Buzz, Spin and Sometimes Fall

Tonight I went to a $5 Community Vinyasa class taught by Michele, the studio director of The Yoga Space. She lead us through Ashtanga Sun A's/B's, and then right into balance poses which is a great way to start. During the first round of tree pose which as you know from last week is one of my poses of the year, I found my thoughts racing.
How long will I have to stand like this? Can I better align my hips? How come Portland drivers don't understand how to merge?
My mind stayed with this pattern until I found myself about to lose my balance. I took a breath, allowed the sole of my standing foot to press evenly into the ground and from that moment through the rest of class I smiled continuously, amused by my own inner struggle. It's so easy to get caught up in mental activity, but if you are willing yoga is the best place to enhance your capability for joy even if you fall on your ass.
xo
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Inspirational Women

Lately I've been watching action reels, choreography, and parkour on youtube for inspiration cause it's not all yoga all the time.
Hope you love the following selections!
xo,
Fawn

Pina Bausch's achingly gorgeous Masurca Fogo.


Demo reel for a rad stuntwoman who can do anything.


Very graceful traceuse.


Excerpts from Bebe Miller's Necessary Beauty. The duet at the end scrapes my insides.
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Deeply Knowing

At the start of the new year I chose several personal mantras to live by for the next few months, and my most repeated has been: Don't say I don't know.
Often I find making small decisions to be the most time consuming. Quieting the day-to-day clutter enough to make space to decide what to make for dinner can be painful. In order to combat the voice in my head telling me otherwise I have to remind myself that I know what I need, and tune in to my body.
Linking an asana to a specific feeling is a powerful tool for repatterning your thought processes and for this mantra I chose tree pose, Vrksasana in Sanskrit, as a reminder to embody my knowing.
The anatomical focus in this pose is balance. It requires faith in yourself to stand on one leg with your arms in the air. You have to be present, trust your gut, and accept who you are in life. Your body knows how open your hips are, how strong your standing leg is, when to fire, and when to soften. Tree pose takes patience, a willingness for self-discovery, and a tuning in to your own deep knowing.
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