11 – Deep Forest – Forest Hymn

Last weekend I had my first live and in person training with my master teacher and mentor, Shiva Rea.

She came to Austin. I have been studying her teachings and lineage for almost a year with my friend and mentor, Adri. Shiva studied in India with P. Jois and in the lineage of Krismacharya. She developed Prana Flow. This vinysas is part of my natural soul inspired movement. I simply KNOW it, and then as I learn it is is as if it was already there, just awakened. It is beautiful. My teaching has been enhanced so much for my students by this practice of Prana Flow. I truly believe I am IN THE FLOW, totally in the flow. As my friend Jamesey says, it is already perfectly created, we just show up. Today is Makar Sankranti 2012: 14 January. This is a new beginning. Acccording to Wikipedia ‘regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. It is said as the ‘holy phase of transition’. It marks the end of an inauspicious phase which according to the Hindu calendar begins around mid-December. It is believed that any auspicious and sacred ritual can be sanctified in any Hindu family, this day onwards. Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the termination of winter season and beginning of a new harvest or spring season.’

The most apparent display of this lack of Metta was a just over a month ago. I really began to feel the pull of placing my priorities back in proper order. Things can be out of whack for a period, during the creative process for only so long. Then it is time for DAMAGE CONTROL. I decided this Metta would begin with Lisa, me, Self Love. I teach this, but have I ten living it? Not so much.I have been studying and begun a processs of working on me. Practicing Metta, lovingkindness, for myself. This journey has sprung from a year of taking care of building my studio before sleeping, before eating. Someti=mes placing my priorities out of order to get to the bigger picture. My family has taken the brunt of this rearrangement of priorities, my relationship with my hubby has been placed on the back burner to sleep, to rest, to creating and being in the creative process. He is so patient. <3 Cultivations Self Love with me this cold day in December, I decided, must begin with an asana practice, at a class, with me being the student for once. So, on a whim, as usual, my decision was that I needed to go to yoga, to practice yoga at my studio. NOW, today. This was one day after a HUGE event that I held at my studio for the Holidays, just a few weeks before Christmas 11. I had been teaching but not practicing my yoga regularly. I feel I've always had a strong meditation practice, but it had also slipped off the daily TO DO radar, somehow. I had begun the day for weeks in a row jumping up and running full stream, no time to reflect, meditate, journal, look out the window at the birds. I'd just simply been getting up barely before the kids got up, no time for coffee with my hubby, and even getting up and going back to lay down, and attempt to rest. With two kids getting ready and a supportive hubby assisting the process I'd developed a very unloving habit rather quickly. So... i had been contemplating taking more time for ME ON THE MAT. I like me on the mat, I felt I needed a teacher to facilitate a kick start, and I chose to come to my studio and take a SUnday night class with Dan, he's a great teacher and teaches a challenging vinyasa. So, in the old Lisa's style, I literally zoomed out the door at the last second, dragging Aspen Rainne with me to the studio in 40 degree weather with a fuzzy coat and fuzzy boots. I arrived 1 minute after class started. I never do this, arrive late. Today, I really needed my yoga practice, so I rushed in. Took a few deep breaths while taking off my boots, set Aspen up with Netflix and went into class. I figured that they'd still be in Pranayama (breath work) and I'd slip in. To my surprise that we in the middle of a HOT vinysasa Sun salutation flow. I stepped into my space, getting my mind into the flow, my body followed very quickly. I began the flow I love so much: Tadasana (Mountain) Swan Dive to Uttanasana (Forward Fold) 1/2 Lift, Forward Fold/ Monkey Jump Back Float thru to Chattarangua (low push up) Urdva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog) Ardha Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) jump to Forward Fold/ Reverse Swan Dive Tadasana So, as I dd my first jump back float thru to low plank Chattarangua I was not warm at all. Only a few days later, I realized in my haste that I got the class start time wrong. (even thought I wrote the schedule!) It actually started 16 minutes before I got there, not 1 minute. They had already warmed up and were totally in their vinyasa flow. I broke my toe. Yep, I did.

I knew something was up a little later in the class. I recalled hearing a little pop in my first jump back to Chattarangua, but as I was truly not being loving and kind to my body I tuned it out. My pain threshold is very high, as I birthed two kds with no drugs, so this was no big deal. I focused on my practice and my breath. Later in class we went into hand to big toe, a standing balance series. I grabbed by big toe and extended my right leg and stood up. Hmmm… Ok, cool. then I opened my leg to the side plane of my body. Not so nice. I couldn’t bend my toe around the two peace fingers. Note to self you might say? Nope. I just powered through my practice:

Running man

Visthitasana

Hanamanasana

Raja Kapatosanana

No problem. Then I cooled down. I rested in Savasana. Beautiful.

I went to put my fuzzy boots on and I mentioned to Dan that I jacked up my toe in my first jump back. I didn’t ‘float’ at all I LANDED. I was literally still 40 degrees in a 95 degree practice. Yep is was broken. By the time I got home and checked it out is was all black and bleu. I texted my friend Kim, who’s a nurse. She told me I did a doozy, as she viewed my pic I texted her. Nothing I could do except ice and wrap it to the second toe. I borrowed her boot and wore it a few weeks.

My big toe has been rewrapped every day to my second toe for almost 6 weeks with lime green KT tape. My second toe finally rebelled and this week it told me that it was time to wrap it alone. Then yesterday was the first time I went without tape at yoga. Finally, I can be free again!

Now not only my toe has healed. I have used this experience to fully integrate METTA into my life. I studied an in-depth study Sunday 1/8/12 with Shiva Rea. The focus of the study has completely confirmed m practice of compassion, Self love and kindness is the proper priority. As I practice being kind to myself, resting, eating, just as I teach this; then I can bring this kindness to others, and practice random acts of kindness to strangers as well. Being kind on the mat cultivates compassion and peace.

On 1/1/12 we practiced a detox flow and then created vision boards for 2012. I cut up a bunch of magazines that resonated with my moving into this devotion.

One mantra that I cut out, and I didn’t know the meaning of, it just ‘felt’right, as things do when in the flow, was Maitra Karuna. I researched this tonight. Here are my favorite findings:

Thich Nhat Hanh speaks on true love. 2 of the 4 Brahma Viharas, Maitri & Karuna .