Spring

Spring has brought some new beginnings, new challenges.

One new thing I'm very happy about is the beginning of the YO MAMA class - a class for moms - with childcare next door. I'll be the teacher for that one. Ever since I had babies and realized a few things about the status of mothers and children in our culture, I've had a big mission to support mamas - its' a political thing as well as a spiritual thing with me. I can really get going about how our society does not value parenting or Mothers, not really. It just gives them a sort of Hallmark nod of acceptance, but no real honor. Anyway - YO MAMA is one of my support efforts.

I'm also SO PROUD to hear that Jen, who teaches at Garden Street and also at Juvenile Detention - found out that all 110 of her students at Juvie said their favorite class was "Yoga with Jen". Wow.

Terri (also at Garden Street) is performing more and more music with her band . She's the singer and she's getting a rep as REALLY talented.

Beth is singing too, diving into Kirtan, chanting study and practice. She continues to glow brighter and brighter. You know what I mean if you know Beth. Should we be worried? Will the rest of the world suffer a brown-out if Beth continues to amp up? And Thine is continuing to add her own brightness with her teaching of the senior classes.

Garden Street Yoga is like a wild flower garden these days.

Next Tuesday begins the Teacher Training. A great group of people have signed on. There are 9 local people - students who recently completed the Immersion locally (the "Matrika-Mas" Immersion group). 7 other students are coming from "far and wide" - Montana, Idaho, Colorado and B.C. One of those "far and wide" people is Jenni. She was one of my early Yoga teachers - 25 + years ago. I remember her whenever I think with gratitude of the teachers in my life who have opened the door and opened my heart. Life has a sense of humor -- I get the joke and have to laugh when I think of sitting as her teacher for these next several days, leading the Gayatri chant, which I originally learned from her! But it will be fine - the "Seat of the Teacher" pretty much runs the show and I am pretty much a back seat driver - sometimes well behaved and sometimes not.

On Saturday of the Teacher Training week, I'm happily looking forward to mixing in last year's group -("Shri-Deep") with this year's group. They will add a lot of depth and breadth and Shakti. Some days I can't believe how lucky I am to have people like these in my life.

And other days I can't believe I have to deal with certain other people in my life. I would rather not ever again be involved with people who aren't involved in Yoga or at least in some sort of path of practice, sanity and kindness! But of course that's not exactly realistic. The more business I do - the more business people I have to deal with. I think most of the business world is operating on a competition model (duh!) which is actually dinosaur thinking. So many of the new and highly successful businesses - like the ones that get highlighted in magazines like "Wired" - are working on models that are very much aligned with Yoga philosophy, that foster cooperation, affirmation, and development of a true community of practice (kula). Thank heaven for evolution.

Anyway - I've had several of these kinds of incidents in the last couple of weeks - rapid fire. I'd like to retreat I but can't really do that. I suppose it's a chance to strengthen my capacity to stay centered. Or something. And it gives me a challenge to remember ALL the remarkable people that I get to see so often - they far outnumber the hairy single cell amoeba types.