My dog, my guru.

Our homework for today is to design a practice from start to finish. In starting a project like this I usually just dive right in. But today I did something different. I sat on my mat, closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths and prayed for guidance. Then I just sat for a while and listened.

It would be fun to report that some great bolt of inspiration struck me but the truth is I popped back into reality because my little dog Elvis jumped on me. He was like a little cosmic alarm clock saying 'Lets get on with this sister'.  I love my dog. He always makes me smile. I reached over and swept him into my arms and hugged him close. Smiling, hugging, connecting with this little creature put me in a lovely state of mind to start the homework. My dog, my guru.

This is more than a homework assignment.  I am designing the practice bearing in mind the class I teach on Saturdays called One Breath at a Time. After the opening when I got to Tadasana I was working on what to do to get them centered and focus on the breath. I heard a voice within say "Do the OM!".  Another voice answered, "no way".  I've been teaching One Breath since January and I've always steered clear of any chanting. Why? Because I'm afraid I'll open my mouth and sound like an idiot. But Om-ing feels really good and it is so yummy for opening the 5th chakra. What good is it to hold that practice back from the beloved One Breathers? How scary can it really be? After all, the whole experience of teaching One Breath at a Time has been a push through fear. Why stop at OM?

I am so grateful to the participants of One Breath at at Time. They are the source of my courage to teach. I never would have endeavored into the teaching path with quite this much heart without them. I am grateful to all the gurus who have passed on the practice of chanting OM. I am grateful to Kira for guiding and nurturing me in so many ways on and off the mat. I am grateful to my new friends in training who show up with courage and big hearts. And I'm grateful to my guru dog for reminding me to smile as I work through all this today.