I am the type of person that never gets sick. I always tell people at work, especially those that are ill a lot, that I squeeze all my toxins out when I practice yoga through the peace of mind, sweat, twisting and balance that is achieved and practiced through yoga. And, I truly believe that this is entirely true.

In fact, I can’t even remember when the last time I got sick was, but I got sick yesterday. I had a great day, took Shakti Flow with Ashley at Yogani Studios,  photo shoot with photographer Kerry Travilla-Brown, then taught my own yoga class at Serenity Stream, came home made dinner, ate and oh what a feeling.

My tummy began to hurt like a knife was sticking in it and then twirlling around. I thought it was something I ate, but when I only had lentil soup and a salad what on earth could it have been? Even though I am still not entirely convinced that it wasn’t something I ate – maybe the soup was bad (it was from a can, but an organic soup – even so).

So the next day when I woke up and will still really sick, I realized, I can’t do yoga. I couldn’t teach my class last night either, oh no reality set in! I am defiantly not good at sitting around either, even though being sick you don’t have much choice, but beyond watching boring tv, sitting in silence, and talking to friends on the phone there isn’t much else to do. I couldn’t even be on the computer as I couldn’t sit up for very long. And the Blackberry was not working out either while trying to type laying down.

But, there was one thing I could do that is one of the eight limbs of yoga and that is – Dhyana- Meditation! I could do this lying down, I could keep my blanket on me,  and I could be in peace and get my mind off the pain of my topsy turvy tummy.

A good friend of mine, Loraine, gave me a bunch of CD’s from my favorite author, Jon Kabet Zen. You have heard me mention his book before in an older blog post. Inside the batch of CD’s there was one with Lying Down Meditations. Right up my alley!

As I meditated, it was interesting because although I was supposed to revisit the sound of my breath if my mind drifted, it seemed during that particular present time to refocus through the sound of my own tummy grumbling.

So, the moral of the story is, Yoga is something that you can still practice, even when you are sick! And even if you don’t have any meditation cd’s, or lying down mediations, you can do your own meditative practice, or even listen to one from Itunes (Meditation Oasis, etc.)

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I wanted to get a Christmas present for a good friend of mine who has been coming to my yoga classes for over a year now and I wanted something to do with yoga, but not on a really deep level that might freak him out.

I remembered this book that I heard about somewhere called, “Real Men Do Yoga”, by John Capouya.

I thought, humm let me check that out. So I headed to the local bookstore so that I could get my hands on it and I loved it. Simple, easy to read, not too basic, but not too crazy hard either. It is a book written about yoga for real men! Men who work and travel a lot, men that have kids, men that participate in a variety of other athletic activities, Golf, Football, Tennis, Basketball, Weight Training, etc. There are tons of stories inside it from real live men (mostly more famous athletes – like Eddie George, etc.). I was impressed when I looked it up on Amazon.com to preview it before buying and it received 4.5/5 stars. Wow! I was impressed.

So if you are still looking for a Christmas gift for a friend or even a loved one that you wished would “GET” the whole yoga thing, this might just do the trick.

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Every time, I think I am going to begin slowing down in doesn’t happen. The true of the matter is that I have a little bit of the ADHD bug in me. I don’t really like to sit still (unless I am in a Yummy Yin class- that is). But, when I first began teaching yoga, I just craved teaching and wanted to get as much experience as I could as fast as I could. I was successful in accomplishing that goal, then opportunities to teach just started falling in my lap. As the holiday season and all of its demands (temporary, but yes demands regardless), I realized just how little time of my own I really have. And I keep getting opportunities to teach more yoga (my real passion in life)!

You see, I already teach full time (high school & middle school), then I teach at HCC (community college), then I teach yoga  – now 5-6 days a week, am a Yoga Vibes Ambassador, work out at the gym, and practice yoga for myself.  Crazy schedule, so scheduled that I have to schedule everything else because it is so tight. As the new year approaches, I am in a pickle, do a lessen my schedule by teaching less yoga (my true passion), I just don’t know what to do.

