Sorry for Canceling Classes on Thurs, 5/31

To my Equilibrium and YMCA Students:

I went to the ER at about 11 am this morning for nausea, abdominal pain, bad chills, and fever. The doctors were worried that I was exhibiting symptoms of appendicitis, so they performed a cat scan on me, which THANKFULLY showed that I had a completely healthy appendix!!!! However, I'm still very nauseated and just plain weak overall, especially from that nasty radioactive liquid they made me ingest before the cat scan. Food smells and thoughts of eating anything make me want to hurl. We all agreed that I was probably suffering from a classic case of the stomach flu. (What did I eat?!?!?!?)

Anyway, I hope that you guys can forgive me for canceling today's classes. It was a really hard decision to make, but until I can stand on my two feet without feeling nauseated or dizzy, it probably isn't a good idea to do much of anything.

See you next week,
Catherine

I'm Back!!!!

I lived a dream throughout this past week and a half. My teacher training consisted of Native American and Zen Buddhist Chanting followed by four exhilarating (torturous maybe?) and beautiful hours of Forrest Yoga. After what seemed to be the shortest two-hour lunch break ever, we would return for lecture, teaching practice, and another yoga session (thankfully only 1- 1.5 hours average)in the afternoon.

It's been hard to get back into the swing of things. Today was my first day "back." At this point I'm eager to take Ana's 24-day foundation training this upcoming Fall, but I still need time to drink in the past nine days.

I'm also eager to incorporate all the knowledge I've gained into my personal practice and into my teaching. My pose sequencing actually hasn't changed that much since my classes were already Forrest-inspired to begin with. But what has changed is my confidence with hands-on adjustments. Ana, her husband, Jonathan, and her wonderul assistant, Unmani, showed us proper ways to adjust students in various poses.

Forrest Yoga has taught me to use yoga poses to conquer my fear of delving deeper into all aspects of my life. At times the Forrest practice makes me feel incredibly vulnerable, but I'm now realizing that it's just the practice stripping away my layers of distractions and self-sabotaging behavior. It's just me and my body connecting with the breath. Yoga can be exquisitely simple, but it's so hard to swallow when it's that simple! Before discovering Forrest Yoga, I often made yoga a complex and somewhat flustering experience. Thoughts of giving up, old fear, new fear, doubt, and all sorts of ugliness would leave me in a messy tangle of a pose. Ana emphasizes the importance of a pleasurable and struggle-free practice so that one can practice with integrity and freedom.

Anyway, I'm not sure if any of what I blogged made sense. There's so much to be said, and apparently, I can't say it very well at 11:45 pm. Until next time!