I discovered something late last night while I was sitting at my computer procrastinating finishing a book review I've been working on. I do what most people do when they're avoiding work. I check my e-mail about 12 times in a minute—just to make sure nothing new has appeared. Then, check my Myspace page to make sure none of my "friends" have added any new "friends" I need to conjure up a conversation with. When I still don't feel like writing, I check all the online forums I participate in—topics range from yoga and knitting to my favorite bands— anything to get my mind off the task at hand.

All of this Web-fostered procrastinating eventually led me to Youtube.com, a website where people upload their own videos to share with all the world. I spent several hours watching amateur yoga videos. (If you haven't done this yet, just go to the site and search for yoga—there is enough to keep you entertained for days.)

As I was watching videos, I realized what a wonderful learning tool it can be for yoga teachers and teachers-in-training. What a perfect opportunity to hone your skills as a teacher! You get a glimpse into all sorts of bodies doing all kinds of potentially dangerous yoga moves. I spent the longest time watching how average yoga practitioners approached Sun Salutations and thinking about how I would adjust/assist if the person in the video were my student.

It's amazing what fruitful realizations you come to when you take a little detour from what you're supposed to be doing! (By the way, to I also procrastinate by writing blog entries.)

Posted by Erica Rodefer at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Pretty much everything that could’ve gone wrong for my holiday travels did. I got sick the day before I was slated to fly cross-country to visit my family in Tennessee. I missed my connecting flight from Charlotte, NC due to fog and ended up shelling out more than I cared to for a hotel room that I couldn’t enjoy due a cough that rattled the room and a high fever that kept me up all night.

I went to the doctor for medicine with the hopes that I would be able to see my two baby nieces again—both of whom were also under the weather.

Unfortunately, an ear infection put one of them in the hospital in the Washington, D.C. area the week before Christmas and curtailed my sister’s plans to visit the family in Tennessee. My neice is on the mend now, but I’m still sad that I missed her.

It gets better. I had planned to bring my car (the beloved car that had been parked in my parents’ driveway for a year) to California over the holiday. The plan left me stranded in a hotel room again—this time for three nights in Tucumcari, New Mexico—because of road closures. New Mexico was even declared a state of emergency during my unplanned stay there.

Something good did come of all my rotten luck. I spent hours not doing—simply relaxing by knitting and watching mindless TV. (I’d like to tell you that I spent hours meditating and doing yoga in my hotel rooms to cope with the stress, but that would be a lie. I just couldn’t bear to let my bare feet touch the hotel room carpet!)

L to R: Catherine, me, and Anya.

In fact, the only yoga that I initiated during my entire journey-gone-wrong was an impromptu class I taught to my two older nieces, Anya, 15, and Catherine, 12. (A class that probably wouldn’t have happened had everything gone as planned, if I had more time to spend with my big sisters and baby nieces.) The class went well. The playful giggles were a fun reminder of how silly all of this yoga stuff seemed to me when I was 18.

More importantly, though, I could tell that it had sparked their curiosity enough that after Savasana (and before our mud mask facials and herbal tea party), Catherine said, "Can we do this every day that you’re here?"

"Of course we can!" I said in that giddy, encouraging tone yoga teachers use when they think they’ve helped someone reach a break-though. And even though the girls didn’t ask for another lesson while I was home, I knew I had planted a seed.

This all led to my conclusion that I want to focus my teaching on teenagers for the time being, which fits in perfectly with my New Year’s Resolution to do more to help people who need it. I can’t think of a better form of service than sharing yoga. My next challenge will be finding the time to make it happen. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Posted by Erica Rodefer at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)