Happy 08 All!

108 minutes left of 080808!
Enjoy it while it lasts.

2nd Class Reflection

I had my second yoga class earlier this evening at Oakland Yoga Studio. It was surprising how nervous I got before class. I have taught more than 30 classes to my high school students over the last school year. But something is just a little different with adults. (I think I've said this before somewhere). Anyways, I had 3 students today... 1 returning and 2 new students. I knew all of my students before they were in class. They either came from church or from my advanced studies program.

Here is a story and two pictures to describe more about how I feel... right now and about teaching in general...

So, I had a plan - cut the nectarine in half, eat half for breakfast and half for lunch. I used a sharp knife and started to cut down the middle of the fruit. I hit the pit and continued to turn the entire nectarine around until the slit went all the way through, except for the pit. Then I grabbed one half of the nectarine in each palm and tried twisting the two halves apart. This did not work.

Next, I decided to try cutting the fruit into quarters. I cut another slit all the way through, turned over the fruit. Started twisting again. This did not loosen any fruit off the pit.

My third attempt included putting the knife blade against the pit, like a wedge, and then wiggling the knife back and forth. This did work! First I got one quarter off... then another quarter off... and then look!
Not quite what you expected, huh. Well, I didn't expect it either! But that is the way with teaching. You have a plan. You implement the plan. You modify it spur of the moment. And if you're lucky, you are successful in doing what you set out to do.

You just have to be open to the possibility that being successful, might not look like what you thought it should have when you first started planning your lesson. And you have to be open to changing the plan as you go and knowing that sometimes there needs to be wiggle room for your students to bring in their own interpretation of the lesson.

I was successful with cutting the fruit. I ate half a fruit at breakfast and half at lunch. The fruit just had a different idea of what half and half should look like. I was successful in teaching my second class. It really did go well. But my sequence was too long and I had to modify and shorten to fit the most important poses and instructions into my hour long class.

Hope to see you all next Wednesday!

Grounded and Courage

The first of (hopefully) many yoga classes that I will teach was a fine class. I had four lovely students join me for an hour of hamstring lengthening, hip opening, and chest expansion. Yeah! And I know that there were other people out there who will be coming in the next few sessions, so it looks like we're good to go for August.

Following advice from my lovely husband, I journaled my internal experiences as I practiced my teaching sequence yesterday morning so that I would have words to express the feelings to my students. As I was going through this process, two words came to mind: Grounded and Courage.

It seemed simple enough to me. Courage, yes, I was starting a new class. Must have courage. At 4:18pm when no one had shown up yet and I started to worry and wonder about what I would do for an hour with no students. I didn't run away. I didn't hide in the bathroom. I had enough courage to even show up to the studio, unlock the front gate, and prepare myself for whoever would arrive. Being grounded (or grounding) was some of the work we did in class preparing for some challenging balancing poses. But how else do these words work together?

One thought: The student must focus on grounding the standing leg before entering poses like Tree Pose. The top leg is more interesting but the bottom leg (the leg actually keeping you up) is more important... rooting down as you lift up through the torso and arms. This strength in being rooted to the earth enables the student to have courage to lift up one leg and stand on the other... to risk imbalance for a moment.

Is this true?

Here are my still unanswered questions:
Is it easier to have courage (to risk change, to step out into an unknown, to challenge oneself) when one is grounded (when one knows who they are)?
Does being grounded inhibit courage?
Is there some resistance to change that happens because you are grounded/rooted?
Is it easier to have courage when you are not grounded in anything at all? (having nothing to lose? or don't know the difference) Or is that just being reckless?

Perhaps it is true for me. I need comfort, dependability, stability, small steps, very controlled risk, very planned spontaneity. That is the comfort that Yoga gives me (or at least the kind of yoga that I have been practicing). I can see the goal ahead and I know that the steps to get there might be very small as my body learns to move in new ways. But from that strong foundation I will be able to challenge myself to do things I never thought I would have done before starting my practice... like headstands and handstands and ... teaching yoga!

Let Your Life Speak

Do you know what these are?

Before Grant left for work today, he set these on a book that I am reading. Perhaps as a hint that he wants me to do something with them sometime today.

If someone asked you to do something with these things, would you know what to do? Incidentally, the book is called, "Let Your Life Speak - Listening for the Voice of Vocation," and so far I have not been inspired. I've been listening and I have heard neither the answer to what to do with these little rolls that say "exposed" on them or what to do with my life vocationally (I wish that was vacationally) to let it speak out.

Another HINT... Grant and I went for a walk last night around the neighborhood on the way to our tea date. Nearing the top of a hill he stopped walking and pulled this thing out...

Muttering something like... I have 3 more to go... just three, then we can go have tea.

Well, I also have three more to go too. 3 more hours to just hang out and bite my nails and worry and wonder and get excited for my first adult yoga class. Could this be my life speaking?

Grant's Sermon -- Listen Online

Delivering another moving sermon, fresh with insight from his chaplancy internship, Grant Kinney did an excellent job of leading worship and holding our church together on Sunday when both our senior pastor and music minister were gone.

