Laughing Ladybug Yoga

I had accumulated quite a few sweet potatoes from our organic produce co-op and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Sweet, marshmallowy casseroles don’t appeal to me, so I decided to roast them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I threw in some other root vegetables I had lying around along with some whole garlic cloves, and topped it off with some fresh rosemary sprigs from the front yard. It was a big success at Thanksgiving dinner! Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:
A few sweet potatoes
A few red potatoes
A few carrots
Large onion
About 10 whole garlic cloves
Any other root vegetables that you like
Fresh rosemary sprigs, or your favorite herbs
Handful of toasted pine nuts

Wash vegetables well and cut into bite-size chunks.
Peel onion and cut into chunks.
Toss vegetables and onion in large roasting pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper (you can use a spoon, but using your hands is best).
Toss peeled garlic cloves on top.
Place rosemary springs on top.
Roast at 400 degrees about 50 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Discard rosemary sprigs and replace with fresh ones as garnish.
Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts as garnish.

I just spent a weekend in Austin taking 4 workshops with David “Yeah Dave” Romanelli. David is a fabulous yoga teacher from  California and he teaches us that ecstacy is no further away than a good glass of wine, a tasty bite of chocolate, or a great tune on our iPod. He reminds us that livin’ in the moment is as easy as noticing one beautiful moment, one delicious moment, and one funny moment each day. He’s funny and real and I really liked him as a teacher.

I was inspired by David’s classes in many ways.  I’m inspired to put away my cell phone and computer more often, to remember to slow life down and enjoy those little moments that might otherwise fly by while I have my head down over my laptop. And I will definitely enjoy a good bite of chocolate, if not each day, at least several times a week.  And more wine will flow in my life.

As a teacher, I learned lots of new ways to flow poses together, so my own students may notice some new things happening in class. One of the biggest things Dave has inspired me to do as a teacher is  to actually be myself while I teach, rather than put on a yoga teacher costume and read a yoga teacher script. I’m inspired to make more of my own playlists with my own favorite music.

Another thing I learned this weekend is that I need to shut up.

I traveled with a friend who began as my student, became my friend, and is now also a fellow yoga teacher. She said something incredibly profound to me this weekend. Saturday morning, after a day of driving with me and an evening in a hotel room together, we were having some conversation about something, or nothing, while we got ready for class. I kept getting words wrong or mispronouncing words as I spoke, and I acknowledged this to her. “Maybe today is your day to just listen,” she said.

She didn’t say it in a way that was mean, but it was just a suggestion, like, “Hey, consider this.” It really struck me. The subject of me talking came up again that same morning, in the context of my teaching. I tend to talk a lot during class, cueing poses, giving information about why we do things the way we do, what’s happening in our bodies, what chakras are being activated by certain poses, etc. It wasn’t brought up in a mean way, but it’s obviously a thing. And it’s something I have acknowledged. Maybe it’s time for me to consciously shut up and let my students consciously move and flow and  feel.

Looking back, I realize that I finish people’s sentences a lot. What’s that about? Trying to prove how smart I am? How in tune we are? How much they should like me? How insane is that? Something else happened during the weekend. I thought maybe I had said too much during a conversation with someone. I asked my friend if she thought I had, and she answered very honestly, “Yeah, you may have pushed that a little hard.”

After I told him the story, my husband, Weldon, who knows how I get and who is also a good, good man, told me, “You were just excited this weekend. It’s OK to be passionate.” And yes, he’s right. I was excited and passionate. I was spending a weekend in a city I love with a great friend doing my favorite thing in the world. And along the way got a wake up call and a lesson. Not the one I expected to get either. I guess that’s how they come, isn’t it?

So my challenge is to shut up. I’ll do my best this week to be aware of how I’m communicating. I’ll see if I can communicate effectively with fewer words, and when I’ve completed a thought, I’ll do my best to stop. Wish me luck.