"Ohm with me on the pink mat!"

Yoga Teacher Training Day Two and Three: ( Posture Clinics)

“Let your mind start a journey through  a strange new world.  Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before.  Let your soul take you where you long to be...close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” -Erich Fromm

Saturday afternoon began with more introductions. On the weekends we focus on our specific form of yoga training which in my case is "Power" Yoga. The studios have been split up and we are now in a more intimate setting with a smaller group to concentrate on our posture clinics. We go around the room sharing when we started practicing yoga, what we are most excited about and what we are most nervous about. I explained that I really got into yoga through my step-mom at a young age going to random classes here and there. (even beachfront classes in Costa Rica) She introduced me to all styles of yoga. It wasn't until I moved to San Diego that I was introduced to Core Power through a friend that I began to be more consistent with my practice.  What do I fear? I am most nervous about the time commitment. I want to be completely present in my yoga teacher training which is going to take some serious determination and discipline. I am a full time graduate student, executive and now yogi.  Can my plate handle all these things giving each one the same attentiveness? That is the goal at hand and here we are at week 2. I attended my 5 mandated yoga classes, I did my homework for my thesis class and I submitted the necessary weekly reports for work today. Phew. 8 more weeks and counting.

The Saturday posture clinic included breaking down some of the "blueprint" postures which are the main postures other yoga poses root from. Learning to teach from the ground up, lines of energy and the accessible language available to us.

The Integration Series:

Child's Pose, Downward Facing Dog, RagDoll and Standing at Attention

The series that I always took for granted in my practice, never did I think that I would have a hard time repeating or teaching this series until we went over it in class. You forget the keywords that you take for granted when you are seasoned in your yoga practice like CLOSE YOUR EYES!! 

" knees draw wide to the outer edges of your mat, forehead to the floor..." these four poses have 3 transition ques, 3 refinement ques and some fluff.... It felt like I was teaching for 30 minutes and it was only 3. 

There is much to work on. I found that it helps me while I am driving in my car to go over the integration series in my car, my trainer (Core Power Yoga Instructor as well) recommend that I create distractions while I am "teaching". He said to turn the music on in the car while I speak the cues and go over the first part of the practice. I attempted this and it was very challenging. He also had me on the row machine going over the integration series. Multi-tasking will be key in this learning process and odd enough in my daily life as well.

I also had the opportunity to observe a yoga class. The instructor I went to was amazing. The ambiance was just right, the sequence was perfect and she even had great music, which if you know anything about me you know that I have a heart for soulful music. I only brought in the paper that had the response questions on it and I filled up both sides front to back in about size 6 font. There was so much I wanted to soak in from her practice! I will make sure to bring a notepad for my other observations. The whole time I was observing I was thinking two things..... I can't wait until I am teaching and how am I going to do this! 

I am very happy with my first week progress. I already feel more confident. I know that I have much to work on and many areas that need improvement but everyday is another fascinating challenge.

Wednesday Night: OM Work and Exploring Classical Yoga

Should be interesting.... I will keep you posted.

Namaste-

~Meg

"Ohm" with me on the pink mat!

Teacher Training Day One: (Wednesday 7p-10p)

Due to San Diego's inclement weather the parking lot pulling up to the Point Loma Core Power Yoga (CPY) location was pure madness. I finally was able to squeeze the jelly (name for my Toyota Yaris) into a space made for a smart car. I walked into the lobby of CPY and there were hundreds of men and women all waiting for the C3 (level 3 power yoga) class to get out. Once the class finally filtered out we made our way into studio #1 to begin our first night of yoga teacher training. 

There were over 100 people in one room from studio's all over San Diego. There were hot power fusion students from UTC, power yoga students from Pacific Beach and then both hot power fusion and power students from the Point Loma location. Just like in any first class they asked us to walk around the room and try and meet as many people as we could in 15 minutes. This was a nice opportunity to see who would be in my group for the weekend sessions where we meet at our home studio rather then in this large group. I also learned the different reasons that people have decided to take on this challenge of becoming a certified yoga teacher which turned out to be very different then I imagined. After meeting the people in the room and acquainting myself with the people sitting next to me it was time to get down to business. We received our manuals that will serve as our bibles for the next 9 weeks. As a group we went over the logistics of what to expect during the next 9 weeks:

*Meetings will be Wednesday 7p-10p ( All studios come together for lecture)

*Saturday and Sunday- Meet at home studio for technique/adjustment courses

*Each week we are required to observe 2 classes and attend an additional 3 classes. ( 5 total per week)

*10 hours of journaling, reading and meditation on your own ( my blog will serve as my journaling)

Breakdown of program hours:
Techniques: 100 hours
Teaching Methodology: 25 hours
Anatomy and Physiology: 20 hours
Philosphy/Lifestyle/Ethics: 30 hours
Practicum: 10 hours
Balance of hours: 15 hours
Contact hours (minimum): 180 hours


Looks like I am going to be a busy yogi for the next 9 weeks. 

