What Kind of Vibes

Two Sundays ago, I did a sound meditation for my yoga trainer's current group of yoga teacher trainees. It felt good to be back in a yoga studio and it also felt good to play my bowls for other people. I was nervous because I hadn't done a sound meditation in a while but when four people fell asleep, I relaxed.  

Two days after the sound meditation, got a message from another studio that I used to go to. The person who was scheduled to do a sound bath on Wednesday had a death in the family so I filled in. 

Speaking of yoga studios, I got emails from two that I used to go to updating people on the most recent mask mandate; Missouri -- making the news for less than stellar reasons again... 

Saw someone post a photo with the hashtag of vacation vibes which made me wonder about what kind of vibes I was having at the moment...

As I left out of the house yesterday, my neighbor apologized for how something looked at the border of our property lines. He also noticed that the crepe myrtle in my yard had been invaded by another tree and asked if it was okay to cut the other tree out.

Okay? Thank you neighbor for making my day...

Someone that I know posted a picture and I asked her where she was at and she said Morocco and then she showed me more pictures and it looks absolutely lovely. 

She told me that I should come with her next time. Don't think that I'll be having any #VacationVibes soon but her invitation was sweet...

In flower news, more zinnias are blooming and my sunflowers are about to bloom. 

About The Sunflowers

On July 31st ended up at the DMV renewing my tags because I had forgotten that they were due and, because of COVID-19, lines were outside. This woman asked me what I was having done and I told her and she said that the line for license renewal was on the other side and that line only had one person in it. 

What made her say something to me? She was my angel for the day...

In addition to COVID-19, racism and the climate crisis, life is even more difficult for me because of work and home. I'm pretty sure that I am not the only one in this predicament but, yeah, very little is soft or enjoyable right now. 

Before life really turned bizarre, I agreed to participate in my yoga studio's third anniversary celebration this past Friday. The teachers taught relay style and I was the final one and played singing bowls and led the class out of savasana.

One of the teachers did laughing yoga and a teachers two spots away from me was laughing so hard that it made me laugh and, at one point, I looked up at the little tree next to me and the sky, and I was able to really lighten up and relax. 

After class was over with, I heard this mariachi band and I thought, "It's a night for a music" and then I saw a guy round the corner with sunflowers and realized that he was about to propose to one of the yoga teachers. It was kind of a magical night and the other part that made my day was a yoga teacher who approached me with her daughter who told me how much she enjoyed the singing bowls. As the 'Fugee would say, it melted my heart...

Went to Cahokia Mounds to walk with my cousin today and as we climbed the stairs, this woman asked us if we knew about the sunflowers. Sunflowers, what? I knew about the sunflower field in St. Louis but not in Illinois. So, of course, we went. 

What is it about sunflowers that are so delightful? Why did that woman ask my cousin and me? I love everyday angels. Also, my cousin and I had walked at different locations previously. Had we not changed venues, we might not have found out about the sunflowers. 

Cheer

Was half-asleep on Friday night when I noticed someone mixing vodka in a singing bowl.

Mentioned my "dream" to the 'Fugee and she said it was if my singing bowls were drunk. Had I imagined it? I have been playing singing bowls at night soooo...

Anyway, I couldn't get the imagine out of my head and I finally found the very short commercial...



Decided to tackle the bathtub caulking on Saturday, ugh. Haven't done it in awhile and my arm was smarting by the time that I got the old caulk off. Even though I bought painter's tape, didn't use it initially but I quickly stopped and went to retrieve it. Got more caulk on the tape but it definitely produced better results than the first part that I tried to freestyle.

Stopped to cook then applied the new caulk. What to say? I did the best job that I could do. Super tired of the do it yourself way but don't have anyone else who's going to do it for me.

Decided to get a new shower curtain that I think is cheerful as I could use some cheer.

Understatement

Bought way more than I expected post-Thanksgiving. Planned to acquire at least one more singing bowl and did my usual back and forth about the necessity of purchasing more stuff.

My sound equipment arrived on Wednesday which was the same day that I was collaborating with Jocelyn to do a restorative, sound experience so I took my new bowl along after testing it out. 

This woman, Lisa, approached me and shared that she is a St. Louis native, does sound healing but now lives on the West Coast. When she comes home, she likes to check out the sound scene.

Lisa and I talked plus exchanged Instagram information after class and was surprised when I saw that she followed me on Twitter until I remembered that my Twitter information is on Instagram but I was even more surprised when I saw what Lisa tweeted; it was so moving (understatement).

I experienced doubt about my purchase and about sound therapy and Lisa's generous tweet was a sign that I needed.

Keeping My Cool

The last time that I went swimming was on April 23^rd. Knew that it had been a while as I used Tuesday to catch up on yoga sequencing or to just rest but it's still hard to believe that it's been almost two months. Couldn’t seem to make getting to the pool on the weekend work.

On Tuesday, I felt a strong urge to swim and almost gave up when I couldn’t find the goggles that I wanted. Kept my cool and eventually found my goggles.