Please listen to Grant online at the First Congregational Church of Oakland Website!

Sledding Down and Climbing Up

Just posted some pictures from this summer's backpacking trip to Kings Canyon National Park.
You can see them HERE.FIND GRANT AND WEBB! Click on the picture above to see a larger version.

OK God, I get it, the class will be great.

Included in the lectionary verses for this upcoming Sunday are passages from Genesis, Matthew, and Romans. Grant is preaching on Sunday. For those of you on the this side of the country, you should come listen to him. For those of you on that side of the country, I'll post the link to the sermon when it is uploaded to the church's website.

So yesterday was a LIFE group night and since we were meeting in the comfort of someone's home (instead of a noisy tea shop like last time) I thought we'd actually do what were supposed to and... read the bible!I thought, wouldn't it be great to read a passage that Grant will be preaching on so we can get our thoughts going before hearing what he has to say? Great Idea everyone thought. I found out later that Grant is not preaching on the one passage we chose to read, but that's ok. God wanted us to read it anyways. God urged me- I'm sure of it - to read Romans 8:26-39 with my LIFE group. It wasn't like anyone was talking to me, but it was the first thing I turned to as I was walking to group last night and I only had to read the first line to know it was going to be perfect... and it was. As I heard the groups' check-ins unfold, I got more excited about the word we were going to be talking about.

So OK GOD, I get it. You're all around and inside and now I am totally stoked that I am one of few Christian Yogis out there and starting Wednesday, we will be creating length and space and openness in people and you will be there to fill them and heal them. And they wont even know what is happening to them. It will be great.I noticed my name on the sign by the studio on Monday night. I was with 3 friends and we just walked out of class and I turned and pointed at it and we all giggled. Today I rode past in on the way home from swimming and took a picture of it.

New Community Yoga Class!

I am super excited, extremely anxious, a little bit scared, and a little curious of myself for this bit of news...

Starting Wednesday July 30, I will be teaching a community yoga class at my beloved yoga studio. (not the studio I did the 200 hour advanced studies / teacher training at, but the one down the street from it).

So what does this all mean? I'm official. (here is the front of the postcard I've been handing out)


I've been teaching teens for almost a year, in the safety of my classroom at school. I knew each of the students before they walked in the door. They are teens- willing to try new things, their bodies are tight but not too breakable. They didn't know anything about yoga coming in, so it was easy to be the "expert."

Now, I'm treading into teaching adults! People who may be very experienced at yoga. Or may be complete beginners. All in the same room. People who may have physical conditions that I don't know how to deal with. People who I don't know and don't know me. People who might come for a few classes and then never come back again and not say why. People who might be incredibly annoying and fall in love with me and come every single week.

I know most of you out there probably will not be able to make it to the studio on a Wednesday at 4:30pm... so, instead please lift up good thoughts that other people like you will find out about the class and will show up!

Favorite Double Date

Back in July last year, Grant and I discovered how close Sonoma valley was and we decided right then and there that we would be back for a morning champaign excursion in the near future.

Well the future took a little longer than expected but we did return bringing friends Molly and Ryan. It was a champaign toast of a morning to good friendship and sad goodbyes as they leave us for a year in Ohio. (we fully expect them to move back here so we can continue with our plans of marrying our marriages together and raising all kinds of kids together- or something like that)

The first winery we stopped at had a bunch of free food to taste (which made up for the $5 fee to actually taste their wines).The second stop was at Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine Caves where we pulled out our picnic lunch and shared a bottle.
Amazingly beautiful weather.We will miss you Molly and Ryan!

MORE on FLICKR

Photography Is UP!

Pictures from Grant's Photography Show are up on my flickr. Please check them out and then go straight to www.grantkinney.com to secure your own prints of this fabulous work. Here Grant is making a final adjustment to the frame before the reception started. It was a long road to get to this point! I am very proud of my guy!

Anniversary

"Grant and Robin: The Marriage" turned 4 on Thursday May 1. We are officially out of newly wed status and fully into complete admiration and appreciation stage. I wake up loving him more every day... more than I ever thought I would love someone.

We have had almost a week long anniversary. Last Tuesday we went out for a quiet romantic dinner just for the two of us. On Thursday Grant came home from work to find these lovelies on his desk. (I was at class until 9pm but made a quick stop at home between yoga classes)
On Saturday we enjoyed our local farmers' market before heading up to the park for a BBQ with friends.

Hey! Ya still out there!

Where have you been?

Hiding?

We were worried. We thought you were never going to come back!
.
.
.
....

ya still there?
I got more to say... click on the picture to see.

Songs for Math Teachers

My kids remember the quadratic formula because we sang a song about it over and over and over and over again. We even sang it just before taking a test. Now after a weekend of skiing in Yosemite (that's right, we might not have enough snow to go skiing every weekend, but when we do go skiing, we go to Yosemite National Park... beat that!) I came home to an email with a new math song for you to listen to. You don't even have to like math to enjoy the song. Ya'll will recognize the tune.

