The stomach bug hit our house this morning at 5:15 a.m. My poor preschooler, who always gets hit the worst, is the first man down. And, as always, I start praying.

“Dear Lord, please spare me from this.” “Dear Lord, please help my children stay healthy.” “Dear Lord, please, please, please don’t let my husband or me get this…please???”

I’m not sure yet if my belly is having sympathy symptoms or fighting the good fight, but I’ve been sitting outside of the yoga studio for two hours now. I’ve even taken a little snooze here and there. But oh how I miss being in there this morning. I miss the creaky wood floors. The indirect lighting that uncovers interesting pictures of Guruji, statues of Ganesha, and strategically placed wooden artifacts. I miss learning, and I miss the new connections being made.

But it’s pretty cozy in my car for now. There are soft rain showers today and the sounds and smell of the rain are always soothing and comfortable. Every now and then, I see a break in the clouds over the mountains and can see lots of fresh snow up there. My peppermint tea is helping my plight. And of course, Boulder’s always a good spot for people watching.

So I’ll continue with my “car yoga” as David Bowie rocks on KBCO for a few more minutes and then take a little walk in the rain. This morning I’m reminded of a point yesterday when De prepared us for guided breathing and relaxation by saying, “If you feel sleepy, it’s ok. If you fall asleep, it’s ok. It’s good to rest.”

Sometimes, I swear she’s talking right to me and me alone. This morning, it’s been good to rest. Have you done that lately?

It’s ok, you know.

Here are some pics from this morning’s asana practice and physiology lecture on the stages of pregnancy.

This momma demonstrates softening of the belly for baby in Virabhadrasana II. It’s amazing how much we grip the abdominal muscles until we give ourselves the permission to release.

Keeping the back concave in Prasarita Padottanasana during the 2nd trimester.

De adds support for a momma in her 3rd trimester.

De demonstrates Supta Baddha Konasana using props to give mommas space to breath while opening their hips.

A labor and delivery nurse/doula discusses the physiology of the woman’s body during each trimester.

Students taking notes.

And…my walk back to the car. A little different from yesterday’s picture of outside, yes? That’s Colorado for you.

Related posts:

1. Walk as though your feet are kissing the Earth.
2. Deliciousness.

Today, I tasted community.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to be and practice here: The Yoga Workshop. This is one of my favorite places on Earth. And on Earth Day, no less.

And in this, my favorite yoga studio, one of my favorite women, De West, brought together women in all stages of life and motherhood to gather for a Prenatal Yoga Intensive.

Not just to gather. To savor what it is to be a woman. There was a curiosity, a sensuality, a warrior attitude, and an honoring process for this ability to create life, to labor, and to birth.

And this is just day one.

It’s going to be a delicious three more days.

My path to the studio…a walking meditation. Doesn’t Boulder in the springtime just take your breath away?

And oh, the smell of these trees. My heart beats a little faster every year when I smell these trees.

My mat and notebook, all ready for the day.

De’s altar, honoring the fertility process.

De reading a passage from St. Francis of Assisi, a gift from her Grandmother.

“Come to me” practice for fertility: Parighasana variations.

Parsvottanasa at the wall.

Malasana.

Upavista Konasana.

Laura, preparing for the Intermediate Sirsasana cycle.

Demonstration of Parsva Virasana Sirsasana.

Discussing Viparita Karani.

And day one comes to a close. Happy Savasana, yoga mats.

Related posts:

1. A little setback.
2. Walk as though your feet are kissing the Earth.
3. A day for laughing.

Doesn’t this happen in our practice? We become very attached to our particular style of yoga, the style in which we first became aware of our body and how truly unaware we’d been, and once we learn the language we don’t want to disturb it. I am so guilty of this. I love Ashtanga, but only from Richard’s studio or his teachers. My first yoga classes were taught by an Iyengar teacher, so there’s my alignment with, well, alignment (and Richard has a solid foundation in Iyengar, as well, so I understand him). And over the past few years, I’ve been taking Anusara classes when I can (because a lot of my Ashtangi teacher and student friends connected with it as well). But with other styles, I find that I critique them harshly and quickly ask, “Where did this teacher train?” “What style is this, exactly?”

We become fluent in the particular style that makes sense to us. And sometimes, don’t you think, we can become stuck in the familiarity and the safety of it. We shine there because we trust the system, trust the teacher. Opening up to our own vulnerability, we can really reach deep inside and begin to release our own creativity, our playfulness, our curiosity.

But I must say that when I have taken a class here and there with a teacher or in a style with which I was unfamiliar, I almost always learn something valuable. I hear an alignment cue that is different and opens my body in a new and fascinating way. Sometimes my knowledge becomes challenged by wisdom. And sometimes, the truth is, I don’t like the teaching at all because there’s no good foundation. But always, in reflection, I remember that I am a beginner and revel in that. It’s a fun place to be, this beginning spot, and it’s here that I can taste vairagya, or non-attachment, which is one of the “two core principles on which yoga rests.” It’s the balance of both never giving up and always letting go.

So with that, I raise a grande-soy-no water-chai to you and your own reflecting. Namaste.

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