Speaking of sharing, I am off in a few hours to a long drive up north to Berkeley to study with Sianna and Kenny, my favorite subject ever, therapeutics! I can't wait to sit and learn and then get up and share and put it into work.

Yesterday I was teaching my Restorative class and we had a really nice group, sweet energy and a lovely sequence. And yet when I went home I was revisiting the class in my mind and I realized that I could have done one thing better. You see one of the students in class had a headache, she told me before class. I could tell from watching her alignment that her head was protruding forward. I thought that the class overall would help her feel better, but after class she still had the headache. And I realized that somewhere during class, while everyone was in a given pose I should have come over and worked on her neck, giving her manual shoulder loop. This would be a nice thing to do and to apply all the therapeutic knowledge that I have accrued through my years- maybe next time. 

I have been revisiting the text "The Splendor of Recognition" with commentaries by Swami Shantananda. It's such a glorious and wise text. And somewhere in it, it says that the universe is being created all the time. And it certainly feels like that when I teach. That the universe is constantly being created over and over. That statement inspires me to stay open to new possibilities, to stay playful and not take anything for granted.

Speaking of, I was teaching class yesterday morning. It's my strongest class at Still on Tues and Thursdays at 9AM. A student right before class asked me if I could demo how to spot a handstand, not just the handstand but how to spot it. And the funny thing is that in my mind I feel like I demo how to spot a handstand all the time!  So I said I would.

We did this thing where I showed how to do it it with several people. Then I asked the students to go row by row and try spotting several students. That way they get comfortable dealing with different bodies, different energies, different levels of practice. Plus they get to practice spotting a number of times. Great right? 

But then the worst happened- I wasn't watching but apparently a student kicked another student in the face. Everyone was fine in the end but it certainly rattled us. The student who kicked felt horrible, the student who got kicked was in a bit of pain, and I felt like the worst teacher in the history of Anusara. It reminded me that what we do in class is difficult and precarious. It reminded me (and I shared this insight with the students in class) that whenever I spot someone I ALWAYS look at their kicking leg like a hawk and I NEVER take it for granted that I know their practice. 

I guess the lesson is that I can never take for granted that people know how to spot. That I have to always observe and not get ahead of myself and truly see how I can be of service to however is in my class. To continue to teach things even if I think I've taught them a zillion times. To not be afraid of sounding repetitive. 

I so want my students to be comfortable spotting others because if you are comfortable spotting someone else you are truly being of service. And if you are a great partner in yoga, then you are also sharing all that you know, all that you've learned from your practice with others.

Off to Berkeley- can't wait to share!

Anusara Poster Project Pose: Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (love it!)