This Yamuna Body Rolling class is coming right up.

Join me on Saturday, February 26th from 12:00 – 2:00 pm
for a comprehensive class where you will be expertly guided in
how to support and release your knees and hips.
Cost of the class is $45

Contact Rhythm of Life to register:
carol@rlife.com
303.910.5644

Come create length, strength and space in your body.
You will leave this class with a sense of freedom and
a feeling of being quietly energized and profoundly present.

There are more classes being offered over the next few months.
Click HERE to check it out . . .

When new material is published about the body, weight, food, diet, I feel an obligation (ok, possibly a compulsion) to check it out – and there is a plethora of information surfacing about the body. The good news is that the body is receiving some much deserved attention as a part of (and not separate from) the evolution of consciousness. The bad news is that many of the big names in the consciousness movement are telling us that the body, in and of itself, lacks intelligence and is simply a servant to the all-powerful mind. Here is a somewhat typical statement that illustrates this point of view: “The body is an instrument of the mind, a dumb terminal just doing what the mind tells it to do.” A dumb terminal – really?

Our body houses our brain. Without the body, there is no brain, without the brain, there is no body. How is it that the mind and the body can be thought of as independent of or indifferent to each other? And how is that we can believe that one has dominion over the other? They function as a cohesive unit and are in a constant two-way conversation – the body talks to the brain, the brain responds, interprets, modulates; the body responds and feeds more information to the brain. They are in cahoots!

There is a tremendous dis-service to our Being when we view the body as other, an object, a servant to the mind – we lose our capacity to Be in relationship with ourselves and our environment. And, as Robert Masters (author of Spiritual Bypassing) points out, when we desensitize ourselves to our body, we tend to associate wisdom and knowledge only with our thinking mind and try to think our way through this human life.

Your humanity, your life, is not a series of thoughts wafting through space, creating your reality. Life in a body, as a unique human being, is an experience. It is the dynamic creative force expressing as this body, as this life, as you! Enter into this unique expression. Embody all that you are and develop a profound intimacy with the whole of your life. Here is where you find home. Here is where you find peace. Here is where you begin to know yourself. And here is where you experience the exquisite unfolding of your body as spirit and spirit as your body.

deep blessings to you, Carol

For over 20 years, Mary Gay Shafer has been my constant companion, unwavering ally, and wise mentor. She has compassionately guided me into the depths of my interior self and fostered the recognition and development of my natural gifts as a teacher and a leader. What best describes our partnership is anam cara, a Celtic term that means soul friend. The anam cara friendship awakens the fullness and mystery of life and cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy, and definition. The Irish believe when you are blessed with an anam cara, you have arrived at that most sacred place.

And so it is with great pleasure that I share one of her teachings with you. __________________________________________________________

I first learned about submission while working with my Teacher, Brugh Joy. It was quite clear from the beginning that the way to experience the fullness of who Brugh was, and the depth of what he had to offer, was to make myself utterly available. I had to free myself from my dearly held protections. I needed to be willing to be seen – seen in ways I couldn’t see myself. Opening the gateway into the inner recesses of my being was a prerequisite to availability. It’s like this; you can open the front door to your home, but is all of what is inside really accessible to your guest? If I wanted to experience the unconditional love that Brugh embodied, I had to do much more than just show up. It helped that he was both vastly wise, and immensely loving, that I could trust him with my precious vulnerability. Trust, you see, factors in strongly in the ability to choose the unguarded, exposed state of availability.

There is a sequence of perceptions and shifts, a pathway, a developmental process, in becoming available to a teacher. First, is the necessary recognition of skill, even mastery, in the teacher. Thus, trust arises naturally. If trust is cultivated, nurtured, it evolves into what I call ‘radical trust’. It is radical because it puts us in a state of defenselessness in the face of the instincts that would have us reinforce our isolation and separateness. Once trust is established, there does need to be a conscious choice about allowing the teacher to influence you, to extend an invitation to be affected. Because this is not an act of giving away any of your personal integrity, not a gesture of weakness or inferiority, it then becomes essential that you give permission to the teacher to begin offering her gifts. It is at this point of authentic humility that submission enters the relationship.

