Tools of my new Trade

The past few weeks I've started giving private yoga lessons. I now have three regular students that each receive sessions twice a week at their homes. Needless to say, between travel to and fro, plus teaching my Tuesday and Friday night classes, writing and getting the daily chores around the house and caring for Utta done, my days are quite full. Tuesday morning I traveled to Nordelta (a sleepy suburb near Tigre) to give Astrid a private session on her peaceful deck overlooking the garden and the water. She lives in a huge two story house at the end of a cul-de-sac in a ritzy gated community 40 minutes north of Buenos Aires. She's eight months pregnant and last week we skipped a session because she started getting contractions. Her doctor told her she was 3 centimeters dilated but that as long as she felt ok, she could continue with yoga so we had another session this week. I created a modified series of Ashtanga postures focusing on the ones that open the hips and where she doesn't need to bend over or twist her middle. I teach the class in spanish and like to use a new CD of yogic mantras called Deva Primal.

My other new clients are a British gay couple who own a B&B in San Telmo. (according to them, San Telmo is the new "it" neighborhood") Its out of the way from where I live so I take a bus and get there in about 45 minutes. Because of the commute I charge them a bit more and offer a discount if they have sessions back to back. Also living there is a young woman who manages the property and helps out the guests. She is originally from LA and an advanced student. So, first I give a session to one of the men (the other is working up to starting yoga) and then to the young woman. We practice outside on the third story wooden deck (see pix above). It's noisy due to the proximity of the freeway but somehow the roar of the cars melts into the background once we start breathing and the wind picks up. They have a sweet dog that joins us and sits quietly nearby until the final resting pose (Savasana) when inevitably he gets up to give his owner a lick on the cheek. So, Monday and Wednesday afternoons I'm on the rooftop of the San Telmo B&B, Tuesday and Thursday mornings I am on Astrid's deck in Nordelta. It sure beats the hell out of staring at a computer all day in a forced air high rise...

I like to plan each individual session in advance at home. Sometimes I'll review postures from one of my yoga books to trigger ideas or look up a variation. Or I'll practice a sequence I learned at one of the four classes I take during the week. On the commute to the session I'll write the sequence down in a special notebook I keep for yoga. The act of writing it down helps me memorize it. Then I put it away and start the class without worrying about the ideas I may have developed earlier. What comes out is often a slight variation but more natural and relaxed. I am learning to trust myself and let the yoga flow through me like I do with writing. Also, invariably I have to adjust on the spot for something unplanned - student feels more/less tired than usual, too hot for lots of warm up poses, etc. The last minute changes and adjusting the class to fit that moment for that individual is the biggest challenge and the fun part too.