A Lesson in Wasted Energy

In my January blog, here's what I shared about teaching my first yoga class:

I taught my first yoga class at the Treetop Studio which was where I took my first yoga class when I visited Nosara. It felt like a full circle, a home coming! Instead of relaxing on the weekend, I "spotified" for the perfect yoga playlist, practiced the flow sequence over and over again until I got the timing down, and spent way more time and energy stressing over it than I needed to.

As soon as I stepped onto the mat at the front of the studio, everything just happens as it happens. Not perfect as I have practiced it in my mind, but rather it was better than I imagined it. Based on the class feedback, I think I found my yoga voice!

Last week, I taught my second yoga class. We couldn't just re-use the material as this class was a different type of yoga. For preparation this time, I decided to relax and trust that I embody the materials we learned. I simply closed my eyes and pictured the sequence, wrote down a few trigger words on a notepad, and then I tried to relax for the rest of the weekend by binge watching the newly released "Fuller House" on Netflix.

In the end, similar to my first experience, as soon as I stepped onto the mat at the front of the studio, everything just happens as it happens. Again, it went better than I imagined it!

My observations:

1. It is easier the second time around. I can't wait to see how much easier the third time would be!

2. Progress, Not Perfection! As Don says, "Planning is everything, but plans are useless!"

3. Expect Nothing. One evening when we were closing our session, a skunk ran past the studio. Startled, I let out a cry and then my next immediate reflex is to scream "Let's get the h*ll out of here!" right when the faculty was saying "Namaste." So I figure that as long as I don't use the H word in the middle of Namaste, I will consider my class a success. Without realizing it, your expectations may be undermining your happiness.

4. Being authentic is the best gift that we can share. Amazingly, the second class gave me the same feedback about my yoga voice as the first class, even though no one from my first class was in my second class. I'm learning that the best way to inspire others is to share who we are and what we know. So Ham = I am that I am.

5. A Lesson in Wasted Energy. The most interesting lesson to me when comparing the two teaching experiences is that as a planner, I use a lot of energy focusing on the future and worrying about every what-if's scenarios. Sometimes the energy is useful and positive, while other times, the energy is wasted given the end results are the same. By being mindful about where we direct our energy, we can have more space for other things to come into our lives.

Interestingly, when I was sharing this spiel on wasted energy (including over-sharing about my guilty pleasure of Fuller House) during a sharing session, I noticed that everyone who has already spoken is sitting in a relaxed and comfortable position, and meanwhile the rest of us who has yet to speak is sitting upright energetically and waiting for our turn. Isn't that interesting?

Nosara for Serious Applicants Only

February: A Book A Day

A year ago, last February, I came up with the idea of doing yoga everyday for a month. I figure February only has 28 days, so my chance of success is already much better than any other months. Little did I know how much I would fall in love with it or even become a "real" yoga teacher just a year later!

For years, I've been saying like a broken record: "I wish I have more time to read books" or "I should make more time to read books". So I figure this February is as good as any to try to read a book a day for a month.

Sounds like an impossible task? I believe it just takes a little planning. A realistic plan!

12 Classic Short Stories
Huffington Post's article, "These Classic Stories Are So Short, You Have No Excuse Not To Read Them", is a good starting point to check off a few good stories. These don't take any time at all, so I would have time to start other books simultaneously.

My favorites from this selection are:

"Symbols and Signs" by Vladimir Nabokov - This playful, entertaining short story about a delusional boy, his family and his peers' attempt to buy him a birthday present left me wanting more at the end. I'll be sure to pick up his other books, "Lolita" and "Pale Fire" in the future.

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin - Until now, I never considered myself a feminist. The number of times I nodded my head through this short story about a woman who feels restricted by the confines of her marriage makes me think otherwise. I also finished her other book, "The Awakening" (see classic book section below).

"The Looking-Glass" by Anton Chekhov - The author/physician wrote about a woman feverishly attempts to seek help for her husband, sick with typhus, but is met with a surprise. The suspense in his style of writing kept me on my toes for a good five minutes. 

"Happy Endings" by Margaret Atwood - Atwood isn't exactly known for happy endings in her books. And in this short story titled "happy endings", she again delivers a not so happy ending about all the different ways in which a fictional couple could possibly end up.

"The Last Night of the World" by Ray Bradbury - A thought provoking short story based on the first line: "What would you do if you knew this was the last night of the world?" Adding his other book, "Fahrenheit 451", to the to-read list.

4 Classic Books

Keeping the cost of books low, classic books are a great way to save money, because they are free on Kindle!

"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin - This novel focuses on a woman who is trying to reconcile her views on femininity and motherhood with those of the very conservative South.

"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka - A tale of a man who wakes up one morning to discover that he has been transformed into a gigantic bug. The cover of the book gives away what type of bug the character becomes.

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson - This book is about two opposing personalities battling inside one man. Although the saying "Jekyll and Hyde" is used in the common language to mean split personality thus giving away the plot, this classic story was well written to still keep me engaged.


7 Spanish Books

Reading this Spanish series actually reminds me of learning English. I used to read the young adult book series like the Sweet Valley High, a book a day. Sometimes even until sun rise making the day at school quite miserable.


6 General Interest

"Self-Awakening Yoga" by Don Stapleton - My 100-hour Self-Awakening Yoga teacher training is all based on this book. It starts with the sweetest love story and ends with the most detailed guided yoga directions. A powerful experience!

"Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage" by Alice Munro - A Canadian writer, a nobel prize winner, a great book. Need I say more. Read it!

"Once A Runner" by John L. Parker - This should be a staple in any runner's bookshelf. Although the title reminds me that I haven't laced up my running shoes this year at all.

"Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown - A motivational, inspirational, self-healing book. If you don't know Brene Brown, watch her TED talk!

PADI Emergency First Response & Rescue Diver - My required reading for my dive courses during a trip to Roatan with Steph and Susie. If you don't have your EFR or have it refreshed recently, do it! And if you scuba dive, I also highly recommend the Rescue Diver course.

Final Thoughts:
The challenge of reading a book a day is to not rush through the books and miss out on the best part of reading which is being creative and letting the imagination run wild along with the writings. I loved this year's February challenge, but from now on, I'll probably slow down and maybe stick to a book a week!