Submission is a place of profound receptivity. I am not expecting, not projecting, not comparing, not judging, not exerting my identity in any way. I have become the paint tubes filled with all the colors of my uniqueness, as well as the blank canvas of pure openness awaiting the creative surge of the artist. My permission transitions into a deep communication to the teacher, an invitation, an active request to be restored to my essential magnificence and beauty, even if that entails a painful awakening.

And, it is important to acknowledge that not all teachings come through other human beings – sometimes life itself can be the teacher. When one is available, the teachings come from a multitude of sources. The old saying that “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” is true! And this dynamic process also occurs in less dramatic forms, even in the simple moments, like stopping to smell the roses.

In our essence, we are all magnificent. Recognize each and every moment, that you can give yourself the gift of submitting, whether to the beauty of nature, the gaze of a beloved partner, friend or pet, or countless other ways to be exquisitely available. It is through the spiritual practice of submission that you can come fully into yourself and your life, available to everything and everyone.

__________________________________________________________

Mary Gay Shafer, MA (in transpersonal psychology) has been a spiritual teacher for several decades and offers a variety of formats for exploring the soul-partnering relationship of student and teacher. Here is how she describes her work:

Teaching has been my lifelong calling. It has evolved through artistic and spiritual explorations, culminating in the recognition that these two are intrinsically related in a vivid interior life. Their pairing synthesized my innate abilities. It is through creative imagination and an encompassing understanding of the human spirit that I consider myself an  artistof the soul.

My offerings will carefully guide you on an adventure to discover both your authentic self-expression and inherent capacity for a fulfilled life. I invite you to retreat to the mountains, the ocean, or the desert. I ask that you embark upon the journey that will take you Home. I offer you my eyes so that you may see your beauty and my insights so that you may know your depths. This is my passion. This is why I teach. My heart recognizes you in your wholeness.

She can be contacted at mgshafer@comcast.net.

deep blessings to you, Carol

Hey Boulderites!

Yamuna Body Rolling is coming to town.

Join me on Wednesday, February 9th from 1:00 – 2:30
for a comprehensive class where you will be expertly guided in
how to support and release your knees and hips.
Cost of the class is $45

Contact Gyrotonic Boulder to register:
admin@gyrotonicboulder.com
303.444.1228

Come create length, strength and space in your body.
You will leave this class with a sense of freedom and
a feeling of being quietly energized and profoundly present.

There are more classes being offered over the next few months.
Click HERE to check it out . . .

Here’s the buzz about Fitness Finesse:

“You really need to be a part of Fitness Finesse! Never a dull moment, it’s fun, fresh, and focused! We use exercise balls, resistance bands, weights, and lots of creativity to make each session unique and effective. And, Carol always provides her depth of knowledge in body awareness to help refine your workout for long-lasting results. I have never stayed with an exercise program as long or as faithfully as I have Fitness Finesse.” Sara Davenport, author and consultant

Sound inviting? Come check it out, your first class is F*REE.

Fitness Finesse is a straightforward and fun way to get fit and stay fit! Small group classes of 3-4 students using  fit ball, stretch band, free weights, weighted bars and balls to help tone, tighten, strengthen, stretch and lengthen in a simple, intelligent and meaningful way.

Click HERE for days, times and more information.

Golden Pilates is pleased to host

“Meditation and Self Care for a more peaceful and self aware New Year”

Start 2011 by improving your health with a four-week workshop to give you tangible skills for learning to care for your inner and outer self.  Classes will be taught by Susan Horst, Licensed Massage Therapist, Reiki Master, and Hawaiian Huna healer; and Sharon Chung, long time teacher, coach, and practitioner of Simplicity, Sustainability, and Intentional Living.

The classes will be Friday evenings, 7-8 pm, January 14, 21, 28 and February 4 at Golden Pilates Studio, 922 Washington Ave., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401.  Cost is $40 for the entire series, $20 per individual class.  The class topics are: Week 1 – Garden Meditation, Week 2 – Global Healing Meditation, Week 3 – Simplicity/De-cluttering, and Week 4 – Self-care.

Please call Golden Pilates at 303-279-8008 to register.  Questions?  Contact Susan Horst (303) 913-1051.