We then broke into groups to go over the principles of being a yoga teacher and the principles that corepower lives by. 

Physical yoga postures.Breath (Prana). Flow (Vinyasa). Heat (Tapas).Gaze (Drishti) and Focus (Dharana). Alignment and Safety. Abdominal Lock (Uddiyana Bandha). Establish Rhythm. Set Students up for Success. HAVE FUN.

Things that I took from this portion of class is:


Vinyasa Flow: Self forgiveness being in the movement, moving meditation, self control
Heat: Practice at a deeper, detoxifying force for the body, self control in challenging situations
Dristi and Dharana: Coming back to focus, Process of being one with your practive
Alignment and Safety: Being verbally descriptive with postures, flowing at a comfortable pace for all levels
Uddiyana Bandha: energy at the core, solid foundation for the body, protecting the back and mind
Establish Rhythm:  Setting pace with your breath, Being predictable for your students, consistency, being present for your students


There is so much that goes into one single yoga class, it will be very intersting to learn how all these principles create a positive atmosphere for both the student and the teacher. 


My yoga class will be controlled by my breathing, I have to take breaths and verbalize these breaths to pace my class. I found this very interesting that the breath controls the flow and the foundation of the practice.

I am excited to start this new adventure. I hope to learn a lot and take in all that I can. You can only take in what you put out. I am going to give 100%.  They say I will be a changed person when it's all said and done. It's life changing!

Follow me on the mat to hear my yoga teacher training stories, inspirations and thoughts. 

 ~Meg

Buy Wine, Pair of Shoes Donated to a Child

What better after a long day of work, to snuggle up on the couch with a nice glass of wine?? How about a bottle of wine that you purchased knowing that a child in need would be getting a free pair of shoes! LOVE it! 

A pair of flip-flop sandals will be given to those in need for every bottle of newly-launched flipflop wine purchased this year.

Soles4Souls Inc. will partner with flipflop wines to provide new shoes for needy people around the world. The program will raise much needed funds to give shoes and provide one pair of flip-flop sandals for each bottle of flipflop wine purchased this year (up to 100,000 pairs for the first 100,000 bottles sold, where promotion is legal).

“The flipflop team has taken the mission of Soles4Souls to heart and we are very proud to partner with them to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people,” said Wayne Elsey, founder and CEO of Soles4Souls. "Their generosity and direct involvement benefits people who need our assistance and this unique partnership will allow those who enjoy a good bottle of wine to also make a personal difference with their lifestyle choices.”

flipflop wines, distributed by Underdog Wine Merchants, are a brand new collection of expressive, well-balanced wines that are a perfect fit with today’s more casual lifestyle. “I am very pleased to be supporting this program,” said David Georges, vintner for flipflop wines. "Not only are we making great wines for everyday enjoyment but we have created an opportunity for wine lovers to make a difference.  With one pair of flip-flops given away for every bottle of wine purchased, people can raise a toast knowing that people in real need will benefit.  Before Underdog Wine Merchants launched flipflop wines, we had already collected over 500 pairs of new and gently used shoes from employees and friends.  I’m looking forward to taking an active role with working with Soles4Souls throughout the year.”

For more information, please visit www.flipflopwines.com and www.giveshoes.org.

I already ordered my first bottle! MMMMMM. Vino anyone?

Love Bottles!!!

Setting up the love bottles for the Soiree on The Strand in Oceanside, CA

I wrapped some bottles in Valentine decor to put on display

Spreading the love on the shore

Love Bottle display; Eco-Friendly bottles that are good for the heart and don't leech harsh chemicals

All set-up and ready to go, they conveniently put us right next to the FREE valentine cupcakes :)

 A beautiful California day on the beach

Our "Love Bottle Man".... Check out his love bottle shirt! 

Local charities and non-profit organizations came together to spread love and peace

All water proceeds were donated, if only their water was in glass.... LOVE BOTTLE?

Soiree on the Strand turned out to be a fun event with live music and vendors from around the world. I know the people who purchased love bottles will enjoy drinking their water from glass. (It tastes so much better) and hopefully they can spread the love with their friends and families. 

A big thank you for all that came out to the event. Also, a big thanks to my friends and loved ones for helping me set-up and provide me with such wonderful photos. (D.W) Very professional! 

-Meg

Yoga Teacher Training starts tonight... I will be blogging about my experience. The blog posts will be titled "Ohm with me on the pink mat!"

Spreading the Love....

I want to thank all of you who made it out to Soiree on the Strand yesterday. We were blessed with great weather, people, food and most of all LOVE. The event rang in the Valentine holiday quite well with it's love based theme and non-profit organizations doing their part to make our world a better place to live in. I was happy to be involved in the event and was able to promote healthy eco-friendly love bottles to friends and families. 

