Back on track.

 A great run along the CVT on Saturday before meeting the family for dinner at Iron Hill. Julia and I worked like Dervishes after the guys unpacked the car. We organized, cleaned, food shopped, and generally got the whole house back up and running. Her reward was a popsicle, my reward was a peaceful run set to THIS MUSIC, which I discovered thanks to my friend Jenn. The song Three Aums quickly made its way into this weeks new playlist. Beautiful!!! After the beauty of the beach I enjoyed the lush green of PA (though not the humidity) and really enjoyed my run. We had a great family dinner ~ family vacations are always so bonding and fun ~ we come home so relaxed and just happy ~ the kids really just thrive on the extra attention from us and their grandparents, the full two weeks with the television not being on once, the entire day spent outside, only being in the car once to go to Wildwood, etc etc. Its a dream life down there. I came home and set up my basement yoga space. I decided that while it IS still hot and the basement feels so nice that I might as well keep my practice space and meditation space all in one place. So, may I introduce my home studio :)

Its peaceful, isn't it? I really feel happy down there. I can dim the lights, play my music really loudly, and just disappear into my practice. Yesterday I taught at 8 and 9:45. Raced from there to pick up the desserts for Brookes shower, and then was off.

 She worked hard to come up with marital advice for the bride and groom :)

 Brooke has been our babysitter since Luke was 7 weeks old, and truly is a part of our family. The kids are so honored and excited to be a part of her wedding, and we are so excited to celebrate this beginning of the rest of her life. We love her. 

After the shower Nate and I played 18. It was nice to be out together on a picture perfect afternoon. We had a tight match, with it coming down to 18 (I won the front, him the back, and he beat me for the match on 18.) We went upstairs and had a beautiful dinner at the club while watching the end of the PGA Championship, then headed home for a quiet night.  Another busy day today of teaching at 12:30 and 5:15, and lots of cooking. My garden is back in order and Nate and I even got to sneak in a date at a body combat class together at 7:00! Working out together is one of my favorite dates. We took the kids out for ice cream afterwards and the entire family was passed out by 9. It's good to be home.

I'm beginning to enact plan:yoga studio job. Sue suggested I look at "The Center" in Downingtown. I was up at 6 AM this morning to practice before golf, but as its pouring out we bagged golf. This leaves me with a sitter and free time. I'm going to attend a class there this morning and check it out. I was also thrilled and honored to get a call from Sue yesterday asking me to sub two of her level 3 classes the first week of September! Did I say thrilled and honored? I meant thrilled honored and slightly panicked. This I will need to plan for. I haven't been teaching ANY power classes at the level of her level 3 classes (some of my Y people might die. Like, actually die. On the floor, dead)….and my crossfit teaching is all about slow deep flow and a more static practice with deep shoulder and hip openers ~ not crazy fast flow, binds and inversions and craziness that is a Sue level 3 class. I need to GET to some of her classes ASAP!

I've also realized that I need to find a place to volunteer my yoga. The prison gig didn't come through as the county lost their funding. I have a food cupboard meeting on Thursday night and am going to see if there is an opportunity to incorporate yoga for our FC families, or else offer it to Safe Harbor. I feel like worrying so much about teaching opportunities and my perfect home practice set up and whatnot is a little…..selfish? I don't know if thats the right word, but whatever it is I'm feeling called to share a little bit of this practice that has helped me in so many ways with other people who probably really need it. Though the Y is practically working for free, it still *isn't* actually working for free, and there should be somewhere where I am 100% giving back within my yoga practice, I think.

I HAVE volunteered to be a soccer coach. This is slightly hilarious and perhaps slightly sad for the kids who get me as their coach. Though I was a pretty serious soccer player for a time and played travel soccer the league the kids play for (GCVSA) into high school, I don't know that I know much about teaching 6 or 7 year olds how to play. Or fairly rotate playing times/kids etc. Drills? Ahhhhh! They needed people though and hey, I love soccer and I like kids (most of the time, some OPK's can be tough? I am going to need to like them all equally, many mantras are going to be said, I can already feel it.)  I can already tell my team is going to be the best stretched team of 7 year olds out there :)

Nice article here on yoga and body image. I was first introduced to yoga in a 6 week eating disorder inpatient treatment center 2500 miles from home when I was 19 years old. Thats 20 years ago, people. My relationship with it was one of those love at first sight sort of things. And yes, it has shaped the way that I feel about my body. MANY times ~ through three pregnancies ~ where I came to love my body fiercely and simply be awed and amazed at what it could do ~ and through the healing of my broken hip ~ where I had to deal with intense feelings of betrayal, of regret, of shame, of guilt, and yoga helped me to forgive and to process those feelings. Yoga is a powerful tool for learning acceptance and gratitude towards both your body and your soul.

Namaste, all.