law in the next few months.  

The M.A.M.A. campaign is a historic coalition of the key midwifery and consumer organizations in the U.S. unified behind the goal of achieving federal recognition of Certified Professional Midwives.  Our specific goal in the next weeks is inserting an amendment into the health care bills that are moving through congress right now to mandate Medicaid coverage for CPM services on the federal level.  

This multi-faceted campaign is being directed by a steering committee of dedicated volunteers, and paid staff: an experienced lobbyist in Washington D.C., campaign coordinator and a project consultant with national health care reform experience and connections.

This week Amber Ulvenes, lobbyist for the Midwives' Association of Washington State and a midwifery consumer, and I are participating in a country-wide "fly-in" of midwives and advocates to DC to work with the campaign's federal lobbyist to amend this language into the Senate Finance bill when it goes to committee mark-up the week of June 22nd.

In addition to mobilizing grass roots support, right now funds are urgently needed to sustain this work through the next few months when legislation is being drafted.

If you believe midwifery care represents a vital resource in a reformed U.S. health care system and support access to midwifery care for all women, please join us!

What you can do now:

1. Visit the new M.A.M.A. Campaign website at www.mamacampaign.org.   Sign up as an endorser, volunteer and donate!
   
   
2. Forward this message to everyone you think supports increased access to midwifery care and ask them to join the M.A.M.A. campaign also.

Numbers count.  Dollars count. This is a moment when we must mobilize all available resources!

Thank you,

Seattle Midwifery School Midwifery Education Chair
Board of Directors, National Association of Certified Professional Midwives"

Help for the Body - Keep Your Cool this Summer

Keeping Your Cool During the Dog Days of Summer  

Ayurveda teaches us that summer is the season of Pitta (the fire element).  When the weather turns warm, we feel it not only by our body temperature, but our mood, digestion, patience-levels, attention-span and sleep.  For those of us who already tend toward a "fiery nature", summer can create a whole slew of uncomfortable symptoms...all of which tell us it's time to cool down!  Below are a few tips for keeping your cool this summer, which I myself use all summer long.

• Avoid spicy foods.  The spicy taste exacerbates the fire element.  If you get cravings for spicy in the summertime, you know your fire is burning too hot and taking you out of balance.  Opt for cooling foods with the following tastes:

• sweet such as rice, milk, coconut, maple syrup, fruits and some vegetables like carrots
• bitter such as bitter melon, aloe vera, bitter greens, rhubarb, turmeric (bitter is the taste we in the U.S. use the least, so it may take some exploration to find it)
• astringent such as pomegranates, garbanzo beans, green beans, okra, alfalfa sprouts
• also limit your salt, alcohol and caffeine intake

• Don't let yourself get too hungry.  We fiery folks tend to go from content and pleasant to angry-hungry very quickly.  In the summer heat, appetite is sometimes suppressed.  Put yourself on an eating schedule if you must, to ensure that you don't get irrational due to something as simple as hunger.
• Avoid excessive heat.  Summer is not the time for saunas (steam or dry), hot tubs or cleanses.  Try to be as slow and quiet as possible during the hottest part of the day.  I know that my schedule is...shall we say, unconventional...but one of my most useful summer sanity tools is to turn off the phone, shut off all of the electronics (they generate a lot of heat) and settle in for a quiet repose from about 2 - 4 pm.  Whatever your work environment, look for ways to slow down a bit in the afternoon.  Think of it as your very own Seattle Siesta!
• Drink cool - but not iced - drinks.  Choose room temperature water, which is much easier on your body and your digestion than iced beverages.
• Engage in physical activity during the cooler parts of the day.  Morning and evening chores, exercise (including gardening!), and yoga practices are preferable to mid-day options.

You'll probably notice that yoga classes at Maple Leaf Community Yoga are planned differently during this season.  As a pitta-dominant person myself, I know the benefits of cooler asana practices and really enjoy sharing that knowledge with my students.  I hope that you feel - and enjoy - the difference!

If you would like personalized health guidance, please consider arranging private yoga instruction at Maple Leaf Community Yoga today! 

Yours in health,

Kelly

Much of the information above is gleaned from a wonderful book to which I often refer:  The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc.

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What's Your Hurry? On slowing down and living better.