The topics covered in each class include:

1.      Tending Your Inner Garden Meditation

• Manifesting using your inner garden
• Exploring your inner world

2. Global Healing Meditation

• Recognizing the universality of our hopes and fears for our lives and for the future
• Creating an internal roadmap for our ideal planet, community, life-style, government and work life.

3. Simplicity

• Sustainability
• De-cluttering, inner and outer

4. Self-Care

• Healthy attitudes, self love and self-knowledge
• Movement

I just completed an 11-day Gyrokinesis intensive training in Miami. This training was both arduous and inspiring. It’s always a pressure cooker when I go to trainings led by Juliu Horvath – there is a certain level of intensity, a quickening, just being around the creative and demanding brilliance of the founder of this work. These trainings are not for beginners; rather the 20-30 participating teachers had already attained some level of proficiency and were devoted to the work. The energy was electric!

Each day we learned the movements, the rhythms, the details, the tactile and verbal cueing – everything we needed to experience in our own body in order toe be able to teach this work. We spent time paired up with each other to practice, practice, practice . . . which can be nerve-racking. We all want to teach each other well, be present and available, give meaningful feedback – to be a brilliant teacher and an outstanding student.

During the final days of the training, we paired up to teach each other the formats in their entirety; one person would teach in the morning and after a long break, the other would teach in the afternoon.

My partner for the first format taught me in the morning. She did a lovely job and gave me a really good class. I felt well-worked and well-supported.

In the afternoon it was my turn. I always have a bit of performance anxiety in these situations and that caused me to fumble early on in the routine. Once I fumbled, I lost my “student” and, try as I might, I could not bring her back. In that brief moment of awkwardness, she became un-teachable – going through the routine on her own, not listening to my cues or engaging with me. That, in and of itself, was quite challenging. When it was over, her feedback was unkind and insensitive – and she would have nothing to do with the feedback I gave her. It was clear that she had decided I was an inferior teacher, unworthy of teaching her or giving meaningful feedback.

I was struck dumb – literally, my mind went totally blank. I felt frozen. It took awhile for me to come back to myself, to re-embody my being, to reclaim my confidence as a teacher. Once I did that and reflected back on the situation, well, a few things happened. First I wondered why I hadn’t slapped her, at least verbally. Once that passed, I realized that this young woman had missed an opportunity to be taught by me. She lost the chance to learn this work in a different way than how she teaches it. She was unavailable to learn from me the reverent, soulful and unfolding quality of this work as I teach it. I felt great sorrow in that – for both of us.

We all know there is an art to teaching. There is also an art to being teachable. My friend and spiritual mentor, Mary Gay Shafer and I have discussed this frequently and it is through her that this teaching becomes vividly clear and alive as a practice. The student and the teacher have a mutual responsibility to:

• be available to what is being taught
• actively extend an invitation so the material can be entered as deeply as possible
• give ongoing permission to be met,  instructed and guided

And, honestly, no matter how good or bad a teacher is, how relevant or unrelated a teaching may seem – if we are teachable, we will always learn, always gain from being open, and always receive the gift that any given moment has to offer. And, every moment is full of potential. Let yourself be vulnerable. Consider everyone and everything a worthy teacher. Throw out all the strategies of defense and be humbled by the vastness of what has yet to be discovered in this precious human experience. Choose to be teachable.

deep blessings to you, Carol

Stay Tuned! Mary Gay will be my guest author for the next e-rhythm on the art of teaching and leading.

“To be in a more selfless expression of service is to cultivate the kind of sensitivity that can detect degrees of receptivity. Knowing the extent to which someone is available, whether an invitation has been extended and/or if permission has been granted will guide you in the content and depth of your offering. Discerning these components of receptivity requires perceiving what is transpiring beneath the surface of your relationship.” Mary Gay Shafer

Yesterday we passed through the keyhole of the longest night of the year – and as each day grows longer, begin our slow journey into the light.

In this time of transition, of beginnings and endings, I wish you an ever growing appreciation of your own darkness and a jubilant celebration of your brilliance. May you find comfort in the shadows and the light, the yin and the yang, the comings and the goings, the ebb and the flow – all the different pulsations, textures and rhythms that bring such fullness to your life.

Thank you for being part of my world, you are a blessing in my life!

