Five Days in Tibet

OK, well not exactly Tibet but it might as well have been. It felt just as foreign. Five days of yoga concentrate (organic, of course). Five mornings of two hour crazy, challenging yoga practices with 30 other people. The heat and the energy were amazing. Five days of yoga instruction from an instructor that is clearly blessed with a gift that she shares eloquently. Five days of being tired and sore. Five days of figuring out things about yourself that you maybe didn't know were there. Five days of facing things that maybe you didn't feel like you wanted to but knew you truly did. That's why we were there after all.

Stephanie Keach is amazing. I love Stephanie Keach. If you didn't get a chance to come to the training or if you couldn't attend any of the Master Classes, DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN! Life is too short. She'll be back at Yoga South but she'll probably be back to Charlotte before that so check her website and figure out how and when you can meet and practice with her.

So in those five days, I learned a few things about myself and was reminded of a few things. Unfortunately they are things that I need to add to my spiritual "to do" list and not necessarily things that I feel like I can put in the "plus" column.

For example, I was reminded that I don't like boundaries. Quite honestly I abhore them. They piss me off. They make me want to scream. When I am presented by boundaries, I decidely rebel and become mundane. It's my way of screwing the man so to speak. So instead of embracing the opportunity that the boundary may be offering, I shun the whole damn thing. TO DO: Get a grip and deal.

Now having said that, I guess I do have something I can put in that "plus" column. I did overcome this to a degree by the end of the training. And now I have a new perspective on this because I've never before experienced it in my "new" state of mind (i.e., this mind that is now leading me to build my spiritual house).

Another example is that I was reminded that I HATE my hamstrings. And I do not use that word lightly in that sentence. I hate them. If I could divorce them, I would. If there was plastic surgery that would allow me to "fix" them, I would pay even if it cost me a second mortgage. I am strong and flexible in most other parts of my body to a degree that satisfys me but when it comes to my hamstrings ... well, I am hamstrung. TO DO: Get a grip and deal.

Moving on now, I also found out that I am a typical male when it comes to emotional expression. We had a closing round of goodbyes basically and I was blessed to go first (for reasons that God only made clear to me after the fact). Either because I was nervous or because I'm an idiot (most likely a combination of both), I said something truly man-like. It wasn't bad. It was kind of funny I guess because all the ladies laughed (I was the only man in the training). But I quickly realized that I regretted not expressing more - like gratitude for one and gratitude for two and some other things too. TO DO: Get a grip and deal.

But wait, it gets better. I then proceeded to withhold tears as one by one the wonderful, beautiful women in the training expressed their gratitude and joy and whatnot through more than a few tears of their own. In hindsight I can't believe I didn't let myself cry. I mean, I was the only guy there. It ain't like I would have felt less manly. It ain't like the women would have thought me less manly. What the fargo? It definitely reminded me how much that part of our culture pisses me off.

Anyway, I did stop Stephanie after we were all gathering to leave and through a few tears of my own expressed my thankfulness to her and my awe of her. So I guess I am not completely lost to our culture after all.

There were other things too that got to me. The details don't matter. What matters is that I am unbelieveably happy that I did it. What matters is that I truly think everyone there really got things from it that go beyond just yoga instruction. What matters is that there are now potentially 23 wonderful new yoga teachers in the world (some old but I think made new again).

Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you, classmates. Thank you, God.

Check out pictures here.