Friday evening, John and I attended an evening of chocolate yoga with Mark and Chantalle of Living Nutrition. For the first part of the evening, we learned about the health benefits of many live super-foods (courtesy of Mark) and enjoyed some raw chocolate, and then were drilled through a challenging asana practice by Chantalle. Ordinarily, I am less-than-thrilled with the use of wooden props as yoga accessories, but I vowed to keep an open mind and I found myself enjoying the practice. It was a perfect “date” night. I should have brought some of the chocolate home with me!

Last night’s YTT class was phenomenal. The ability to be “present” although quite simple in concept is quite a bit more difficult in practice – and this chaotic busy world makes it even more challenging to shut out the demands of a superficial world. Yet, I found myself in this space very easily. Furthermore, I found myself in a position that would have made me unsure in the past – being partnered to work with a fellow student who had some personal challenges. Rather than shying away from the situation, I realized that it was a blessing. Sometimes a person needs to be pushed from their comfort zone. With just a tiny nudge, a serving of confidence is brought to the table. With this confidence, comes the rush of energy that a person does, indeed, want to stay present and in the moment. And with this realization, comes the awareness that great human connections are created in this place of being present and open.

I am feeling completely overjoyed that I’m going back to Yoga Teacher Training tonight. This past year, I have been so busy traveling (and watching my personal life explode in new and interesting ways) that I didn’t have the time/effort to dedicate to my asana and meditation practice. Now, I find myself settled (or as settled as I could ever be) and in a fantastic head space to really dedicate myself heart/soul to this.

I’ve realized that I’m a super-project based person, but I can’t keep burying myself in work because I want/need a life. Therefore, my goal over the next few months is to incorporate my YTT studies into my life in a way that I don’t get overloaded. Rather than isolate myself in piles of homework, I’ve decided to be more inclusive about it and work through it in a way that’s community-based/social/takes my significant other into account so that nothing falls by the wayside.

Task	Steps to Achieve
Journaling (Daily)	Use holistic blog/new yoga blog
Asana commitment (40 days – Fall)	Yoga at home with John
Anatomy/Physiology (Fall/Winter)	I think I’m on my own here
Class planning (4 classes – Fall/Winter)	Feedback from friends
Karma Project (20 hours – Winter)	Done – www.holistic-ontario.com
Meditation commitment (40 days – March)	Meditate at home with John
Mantra commitment (40 days – April)	Anyone want to learn Sanskrit mantra?
Sanskrit (May)	I think I’m on my own here
Marketing Project (Spring)	Setup www.rockyourboatyoga.com