Happy Holidays & Enchanted Emergings

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure in the landscape – the loneliness of it – the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it – the whole story doesn’t show.” Andrew Wyeth

Often when we are attempting a new movement, our first reaction is confusion. If the routine is unfamiliar, we feel uncoordinated. When this newness points us toward a challenging aspect of our body in motion, we decide we are too weak or puny and give up – or try to power through it in an attempt to prove ourselves strong and able.

The truth is that our bodymind has simply not yet organized itself around the new information.

I recently took a series of classes from a very skillful Gyrotonic Master Trainer. It was great fun, quite challenging and very humbling. There was one particular move he asked me to do that my body had never done before. The first time I attempted it, I simply could not do it. After several attempts, I stopped and scratched my head and asked, “Where does that come from in my body and why can’t I do it?” He reminded me that it really isn’t about where it comes from; it’s about organizing around what you are asking your body to do.

This is clearly not just an intellectual endeavor. It is a process of patiently allowing the body to explore what is being asked of it so that the movement can unfold in a way that is natural and organic. The mind grasps a concept at lightning speed, part of its astonishing brilliance. The body, however, learns through repetition. This can sometimes put the mind and the body at odds, as the mind becomes impatient with the measured and deliberate way in which the body learns and integrates the movement. And yet, if they work together to contemplate and reiterate the move – it is a thing of beauty! It is through this union, communion and mutuality that deep intelligence awakens and courses freely through our being, quickly able to discern the mechanics, play with the sensations and pulsate with the exuberance of new found discovery. That’s the fun of it! It is in this process of unfolding that movement becomes meaningful, joyful and pleasurable!

A few days later, I tried the same impossible move and amazingly was able to do it! My body and mind, having percolated and contemplated, had organized around the information received through my first attempt. Now I could dive more deeply into the move, discover its nuances and relax into the pure enjoyment of my body in motion.

The next time you are attempting to learn a new move, become more adept in your sport, increase the difficulty of your current workout, acquire a skill that is unfamiliar – notice if there is any impatience, judgment or force in the learning and see if you can switch that to cooperation and curiosity. Let go of over-efforting and ease into the feedback that you are receiving from your mind and your body. Let it go for a day or two and see if that doesn’t bring a greater sense of clarity, ease and pleasure to your learning and to your body in motion.

Deep blessings, Carol

Learning about the body is so intriguing! I am continually amazed by its capacity and encouraged in my certainty of its place in living a conscious and evolved life! In The Body Has a Mind of Its Own, the authors, Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee, present the emerging science of body maps; how mind and body intertwine to create your embodied, feeling self. I am quickened and delighted by this material – and I have only read the first few chapters! The thing of it is; this information feels familiar – I may not have thought about in exactly these terms, but I recognize this information as holding fundamental truths, truths that movement and teaching movement have revealed to me.

In the introduction, they ask you to use your arms, legs, head, neck, tongue, torso, butt to explore the invisible space all around your body and state, “This invisible volume of space around your body out to arm’s length—what neuroscientists call peripersonal space—is part of you.”

They go on to say, “This is not a metaphor, but a recently discovered physiological fact. Through a special mapping procedure, your brain annexes this space to your limbs and body, clothing you in it like an extended, ghostly skin. The maps that encode your physical body are connected directly, immediately, personally to a map of every point in that space and also map out your potential to perform actions in that space. Your self does not end where your flesh ends, but suffuses and blends with the world, including other beings.”

Fascinating – yes? Your brain appropriates this space for use by the body!

For quite some time, I have coached students to imagine the space around them as part of the movement – and this information augments that idea. And it is more than an idea, it’s real! It has substance! And it has already proven to be a source of support and inspiration to my students. For instance – I have a student who has struggled with the weight of her head in the curl up (long bow) position, causing tension in her neck. I encouraged her to become aware of the full circle of space all around her, suggesting she use the bottom side of the circle to support her head – she found relief and strength as she pressed the back of her head into this “imaginary circle.”

See if you can feel into this annexing of space. Notice how it supports you. Has your brain annexed the chair you are sitting in and has it become part of the support system that your body is using? The next time you workout, see if you can feel how the equipment you are using has been commandeered as part of your potential to perform. The possibilities are endless and intriguing. And I can’t wait to see how this information grows our ability to be more thoroughly embodied!

Deep blessings, Carol