6 Years and counting...

Sometime this week in 2002 (I don't remember the exact date) in Saga (the dining hall at Alma College) I looked up across the table and saw this man...
He had less facial hair then, but I knew he was the ideal man for me!

Happy Anniversary... even though we don't really celebrate this one.

(the picture gets better if you click on it!)

Yoga Mat Secretz #2

Although I appreciate the complement given by Laurie in her most recent post, I do understand the limitations of my writing. I blame it on lack of practice since becoming a math teacher, but really it's just me and I am the luckiest girl to have a wonderfully bright and articulate husband to edit my papers!

Honoring Laurie's request for a yoga reflection, here is my contribution to the conversation in a more creative fashion. I challenge you, you, and you, to do the same with your next posts.

At the recent Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco, Grant purchased his very own yoga mat which I'll introduce to you in this installment of yoga mat secretz. It's the green, orange, and yellow mat. Mine is the plain lavendar mat who is not lonely in the mornings anymore!

Articles for Laurie D

and anyone else who would like to read them!

This is continuing the conversation from Laurie's blog and Tim's blog.

Continuing on the argument that there would be less desire for abortions if we reduced the number of unwanted pregnancies... through, duh! sex education that actually talks about sex! and starting a new conversation about sex with youth who, duh! want to have sex!

Here is where I first heard of the article and here is the article itself.

Bloggers for Choice

This day just came up so quick! Before I knew it, I had arrived on Jan 22, 2008, the 35th anniversary of Roe. And the question I'm supposed to answer is, "why do you vote pro-choice?"

And my answer is, how can I not?

I trust women. I trust them to make the correct decision for their situation, every time.

End of story since I'm blogging on my lunch period.

Love for the Home State

I've been uninspired lately to post... but I'll get back into it soon, probably on Friday night when Grant is on call at the hospital.

Until then, you can read this blog post about my lovely home state and how Michigan is voting for "uncommitted" to be the next president! I'm loving it.

See ya on Friday.

Stuff Give Away Dilemma

I have a dilemma about a bag that I've had for 4+ years.

It is a very nice bag, given as a gift for joining the staff at Davison High School in Davison, MI. I worked there 2003-2004. I used it to carry my school stuff for a whole year. It is a nice blue color. Has a nice strap. But I don't want it anymore and I don't know what to do with it.

There are two problems with the bag that have prevented me from using it since leaving Davison and from getting rid of it before now.

1st, the bag is embroidered with Davison High School and a lovely red cardinal. I felt awkward starting a new teaching job in Oakland, back in 2004, with my nice bag from my previous job for which I was mourning. Crying as I carried my bag home from the first few awful months at my new school, thinking about what life would have been like if I had stayed at the old school, the constant reminder with that little cardinal.

2nd, the bag is also embroidered with my full maiden name. This would be confusing to students. "Who's bag are you using?" "Who is Robin Levere?" I don't think they knew my first name that year and they certainly did not know my maiden name. They still don't know my middle name and this fact has frustrated several students for over a year now. They keep guessing Penelope. Why Penelope?

So, I have a bag with some identifying information on it that I don't use, don't plan on using in the future, and I want to get rid of it but feel weird doing it.

Here are some options I have been thinking of...

1. Cut out all of the embroidery, then reconsider the worth of the bag, and make final decision about giving it away.
2. Just keep the bag forever and ever and ever (or shipping it to a parent's house for storage).
3. Send it back to DHS and hope they can reuse it for a new teacher next fall. Hopefully with a first name of Robin or a last name of Levere.
4. Keep the embroidery the way it is and just give it to Salvation Army and then wait to see if anything happens. (a long lost friend discovers it and recognizing the name decides to search for me?)

Other ideas?

1/08

108 Sun Salutations Completed!



We did several variations of Sun Salutations to keep us engaged the entire time. I mostly flowed through them doing what my body was feeling at the time. Sometimes adding an extra pose, sometimes skipping a pose. Here are my stats for yesterday's session:



216 Tadasana (Mountain)
216 Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
108 Planks and lunges moving from uttanasana to chaturanga or down dog



~150 Adho Mukha Svanasana (Down Dogs)
~80 Chaturanga Dandasana (4-limbed staff)
~90 Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Up Dogs)
10 Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1)
8 Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2)



4 Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)
4 Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle)
2 Parvritta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle)
6 Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch)
8 Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One legged King Pigeon Variations)



I set up my camera for interval shooting to capture us in different positions. The camera caught us from two different angles (I should have done more!) and was set to take 24 pictures at 10 second intervals. You have been viewing some of my favorites.



We are a perfect cross section of my current life. From left to right (and front to back) we are Gina (from my Advanced Studies Program), Tosca (a teacher at my school who I share the kids yoga class with), Robin (the birthday girl), and Inge (a dear friend from my church community).



As you might guess, I'm pretty sore today. But I'm still full of the excitement and thrill and joy of completing such a wonderful tradition. We stopped every twelve salutations to share visions of how we wanted our 2008 to be. It was a truly meaningful experience to share with three beautiful women. Thank you!

PS A special thank you to our excellent neighbors who graciously allowed us to take over their apartment for a few hours to do this.