This semester has been a wonderful journey of opportunity to develop my Yoga practice and personal growth. It is my fourth term in Advanced Yoga. I really enjoy the class and have been a dedicated student. I have perfect attendance in class and I have been very consistent and strong with my personal asana and meditation practices. The lessons on the chakra system, although not necessarily new to me, are deepening my experience of the chakras. I apply what resonates with me in my personal and professional life. Assisting the Senior-Restorative class this semester, has been very enjoyable and educational. Helping out in the teacher and seniors is really helping me to become a better teacher. The Universe is recognizing my efforts to further my teaching and has responded by attracting some new Yoga clients to my private practice. I have also been venturing out to classes and events at various Yogic Institutions with some frequency. I feel this is really expanding my horizons. In time, I hope to find a ‘home’ with one of these international Yogic institutions and study Yoga abroad. 

I love our class room in the Wellness Center at San Francisco City College. Whenever possible, I like to set up a spot to practice where I can see out the windows. It is so lovely and peaceful to gaze out at the panoramic view of San Bruno Mountain, the city and across San Francisco Bay to Mount Diablo while we practice.Today I feel stronger and healthier in my body and mind than I ever have before. I know it will only get better from here. I have been practicing Yoga asana for fifteen years. Over time, my asana practice has been becoming more advanced. Today, I feel stronger, physically than perhaps ever before. I have been taking on more challenging poses and holding them longer as my body is ready. I can hold inversion poses such as head stands and hand stands for a full minute or more. My goal is to one day hold a head stand for twenty minutes, as many of my teachers do. I have not practices much in terms of arm balances such as kakasana. This is something I would like to concentrate on more, so I must build more upper body strength and focus on my center of gravity. 

I really appreciate that in a public, community college setting, we are offered a Yoga class that is complete with spiritual teachings and practice. Meditation and pranayam in class has encouraged me to be consistent with these practices outside of class as well. I meditate at some point every day. Often I will take a few moments throughout the day to center, focus on my breath and clear my mind. I may not have 20 minutes, but I may have 2 or 5 here and there. I remain conscious of my breathing throughout my day practicing specific pranayam exercises such as ujai breath frequently. The lectures on the Yoga Sutras last semester spawned an interest to study them more in depth. I now have two copies of the Sutras, one pocket size from Integral Yoga and one larger book that offers quotations that correlate to the sutras, beautiful pictures and journal pages. I have been reading one almost every day and contemplating them. This semester we are studying the chakras. I first learned about the chakras when I began studying Reiki about ten years ago. It was during my first Yoga Teacher Training that I learned about the chakras in Yoga practice. The lectures and handouts have deepened my understanding of the chakra system with respect to what each chakra represents energetically and how the balance or imbalance of these chakras manifest to effect our lives. I finally have been practicing and have memorized the Bija Mantras which correlate to the different chakras. Using these sounds has enabled me to become more powerful and to facilitate healing more effectively. 

From time to time I have gone to a number of Yogic events at various institutions outside of the college. This spring I have been attending such events with increased frequency. In February, I attended two Shivaratri events. One was at the Anatubi Meditation Retreat Center in Novato, CA. I brought my children and a couple of my girlfriends. At the event, they explained the significance of the holiday, had katak dancing, guided meditation and a delicious meal, all at no charge. The Anitubi Center is part of the Brahma Kumaris, Raja Yoga organization. They are a world wide institution. They offer meditation workshops, retreats and more all by donation. I visit their San Francisco facility often. This was my first time at the Novato retreat center. The Shivaratri event at the MA Center in Castro Valley was an interesting experience that really had a profound effect on my personal life. The rituals performed that night had an immediate effect. I had set my intentions to basically purify a situation that has been ongoing in my personal life for several months now. As we pored the milk I asked Ganesha, remover of obstacles to release my ego and lusting after outcomes because I was feeling conflicted between my hearts desire, my perception of right and wrong. As we made our offerings to the fire, I focused on unconditional love. As was being discussed in the second chakra lecture, issues of codependency have been a major factor in my life. For me to be able to know that one must learn their own lessons, that I cannot fix things for someone, control the actions of others or change the situation has been a big lesson for me. I am a caregiver through and through. It is not easy for me to step away and wait on the will of the Universe. To hold that space in my heart of unconditional love is all at once a wonderful feeling, for I know it is genuine and it is a silent suffering because I hate to see someone I care so much for staying in a toxic, dysfunctional relationships and behavior patterns. I am whole and complete in myself.  So I continue to live my best life, accept myself as is, growing wiser, stronger and practice infinite patients. This makes me attractive to others and is the best way I can be of service.

I attended one other fire ceremony at a small ashram in San Francisco. A good friend of mine is involved with the swami who runs it. I do not know his name or the name of the ashram, but it was a good experience. It was a small group, a sharp contrast to the masses of people at the MA Center. On Good Friday, I went to the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco for the Gayatree Chanting. They do it every full moon. I brought with me, one of my yoga students. He seemed to enjoy it. I was happy to introduce him to a different aspect of yogic practice. For the most part, we tend to focus on asana practice. I think I grew a little as a teacher by sharing that experience with one of my students. Now, on my flight to New York, I am looking forward to visiting Integral Yoga New York...

Integral was awesome! I did not expect it to be so big, complete with a health food store and apothecary. I went to Integral twice while I was in New York. First, I attended a Level II asana class in the Heaven Room on the 6th floor. I was told that the Swami himself used to reside in that very room. The energy of the space was very nice, an oasis amongst the urban chaos. The class itself was good. It was challenging, but not overly so. I did learn a couple of new variations on poses that I had not done before, such as a variation on fish pose where the legs are in virasana. After asana practice, I stayed for Satsang. We chanted “Hari Om”, meditated, listened to a recorded lecture by Swami Satchitinanda and had a long discussion of the subject matter. It was kind of amusing, hearing these people with thick New Yorker accents discussing Yogic spirituality. I guess because they just sound so tough! The woman who led the group talked about the protective quality of her practices. I carried this with me as I wandered the streets and subways of New York City, all by myself late at night. I felt confident and powerful. No one was going to bother me and nobody did. 

Of course, I had to buy something at IYI. I found a book on Tantra, a subject I have been wanting to learn more about. I have begun reading it and in following the instructions, must now practice the energy conduction exercise of lesson one for two weeks before moving on to the next. I returned to IYI for a workshop on Tantra. It was a very fast two hours. I learned that Tantra is based in sacred sound and sacred geometry. She taught us in brief about Vedic Astrology, the representation of the days of the week and the planets and learned the Mantras that correlate to them. We did a guided meditation where she gave an overview of where Tantra evolved. I sank deep in that meditation and do not remember much, consciously of what was said. We also colored mandalas and did a tradac exercise, gazing into one another’s eyes. It was powerful. I really connected with a couple of people in the class. I am very excited to be beginning my study of Tantric practice for it has been interesting to me for some time. I had such a great time in New York, I think I would like to return to IYI to take more Yoga Teacher Training courses. 

This summer I intend to continue my Yoga karma Yoga practice by  volunteering with my children and practicing at IYI San Francisco, practicing asana at IYI, the YMCA and at home. Bakti Yoga I will practice on my own and when the opportunity arises. I am looking forward to the fall semester. The plan is to begin the Yoga Teacher Training Program at City College. I am already a Yoga teacher. I have taken many of the required classes, such as Anatomy and Physiology, so I imagine it wouldn’t take me very long to complete the program. And classes such as Teaching Movement and continuing to volunteer in the Senior Restorative class will be very inspiring and educational.