As we went through the rigorous routine I found myself stretched and growing in more ways than one. At one point in the workshop Noah had us all gather around him, dripping in sweat with beating red faces we crowded around and watched him magically float into the posture above. All I could think was, “hell no.”

We all returned to our mats and as we did he said he was going to take us through the lead up poses to get into the full pose. He verbally queued us into the first pose and had us hold it for about a minute, as we were hanging out in pose one (which was not a balance pose) there was suddenly *thud-thud-thud* several people had toppled over, for what seemed to be no good reason. He asked us all to release from the pose and again crowd around him. What he said next was the most important lesson that I took away from the workshop. He told us that doing yoga is like doing life. And we have to learn to enjoy the lead up poses as much as we do the full extension of a pose, otherwise, we’ll topple over in anticipation of where we are headed.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I once read that when you are trying to figure out what you want to do with your life you should do what the instructor referred to as “toe dipping.” You should sign up for a class, read a book or volunteer in things that you are interested in. But in a world of master degrees and lists of achievements sometimes it is hard to just “try” something out.

Recently some of my “toe dipping” had come to an end. The confirmation class I was co-teaching ended, summer started for the preschoolers I read to for Ready Readers, writing classes at Wash U concluded. I had dipped my toes in all kinds of sparkly waters and had come to no big conclusions. I still had the same big questions – WHO AM I? WHAT AM I? After getting myself all worked up I realized I had once again become more destination focused instead of journey focused.

So I pulled out my trusty notebook and made a list of what I had learned about my recent toe-dipping: young kids are freakin’ cool but teens can be tough, anthropology is for people way smarter than I am, poetry is not something I want to receive a “grade” on and I like being a yoga student (vs. teacher). Then I made a list of things that I’ve become interested in: gender studies, throwing pottery, Shakespeare acting and mind-body therapy. As soon as I had my list in hand I remembered the answers to the big questions…WHO AM I: a creative, searching, wrestling, passionate, changing, curious person. WHAT AM I: entrepreneur, student, teacher, nurturer. Oh yeah. It’s not about having a PhD in Psych or becoming a published poet. It’s about learning, growing, engaging and helping others. Toe dipping rocks!

With my recent consulting gig and with everything else I have going on (ALIVE, classes at Wash U, yoga) I was starting to feel like a crazy person (again). I sat down and reviewed what had changed between now and this time last year. What I realized was I had gotten away from some of the great daily habits I was doing when I had more time. I decided to make a checklist of things that help center me and to make it my goal to do at least 3 things off the list every day. I’ve been doing the checklist for about a week and I’m already feeling like I’ve returned to my more creative/happy/balanced/playful self so I thought I’d share in case this is something that might help any of you.

Directions:

1) Make a list of 15 things that make you feel like the best version of you

2) Take the 8 best things and put them into a checklist (in Word or apple equivalent)

3) Each day try and do 3 of the 8 things. Try to stick to it for 30 days and see if it helps pull you get out of a funk, become less stressed, be more focused.

Here’s the full list:

Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself
Be a leader
Initiate action
Balance logic and emotion
Handle pressure with certainty
Go the extra mile
Feel other people’s pain, not your own

Here’s the full list for getting acclimated with your inner Aquarius:

• Try to Conform. Do What Someone Else Does
• Allow people to love you
• Feel the suffering of the guy next to you
• Don’t be so stubborn
• If you want to change the world, you must change yourself first
• Yes, you are a genius. But remember, you are only a channel for this brilliance.

Here’s the full list:

• Trust When It Isn’t Easy. Break Some of Your Rules
• Express your emotions
• Realize it’s not the physical things you want but the Light within them
• Appreciate what you have (it’s the secret to getting more)
• Activate your enormous spiritual potential by realizing possessions are ephemeral



Well, I didn’t have to do much today to honor my inner Sag because anyone who knows me knows I am a Sagittarius through and through. Passionate, stubborn, imaginative and will do just about anything once (or twice). Still, I wanted to stick to my challenge so when I was asked out for this weekend, instead of canceling plans I stuck to my original schedule and felt the satisfaction of commitment (sort of).

Here’s the list for honoring your Sag side:

Stand Up for Something You Believe In
Practice forgiveness
Pay attention to the little things
Make a commitment and stick to it
Analyze the whole situation before making a decision
Be more sensitive to others; watch what you say

In full disclosure, since I pointed out the suck-y side of Scorpio’s yesterday, here’s the less than desirable side of Sag:

How à propos that I would leave off on my astrology assignment with the sign I can’t get away from. Scorpio, Scorpio, how charming art thou? I don’t know about you but I am a sucker for a sexy Scorpio and I just can’t seem to ever remember that their big ambitions and dreamy eyes have led to heartache in the past. Still, as a part of the challenge I had to forget that many a Scorpios had put out my Sag fire and instead I had to dig deep to remove the drama and use my energy to help others, as any Scorpio can do so well.

Here’s the complete list:

• Love Yourself More (and Be Jealous of Others Less)
• Stay calm, don’t be a Drama Queen
• Don’t blame your distress on others
• Channel your intense energy into helping (not hurting) others
• Beware of your appetite for destruction and revenge

And just to make me feel better I had to insert the other image for this sign.

Saturday was time to love me some Leo. So here were the themes:

Leo -Saturday April 9th
Think before speaking
Use strength to help others, not to dominate them
Be more empathetic; understand another’s perspective
Be sensitive to another person’s feelings
Don’t be the center of attention

Spending time with my mom and an ex on Saturday proved to be a solid test on my empathy skills. I have been known to plow right over people so I made a point to do the empathetic listening my therapist and I have worked so hard on: “So what I hear you telling me is…” Later that night I wore a long dress to Wall Ball and did my best to blend in so I wasn’t the center of attention. Until I was surrounded by three of my favorite men braiding my hair it seemed to be going well. The Sag in me just couldn’t resist center stage for long.

The Virgo Adventure for Sunday was:

Beware of Being Critical of Yourself (and Others)
Seek to understand, not judge
Look for the good (not the bad) in everything
Don’t be so sensitive to criticism
Let go of the desire to control everything

I spent Sunday morning writing for my poetry class and Sunday evening working with kids for their confirmation presentation. Not judging yourself while writing is a good practice indeed and one I personally struggle with. In order to meet the Virgo challenge I did a lot of subconscious writing – writing just to write without any expected outcome in mind. And later that evening I did my best to have thick skin while interacting with twenty 16-year olds…the Virgo vigilance came in handy for sure.

Today is Libra.

Make Decisions with Certainty
Don’t second guess yourself
Share because you care, not because you want love
F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real)

Hmm…I’m going to finally sign up for that writing workshop and stop second guessing myself. And if I send a text to a crush I am going to send it because I want to make them smile not because I want them to text me back! I’m liking this Libra energy already!

Here’s the list for honoring Cancer today:

• Take Risks
• Live in the NOW
• Let go of fears
• Realize that all the money in the world can’t give you a sense of security – only connection to the Light can
• Do a sharing action daily
• Count your blessings

Wow this is some hard stuff. I wonder why it is so hard for some of us (namely me) to live in the now. I practice yoga, meditate, journal, do daily affirmations and much more to try and be present. But sometimes it is easier to fill my mind with chatter by surfing the web or to sit down to a couple glasses of wine to unwind. Today I’ve been trying to be as in the “now” as possible – Tolle would be so proud!

I try and state things I am grateful for daily – my family, friends, teachers, opportunities, home, health of myself and loved ones. But today, as I honor the Cancer sign I am happy to spend just a little more time saying gee whiz I’m lucky!

Now for the being brave part….