The speed of life is getting faster and faster.  Jobs require more hours, children are more "scheduled", physical fitness requires a "work out" to make up for hours of sitting.  We run, we talk on cell phones while driving, we eat "fast" food, we TIVO, we run to and fro.  The prevailing belief is that we might miss out on something were we to slow down.  "How can I fit more in?" seems to be the question that haunts people.

Here's the thing:  the faster you go, the more you miss out on.

Think of your life as a speeding car.  You're zooming through a landscape so quickly that, when you look out the window, all around you is a blur.  You can't see the trees, flowers, grazing deer.  You can't hear the birds' songs or feel the sweet, soft breeze on your face.  There's this idea that by going fast one can get more "done", live a more efficient life.  My question is...how well can you do it if it's done quickly? 

When did an "efficient" life become a "good" one?

I used to run around at breakneck speed.  All the better to distract myself from the disatisfaction that tainted much of my life.  I didn't want to miss out on anything, and believed that cramming lots of activities and people into each hour would protect me against that.  My pace also ensured that I would not take the time to sit down and get to know myself, connect with Spirit and learn to live in a way that would nurture me.  Essentially, the pace of my life kept my from my Self.

Now, having slowed down enough that I can feel the difference in my life, my body, my mind and spirit, I can speak from both perspectives.  Rushing through life didn't get me more life, more satisfaction or more happiness.  It got me stress, exhaustion, lethargy, poor health and lots of injuries.  Slowing down has allowed me to connect with the people, places, activities and feelings that make my life sweet.  By going through life more slowly, I am able to actually experience my life and its surroundings.  I live more by resisting the temptation to cram a lot into life.

Summer Yoga!

I thought I'd put the announcement here, in addition to some of the usual places (Teachstreet, Craigslist, etc.):

The summer session of yoga at Maple Leaf Community Yoga begins on June 1 (that's Monday).  We have a new day/time for the Intro to Yoga session, a new teacher, and a new Saturday morning class.  I'll be offering a Purna Yoga Weekend Intensive in June, and a "Building Your Home Practice" home-study practice in July (details for that one are forthcoming).

Also coming up this summer are two workshops that I will offer at Yoga Centers:

Free Yourself from Hand, Wrist and Carpal Tunnel Problems

• Sunday, June 7 from 1 - 4pm
• $50 (pay by 5/31), $60 (after 5/31)

Focus on the Pelvic Floor

• Sunday, July 11 from 1 - 4pm
• $50 (pay by 7/4), $60 (after 7/4)

If you click the links, scroll down to find those workshops...but also take a look at the many offerings throughout June and July!

Help for the Body - A Yogic Approach to Dealing with Inflammation

Where there is pain, there is inflammation.  Where there is inflammation, there is imbalance.  As with other physical issues, the root of inflammation may lie within one's diet, stress levels, hydration (or lack thereof), activities, spiritual crisis or lifestyle choices.  Whatever the root issue, Purna Yoga offers helpful tools for dealing with the physical symptom of inflammation while the individual does their own investigation and inner healing to clear up the underlying cause(s).

Aside from pain, other indicators of inflammation include diseases and disorders such as:  asthma, allergies (including skin), heart disease, obesity, arthritis, chronic pain, slow healing of injuries and more.  What we put into our bodies - through diet, skincare products, and environmental exposure - is a critical component of causing or alleviating inflammation.  There is a lot of easily accessible information about inflammation in books and on the web.  What I am offering here is a consolidation of the recommendations I make for all my students...and anyone else wishing to nurture a healthy body:

• Eliminate CATS

• Caffeine (especially coffee, even if it's decaf)
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Sugar (specifically processed sugar)

• Include OMEGA FATTY ACIDS

• Great sources include flaxseed oil, nut oils, olive oil, cold-water fish, cod liver oil, fish oil

• Eliminate or Minimize consumption of

• Wheat (at least in the US)
• Dairy (fresh, organic, raw milk...especially from smaller animals such as goat may be okay)
• Meat

• Include inflammation-fighting turmeric in your diet

• Local company Tattva's Herbs makes a quality capsule
• Try the "Turmeric Drink" that is recommended in class and private instruction

• Eliminate or minimize exposure to preservatives, artificial flavorings, artificial colorings, toxic chemicals such as chlorine, pesticides, herbicides, etc. in food as well as body products and household cleaners

It takes a multi-pronged approach to clear up inflammation, but the tips above will help get you on your way.  In addition to increasing awareness about what goes into or on your body, how you use your body makes a big difference.  A regular yoga practice, for example, helps the body handle stress, improves sleep, regulates the endocrine system and much more...ultimately leading to better health and long-term wellness.

