Signs of Solidarity

   Last week, I was walking Milo  and  saw this sign. 

 Then a couple days ago,  Milo and I were walking by again  and  saw  this  one. 

On my way upto Waco this morning, I was listening to some radio program on KUT  that was reporting that the social distancing in Austin is  working.   Leaving aside the protesters at the capital, it does seem that Austin is taking the coronavirus quarantine seriously.    I really did feel heartened by these  signs  of solidarity and it struck me that the  neighbors are practicing 1.33

1.33

maitrī karuṇā-muditopekṣāṇāṁ sukha-duḥkha-puṇyāpuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaś citta-prasādanam

Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favorably disposed, serene and benevolent. (I) By cultivating an attitude of friendship toward those who are happy, compassion toward those in distress, joy toward those who are virtuous, and equanimity toward those who are non-virtuous, lucidity arises in the mind (B).

 Hot  weather is  coming, but it is another beautiful and breezy day  up here on Dad's back porch.  I did have to put on some bug spray, but well worth it to enjoy the peaceful serenity of nature.  Which corresponds  well  to  the  last of the ORs,  the whatever works  sutra.

1.39	yathābhimata-dhyānād vā
	Or, by meditating on any desired object conducive to steadiness of consciousness. (I) Or [steadiness of the mind is attained] from meditation upon anything of one’s inclination. (B)

 This is the first weekend of quarantine that really felt like a weekend to me.  I think it has something to do with the new schedule of spending the first part of the week in  Waco, but also  last week was so meeting and computer time intensive  that  it was quite noticeable not having those commitments. 

Got to go on three long walks with Dante and Jeff.   We watched some movies  and I really am going into this new week of quarantine feeling somewhat rested and refreshed. 

Getting ready to teach online.

Yesterday, Christina and I were working our way through a backbending sequence of Abhi's  which was pretty fun. Tamara takes good notes and it is a nice way to spend some time together remotely  reading through and practicing  the sequences together.   About mid way through, I got an email telling me about receiving the Master Teacher Award.  (I had actually thought I did not  get it for the past couple days) and so finding out I did was all the more exciting.  And a good lesson in managing emotions.  Then after practice, I went out to the mail box and there the letter was waiting for me. 

In my first year of teaching at  Baylor  (1993),  I got to see then chair of the Philosophy Department  Robert Baird receive the Master Teacher Award.  He was in the third group of faculty to get the award.  It started in 1982.   I have to say that moment and his teaching excellence inspired me to strive to be the best teacher I could be.  Twenty six years later, I am  still  working to become the best teacher I can be

It is bizarre timing given the next phase of my Baylor teaching life is about to start.  Teaching online.  I have very minimal goals.  I hope the technology works and the majority of us  can at least hear each other. 




 

Sequence for today

The David Meloni workshop was  fantastic.   There's a lot I want to write about it, but don't  have time right now.   Suffice to say that  he was the embodiment of

2.46	sthira-sukham āsanam
	Asana is perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence and benevolence of spirit. (I) Asana should be steady and comfortable. (B)
2.47	prayatna-śaithilyānanta-samāpattibhyām
	Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached. [Such posture  should be attained] by the relaxation of effort and by absorption in the infinite (B).

and also

1.14	sa tu dīrgha-kala-nairantarya-satkārāsevito dṛḍa-bhūmiḥ
	Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations. (I) Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time. (B)

It worked out well to go for Saturday and Sunday in terms of the overall obligations of my life.  

Here it is back with the normal Tuesday things.  Teaching at the Castle and off to Baylor until thursday evening. 

Sukasana
Dandasana
Virasana
Dandasana
Supta pad  working with   dandasana foot in  supta pad three. 
AMS
Utt
Tadasana
Trik
Parvsa  Utthita Hasta
Various rope things
grill one
grill two
shoulder thing on the floor
AMS
AMVrk
PM
Karuna  teaching  Baddha Hastasana Sirsasana'
Chair dwi pada  since  chairs will be out.  
some padmasana work
Sarvangasana to urdhva Padmasana 
Savasana

Standing Poses and Saturday

 Well,  here it is  Saturday and I'm getting ready to leave to  teach at  Yoga Tree.   Basic  Standing pose sequence  twist  oriented.  

