Blog Anniversary!

I'm celebrating today...it's my 1-year blog anniversary!

I started this blog a year ago in my continued efforts to both take part in the wider Ashtanga community (hello "cyber shala"!) and build a local Ashtanga community.

This day comes nearly 9 years after my first Ashtanga class. I remain as passionate about, in love with, and fascinated by this practice as ever. The opportunities to share that as a teacher and as a fellow student mean the world to me.

so...in a spirit of gratitude, a heartfelt thanks to every student who has come through my Mysore room. I have learned as much from each of you as you have from me. Thanks to my teachers who have patiently nudged my practice along and who have been so supportive of me stepping out and sharing the practice as a teacher.

A thanks as well to all the readers who have stopped in and visited my blog....and if you've never commented before, leave a comment!...say Hi!
Looking forward to see what the next year of blogging will bring. :)

Test Post

I'm working on connecting the blog with facebook and twitter for speady updates of blog posts. Let's see if I've been successful!?

Why a Blog?

In my previous incarnation as a horticulturist and yoga student in another city, I was blessed to fall into a vibrant group of dedicated ashtanga yoga students and teachers. They supported and encouraged my transition to a dedicated yoga practice. I didn't know how lucky I was until it came time to move. While the new city and job suited me better, I remain just a bit wistful for the ashtanga community I was apart of for three and a half years.

On the other hand, I probably never would have started teaching if I hadn't moved. I left a group of highly qualified teachers. There would have been no need for me to teach. It was only when I could not find what I look for in a yoga community, that I thought to try to offer that myself. I am still a long way off from that ultimate goal. Much like yoga practice, in teaching yoga, there is always somewhere to go, some new challenge, something else to learn!

My intention for this blog is to offer and participate in a little bit more of the yoga community I envision. It is one more place to encourage students to practice. The first step is just getting on the mat! It is also a place to direct some further thought to questions that come up in class. It's a place to record references, books, DVDs, etc. that might be of interest. Lastly, it will be a place to record some thoughts generated by my own practice. I've found others' thoughts about the ups and downs of daily practice enlightening and encouraging. I hope my thoughts will be to this end as well. Suggestions and comments from those of you who drop in to read will be most welcome!

Namaste,
Christine