See You in One Month!

This is the Prajna Yoga Temple in Santa Fe, NM. Owners Tias and Surya Little run classes and teacher training out of this lovely space near their home, when they are not traveling and teaching elsewhere.On June 6 I will be traveling to Santa Fe for a month of immersive yoga study and teacher training with Tias and Surya Little. For years I have been longing to spend some concentrated time as a student again, and I'm excited to take a little break from teaching. I'm nervous too—In over 25 years of teaching, the only chunks of non teaching time were around having babies and, more recently, brain surgery. This time around, I suppose self discovery can stand in as a kind of "birthing" experience. And, diving into study/practice can be a kind of "excision", stripping away gunk of all kind. Whatever it is I gain or lose in my time away, I feel fiercely protective of my little studio and I worry a bit about being gone. But I am lucky to run a studio in a time when so much of the daily management can be done online and from afar—with so many excellent instructors on staff, I leave my own classes in capable hands. I will especially miss the students that I see regularly, and I am quite certain I will think of you all often, throughout the training.The education that yoga offers is a lifelong process. The very best teachers I know, the most senior, capable and inspiring masters of the practice of yoga, take continued learning very seriously. They are humble students of an ancient practice, and also creative teachers who never stop enriching and innovating what they teach. Tias Little embodies these qualities (he's also very funny) and when I did a weekend workshop on the cape last year with Tias and his wife Surya, I felt a deep and clear connection to his methodology and his process of inquiry. This, I thought, is someone I want to learn from.Some time ago, a student expressed worry that this time away would mean I would stop teaching the way I teach. I love what I do and I teach from that place of love. I'm not out to significantly change anything about what I do, but I do hope to add depth and breadth. I also am looking for guidance as I age, as my practice reflects the reality of getting older and all the other fun stuff—hiking, running, etc.—that have taken a toll on my body. I want in turn to be able to effectively teach other people as they deal with limitation, whether from sports or aging, illness or injury. I love to teach the challenging flow practices where we play with fun and difficult poses. I also love to teach my hatha and gentle classes, which take the physical expression of yoga toward subtlety and a more inwardly focused experience. I hope to do everything I do now, just do it better.So off I go! I'm really grateful that so many of you show up for classes. I know your enthusiasm and participation and focus will continue to hold the studio aloft in my absence. My last classes will be Tuesday, June 5. I'll be back to teaching Sunday, July 8. I will be reachable by phone and email so don't hesitate to be in touch. I'll update everyone at least once with this newsletter, and let you know how it's going in the high desert of New Mexico.LoveLeslie