Lazy Blogini

I haven't blogged for a few weeks, due in equal parts to laziness, busyness, and time mismanagement.  But I'm back, and I've got a super exciting new yoga adventure coming up!  In a few weeks, I'll be starting Open Heart Yoga School's 230-hour, six-month Veda Vinyasa yoga teacher training program with the amazing Allison Dennis.  I did a shorter Anusara Yoga immersion and teacher training back in 2004 with the lovely and talented Mona DeFrawi at Quantum Yoga in Baltimore (now under new ownership as Baltimore Yoga Village), and taught beginner-level classes in the Baltimore area for a while.  Back then, I was still figuring out my career path and who I was as a person, so I didn't stick with teaching for very long.
Ready to delve into a deeper exploration of yoga asana and philosophy, I decided that it is time to do another training so that I may share the amazing gift of yoga with others once again and with greater knowledge and experience.

We are so blessed in the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh metropolitan area (the "Triangle" for y'all non-Carolinians) with a plethora of places to practice yoga and to train to become teachers, including (but certainly not limited to):

• Open Heart Yoga School, linked above, is a donation-based and spiritually-focused yoga studio in the heart of the lovely town of Carrboro where I am blessed and grateful to live.
• Carrboro Yoga Company, another amazing Carrboro studio, offers a wide variety of styles and levels of classes (everything from Yoga for Athletes to Kunga Vinyasa to Yoga for Recovery).  I practice there often and especially enjoy classes with Molly Drake, Melissa Peng (on maternity leave now, but back soon!), and Michelle Johnson.  I recently tried co-owner Sage Rountree's Yoga for Athletes, and was pleasantly surprised (see my blog post on the subject for more).  CYCo. usually offers several free classes monthly, or donation-based classes whose proceeds benefit charities such as the Orange County Rape Crisis Center or Goathouse Refuge.  They have two different teacher training programs, too: one with a variety of great local teachers and one with the Asheville-based Stephanie Keach, who is a true master. 
• Triangle Yoga is home to superstar Anusara instructors Paul and Sommer Sobin and Aerial Dance instructor extraordinaire Rebecca Drake.  Triangle offers many workshops with master yoga teachers throughout the year, including Paul Grilley this May.  
• Franklin Street Yoga Center, right on Franklin Street in the heart of Chapel Hill, offers Baron Baptiste-style power yoga classes.  Although I don't make it there too often, I especially enjoy the super fun and light-hearted Rock Your Asana class with studio owner Lori Burgwyn. 
• Blue Point Yoga Center, right across the street from Duke's West Campus, offers a variety of yoga and Pilates classes and OM Yoga teacher training.  
• Patanjali's Place is another Durham yoga space.  I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit, but I hear great things. 
• Hillsborough Yoga and Healing Arts, a bit north of Chapel Hill/Carrboro in Orange County, offers a variety of yoga classes, along with Nia, bellydance, and Pilates. 

(This list doesn't even begin to include the rest of Durham or any of Raleigh.)  

The decision regarding the right training program was initially complicated by the number of programs available, but became simple when I stumbled upon the right fit for my particular yogic interests, schedule, and financial situation with the right instructor.

My first assignment is to re-read Yoga and Vegetarianism by Sharon Gannon.  I initially read this text after taking a Jivamukti workshop with Gannon at CYCo. in February of 2009.  As a 14-year vegetarian and occasional vegan who has incorporated a small amount of humanely-raised meat into my diet over the past two years, I'm looking forward to revisiting the ethics of eating, one of my favorite philosophical topics.