Yoga Hobos

In the early evening last night, a group of yogis from Inner Vision Yoga in Chandler, Arizona and myself went to Pecos Park for a little Acro Yoga fun. Other than myself, none of the yogis had done much Acro Yoga in the past, but my god, did they do absolutely amazing! Brian, Julie, Stacy, Lori, and myself grabbed the Acro Yoga manual and dove right in.

If you would like to see all the full size pictures from the evening, go here. Otherwise, the images below are a select few showcasing just how much fun Acro Yoga is.

Stacy, Brian, and Julie started things off with a little triple plank pose action. Each is showing some amazing strength and concentration.

Brian, Lori, and Stacy enjoy a bonding moment. This was the first time I’ve been a part of a group that was able to pull off this pose. I was quite excited.

Lori and I enjoy High Flying Whale.

Julie flies Brian with no trouble at all. Brian is a big, strong guy which goes to show just how strong Julie is and what wonderful technique she utilizes as a base.

Brian and Stacy work towards High Flying Whale with their fliers.

Stacy flying Lori with Brian doing an excellent job of spotting.

The following two pictures show Brian basing and Julie flying high.

Julie and I ready for her to dismount by rolling backwards off my hands. I love this pose

Me with Brian in Super Yogi. His back was a little tweaked so I utilized flying therapeutics to stretch him out.

Lori flying high on my hands.

Stacy pulling off a nice shoulder stand while I based.

Brian and Julie also performing shoulder stand. Isn’t Acro Yoga beautiful?

Julie in throne as Brian bases.

Lori in throne as I base. I love the technique of getting into straddle throne.

Lori, who doesn’t weigh much more than 100 pounds basing me. I weigh about 190 pounds. It just goes to show that proper bone stacking technique can allow you to perform amazing and super fun feats.

We had so much fun. Everyone did incredibly well and were a pleasure to play with. I hope everyone can get together soon so we can play more.

Ah yes, the Game of Life. This journey we call life is much like the board game. When you spin the wheel with the new sunrise, how do you play the game? Are you striving to hit the finish line before anyone else and have the most money? And as you play, if you spin a 1 or 2, do you get upset? Are you constantly comparing where others are on the board in relation to you? Do they already have a wife and kids? Do you wonder if they’re secretly laughing inside at you because you landed on the $18,000 a year job and are thus far single? Are you having FUN playing the game, or are you taking it seriously?

Or when you play the Game of Life, do you not really care who hits the finish line first? Are you happy when your friend lands on the doctor space because that’s what they really wanted? When you land on the attorney job space, do you pass because you want to be a mechanic because, damn, you really like working on cars. Sure, it pays less, but cars rock. When you spin a 1 or a 2, do you smile because it allows you to experience more of the potential spaces in life? And do you enjoy each space you’re on, even those that others might label as “bad” because you know its just part of the game. And this game is FUN!

The following video is creative genius. Is our current generation lost? Can we turn the tides?

We must each do what is necessary to be a part of the solution. Let go of those damaging belief systems and habits. Connect to the courage necessary to rebuke how society says you should conduct yourself. Do what is right for you to find that happiness that IS within you. Your time IS now.

There has always been a part of me that wanted to partake in a sweat lodge. If you’re unfamiliar with the sweat lodge ceremony, you can read more about it here. When Saul David Raye stated that we would be having one during our Thai Yoga Massage retreat, I was quite excited. However, I found myself feeling a little apprehensive at the same time. My body has been undergoing massive trauma and tension releases lately and they were only building in intensity. I pictured myself having major convulsions during the sweat lodge and freaking people out who were around me. After talking to Saul about this concern, we agreed that he and Caspar (our super cool chef) would be on each side of me.

Today was the big day. A Lakota by the name of Eagle Bear was to lead our lodge. At around 2pm or so we began taking wood, blankets, and rocks down to the location where we would have the sweat. The frame of the lodge was alive. The brilliant folks at Casa Barranca had taken the time to plant and shape trees to form a living frame for sweat lodges as seen below.

While the lodge may not appear very large in the picture above, it was big enough to fit about 20 people somewhat comfortably around the sides.

Once we had the firewood, blankets, and rocks down by the lodge, we began our first ceremony. About 30 feet from the hut was a fire pit with the rocks we would heat circling it. We gathered around the pit and Eagle Bear cleansed the area and called in the spirits with various prayers. During this time, the base logs were placed in the fire pit with great care. We were then told to pick one of the rocks that called to us. Eagle Bear then had us each place give our rock to the fire keeper and audibly state our intention for the ceremony. I chose a rock with a large crack in it and stated that my intention was to allow the elements to crack me wide open just as they had to the rock. Everyone had a different intention and all were beautiful in their own way.

Once the rocks were placed upon the base logs, we then chose a small stick and stated a second round of intentions as we placed our sticks upon the rocks. My intention was for my fears to burn along with the stick. Additional kindling and logs were then placed upon the fire and it was lit. I watched as the stick which symbolically held my fears burned away. We then headed off to spend time alone in preparation for the ceremony while the rocks began to heat. Below is a picture of the fire pit.

After about three hours, the rocks were heated and it was time to begin the ceremony. Prior to entering the lodge, we were cleansed with smoke from a plant whose name I can’t remember. The women went in first followed by the men. You entered the lodge on your knees with reverence. The lodge with the blankets in place can be seen below:

Once inside the sweat lodge, we commenced the ceremony immediately. There were four rounds of prayers prior to which 5-8 rocks were brought in by the fire keeper. We would welcome each rock as “grandfather”, give offerings, and then the round would begin. Each prayer round was a bit different and involved song, each person around the circle offering prayers, and a lot of sweating. All told, we were in the sweat lodge for about four hours, so it was quite intense. After each round, the door would be opened but we did not exit the lodge.

While I didn’t have an intense release as I was too physically uncomfortable (I was situated on a decline which made sitting difficult) many other people did. There was crying, laughing, shaking, and every other release under the sun. In the end, I realize what I experienced was exactly what I needed to experience. Overall, the sweat lodge was an amazing ceremony and I would definitely partake again in the future if the opportunity arose.