In the Blogosphere...

Jen over at McSmithleyville was kind enough to award me this little lemonade stand award a few weeks back. I'm honored. The note she left letting me know about the award was so kind. Thanks Jen!

My connection with Jen (a total stranger), also a young Iowa, yoga practicing/teaching, knitting, dog loving Mom, is just one example of how cool I think being part of the blogosphere can be. If blogging these past few years has taught me anything (beside how powerful the written word can be for both the reader and the writer) it's how very small the world can feel even when miles (and sometimes oceans) lie between our physical locations. Jen's blog is so fun to follow. I enjoy watching her little guy grow...often sporting his mommy's latest knit creation.

I've seen these little "pass around the love" awards on other people's blogs and have honestly always been a little jealous that I've not, until now, received one. Then I realized there's rules involved. I'm not always very good at following rules.

So I'm going to meet the rules half way and give you just a taste of some of my favorite blogs. Some yoga related, some not. While I write this blog with my business in mind, my Google Reader is simply filled with feeds that nurture ME the whole person...yogini, teacher, mom, daughter, friend, wife....

(Disclaimer...it was hard just picking a few blogs to list, so please don't take offense if you don't see yours listed here!)

First, crafty ladies:

Crazy Mom Quilts - I am simply amazed at the productivity and creativity of this woman...and she has 3 small kids! Plus, I LOVE quilts.

Liquid Paper - I'm amazed at the versatility of Laurie's style and abilities. From small crafts to home design to photography, this lady has an amazing eye.

Tree Fall Design - Going to Manda's blog always makes me happy. She has a lovely sense of style that reminds me of my dear friend Sara. It's maybe not my style, but it still fills my heart with joy.


And speaking of photography, check out these gals who are so inspirational in how they see the world:

Alive Photos - Amy is a younger cousin who lives in California. I'm amazed by her photography and looking at her work was a huge help as I prepared to photograph a friend's wedding last summer. It's also nice that sometimes her featured photos have familiar faces!

Gestures Photography - I'm particularly drawn to Marnie's vintage car and secret garden series.

Hula Seventy - Andrea's blog isn't just about photography, but I'm sure you'll have to agree her photography is amazing, even when it's just showing off her kids!

Zink Photography - A local artist, and now friend, we met because of our joint loves of yoga and photography.


And yes, then there's my actual friends (those I know in person) who have joined the blog bandwagon and who I've learned so much about because of their little spots in cyberspace:

Gesticulating Wildly to No Avail - Marie is maybe the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. She is amazing and I love her to no end as do my girls. Marie is an amazing writer and I can always be guaranteed a good belly laugh when she posts her latest thoughts on life.

Marjorie's Granddaughter - My friend Sara just recently joined blog land. She has such an appreciation for tradition and beauty. I love her to pieces because in college she was solely responsible for showing this tomboy how much fun being a little girlie-girl can be!

The View from the Porch - Laura's posts are thoughtful and amazing and some days I feel as if she's speaking directly to me with her thoughts. She's also responsible for getting me involved in a new knitting circle that I think is going to be something fun I look forward to attending every month...hopefully for years to come!


And last but not least, yoga bloggers. I'm actually not going to list them all here because you can link to them in the side bar. It would be so hard to choose just a few to highlight because they have all provided me with insight many times. Nadine and I have connected over our joint SI issues despite the fact she's all the way down under. Brenda and I share the similarities of teaching in multi-function gyms/studios in small mid-western towns.

But I wanted to talk about one yoga related blog in particular:

Visions of Cody - Cody's blog isn't strictly a yoga blog, but I include it here because a good portion of his writing is about his yoga practice. There are days I skim over his posts and realize it's not of interest to me and move on to my next task. We all have posts that speak to some and not to others. What I enjoy about following Cody's blog is not only the humor and sarcasm that's often woven into his words (because face it, us yogis often take ourselves way too seriously) but also how his posts often trigger me to stop and think about how I feel about what he's saying. He's not afraid to address some issues (thoughtfully mind you...controversial or not, I believe tact should always be used when stating one's opinions...even online!) that need to be talked about, but in face to face conversation are often avoided because of their touchy subject matter. I admit that I myself don't often engage in face to face conversation about topics I know could cause conflict, but am so thankful that a medium exists that gives us all an outlet to share our thoughts.


I could go on and on really, but I'll let these blogs speak for themselves.