My good friend Loraine says, “Tiffany you have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of others. Honor yourself first.” Although the more I think about teaching yoga is something I enjoy so much, it isn’t really not like work at all and I get so many great benefits from it.

Humm…in time the answer to the question will be revealed, do I keep it tight or make it loose?

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It’s official! I am officially a Yoga Vibe Ambassador. I am stoaked. Since I already take great yoga classes of all varieties on Yoga Vibes and since I believe so much in the philosophy of yoga, it is an exciting opportunity for me to continue to spread the word.

If any of you haven’t already checked out Yoga Vibes, DO IT! There are awesome classes from teachers from all over the nation and all levels and types of classes. Tell your friends, who got stuck in traffic and missed their class, had to work late, but needed to get their yoga fix, or just those friends (people like my husband) who aren’t real into yoga as they don’t really know what it is or what it does and their ego worries them about looking silly in class. It is great to do when you travel and aren’t in an area to take yoga, or even at the airport on a layover.

Stay tuned for updates as I continue to take classes on there due to my busy teaching schedule and tell you all about it. Check out some of my reviews from classes on their site I have already taken. Although I do love them all.

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My newest favorite book is titled, Wherever You Go There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. The authors name just makes sense with the title. The book is the best book I have ever read about meditations. Of course, Shala used it in her Mindfulness training, that is where I got the reference for it from. It has so much information, so many meditations and so much common sense that I just can’t seem to put it down. If you are attending my classes, you will find me using it over and over again, sharing it’s wealth of knowledge and peace with each of you.

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So, after teaching a wonderful yoga class at Yogani Studios on Sat. I headed off to get my make-up on for my Halloween costume for a party I was going to. This year I decided to do something totally different from my true self and after searching and searching for costumes both online and in the area, I decided to begin to create my own. I ended up with Deadly Diva. Which of course, I am so NOT.

My good friend Debra Dakin in Brandon did my make up and let me borrow her wig. (I so love it when friends share). Saves so much money, especially for stuff like this that I might never use again.

Funny as you can see by the pics that I didn’t feel scary, bloody or even frightful. I was my normal happy go lucky self. Next year, I am thinking I will be a Daisy (now that’s more like me). But, hey, Halloween is for dressing up in ways that we never would isn’t it? Oh yeah, my against dressing up husband, Bryan, he was the all to creative, Flavor Flav.

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For weeks and weeks, ever since I heard that the new Yoga Vibes site was up I have wanted to try it out, well I finally got the chance. I gave up one of my regularly scheduled yoga classes that I teach to get some personal R & R and boy am I glad. I took Shayla Worsley’s class as she is one my favorite Gurus, other than Steph of course. It was a nice mix of challenge and peace.

One of my favorite things that she said during the practice was,

“When we pay attention on our inhalation we journey from our spirit to form, when we are at the top of our inhalation, we are savoring the time we spend in the human body, when we exhale we return from our human body back to spirit form and when we are at the bottom of our exhale we are in the time spent in connection to the divine.” Deep stuff.

What I love about the Yoga Vibes site is that you can take class from great instructors from all over the world and only pay $10 for most of the classes. You even have the ability to take them over and over for a period of ‘I think’ two weeks. Way better that those crazy videos and even better they are teaching a real class in the video so it moves like a real class does.

I really did have my own yoga teacher in my own home, other than me of course!

So, I normally don’t practice from home myself, due to various distractions like my two dogs and their need for non stop attention from me since I work so much, but just because I never seem to get a good class when I do it. Even if I do my own thing. In time, I am sure my home practice will improve as my dogs get more and more used to my being on the mat and not getting up for their every beck and call. As the late Pattabhi Jois said, “Practice all is coming.”

Until, next time. Namaste and to all a good night!

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