I'm the Yoga teacher!

I introduced Sharky to the class for the first time.  He was wearing a Hawaiian Lei and sat in on the class.

My engaged students

This morning was so exciting!  I got to teach my first hour long Yoga class to everyone!  We all have complete complete artistic, creative ability when creating our own classes to teach so I chose to do a class for hip and shoulder openers.  I also themed the class to honor the Spirit of Aloha and my favorite state of Hawaii.  The music was all Hawaiian Aloha style and I threw in several yoga asana's that have names that corespond with the Hawaiian sealife like Dolphin pose, Turtle pose, Fish pose, and so on.  It was alot of fun.  I got alot of great feedback and I felt pretty good being the teacher.  A little scarey but super exciting.

Directing my students to the wall with their blocks.  The blocks really help tone and strengthen the inner legs and help support the knees.

Assisting Shebby with her shoulder and back stretch

Once I started getting into it I was having fun and becoming more comfortable.  Some of the students commented that they could tell my guidance was authentic and came from the heart.  That made me really happy.

I was the first in my class to teach an hour long session.  I am really looking forward to being their students too.  I am sure everyone has their own unique style, which makes Yoga so cool!

I finished class with Brother IZ's song, Over the Rainbow, in Savasana.  It was a lovely moment quietly listening to that song with the ocean breeze in my hair and the crashing sound of waves in the background, and knowing I just completed my first Yoga class ever.

Some of the students said they had tears of joy in thier eyes and were really touched by my class.  Hey, this job ain't to bad at all! I loved it.

Guiding my class through guided imagery and meditation in Savashana.

Last night I took some beautiful photo's of the sunset I would love to share.  Stay tuned for the next blog too, I got to swim with Dolphins out front of our Hawaiian home.  I have some great under water shots I will share next time.

Mahalo.

  

1 week left

The Yogini Wahines at Maklevena Beach

Our classroom setting discussing the Bhagavad Gita

Our dining room view

Alicia and Tanya in our front "yard"

I can't believe that there is only 1 week left at the Yoga Teacher Training!  I have to admit, people were right when they said that this will change my life.  I have become so much more conscious in so many ways.  I feel inspired and so alive and healthy.  I want to share the knowledge and keep learning more and more.  Yoga is pretty amazing in so many ways.  On top of that, all of the girls here are beautiful inside and out.  The teacher is so outstanding, I absolutely love Deborah.  And David, her husband and Chef is amazing too.  I have really connected with them.  I also have made "intsta-friends" with Alicia, the most lovely human being, who was a student from last years teacher training and is helping out this year.  She also teaches Pilates and Yoga.  I have made true lifelong friends.  Not to mention how much I have been learning! Yoga asana, sutras, ayurveda, koshas, kleshas, restorative, props for yoga, anatomy, philosophy, sustainable living, and so much more.  I can't wait to share the knowledge!

One of our outing days.  Standing in volcano remains with the writing in dead coral

Alicia and Tanya

Pregnancy Yoga class

Relaxing after a tough pregnancy class

 

 

Waimea

 

Daniela, Jen, Urvi and I had so much fun!

Waimea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our routine sunset viewing

A few lovely pictures from Yoga training

My personal shrine and crystals in my room

My bed and canopy

My ceremonial tiki hut from Timor

My new friend Daniella from Virginia

Anatomy lesson

Morning Yoga Practice

We decorate our shrine and spaces with flowers we pick daily with love

My new friend Donae from Wala Wala Wahington

Every meal starts with holding hands and giving thanks with in

The Wahines waiting for thier coconuts!

I got my coconuts!

Fathers Day ceremony on the lava field.  We shared our love for our fathers and grandfathers and tossed them in the ocean

My Flowers for my father (left to right) My Dad, Grandpa Walter, Grandad Crane, David Thompson, and in the back Bob Carr

1st post on Island!

Aloha!  

Finally, I got the internet up and working!  Many days without internet, coffee, tv, and radio/music.  I feel content now with just the internet.

My emotions are so strong.  Jon and I had an amazing time together on the Island.  He left several days ago, which was so hard saying goodbye.  We did so many things; we went snorkeling with dolphins, we SUP paddle-boarded, we went on a boat cruise, we went to the Volcano, and we really just had a great time exploring the Island together.  Since he left, I feel sad, but so invigorated with the immersion into my Yoga adventure.  Let me share a little about what it is like.

 

First off, my room is called the Timor room.  This is not a normal room, it is an actual antique ceremonial hut that was used in Timor.  It is hand carved with ceremonial etchings of women and other female representation.  It is believed to be a fertility hut. (Uh Oh!)  The hut was deconstructed in Timor and reconstructed here at this site. There are no panes of glass to be seen on the whole commune, including my room.  My room is facing the ocean crashing on top the lava remains.  Quite a beautiful site and sound to sleep to.  I have a beautiful canopy netting I can surround my bed with at night to keep the geckos or other creatures from joining my slumber.

The site, named Hale Kai, was purchased in 1985 as a completely baron piece of land.  When Deborah and David were deciding to buy the land, while on site, they said they saw 2 humpback whales breach simultaneously 30 feet off shore. They took that as a sign that the land was meant to be theirs.  They decided they wanted to build their home and yoga retreat completely sustainable.  The home is completely solar powered, the food garbage is all composted and reused on the land, everything is recycled, and all of us students participate daily in the jobs to the maintenance  of our yoga paradise.  It was also built to be as little of an impact of the environment, all the furniture and permanent fixtures were custom built in Bali with environmentally friendly wood like coconut wood, bamboo, and other exotic woods in order to not further destroy the rain forest.  The very first building that was built at Hale Kai in 1985 was the Yoga room.  This room was made completely by hand since there was no electricity down here at the time. It still stands here today the same.

Oh, which brings me to, the yoga teacher training.  It turns out there are 8 female students here this session.  The personal attention and information we are learning is outstanding.  We wake up early, 5 or 6am to swim in the ocean or hike the 2.5 mile mountain that we are at the base of before we meet for our daily meditation.  Some days we meditate at the beach on the volcanic remains, sometimes in the open aired yoga room, or sometimes ceremonial meditation with flowers and incense to various spiritual statues surrounding the Hale Kai.  We practice many traditions within the compound.  It really does feel like a highly charged place.  We all can feel it.  After that we have a smoothie and go into Yoga practice, then breakfast, Yoga theory, study time, lunch, break, yoga theory, yoga practice, dinner, and then bed.  Whew!  Busyness all day with no coffee!  It's great though.  Just weird since we are literally in and on  Kona Coffee land!

I wish I could add some pictures now of Hale Kai but I accidentally left my camera at the last place Jon and I spent together.  Because we are rather remote it is taking a while for me to be able to retrieve it.  Soon to come.  In the meantime I added some pictures we took when Jon and I were together.

Mahalo!