Here is an article written by the Coast News about this great event:

Nonprofits gather to feed the world at Soiree on the Strand

Coast News Group

OCEANSIDE — Vicki Casper, representing World Vision and Belinda Canez, of Cafecito, 200 The Strand North are hosting another Soiree on the Strand. This month’s event, the Love Edition, will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. Feb. 13.

“Our event is an effort to bring together both local and international nonprofit organizations and fair-trade promoters together to support a better world for the poor and voiceless,” Casper said.

Additional groups and representatives participating include other nonprofits Laura Luxemburg with Ssubihut.org for Uganda with paper beads, etc.; Heavenly Treasure, which sells all kinds of products made through micro loans; Janey De Meo of Orphan's First, who help orphans worldwide; John Ashfari of Music Moves, a local organization for autistic people; Holy Honey, selling honey and other items to fund projects around the world; Jason Coker of the local Micah Film fest who will be showing a film made by Carlsbad High students on poverty; The Purpose, with more items including Love bottles made from recycled glass and Chikumbuso purses made from recycled plastic bags by ladies in Zambia.

Throughout the day there will be music by Torque of Oceanside, and Yael from La Jolla.

“This is our third Soiree on the Strand event and we are coming together to bring awareness to our community about those who may live next door or across the world who are suffering, voiceless and dying without hope,” Casper said. “Through all the organizations coming, we would like to show others how they can make a difference through purchasing products, sponsoring a child, donating time or money or promoting green practices.”

 ** I promise I will post pictures that are not from my cell phone. I had some amazing pictures taken of not just the love bottles but of the whole event. Stay tuned......

Soles4Soles

I have blogged about this charity before. I love what they stand for. I first learned about Soles4Souls at a Michael Franti concert. At the end of the concert he talked about this organization and asked the people in the crowd to give the shoes on their feet to help a child in need in another country. But more importantly he spoke about the importance and the greatness of this organization. I was so inspired at the last show I went to at House of Blues in San Diego that I started to do some research on Soles4Souls. I decided that I wanted to be more then just inspired by this organization but I wanted to be apart of collecting shoes for children in other countries. I posted a blog about Michael Franti and his story about how he hasn't worn shoes in 8 years in support for the men, women and children who are not fortunate enough to own a pair of shoes. Soles4Souls saw my post and asked if I was interested in starting a shoe drive. I was ecstatic and knew this was something that I could take to my workplace and get as many people involved as possible.

So.... my workplace is taking part in a Soles4Souls shoe drive. I am proud to report that so far my office has collected 136 pairs of shoes! Remarkable. There are still 14 days left in the drive!! If you have any shoes you would like to give away please bring them by my work (if you live locally in San Diego)

4141 Camino Del Rio South

San Diego, CA 92113

Remember your old shoes are a child's new treasure. GET RID OF THEM! You don't need them and so many children do! 

Way to go ASCS team! I am so proud. 

 This is not even all of them!! We have 2 bags in the car to ship out already!

136 Pairs and counting....

If you follow my blog you may remember that my yoga teacher training starts on Wednesday. I will be blogging about my experience and keeping a journal for all those interested in reading and following the journey. The blog posts will be titled:  "Ohm" with me on the pink mat!

When I am certified and teaching I plan on teaching yoga classes on the beach.  Classes will be by donation only and 1/2 the proceeds will go to the Soles4Souls foundation. Hope you all will join me on the shores..... I will keep you updated but plan for those yoga sessions to start mid-April.  For all those who enjoy the music as much as the yoga I will have inspiring music and you will hear my favorite Mr.Franti. :)

NAMASTE-

Meg

Just Read.... had to share!

NO FLOWERS THIS V-DAY!  Tell your man you want something homemade from his heart instead :) I know that we all love to receive them especially when they come unexpectedly. But Why? Why do girls like flowers so much? They usually only last a week and then all they are is one big smelly mess to clean up. The pedals have now landed all over your kitchen table and the water is has turned to light shade of brown. GROSS!  This year make your man think outside the box and give (or make ) you something that's actually going to last longer then a week and will most likely have much more heart put into it.   And if you are STILL a flower girl at heart check out this article: (check out the links....it's pretty sad what's going on in other countries that we are oblivious too) Apparently every rose has more than a few thorns. With Valentine's Day hot on our coattails our favorite socially conscious resource GOOD is spreading the word on the ugly side of the flower business. As romantic as those long-stemmed roses may look flowers sold in America can have sad cruel and even violent origins. In areas that produce much of America's florals like Ecuador and Columbia flower farm workers - most of them female - are subjected to unsafe working conditions poor wages and sexual harassment. In a shocking Frontline documentary one female worker said that her employers used to fumigate greenhouses while they were inside and then refused to hand over a check once she became pregnant. You can read the full story here. But in a few short words avoid the temptation of dialing up the folks at 1-800-FLOWERS. The company doesn't offer any fair trade stems and don't expect them to tell concerned callers where they originated from. So much for transparency.  So here's a romantic gesture:  Show 1-800-FLOWERS you give a shit about human rights and don't feed the fury.