Letting go...in order to grow

Growth requires a willingness to let go.  As we change, we learn that certain habits no longer serve our dharma (life's purpose), relationships must change or dissolve, the very definition by which we have lived our lives may need to be rewritten.  In the case of the latter I recommend invisible ink, that way you don't get too attached to the new definition!  In order for any of the above to happen, however, we must let go of the past, along with any attachments to outcomes or results in the future, and simply be here now...in as true a state of harmony as we can.  That state requires a lot of letting go, as well:  of stress, of the roller coaster ride of emotions, of the "monkey mind", etc.

In class last night, Aadil said something that really stuck with me:

"Let go of your willingness to accept stress."

My mind hiccuped at first in indignation (it cracks me up when my mind is indignant).  "'Willingness'?"  It scoffed, sounding oh-so pitiable and crossing its arms defensively.  "I beg your pardon!  I am not stressed because I am 'willing' to be."  Then my wiser part chuckled and smiled softly at my mind, shaking its head.  My mind uncrossed its arms as understanding dawned:  "Oh, well, waitaminute.  I just now got kind of stressed out about that, didn't I?  Hhhmmm.  I can see that there's something to this."

By the way, all of that happened in about .36829 seconds.  It wasn't a long scenario or anything.  Also - as a side note - I didn't really imagine my brain having arms at the time...it just makes for good reading.

One of the most beautiful (and potentially frustrating) aspects of yoga is that it empowers us to be fully accountable for our lives.  How we feel, live, think, act, speak, etc. at each moment is the result of all of our choices up to now.  We can, at any time, choose to change.  That is an amazing potential as well as responsibility.  The fact of the matter is, we do choose to allow stress by continuing to live fast-paced lives, over-scheduling ourselves, not sleeping enough, eating poorly for our constitution, denying our spiritual lives, exposing ourselves to harmful chemicals, etc., etc.  It's just that while we make those choices, we blame the results of them on other people or forces "outside of our control".

We have the power, however, to choose differently...at any moment.  I trust that, eventually, my mind will really understand.

Spring Cleaning with a Parasite Cleanse

I'm spring cleaning my innards.

I'll bet that got your attention!  Call it spring cleaning gone inward, but last week I started a cleanse (with chelation), and this week bumped it up a notch (to parasite cleansing).  There is a lot of information available about cleansing, but much of it seems to be weight-loss or "general health" focused rather than parasite focused, so I'll add to the clamor and let you discern for yourself what might work for you and your health needs.

First of all, let me state plainly that I am in great health, so I wasn't feeling the need to cleanse in order to beat a chronic illness, lay waste to allergies, re-align my digestion, improve my sleep or one of the other wonderful results of a proper cleanse.  I am, however, interested in being as healthy as I can be, and the transition between seasons is the perfect time to do a cleanse.  If you are living with a chronic issue I highly recommend you work with a naturopath or ayurvedic practitioner who can design a cleanse tailored to your needs.  Please don't take my regimen as a "prescription", because it isn't!  Only you and/or your health care provider can determine what will serve you best.

With this cleanse, my main focus is on parasites.  I'll talk about the chelation another time.  What parasites, you ask?  We are exposed to parasites from many everyday sources, and living in a "developed country" does not put us out of risk of infestation.  I have lived in two foreign countries for extended periods of time (South Korea and Saudi Arabia) where I ate a number of foods that were prepared at a...different standard...than my usual fare.  While I have not had any antibiotics in a number of years, I have been treated with a chemotherapy drug which certainly affected my body long-term.  Heck, just sharing my home with a dog means I am quite likely often exposed to parasites.  This article has a really great description of the reasons to do a parasite cleanse.  Different parasites gravitate toward different parts of the body (some especially like the spine, others are content in the intestines, for example), and different cleansing regimes/products address these different parasites.

I have chosen to use two products from Young Living Essential Oils:  ParaFree and ComforTone.  It is essential that the efficiency of the colon be maintained when cleansing parasites, lest their waste and detritus remain stuck in your body, making you sick(er).  We have to move out the buggies that are dying off, and ComforTone facilitates that.  It isn't a fiber supplement, but rather a formula of herbs and essential oils that support colon function.  The ParaFree is the formula (again, of herbs and essential oils) that actually kills the parasites.  The company recommends the following cycle:  21 days on, 7 days off, repeat for a total of 3 cycles.  This is to ensure that you get all of the parasites at their various stages of growth (including recently hatched eggs - ew).

