Halfway through Week 3!

Sorry I have been so remiss about updating! Just now I have my hotel room and my roommate's laptop all to myself. Later this afternoon we're going to move to another room, higher up. Right now we're on the second floor and it's damp and many insect friends come to visit us. I'm sure there's mold in the room--having put my head into a fellow teacher-in-training's room on the ninth floor, I just know that this air is not healthy. That's what came into my head, like I'm an air-quality detector: "THIS AIR IS HEALTHY; THE AIR IN MY ROOM IS NOT."

But I digress from the point!

Second week just flew by and since the third week is half-done, I guess this week is, too! We have taught lots more poses, in a mock teaching situation with three "students" and critiques from our teacher (usually Jimmy but occasionally Lisa.) Everyone seems to be loosening up with this now, letting their authentic selves out, and getting more energy into their teaching. I am more comfortable doing this now, it's fun.

My own practices has had ups and downs--I pulled a back muscle so I was and still am taking it easy. But before that, I finally straightened one of my legs in Standing Head to Knee--a first for me! I was so excited, and of course I haven't been able to accomplish it since. When I did it, I wasn't TRYING to do it, I was just focusing on practicing the pose. So the advancement came effortlessly. That's the trick--effortless effort. Sort of a koan!

Emotionally I've been doing well. Last week I was really missing my husband and so last weekend he flew across the whole damned country to visit me for two days! It was so nice to see him. We didn't do much--didn't even get down to the beach, it was raining almost all day on Sunday!--but we had a great time, and now I can make it to the end (he's flying out for graduation, too--FF miles!) without being too much of a mopey pants.

I got my hair cut Saturday. It had been one month since my last cut and my gigantic brown fro was driving me NUTS. It's now pretty short--different than the way Genius Jessica cuts it, but pretty good. And most importantly: SHORT.

I will definitely keep practicing at my beloved studio when I get back, but I have dreams of converting half our garage into a practice space. I would move out the crap, put down a carpet remnant, get rid of cobwebs, probably paint and spray some canned insulation into key insect party areas, and most importantly buy a gigantic space heater. I have heard, and firmly believe myself, that as a teacher I need an independent practice. Teaching takes a lot out of you; a solo practice can "fill the well."

Yesterday we had a half-day off. I laid around, watched several episodes of "Monk," and ate over half of a pint of Ben & JErry's Phish Food ice cream. And didn't drink much water. So this morning I had to rest out the last 90% of class. I was dizzy and just didn't have any "juice" in the tank! So I have vowed not to have refined sugar the rest of my training. I knew it was a bad thing for my practice. I just had a salad, some cold cereal, and blueberries for lunch. I will now sign off so I can have a little something more, and start on a liter of electrolyte-enhanced water before our afternoon clinics. It's Standing Separate Leg Forehead to Knee this afternoon, or should I say Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirsasana!

Hope you are well!