Pretzel Yoga

Slinging pretzels in San Francisco

     Traditional health care benefits do not usually accompany untraditional lifestyles, but there is hope that occupational happiness is good preventative care. At times, my "happy to be teaching yoga" habit asks to be supported by other odd jobs. This is not a problem, since I enjoy a varied work life. For some of us, occupational happiness means putting our skills, interests, and open minds into a hat for fate to choose. This past week I was offered something new in the gig department. I spent July 4th at Fisherman's Wharf behind a pretzel/churro cart. It was hard to stop smiling that day. Every person I encountered at the stand was kind, polite, and surprisingly grateful for their $3 snack. I felt like a summertime Santa Claus.

Have you ever had a chance to be playful at work?

The gig reminded me of one I had enjoyed as a kid. Twice per year, my uncle arranged for my brother and I to sell roses on the streets of small Minnesota towns. It was also reminiscent of years spent in the restaurant world. It's the kind of work where 10 hours pass quickly, due to the constant action. I spent the 5th of July on a couch recovering from all of the interaction, but was ready to go again yesterday for one more pretzel gig at the Alameda Antique Fair. It was amusing to watch people walk by with parasols, dressed in vintage dresses and suits, etc. Folks wheeled carts around containing giant plastic reindeer and many other oddities. I felt right at home. We are all so unique!

There is no doubt that yoga helped me through the slinging pretzel days. Mountain pose helped me avoid slouching, and the straining effects of leaning to one side. Breath awareness kept my energy level high and nerves calm, even when surrounded by mini-mobs of customers. Anytime I had a few moments to recover, I found a yoga pose, usually something addressing quads and low back. Just for fun (and upper back relief) I took full eagle pose a few times too, the one most associated with looking and feeling like a pretzel.

Cooling Wave Breath

Fisherman at Pacifica Pier

Try this breathing visualization with a chilled eye pillow to cool down in the summer heat:

First, Picture how all of the oceans are connected. There is no telling where one ocean stops and another begins. Now, become aware of your own divine body of mostly water, and imagine that there is no separation between yourself and any other body of water. As these fisherman stand on the shore, they are connecting to nature because they tooare nature. Replenish yourself and your surroundings with the awareness of your breath as connecting energy. Feel how the ebb & flow of your natural breathing pattern mimics the rhythm of the waves; extending to shore, then returning back to a limitless source. As you exhale, imagine your breath as a wave washing to shore, extending to touch your surroundings. The cool inhale returns us to our expansiveness, an ocean within ourselves. All of life energy circulates, as waves, as breath, as divine consciousness. The ocean and the wave are clearly inseparable, just as we are to the breath, and breath is to all. Watching the breath like this, we may start to feel contentment in "going with the flow."

Yoga Lessons from Trees

Tree Teacher

Some of the advantages of taking yoga lessons from trees are that the classes are on-going and open 24 hours a day!
A great way to begin is by observing any tree that catches your attention. When you feel ready, follow the silent instructions of the tree and move into the shape demonstrated by the tree. Move with inner guidance and intuition into your own felt interpretation of the shape. Extra Bonus:You might notice that you have more energy for sustaining dynamic yoga poses out in an oxygen rich forest setting!

Stay on the Path!

Rock art/inspiration.

     Traveling without an exact plan brings up some uneasy feelings from time to time. My basic need for security is challenged, which ignites some questions from the 'what if...' part of my brain. What if I am wasting precious time? What if I don't have enough of this, that, and the other? What if I loose this, that, and the other?

I'm taking a sojourn with trust that I will be guided along the way. I know that if I stay present and awake, it will be clear what to do (or not do) in any given moment.

Just keep breathing.

On the outside, the road I'm traveling doesn't look much different than the road I've always been on. It's my understanding that feels different. Life feels more interesting now that I'm not spending energy as 'Director of Every Detail and Outcome'. I have given that job back to The Universe. I appreciate the subtle, as well as the loud blaring signs that are guiding me along. Keep Going, read the rock. My instincts interpret this message as a reminder to keep tending to the inhale/exhale, as my path.