So, we started on Sunday evening (4/5) and are on day six as of tonight.  Many of my colleagues have used these products for their own cleansing, so I have heard reactions ranging from "It makes me feel tired", to the tell-tale headaches caused by die-off, to "I love cleansing, I always feel so clear-headed and light afterward".  After taking the single Parafree capsule Sunday night, I awoke Monday morning sort of expecting a headache, at the very least.  So far, so good.  I haven't had any flu-like symptoms and don't feel any more tired than before.  Rob has had a little more difficulty, what with full-blown hay fever and helping our friend the contractor with work this week.  He is definitely feeling fatigued.

One of the most over-looked aspects of a proper cleanse is the importance of high-quality nutrition during (and after, of course) the cleanse.  The body is working hard to process out all of this stuff you're sloughing, which can be quite tiring.  Also, on an esoteric level, parasites hold negative thought patterns and dark energy, so as that moves out of the body it can bring up a lot of "stuff" - emotional, psychic, etc.  Cleansing can be tiring, so rest is very important.  Hydration must be increased, along with highly nutritious foods high in fiber.  We have doubled our intake of Sunrider's NuPlus as well as the cleansing beverages Calli Tea and Fortune Delight Tea.  We're also eating plenty of ghee and other healthy fats, Chyawanprash and lots of raw veggies (smoothies are my new favorite thing).

I'll post about this process on Fridays, trying to be thorough but not graphic.  Next week I'll talk about chelation, and why it's so important to our health!

Opting Out of the Recession

I decided to opt out of the recession and am writing today to encourage you to do the same.  There are many ways in which to do this, and you certainly don't need a facebook account in order to participate.  I'll share some ideas with you:

• Refrain from asking people how their business/job outlook/etc. is going "in light of the economic crisis"...especially if you do it with the tell-tale "worried face".
  
  • Instead - Ask people if their tulips are up yet, what they think about the new yard waste protocols, or if they've tried any good recipes lately.  Use the precious moment you have with someone else to focus on the wonders of life, not the fears.
• Resist the urge to focus on theoretical hardships, those "what if" traps laid by negative thinking.
  • Instead - Spend quiet time every day being grateful for all that you have, are, do, feel, etc.  Notice the positives and practice gratitude!
• Reduce negativity in your thinking, actions and words.  Much of the way in which we approach our lives comes from without - the tendency to compare ourselves to others, to media, to convention.  When all the news is bad news - and you choose to consume it - all life will eventually seem bad.
  • Instead - Choose to be internally referential.  Go within - through meditation, self-study, reflection, or whatever technique works for you - in order to determine who and what you truly are (rather than what the world says you should be).  Once you see your glory, and that of the world around you, negative thinking will feel absurd.
• Redirect your money.  When things feel tight because of outside influences (whether they have actually tightened for you or not) and you begin to horde your income, things will become tight in your local (or larger-scale) economy.
  • Instead - Spend wisely, but spend, nonetheless.  I'm not talking about frivolities here, I'm talking about using your money as a way in which to vote for services you appreciate and want to see stay in business.  I'm talking about letting money come into your life and leave again in order to go into someone else's life.  Consciously direct where your money flows and own the results of your spending...not just on your bank account, but the results on other people's lives, as well.  Support your local economy!
• Share the idea!  Tell the businesses you frequent, your friends and family about the reality of this "option".  We can choose to shift the gunk out of our relationship with money.  We can choose to allow the flow of money (which is merely a representation of energy, which must flow freely for an organism - or organization - to thrive) in our lives and in the economy.

Opting out of the recession may be the best stimulus package around.  It isn't at taxpayer expense, and it supports everyone who chooses to participate!

Please share your ideas for more ways in which we can Opt Out of the Recession.

Tell Me About the Tea Pot (A Beginner's Guide to Neti Pot)

With noses running all over the place lately, the Neti Pot has been a hot topic of conversation.  It proved very helpful (as it always does) in dealing with my sinus congestion while I had the flu earlier this month.  Somehow congestion came up in a conversation my Mom was having with her brother (who, incidentally, has had sinus problems practically his whole life...and even had the roto-rooter surgery done to make the sinus outlet a bit bigger) and he mentioned that he uses a Neti Pot.  My Mom had heard of Neti Pot from me, but was surprised to hear the words come from her brother's mouth.  He doesn't practice yoga, or live somewhere that offers a lot of yoga or eastern thought; we were all surprised that he had even heard about it.

