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!