Slackro

Yesterday I attended a workshop taught by Sam and Raquel of YogaSlackers. They are amazing teachers and I always learn so much from them. This workshop was different because the poses we learned were slackline-inspired acro poses. This adds a whole new level of difficulty, because for a flyer it means your base is not steady so you can't be super tight like you normally would or you will fall. As a base or a flyer you have to ebb and flow with the pose in Slackro.

Photography by Eric R. Ward

Another reason I love AcroYoga and Slackline Yoga is that I am a newbie to both and still have so much to learn about each. It allows me to work on my body awareness as well as body awareness with another person. Which leads to even bigger skills that are at the heart of this practice: COMMUNICATION and TRUST.

To be able to do anything in AcroYoga you have to communicate. This is good and difficult. Things get hard and you might be falling out of a pose over and over again. This is frustrating to everyone involved. When this happens in AcroYoga I need to apply what I do to my regular yoga practice BREATHE and NONATTACHMENT. Maybe let go of that particular pose or transition for a while, practice something I know to regain my confidence and then try again.

In AcroYoga, you have to trust in yourself and the person you are working with or you won't try anything new, because fear will take over.  Trust cannot happen without communication.

Overall, I am happy to be learning and trying new things. I am grateful for the lessons I'm learning about the practice and myself. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and support of the community.

Final Thought: I CANNOT WAIT TO GET ON MY SLACKLINE AGAIN!

A Yoga Thanksgiving [a Recap on Happiness]

Happiness is...

...warm sun kissing my skin as I lay beneath the Arizona sky
...meeting new people and hearing new stories
...being inspired continually by the pure strength and joy of those around me

...being in my own filth and not really caring because no one else around me has showered for days either
...slacklining outside again

...Spitz peppered sunflower seeds
...being thrown around like an acro rag doll with super talented yogi friends

...talking things out
...pure love and joy
...not counting calories for a week
...being silly and playful
...doubling the amount of National Parks I have visited in 48 hours

...breathing into it
...handstand canes (need I say more?)

...honesty
...driving home safely on a donut
...cacti
...healing my leg through yoga

...breakfast by Lake Mead
...going to bed early and sleeping in (what every mom rarely gets)
...yoga in the dirt
...rock climbing outside for the first time ever

...a playful Bikram class where handstands were encouraged! What the?!
...my introduction to Forrest Yoga
...creating yoga art with my dear friend, Eric

Photography by Eric R. Ward

...peppermint mochas and lemonade Rockstars
...coming home to this face

Photography by Eric R. Ward

Yoga Recycled

Yoga Recycled is Dean Judd's new FREE YOGA project in Utah County. Classes are offered at The Startup Building, The Yoga Underground, 3B Yoga, and The Pit Elevated. I love how this project and the yoga teachers and studios in our area are uniting to make yoga possible for anyone and everyone. It's a beautiful thing.

I'm teaching a class for the project at 6am on Mondays at The Yoga Underground. Check it out!

What's YOGA RECYCLED?
Though the origins of yoga are many and the people who practice diverse, those who find themselves on the journey have done so in pursuit of certain goals. Get healthy, lose weight, grow strong, find balance, gain peace, live longer, or all of the above--to name a few.

A yogi may not begin their practice with the intention to make the world a better place but inevitably that's what happens. Practicing yoga creates a transformation in an individual. It can inspire you to change your beliefs about yourself and about the world. Inspired people can do amazing things. Now is a really good time to start.

YOGA RECYCLED offers classes that are free of charge. What we ask in return is that you perpetuate the purpose of the practice. However you know how. In whatever way you believe is fair. By giving of whatever it is that you have to give to benefit someone else. To give is to receive and to receive is to give. That's YOGA RECYCLED.

TAKE THE ENERGY YOU GET FROM A YOGA CLASS AND PASS IT ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE.

Community

“Every human activity can be put at the service of the divine and of love. We should all exercise our gift to build community.”  -Jean Vanier

One thing I have noticed and appreciated more in this last year is the strength of the yoga communities I am a part of. For a longtime I stuck to the studios and classes that were familiar and close--the ones where I knew what to expect. Within the last year or so I started expanding on that base, and I was able to build on it by trying new yoga styles, attending new workshops, trying out new studios, and taking classes from new teachers. I have also taken risks and put myself out there to try out new opprotunities. In expanding my yoga universe I have found a lot more strength, love, and met many new geniune people that I am happy to have in my life. By geniune people let me illustrate, these people ask questions like, "How are you doing?" and after they receive a nice, polished answer follow-up with, "No, really, how are things going for you?" These are people who speak to my soul directly from theirs, and I can't get enough of them. I am at a point in my life where a put-together-refined-plastic-life no longer serves me. Give me raw. Give me the real you. I see beauty in the cracks. 

The thing I adore about communities (any kind for that matter) is how one person's enthusiasm can start this wildfire that just keeps spreading.  

How can you break out of your routine and experience the love of community? Be open to new ideas. 
Share your ideas. 
Get out of your comfort zone. 
Smile. 
Spread love and you will get love right back. 

Yogaslacker Friends

SLC Yoga Insta Friends

 Acro Friends

All photos by Eric R. Ward