Validation and Inspiration
Here I am in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Former mining town. Skiing is big. Locals tend to long braids and full beards (see Beard and Braid coffee shop). The Hot Springs inspired people to vacation here for hundreds of years. Ute, Yampatika Ute and Arapaho spent summers here, and the first White settler arrived in 1874. Famous skiers trained here. The town’s been a tourist destination for over 100 years.
But it wasn’t on my radar to visit Steamboat Springs til I heard about this workshop by Desiree Rumbaugh and Karen Church on how yoga and physical therapy complement each other. And ways to make it more so. It’s not my first rodeo at their Wisdom Warriors workshops; I attended in Des Moines around 2015 when they were just starting. This was their 25th training, and they’ve been all over the world.
I’ve been feeling like I needed a reset for a while. Like my teaching wasn’t always hitting the mark. There were students in my classes that I just felt I wasn’t reaching. So, I’ve gotten my reset. And it’s been great. As we traveled through the mind-body-breath connections from the feet to the head, I realized I’ve been using the Wisdom Warriors approach more than I thought.
And I also realized that much of what we do at Shakti is based on similar philosophies, whether from Maty Ezraty or BKS Iyengar. And from our roots in Anusara Yoga. Words popped up that I need to investigate–neuroplasticity, segmental movement, functional medicine, lumbrical grip. Yah. I know. I realized as I tried to text with my daughter about the workshop, that I need to do a whole lot of processing.
Some of you know I want to do everything, more than I have time or energy for. And sometimes I get frustrated because I can’t. And I need help with focus, balance and prioritizing. But I’m gonna set my intentions here, and keep you posted on my progress.
- Watch the recordings of the workshop; research things I’m not familiar with
- Dig out my anatomy lessons from Yoga Teacher Training, review them, and figure out how to share them with my students
- Create a daily practice that incorporates the yoga Desiree and Karen taught us this weekend. Grateful to have the recordings for that as well
- Go back to Ayurvedic science for recommendations for the onset of cold weather with warming foods, grounding practices, oils and massage
Okay. That’s enough for now. We all know I can get crazy with goals and intentions. No need. The point of yoga is to connect with the life we want, and make the best of the life we have. To connect our minds and bodies. To use our breath to connect with the world around us in the most positive way possible. So I’m looking for the transformation that meditation (yoga practice), intention (you saw it first), and gratitude (daily practice) provide.