Another peaceful Monday morning in Southampton. My typical day out here begins at around 7am, just like in Teacher Training. I'm not quite sure what Bikram did to me out in LA, but for some reason, no matter when I got to bed, under most conditions, my body's natural alarm clock goes off at 7. At first, I was really bothered by the fact that I exist just fine on only 4 hours of sleep, but now I've come to embrace the productivity those extra hours in the morning afford me. Just call me Napoleon!! I'm getting it all done and have time to hang and relax with family and friends, which feels so much more rewarding than it used to.
Job number 1: Hydrate.
Job number 2: Make sure to eat at least an hour before teaching or taking class.
Job number 3: Take care of mom's plants before leaving the house. While at first I was kind of bothered by this extra task she put upon me, I have grown to love the Geraniums, the Purple Fountain Grass, the fresh basil and mint. I've come to rely so heavily on fresh mint in my yoga water bottles. It's so refreshing with a little lemon and ice....ahhh!
Job number 4: Work on all domestic maintenance. This is one thing I don't need or have to do in the city because my living space is so much smaller. We don't have real kitchens to cook in or our own laundry machines to do countless loads of wash in. No one actually takes out their own trash (the porters in our high rises do this) and we wash our dishes by hand since dishwashers are another commodity not always found in NYC apartments.
Job number 5: Drive. I'm a car person. Always have been, always will be. It gives me so much pleasure to have actively used my car daily for the past four months. That's unheard of as a New Yorker, and while I like walking from place to place very much back home in the city, there's nothing like driving past a priceless sunset or a sunflower field on the way to or from work. My commute is 10-15 minutes by car give or take the traffic (on the back roads of course). I love it and will miss it terribly come the fall. Driving also gives me the chance to listen to the Bikram dialogue, which I recorded on my iPhone and can play through the car's audio system via blue tooth. I can effectively rehearse 2-3 postures + Pranayama Breathing before I reach the studio. This exercise gives me the confidence I need to start my classes with enthusiasm and accuracy.
Job number 6: Teach! Today I taught my seventh Yoga class with ease. My mentor, Lienette, did not practice with me today, so I relied on the candid feedback from my loyal students, which I'm happy to report was super positive. When I leave the studio, I always feel this tremendous sense of accomplishment and relief. My day officially begins when my class ends and depending on what time of day I teach. That beginning can sometimes be as late as 8 or 9pm and it's worth it!
The people who pass by the yoga studio, to practice or to ask where the best place in town for a wax is, never cease to amaze me. Just two minutes before class started, a long lost friend from U of M walks into the studio to ask about waxing in town and we embraced and screamed when we saw each other. She will be taking my next class on Wednesday. I love this connection that yoga brings to my world. Not just with my own body and mind, but with the bodies, minds and souls of others. You give back and then the Yoga gives back tenfold. Amen!
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