Yeah Dave....Yoga Duuuuuude....

So yesterday I taught a class about judgement. Judgement of others, judgement of ourselves....judging with our hearts, not with our eyes or minds or pre-conceived notions.....blah blah blah....(just kidding, everything I say is VERY deep). Okay- there was a method to my madness because I was basically talking to myself as well as my students because that night I was going to take a class from a teacher who was unknown to me. I have said this before, yoga teachers can be, shall we say, somewhat opinionated about their style of yoga....not me of course.

I am a spoiled brat when it comes to my yoga classes (the ones I take- not the ones I teach.) In the area where I live there is a veritable smorgasbord of yoga classes and top tier teachers...something for everyone. You want to go Iyengar? Bust out the straps, blocks and blankets there is a class for you! Power Yoga? Get ready to sweat! Bikram? Get ready to sweat MORE. Anusara? Ashtanga? Kundalini? We are blessed with options. When I encounter new yoga students and they inevitably ask me which yoga I think that they should try, I tell them to sample everything. Find what resonates, find what feels GOOD, but be mindful. I myself, took a very long and winding path to the yoga I practice and teach today.

Okay, so my dear friend Amy was searching for my blog on Google and she typed in Yoga and Chocolate. Now my little dog and pony show is not going to be the first thing that pops up on Google. Apparently there are a LOT of yogis that love chocolate, and no one loves it more than Yeah Dave. 

David Romanelli is a yoga teacher who has a blog and a book about "Livin the Moment, man" (I added the man) He is all about living life to the fullest, enjoying each moment, and he is very funny. His blog posts are on a variety of subjects from facing your mortality to man boobs. Amy proceeded to read his blog and loved it so much that she bought his book. She then passed it on to me. When Dave announced a yoga workshop for foodies in NYC, Amy bought tickets and invited me as her date. Our friends Karen and Kristen joined us as well. Yoga AND food? yes, please.

Now let me explain, I am picky when it comes to my own practice, but I don't judge anyone else's choices. There is room enough in this big world for everyone. I walked into this evening excited to practice, eat well and laugh with dear friends. Yeah Dave kind of looks like my husband's little brother and he LOVES jam bands, as does my husband. I would rather stick a fork in my eyeball than listen to Phish and when someone asks me what my favorite Grateful Dead song is, my response is always, "The short one." But again, this world would be boring if we all liked the same flavor.

The theme of the class revolved around the fact that we detach ourselves from visceral experience. We are becoming more and more desensitized to things we should be savoring. Modern technology can do everything for us, but it can't FEEL for us. It was interesting hearing about this from a guy who has built his entire business from his blog and facebook, but since you are reading this in MY blog...pot meet kettle. (Hee, Hee) I digress.....Yoga, music and food are wonderful ways to re-connect. 

Great food for me is a FEAST for the senses (literally). The ingredients combined artfully to appear beautiful, the textures in the mouth, the smells and sounds of the food while it is cooking and of course the tastes of different elements of the dishes- spicy, sweet, sour, rich....etc. Anyone who has ever watched me eat knows how much I relish the experience (Yo Alan!). I take forever to put together bites on my plate, and I often close my eyes while chewing. My friends are either highly amused by this or highly annoyed. I never even realized I did this until college. I was dating a guy and we went out to dinner. In the middle of the meal I looked up and he had his fork halfway to his mouth watching me. I asked what he was doing and he explained he was trying to eat slower than I was and it was next to impossible. 

Do you ever hear a song in your car and you are immediately transported in time to a specific moment in your life? Auditory sensory memories are very special. I remember what was playing in the background when I had my first kiss (The Cure) I remember everyone singing impromptu at the last great party of the year before we all went off to college (Led Zeppellin- Hey, Hey What Can I do). A few months ago my brother in law and I drunkenly bought tickets to Broken Bells in Boston. That show with my husband, sister and brother in law was simply in a word, AWESOME. Not just because of the music and singing The High Road along with a couple of thousand people, but because I was sharing the experience with people I love. It is one of my new favorite memories.

Yoga begins in the opening to Grace and the experience, creating a strong foundation by drawing from the inside and then expanding out organically in all directions. When everything lines up it is one of the most visceral, glorious experiences I believe one can have. It is Shri; it is RADIANT. When a teacher makes different offerings, switching up the menu so to speak, for me personally, it is about new experiences to savor. You can feel your breath, give it texture and sound. When you hit a backbend just right, DIVINE.

Dave's class was a Vinyasa Flow class. It was kind of like being taught yoga by Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High- or even better David Wooderson from Dazed and Confused. It was alllll goooood...After opening meditation we started to move. For the first five minutes I was so effing distracted by the woman in front of me. I desperately wanted to get up and adjust her upper back. Seriously, this is what I was thinking about, it was driving me CRAZY. I had to STOP. I started practicing with my eyes closed. When I did this, I was able to go inside my body. I started noticing the smells of the food cooking, the music and sounds of people breathing. I was able to open my eyes and savor my practice. Ahh.....bliss....it's allll gooood......

Do I agree with everything Dave teaches in a class? No. (Never, NEVER push your hips forward in Camel pose, please trust me on this.) I love flow, but I am also an alignment freak. Does that mean I didn't have a great class? No! (You CAN have an integrated vinaysa flow class.) I was not there to judge, I was there to enjoy, so I aligned my body, hugged in and flowed. After the practice, Barbara Sibley, chef/owner of La Palapa presented us with a true feast. we sat on the floor and ate community style. It was fabulous, homemade tortillas, the best guacomole I have ever eaten, sesame mole, cactus, black beans, rice, salsas from heaven, margaritas from the other place (OMG- so good, but damn!) salads, plantains....it just kept coming. It was incredible.

At the end of the night my friends asked me what I had thought of the experience. I smiled and thought, I am in the city with three of my favorite people. I got to practice yoga with them, eat with them, and laugh a LOT with them. I met lovely people (Jamie your jewelry is stunning!!) It is now a memory colored by sensory experience. I will treasure it.

Today I took Dave's class and put an Anusara spin on it. It was lovely. Dave brings people to yoga with honesty and humor. I respect that entirely. When you open your heart and your senses, bliss is there for the taking. 

So thank you Yeah Dave, congrats on your upcoming wedding to your lovely fiance. Savor that day, it is yours and your future brides...no one else's. You don't have to talk to, or entertain everyone (best wedding advice I ever got). 

So trust in the yoga dude......and Just Keep Living... and if you don't know where that quote is from, go right out and get the movie Dazed and Confused, it will explain everything.