Got to the pool and had this exchange:

Me to Lifeguard:         Hi, how are you?
Lifeguard:                   Good and how are you?
Me:                              Fine.
Lifeguard:                   YOU haven’t been here in a while.

I chuckled. The lifeguard is a coach and it shows.

It felt good to be in the water again. For some reason, my Fitbit no longer detects when I get in the pool. It has only detected swimming once and it has malfunctioned already. I do like the silent alarms and the slimness of this Fitbit but Garmin Vivofit seems to have been more functional. At any rate, I enjoyed my swim and I could tell the different areas of my body that were worked...

Collaborated with one of my YTT mates on a Pop-Up Restorative Yoga with Singing Bowls event. People seemed to have found restoration and I'm amazed by how many people enjoy singing bowls. I'll definitely collaborate with my classmate again; we just need to figure out a few things like what day and how often etc. etc. .

So, yeah, when does a pop-up event cease to be a pop-up?

Daylong

Yesterday at work, we had a self-care day that was initiated by the staff appreciation committee; they did a great job of turning a conference room into a haven. There were puzzle, meditation and yoga stations along with soothing music and a tranquility fountain.

I decided to crash self-care day, with permission, by doing a pop-up sound meditation with singing bowls. A couple of people were familiar with singing bowls but I wasn't sure how it would go over with others. As with yoga it's hard to tell, sometimes, what's resonating with people but a couple of people thanked me and someone told me that the sound meditation was lovely...

Stayed at home on Tuesday while a new HVAC system was installed and, yes, it was a pretty penny but I can't complain as the old system was a relic.

Prior to the installation, there was the specialness of getting the problem diagnosed, getting bids and getting over the shock of the price. During the daylong installation, I pretty much read. It was hard to get involved in much else. Even though I didn't see the technicians a lot, they sometimes needed access to additional outlets or to let me know about ladder placement etc.

Otherwise, what have I been up to? Reading, working, working out and all manner of adulting.

On The Fly

Had an exercise date last night. Jessica and I went swimming and, since I hadn't been in months, I was looking forward to it. My abs were on fire afterwards; I don't usually have that experience. It made me think of the book that I just read and how Sanford talked about not being able to use his abs...

Thankfully, I only experienced mild, post-pool congestion. My sleep was disturbed but not totally.

Work has been hellacious. I'm still teaching a yoga class once a week at work and it's a great lesson as far as digging deep enough to, at least, not have a tense face and energy.

It's so weird. People who sign up for yoga don't come and the people who tell me that they don't think they'll be able to make it, show up. One of my colleagues who has never been to a class thanks me, constantly, for holding the class. She says that maybe after she finishes with obligations, including a choir one, that she might be able to attend. Had three people in attendance today and one told me that she might get a work-related call that she would have to answer.

I usually try to write sequences on Saturday and practice them at some point before Wednesday and I also do whatever tweaking that's necessary. That sequence went out the window in about eight minutes. One attendee had back pain and the other was really tired so we got on our backs before we hit the 10-minute mark.

One said I'm sure that's not what you had in mind...

I've had several of my yoga teachers say that students will be your greatest teachers. It's a bit scary, as a new teacher, doing a class on the fly but I made it work. Just wish that I could have remembered more poses that ease back pain. I was also trying to think of poses that I could have done with the child while the adults had their restorative time...

It was also interesting that the person who was experiencing back pain said one of the singing bowls made her back tense up. She hasn't said anything about that before. Wonder which bowl and note it was...

Went by the library then came home to eat after work and, not too long after that, I went to get gasoline for the lawn mower. Even though I wasn't looking forward to mowing the lawn, I'm thankful that it turned over right away.

Took a stroll through Tower Grove Park as I was still in desperate need of decompressing. The park has done such a beautiful job with the tulips and it was nice to see so many people out admiring the flowers.

Not As Zen Either

I'm reading so many yoga books that it's hard to remember what yoga gems come from where but I'm going to find a binder around the house and keep the treasures centralized. I would put them in my yoga teacher training manual but it's already pretty full...

Taught a yoga class to two people at work on Wednesday. The first person who showed up said that if she was the only one that I didn't have to hold the class and I said that I would absolutely hold it.

I used to have similar thoughts when I showed up to a class and, as it got closer to start time, it was apparent that I might be the only one in attendance and I would think about offering the teacher the same deal. Doing a one-on-one doesn't seem awkward anymore and maybe it's because I had to do a one-on-one with my trainer in order to graduate or maybe it's because a yoga teacher friend said that she's learned some of her greatest lessons when only one student showed up.

Also, maybe the only person who shows up really needs yoga that day...

At any rate, I felt like it was a good class. It definitely was a reminder to be more mindful. For instance, I usually put my iPad on airplane mode while playing music but I forgot yesterday. Luckily, it didn't beep until the very end of class. I will say that something unexpected came up before class and I'm sure it won't be the last time. So, I need to expand my yoga checklist and make sure that I eyeball it before class no matter what.

The strings on my pants also hit the singing bowls while I played during savasana and, to me, it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Okay, not that harsh but definitely not as zen either. Although, I did note that both of my students lingered after the "official" end of savasana which I will attribute to the magic of the singing bowls.

