Bad News, Good News, Yoga News

Bad News: The internet is not nearly as accessible here as I was hoping or was led to believe. I know, I know, I can learn to live without it and it is a test of my Ego. I just will not be able to update this site as much as I would have liked. I am however, gathering copious photos, notes, memories etc to share as soon as I am able! Also, I am just so darn worn out, updating a blog is about the last thing I want to do!

Good News: This place is wonderful and a blessing of many kinds. My roommate is my age and we have much in common. The other students are as enthusiastic, if not more so, than I am. The studio space is incredible and carries a powerfully positive energy. The training is hard work (and this is only day three!) but it will be well worth every drop of sweat. There are many places nearby to go for morning walks or long hikes here in the Berkshires. There is a creek running just outside my window and if I walk to that area, there is a stone fire pit, tree swing, and tadpole puddles. It has been mildly warm in the day and cool at night. What more could I want? I could go on and on about the positives but I am exhausted and it is an early day tomorrow.

Yoga News: I officially have permission to disclose more detailed information on the program I am attending. I wanted to wait, out of respect, to talk to the main teacher first about what I am doing, and make sure that it was acceptable to post publicly about her business.

I am at Frog Lotus Yoga Teacher Training in North Adams, Massachusetts. Check out their website of you are interested.

 This studio has an interesting history and lineage and I wish the website talked a little more about it. I can fill you in more later.

Off to bed, it has been a loooooong day!

Arrived at my destination. But have I arrived?

So I have officially arrived at my destination. Well, one of my many destinations that I am already aware of, and some that I am not yet aware of.  :)

I spent about four hours traveling across Massachusetts today to get to the studio where I will be training. It's actually a lot less of a drive, but I took the slow and scenic route and stopped several times. Like to cool my feet of in a nearby stream:

It was a gorgeous little stream.

There were some great views of the Berkshire mountains along the way.

I'm pretty sure I can learn to love it here!

I arrived to find an enormous studio, gorgeous living quarters, and a very friendly roommate. Our first dinner together as teacher trainees was delicious and everyone was quite talkative and appeared to share in my excitement!

More pictures to come of the studio and living quarters. First classes begin tomorrow morning.

Yoga on Horseback?

Is there no end to the fads of yoga-on-top-of-something-odd?

In sequence with my recent post about yoga on paddle board, today's news shared a story of a woman who teaches equine yoga, or yoga on horseback. Her yoga studio is her backyard.

A quick Google search led me to discover that this is not a thoroughly uncommon practice! See Desert Horse Equestrian Services yoga page .

While interesting, I think I will keep my practice on a mat. A mat on the ground, not somewhere crazy like on the wing of an airplane.

Yoga in the seat of a roller coaster! I totally just thought of a brilliant new market!

Moving Day

Today I am moving into my new apartment! It is a very busy time for me, especially because in the midst of moving, I also need to pack and prepare to leave for my teacher training on Sunday.

I feel like I don't have time to practice yoga today, which is never a good feeling.

So I think I will spend 5 to 10 minutes for a quick sun salutation sequence and some pranayama. This will be in my kitchen, among boxes stacked high of course.

Looking forward to being able to catch up more on the blog writing!

A Light Bulb

Something I have been doing over this past week has suddenly clicked inside of me. A light bulb has gone off...


I went out of town for a few days and ate at restaurants more often than I usually do. It was incredibly easy to order tasty and filling dishes that were also vegetarian! I had a bite here and there of my boyfriend's meat-filled dishes, just to see if I was missing out on anything special.

One night during this vacation, I was reading some stuff online about yogis and vegetarianism and one swami wrote that by eating meat, you are turning your body into a graveyard for the flesh of those animals. I'm pretty sure I had read this before, but this particular time that I read it, the idea settled into my brain for the night and grew in there while I slept.

The next day I honestly could not stand the thought of eating meat. I felt sick just thinking about all of the meat that I have eaten in my life and (I know, this is gross!) all of the animal flesh that had rotted away in my stomach and intestines, turning gross and toxic. Sorry if that yucks anyone out.

So I think I have now officially moved on from dabbling here and there with vegetarianism (as chronicled over at Veggies. You Know You Love 'Em!), to a full-fledged effort to eradicate meat-eating from my life. Now, I'm not saying that I foolishly believe that I will never have cravings for meat again, or that my opinions could never be swayed back in the other direction! I am a growing and changing human being who cannot commit to a life-long particular way of thinking. By right now, right here, I have (at least momentarily) crossed over to the other side.

Can you attain bliss on a paddleboard?

So if you think you've already heard of all the latest yoga fads, check out this article in the Boston Herald about yoga on paddle boards.

There are some very cool pics of folks in asanas while also balancing on paddle boards in the middle of a lake. Talk about core strength!

I may have to try this the next time I attempt surfing...although now that I think about, it is probably not possible on ocean swells, which probably explains why they were on a lake!

A space for at-home yoga practice

While studio yoga practice can be wonderful, and even necessary for some, I was reminded the other day that your studio practice is just "practice" for your at-home practice.

My apartment right now is carpeted and I have been doing my asana practice in my linoleum floored kitchen, after moving all the chairs out of the way, locking up the cats (who are wicked distracting anytime I lay out my mat; yoga seems to equal kitty playtime!) and sweeping up all the food crumbs. In other words, it hasn't been a great space, but it has done the job.

I signed the lease for my new apartment today and...drum roll please...meet my new home yoga space!!

Why yes, that is a spare bedroom with hardwood floors and plenty of sunlight!

I am excited to turn this into a space that works for me and my practice. It also may serve me well for teaching private yoga lessons after my training is complete. There actually would be enough room for two or even three students at a time, I think.

Don't forget to read about my vegetarian explorations over at Veggies, You Know You Love 'em!

How do you make your home yoga space work for you?