Yogafly2

Ananda Ashram's Yoga Teacher Trainees

I've spent the past month with these lovely ladies pictured here - from l-right, Jennifer, Michelle and Nicky - who will each have their 200-hour yoga teacher certificates on Saturday from Ananda Ashram.  It's truly been a tremendous joy to work with such true yoginis - totally dedicated, compassionate, smart, strong ladies.  Their days have been long and intense - but as Michelle says in her way, they "LOOOOVE it." 

I have learned a lot through helping them with the Hatha yoga postures, Anatomy & Physiology, et. al.  Ananda Ashram's staff of teachers including Shawn, Vidya, Radha, Bharati, MaBha, Acharya Roop Verma, Tara, Purnima, Yehnemsah, Karuna, Karmananda - have all given gems of information and knowledge that can only be found at Ananda Ashram and from Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati.  This weekend, Prem Prakash will give us tips on "Teaching to Learn." 

One of the things I've found is that there is no end to going inward and exploring the depths of the mind and the soul through the teachings of yoga.  What is the spirit of nature?  How do we understand the indelible?  How do we teach others how to reach the subtlest parts of their being?  As yoga teachers, we aspire to give others their own true nature.  The only way we can do this is by cutting through our own "b.s.," our own dramas, fairy tales, fantasies, dreams and thoughts over and over again.  It's truly the work of a lifetime - or many lifetimes.

Hare Om.

Diary of a Label Lover - Blog by Alexis Stack

My co-worker buddy Alexis Stack, pictured left - not in garb we wear to work - and I spend a little bit of time blogging because it's good to share the goodies.  I go back to my advertising job next week where Alexis helps me out with fashion and we help each other make sure we get out of the office and eat lunch.

Check out Alexis' blog - http://diaryofalabellover.typepad.com/

She's written some great sartorial advice - totally fun and practical.  And because of Alexis, I now know where all the great consignment shops are in New York for when you just have to find the perfect little suit or the perfect little dress.   Alexis also got me my Nars lip gloss that I like so much that I stop and put it on in the middle of teaching yoga - an unconscious act that I'm now well aware of... hmmm.

Health Insurance for Yoga Teachers

So I got a very interesting Facebook request for yoga teachers' health insurance.  It's such a great question, as I haven't had health insurance for a while.  I may get it again but I usually spend the $300-450.00 a month most insurance companies ask for on acupuncture, chiropractic, massage and cranio-sacral work - all not covered by most health insurance companies.  But here are some Web sites to get more information on health insurance for yoga teachers:

In New York City, The Freelancers' Union has the best rates for health insurance that I've found:

http://www.freelancersunion.org/

GHI, also in New York City would charge a healthy single woman like me $451.00 per month for health insurance.  Hmmm, that's how many massages?  I typically get 1 massage a week for $50-$75 a session including tip.  My chiropractic visits are $75 out of pocket.  And my cranio-sacral is $110 (once a month).  My acupuncturist is $95.00 per session.  I know, major catastrophic stuff is what I should have health insurance for, but for this stuff, I have God.  Guru.  Padre Pio.  But I'll probably buck up soon and start paying for insurance again just to have it. 

www.ehealthinsurance.com - is a Web site that calculates everything for you and has a special promo for yoga teachers. 

There are also the multiple yoga alliances that are setting themselves up to provide, hopefully, affordable health insurance for yoga teachers.  These are Yoga Alliance - www.yogaalliance.org and NAMASTA www.namasta.com.

Insurance is such a wonderful fear-based system to keep us all on our toes.  Many of my friends have had home births with midwives and no health insurance.  I wouldn't recommend this method - home births - for those who are afraid of their own bodies.  But for those who study the body they carry for a lifetime and the bodies of others, such as yoga teachers - the ones vibrating on a very high, high level (beyond the body & the mind), well, for us, health insurance is not something we "depend" upon as a measure of our health.  It's just a good thing to have around - like a spare tire.  It's  good to have medical doctors as your friends and parents.  :-)  And really, everyone should study medicine even just a small part of medicine -as there are so many different kinds of medicine to study - Ayurveda, Chinese and Western, allopathic.  There's functional, integrative and homeopathic medicine.  And the approaches all together make up a healthy whole human being. 

Let's see if anyone else out there has any recommendations....

Om shantih,

Yogafly

"Work as if your life is in peril"

from Swami Vivekananda - pictured. 

On Karma Yoga:

"If you are poor, work.  If you are rich, work.  If you are burdened with seemingly unfair responsibilities, work.  If disappointments come, work.  If sorrow overwhelms you and loved ones seem not true, work.  If health is threatenend, work.  When dreams are shattered and hope seems dead, work.  Work as if your life is in peril.  It really is.  No matter what ails you, work.  Work faithfully.  Work in faith.  Work is the great remedy available for both mental and physical afflictions.

Ask nothing, want nothing in return.  Give what you have to give:  it will come back to you a thousand fold, but do not think of that now, the attention must not be on that.  Get the power to give and give, and there it ends.  Ask nothing in return, but the more you give, the more will come to you."

Om shantih, shantih , shantih.

The above was given to us by MaBha at Ananda Ashram during Swami Vivekananda's birthday celebration on January 12.

Music Shivaratri Guruji's Birthday Om Namah Shivaya

Our voice teacher at Ananda Ashram - Deepak Kumar - singer sublime brought together an amazing group of musicians and performers for an all-night music fest at Ananda Ashram in honor of Shivaratri and Guruji - Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati (pictured).

Beauty, dance, song erupted all night long and Yehnemsah and I noted this huge arc of light over the Ashram - in the starry glowing sky.  I sang and danced and listened to the golden sounds of bansuri flute, sitar, harmonium, tabla - wow - tabla galore!  Singing with Andrea on her many flutes with Hanuman on drum and Tom at the drum kit - and Nick with his blue light stick flying and leaping in front of me - carrying the song out of the heart and all around.  I felt that deep ananda - bliss supreme.  Jennifer yogini goddess singing next to me our kirtans to Shiva, Shiva, Shiva Shambo, MahaDeva Shambo.  SHIVA!!!!  At a certain point - I realized how superbly lucky I was - and especially at the break of dawn Raag Bhairav - in song, sitar, tabla, flute and harmonium - beauty.  And then Arati - the waving of lights with Radha, Laraaji, Marcelo from Brahmananda Ashram still up and Bharati - well past 6:00 in the morning, having started for me at 7 am the previous morning.. .

How lucky can one girl be?

what a supreme and sublime life I bask in daily!

Om shantih, shantih, shantih...

Blessing on Shivaratri and Guruji's Birthday

A BLESSING May the light of your soul guide you. May the light of your soul bless the work You do with the secret love and warmth of your heart. May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul. May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those Who work with you and to those who see and receive your work. May your work never weary you. May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement. May you be present in what you do. May you never become lost in the bland absences. May the day never burden you. May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, Possibilities and promises. May evening find you gracious and fulfilled. May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected. May your soul calm, console and renew you. (A selection from ANAM CARA by the late Irish poet, John O’Donohue)

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