Virasana 

Parvatasana in Virasana

Parsva  Virasana

Dandasana

Parsva Dandasana

M1   Twist only

M3 

AMS

Utt

Tadasana

Trikonasana

Parsvottanasana

Parivritta Trik 

Parsvakonasana

Parivritta Parsvakonasana  in stages

AMS  (Eka Pada  foot at wall)

AMVrk

PM

Sirsasana

Sarvangasana

Savasana 

Prepare Yourself.

Well,  I am ready to head to the airport for my Junior III teaching retake.  I feel ready.  I have not recently experienced parental loss or burying ashes of said parent, nor have I experience  a Title IX situation in my workplace that came to a head over the summer.  I have not spent the last two months doing the written exam and I  don't have to do the demonstrated practice.

I have been focused on writing the book, but that is just  one thing other than this.

I am bummed about my knee situation, but  I have learned a lot as a result and  who knows  maybe I'll have four people with knee problems again....... 

So mentally and emotionally my frame of mind is  much better.   Right now, I am actually excited to go in there and teach.   I  know I know how to teach the poses and have things to share about them  so as much as possible  I am  looking at this as  "just" another class for me to be my dynamic philosophical awesome self. 

I have  new dansco clogs, a mani pedi,  a cute outfit  and my watch with new battery.  I have hair bands to put my fashionable but not really Iyengar approved  hair back,  it flops in my face like a muppet (I've seen the videos).    And Nichole  reminded me about the envelopes  (I forgot that last time and it did stress me out having to find envelopes and stamps at the hotel).   It is good to have an assessment buddy.  Pauline and I did  Junior 1  together.  Tedra and I did Junior 2 (which was really great because  she  had been to Lois'  many times and just was an awesome tour guide.

Junior 3  I knew Rosa and Ann   but I wouldn't really say I had the feeling of  I'm there taking the test with a buddy. 

Junior  3  two.  Nichole. 


 Anyway,  I'm taking Don Gura's  advice at Junior 1   and staying off Social Media. Well,  I'll probably read  but won't comment or post.    so  this  will be my last post  until after the test.

So  here's the plan. 

Today
12:30 Leave for airpot
3:00  Travel to San Francisos 
Arrive in San Francisco   4:10
Lyft to Hotel
Dinner  with Nichole   who is staying at the same Hotel. 
Bed Early.

Friday
Practice in hotel.  
9:00  go to the practice room  to figure out  prop situations.
10:30  (philosophy meeting via phone)
11:30  back in practice room.

12;00   take the lunch time  class at  Institute. 

1:30  orientation meeting.

Leave to hotel  to await  Marla  sending me the sequence.

evening.     Prepare  sequence. 

Dinner in room.

Saturday.

Wake up.
work on sequence and practice

11:15  check out of  hotel and walk to Insitute

12:00 PM   teach my awesome six pose sequence.

12:50    finish my awesome six pose sequence.

lunch somewhere and head to airport.

6:00PM  fly home.

10:18  arrive  home.

Sunday.

Await results.  

A lot of learning up at BKS Dallas

Not  quite Colorado scenery  but  we had a taste of Colorado coolness in the morning last week.  This is Milo at  Longview Park.  We've been going there in the mornings before the onslaught of the sun.  Otherwise,  it is pretty much couch time for the dogs.   Here's Milo and  Dante  last night.

That's pretty much  life in  Austin in the summer.  Along with writing, writing, writing,  and yoga.


Of course,  I'm at my home a way from home right now  getting ready for another rich day of learning at  BKS  Dallas.  This morning is the first time I have actually been sore from yoga in a long time.