After class ended, one of my coworkers said that we should be allowed to have a yoga break every day and that it would definitely help with productivity. I would love to slip in a brief, weekly sound meditation. Maybe it could be called Sound Meditation Refresher...

To Rouse Them

Wrapped up Yoga Teacher Training this past weekend, wow! It was bittersweet, for sure.

I am happy about having another weekend to rest but I will miss my mat mates and the intense learning experience (with deadlines).

For our final weekend, we had to turn in our 30 class log, assists/adjustments and Seva project paperwork. Kept thinking that surely I had missed something and that not all boxes were checked but that was untrue.

Some of my mates brought their children for Family Yoga on Saturday and it was an amazing class and I see why Stacy enjoys teaching children so much. Stacy is a great trainer but she's even better with children.

We also practiced on Sunday, took group pictures, had exit interviews and were presented with our official yoga teacher certificates, wow!

Yesterday, I taught a 30 minute class at work and, later on, taught a relay-style class with some of my classmates. The studio has had a couple of relay classes and they're usually around the holiday and to benefit an organization. This time the class was to celebrate our graduation plus to benefit one of my classmate's Seva project, Paraquad.

My classmate, Roxanne, has actually reached our group to see if someone else is able to teach classes as well. It's during the work day so I would need to figure out the logistics.

On another note, some good news is that yoga is covered under my sound therapy insurance so I don't need to look around for that. The insurance industry, ugh.

More good news... Sequencing is starting to make a little more sense. Transitions will pop into my head. I would have to practice the sequence before it would occur to me to put in a transition pose. I still practice the sequence but when I'm writing it, I'll be like Oh, I need a child's pose here or a downward-facing dog there. 

There were six of us that taught in the relay last night and my role had already been decided as Stacy told the studio owner to put me in the "restorative spot" with singing bowls. It went well and everyone really liked the post-savasana chimes that I used to rouse them.

In other news, we celebrated Pi Day at work.

The Cat Purr

Did another sound therapy session last night and was surprised when a cat greeted me. She walked straight to me as if to introduce herself. How had I forgotten that this person had cats? Now, I really enjoy doing sessions when there are cats present.

We talked a bit, I took a couple of sips of gingerade kombucha and then we started the session.

I cannot tell you how much I love seeing the bowls resting on top of someone and then the inevitable singing and vibration of the bowls.

The cat curled up into the cutest little ball and stayed in a ball for a good 10 minutes. She briefly left and her sibling came into the room to check things out at one point...

The session seems to go so fast and it's hard for me to strike the bowl for the last time because I don't want the session to end. I love seeing the relaxed look on people's faces after a session and I love the quiet talks afterward.

As we talked, I petted the cat and couldn't believe how she purred; she gave me my own sound therapy session. I don't remember hearing a cat purr like that and she is so sweet.

Decompressed with some of my fellow trainees today and one told me that she read an article about how therapeutic cat's purring can be. I also mentioned that I only slept for four hours but felt well rested. One of my sound sisters said that she shies away from doing evening sessions because she gets so excited that she can't sleep and I think that's what happened to me.

Receptive

There was a very intense incident that occurred at yoga teacher training which I'm not at liberty to discuss. It left many of us shaken and confused but was a powerful lesson in people not being perfect and that sometimes people just have "a moment."

Went to the bathroom and noticed that someone had put a postcard in there and I had an idea of who it was and she said that her way of dealing with anxiety etc., is by trying to put some positivity into the world.

During training weekends, we have a lot of props so I had a yoga bench of sorts built up and when I looked underneath my bolster, there was the sweetest card... The positivity ambassador had struck again...

Did my third Pro Bono sound session. The client was very receptive to sound therapy and told me that she found the session relaxing and was going to bed right away after I left. The next day I asked her how she'd slept and she said that she slept so soundly that she overslept...

Love seeing my bowls underneath my table.

Unpacking

I'm back.

You never miss the beauty of Jamaica until you get back. Everything looks dull here. I miss how brightly the sun shines, the Caribbean Sea and the wide variety of fruit.

Kept thinking that I should have taken the rest of the week off but I'm also trying to watch my PTO days so I returned to work. As my aunt Debbie said You can do it (Thursday and Friday)...

On another note, I'm embarrassed to say that I did not know that there is a state of emergency in Jamaica. Found this out from one of the shop owners who bemoaned the fact that the lawbreakers were making it difficult for law-abiding citizens.

I do remember being on the yoga retreat and we kind of chuckled at being driven to a destination about five minutes away and our driver told us that it wasn't good to be walking on dark roads at night and that Negril is a different town in the p.m...

I unpacked my suitcase yesterday, an unprecedented occurrence. Normally, it takes me forever. Maybe it was because I packed so efficiently. There were only a few items that I didn't use. Think that I need to go on way more trips in order to hone my packing skills, yup.

I have also been unpacking my body. Went to yoga yesterday and got such a treat. One yogi also plays singing bowls and she gave me a brief primer and let me play her bowls. It was unbelievable how relaxing it was listening to the bowls for just a few minutes.

Went to yoga again today as I try to stay in the right frame of mind.