So, word got around, and the other night I was talking with my Dad on the phone.  He has a lot of sinus congestion, mainly due to allergies.  We were talking about my Grandpa's health, and Christmas packages mailed, and he says, "So tell me about this tea pot."

I love you, Dad!

The fabulous thing was that I knew exactly what he was talking about.  He said it sounds like you pour water into your lungs.  I said, "Not if you do it right, you don't!"

In honor of sinuses everywhere, I offer you a primer on Neti Pot.  Since you can learn why it is recommended through a simple internet search or book, I'm going to focus on how it is done and my personal experience with it.

Most Neti Pots come with an instructional booklet and you can buy larger, more detailed books in the health sections of large book stores.  A quick google video search also pointed to this instructional video.  There are many videos, but this one is professionally produced and a better quality than some of the others.  Incidentally, it uses the same type of Neti Pot that I use (there are many styles available).

When making the saline solution to put into the pot, water temperature is absolutely critical.  As you can imagine, if the water is too hot or too cold it does not feel nice going into your head.  Personally, I find that if I stick my finger into the solution and can just barely feel that the water is warm then it is the right temperature for me.  You may have to do some trial and error to find the right temperature for you.  Make sure to use good quality salt,  NOT table salt.  Table salt has anti-caking chemicals in it that should not be ingested in any way (which also means stop eating that stuff!).  A nice sea salt, or even better, a Himalayan rock salt is preferable.

Now, stand over your sink and put the spout of the Neti Pot into your nostril.  For the sake of clarity, let's say it's your right nostril first.  Bend over the sink and rotate your head upward as if to look toward the ceiling.  Breathing through your mouth, tip the Neti Pot so that the saline solution goes into your nose.  You may feel a spreading warmth through the right nostril, eyeball, and sinus area before it works its way through to the left sinus and out the left nostril.  If your nose if very tender (from repeated nose blowing/tissue wiping) the saline may be a teeny bit uncomfortable (stinging) on the skin inside the nostril.  That is due to irritation of the mucous membrane and/or skin and is not a sign that you should stop using the Neti Pot.  In fact, the saline solution will help moisturize the tissue and clean it, so it should heal more quickly.

If you feel the water starting to go down your throat it means that you need to change the tilt of your head (move your left eye down toward the sink, for example).  Once the pot has emptied, bring your head back to the starting position and remove the Neti Pot.  Some water will likely come out of both nostrils at this point.  Once that happens, blow out both nostrils into the sink to get out more drops of water.  Then take a tissue and gently blow both nostrils.  Try to avoid the tendency to block one nostril while blowing the other side as it puts a lot of pressure on the sinuses.  It is helpful to do a little forward bend and then stand up and blow your nose again.  Repeat this whole process with the spout in the left nostril.

What if you're so stuffed up that the water doesn't seem to go anywhere?  This has happened to me before, and the Neti Pot is still a helpful tool.  The movement of the water against the blockage may help loosen that mucous and get it moving out of your head.  At the very least it should dissolve and/or soften it up enough that there's hope of moving it later.  It'll just take some patience.  Water's ability to dissolve whatever stands in its way is legendary - think Grand Canyon!  If water could carve through all that rock, it can make its way through some mucous.  At first it might just be a few little drops, but if you persist you will eventually get a little bit of a stream.  The relief that it creates is well worth the patience.

For those with allergies, chronic sinusitis or other long-term issues, a twice-daily Neti Pot routine is very helpful.  If you are sick you may wish to increase that to three times a day.  For everyone else, the Neti Pot should be used once a day for basic self-care of the sinuses.  Professional singers or others for whom the voice is a vital tool will find regular use of Neti Pot instrumental to their art/work.

When you're all done, remember to clean your sink - especially if you're ill!

Disclaimer:  This article is intended to educate and is not a prescription nor should it be interpreted as medical advice.  If you have concerns or questions please consult your health-care provider.

Purna Yoga's Impact and How I Became a Teacher

A long time ago (the comment was actually left in April) - before the miscarriage, before Rob had to go to Montana for the summer, before the upstairs remodel began, my grandmother died, and I lost my voice, a reader left a comment with a few questions in it.  I promised her I would address them, and while I did not do it "soon", as I likely believed I would, I am doing it.  Now.