The morning started with a lovely pranayama class.  I was a little tired from staying up watching  Handmaid's Tale and it took me a while to really settle in and feel my breathing.  Everything felt a little shallow at first,  but  I just kept with it and  it ended up being a very deep experience of  inner spaciousness.

Then we had  asana class.  Lots of  twists.  I realized why the short femur bone is so problematic.  I can get length now that I used to not be able to get.   (there's still more to get and I can get more when someone helps me) but then when  I try to hook the elbow /arm  my femur is so low that I  am not able to kept the ground I gained.

1.30	vyādhi-styāna-saṁśaya-pramādālasyāvirati-bhrānti-darśanālabdha- bhūmikatvānavasthitatvāni citta-vikṣepās te'ntarāyāḥ
	These obstacles are disease, inertia, doubt, heedlessness, laziness, indiscipline of the senses, erroneous views, lack of perseverance, and backsliding. (I) These disturbances are disease, idleness, doubt, carelessness, sloth, lack of detachment, misapprehension, failure to attain a base for concentration, and instability. They are distractions for the mind. (B)

 I am going to work with a half block under my foot for a while. I used to not find that helpful but I'm more flexible/open now that when I worked with it before  so I will give it  a go for a while.

We  had  lunch at Central Market  and I learned that Eric from New Orleans  studied philosophy at ASU.  He  asked me if I was a continental or an analytic philosopher  and after I answered him,  I realized only continental people would  ask that question.

Then Prakash  gave a very helpful talk on  Bk 6 of the Gita but he also talked about  the chariot metaphor and  Book 1 and 2.   It was helpful  in that  he  presented a POD structure  and really talked about  the Gita being a teaching for  life in general.  Everything,  just not  on the mat.  The other huge insight I got  was  that   we often think of the three defintions of  yoga in the Gita    Evenness of mind,  skill in action, and  disassociation with suffering as being  distinct,  but  really they are all aspects of the  same  thing.

Then teacher training and I did an on the spot mock assessment.  I thought I was only teaching three poses which I had prepared, but  I had to do all six poses.  In a way,  not knowing  ahead of time was good  because I didn't have time to be nervous.   Got some good feedback about  more  on the legs and  really keep saying the  things,  not just once or twice.  There were also about three times as many students as I would have in an assessment but it was fun  and I could really feel that  everyone in the room wanted me to do well.

So I felt uplifted  not just by the self being with the self   but  by my whole yoga community.

Fun times.

Time to pack and head on  over.

Summer in Austin

This morning I am getting ready to head up to campus, but not the Baylor campus.  I am going to the Big XII teaching and Learning  conference on the UT campus.  I'm waiting for traffic to cool off  and will head up there.   I'm looking forward to it.  Lenore and the ATL staffers  are coming down as well.  

There's even time for a quick trip to the park for Milo  and  for a morning writing session.   

Yesterday  was a pretty much perfect day.   I got up, meditated, did pranayama, and fixed coffee for Jeff and a little for me.  I got a bit of writing  in  and  then  Jeff, Milo, Dante and I all went to Red Bud.   Jeff  takes Dante there pretty regularly, but usually my morning schedule is such that I don't go along.  Boy am I missing out.  That little spot of  land is  lovely.  The weather was under 75  in the morning.  We didn't even have to wait for a parking place.  

 Here's  Milo enjoying the water  and his awesome stick.

\\   Here's   Dante on the rock. Jeff  trained him to jump up and then he can  jump from rock to rock to rock. 

We came back home  and each had various appointments.  Jeff- haircut   Anne  Accupuncture.   I spent  a couple hours on the Symposium  chapter.  Then   I went up for  Pilates  and  during  Pilates  had the insight that I think I need to split the Symposium  chapter into two chapters.  That is what I did with the beast of the Republic  chapter in the first book.   It will require a little rewriting/ reframing  but not much. 

Jeff  took a Lyft  up to meet me   and  we  had an awesome date  at Wink.