I thank you for your readership and for occasionally sharing a few moments in time with me in online conversation.


namaste

It's Official...

I have submitted my registration for Yoga Journal's Geneva Conference at the end of March. Does anyone else find filling those as overwhelming as I? Not because they are hard, but because there's so much goodness to choose from it's practically impossible to make a decision about how to divide one's time! I find it interesting that often I find one session time that has a whole handful of classes I wish I could attend and one session time which I have a hard time finding any class that sparks my interest. I wonder, does that happen to others too?

So here's my general observations/feelings about the sessions I'm attending.

First off I'm SUPER excited to be attending the all day intensive OM Yoga Breast Cancer Survivor Teacher Training with Cyndi Lee on Thursday. If I had to choose just one session to attend during this conference, this would be the one. Not necessarily because I have a history with breast cancer specifically, but because my family has been touched by cancer in general. And I'm of the age where I'm more and more aware of other moms in our community who are or have battled cancer, breast or other. And I have breasts and girls who will someday have breasts of their own. And above all I believe in the power yoga has to help people heal and the need for those who have battled cancer to find healing beyond their physical bodies. And if by going to this one workshop I can help bring pieces of that power back to my community, my time will have been well spent.

When I'm looking at what sessions to choose at a conference I try to share time with both my yogi hats on...one of a practitioner, one as a teacher. I think because of the amazing gift I've been given through the opportunity to attend this conference on scholarship I felt a bit more of a responsibility to choose sessions more geared towards the teacher in me, knowing full well the yogi in me will benefit as well. Because of my own personal interests and concerns and the population I serve here in our little town (may who have special physical considerations of their own) it comes to no surprise that I've drawn to several sessions that offer a focus on anatomy and alignment in asana as well as those offering a therapeutic focus and guidance for hands on adjustments.

That doesn't mean I didn't allow myself to choose a couple sessions just for me. I'm especially excited to be taking a session with Seane Corn. Seane has an amazing energetic and spiritually charged personality and the Yogini all women's session I attended with her last spring at the Midwest Yoga conference was an experience I will forever remember and at the same time may never fully be able to grasp. This time I'll be joining Seane for a Detox Flow class which I'm fully expecting will kick my butt, especially since it's on day 3!

A few facts that surprised me once I got done making my choices:

• Rodney Yee is probably the most influential teacher in my DVD collection, the one I have turned to the most for inspiration at a practitioner and teacher, yet I'm not attending one session lead by him. He will be giving a keynote address and I do hope he'll talk more about his involvement with the Urban Zen Foundation.
• As much as I enjoyed the workshop I attended in the fall of '06 with Desiree Rumbaugh and as much as I enjoy the principals of Anusara yoga, I didn't end up in one of her sessions either. I think this is partially due to the fact Desiree visits Des Moines on a relatively regular basis so I know opportunities to study with her will more often be present that with some of the other instructors who will be presenting.
• I don't seem to getting any closer to choosing one tradition of yoga to practice or teach because my sessions include those taught by Vinyasa teachers, Ashtanga teachers, Iyengar teachers...just to name a few. And for once I can honestly say I'm not frustrated by that fact. I'm finding I'm more and more OK with finding inspiration from a variety of styles which gives me the freedom to structure my classes for the variety of individuals and teaching environments I find myself in these days.

The various arrangements that I need to make to make attending the conference a reality (making childcare arrangements, figuring out "more affordable" lodging than the resort offers, and getting my own classes covered) are slowly falling into place. I will admit that I'm feeling a little bit of guilt over the fact I will be gone for my youngest daughter's 3rd birthday, especially since we already had a few fun activities planned for her special day. I know she'll have a great day regardless...and I hope my hubby remembers to take plenty of pictures!

Even with the registration confirmation in my inbox I'm still having a hard time grasping the reality that I AM GOING! I get teary (and giddy with excitement) every time I think about it! You can be sure I'll be sharing about my experiences here!


namaste

I'm going to YJ in March!!!

I received the congratulatory email today letting me know I'm the lucky recipient of a 4 Day Scholarship to Yoga Journal's Grand Geneva Conference! I'm kind of in shock and so freaking excited I don't know if I'll ever be able to go to bed tonight!!!

Granted there are some logistics to figure out...like whose going to take care of my kids while I'm gone and my hubby is at work an hour from home each day...BUT I'M GOING!

Thanks to all who thought good thoughts and crossed your fingers for me!


namaste