First of all, she wanted to know how yoga has affected me, and my students.  I'll start with my students, and some recent feedback (ultimately I hope to have a "What Students are Saying" link on my studio website).  In a nutshell, most of my students have seen at least one area of their life drastically changed (for the better) because of their Purna Yoga practice.  It is not because of me, or my teaching, it is because they have taken the practice into their hearts and used it for their growth and evolution. 

• One woman shared with me her increased self-esteem and body image, which had been a source of frustration (to say the least) for a long time.  After practicing for awhile she felt more confident in her body's abilities.
• Another student, when asked by friends why she loves this style of yoga, responds with an enthusiastic "...because it totally changed my life" - we are to understand that "for the better" is implied here.  :-)
• Students who are parents tell me of how useful the lessons from yoga classes are in their daily parenting challenges.  They have tools to help them maintain their emotional equilibrium and to respond to their family members from a place of true love, rather than reacting with frustration or impatience out of habit.
• When sharing their birth stories, prenatal yoga students often comment that during their labor/delivery they used breathing tools, relaxation techniques, and lessons about the pelvic floor to help them stay present and "with it".
• Improved recovery from physical injury, healing of emotional wounds, and many more benefits have been shared with me over the years.
• Spiritually, many students feel a deeper connection with the Divine and a greater ability to perceive It's presence and work in and through their lives.

As for myself, my yoga practice has certainly matured over the years.  When I first started practicing I was mostly interested in the physical benefits.  My understanding of Yoga as an art and science was nonexistent, I just thought it was a fun thing to do that made me feel good.  I was seventeen, what can you expect?  During my twenties, especially as I got closer to thirty, I started studying the philosophy and other aspects of yoga.  I began to see that it is a living, breathing practice that gives as much as I put into it - and then some.  My meditation practice deepened, and I learned how to use my asana as a means of moving energy and Light through my body to help it heal and release long-held tension (both physical and emotional).  I started to understand the deeper meaning and purpose of my life, and all its challenged.  I reacquainted myself with God (more on that relationship later), as I understand It, and dedicated myself to opening more and more to Its manifestation in my life.

Secondly, she wanted to know how I decided to start teaching.  When I started getting more serious about yoga, sometime around 2000, I had an inkling that I wanted to teach.  I had for many years felt a calling to help people learn to help themselves.  In college, I pursued passions for language, health and feminism, thinking that I would become a sexuality educator for adolescent girls.  I wanted to help them avoid some of the trauma I had experienced at that age, among other things.  That wasn't quite the path for my calling, however, though I knew that someday, somehow, I was meant to help people change their lives for the better.  It didn't occur to me that I could do this through yoga until after I had already been teaching for a little while. 

I had decided early on that before becoming a teacher I wanted to have five years of "serious practice" under my belt.  I like goal-setting, and felt that this particular goal would give me plenty of time to really soak up the teachings and energetic changes that a yoga practice encourages.  I didn't want to be a dilettante teacher.  I wanted to be a Teacher - with a capital T.

When I was first approached to teach, I had not yet met this goal.  I said, basically, "No way, Jose".  Then I realized that it wasn't just a coincidence that there was a strong need for yoga at a place/time when I was the most qualified person available to do the teaching...whether I had met my goal or not.  So I taught.  And I quickly learned that there's a huge difference between being a student and and being a teacher (i.e.  some actual training in how to teach this stuff is VERY important), so I started looking for a teacher training program.

I started with a week-long teacher training intensive in the Iyengar tradition.  It came to something like 40 or 50 hours, which seemed to me at the time like a pretty good start.  It was not inspiring, but was quite informational.  I set off to teach more.  It wasn't long before I realized that I needed a much more comprehensive teacher training program, and that I was particularly interested in learning more about the esoteric aspects of Yoga.  At this time I still had a year of active duty service left on my Air Force commitment, but we knew we'd be moving to Seattle so I started looking into teacher training programs in the area.

That was when I learned about Aadil Palkhivala, Purna Yoga, and The College of Purna Yoga.  I read Aadil's bio, and thought, "This is who I want to teach me."  I was surprised, delighted, and more than a little  nervous when I received my acceptance letter.  That was the beginning of an awakening that has been so much more than I believed possible!