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As much as I hate to admit it, I didn't really read the Bhagavad Gita (a classic yogic text) during my teacher training. I bought it and carried it around with me for a few weeks with the intention of reading it cover to cover. But every time I opened it my mind wandered off to something else. I had heard the story from a few different yoga teacher, and I had skimmed it a number of times, so instead of forcing it I just put it away and moved on to The Autobiography of a Yogi or some other obscure text that was on my reading list. Like so many other books in my collection, it sat on my shelf undisturbed for more than a year.
But a couple of weeks ago, something strange happened. I was lying in Savasana (Corpse Pose) at the end of a particularly lovely yoga class, trying to focus on my breathing, when something else popped into my mind: the Bhagavad Gita!
"I never really read that," thought my Monkey Mind. "I should probably do that. You know what else I haven't read? That Ekhart Tolle book someone recommended ... Who was that?... Oprah? ... Wait. What am I supposed to be doing? Oh yeah, Savasana."
Anyway, a couple of days ago, something moved me to take the Bhagavad Gita off my bookshelf, dust it off, and start reading it. I'm having a completely different experience than the last time I attempted this important book. I'm only reading a chapter or two at a time (that is, a chapter of interpretation followed by a chapter of the actual text), but each time I've put it down I can't wait to pick it up again. I'm so into the story, I find myself pondering it as I commute or whenever I take a break from work.
Once again, I'm stunned at this phenomenon I've noticed numerous times in the years I've practiced yoga. Deeper poses, meditative moments, wisdom, new levels of understanding—they all reveal themselves to you when you're ready. You can't force opening. You just have to wait for it to come.
Right now I'm in the process of developing my first ever Saturday workshop. It's going to be twice as long as a normal class, and on a lazy summer day. Since this will be my very first workshop, I want to make sure I choose a theme that resonates with my teenagers and will help them to deepen their understanding of the practice. I'd like to come up with something that might attract a few new students, as well as my regulars. But above all I want it to be fun!
I've decided to do a little Web research into yoga workshops to see what themes other teachers are offering their students. Maybe I can draw some inspiration from their ideas ...
It seems like the most common workshops focus on a specific part of the body (like shoulder openers) or a kind of poses (like backbends), but I feel like I want to do something more general. I found a lot of interesting ones I thought I'd share.
In Oakland, Kimber Simpkins is hosting a workshop called Bringing Your Practice Home. The description says: "Tune in to your inner teacher and take your yoga wherever you go, vacations, business trips, the beach, the mountains, your living room." (For more information see http://namasterockridge.com/events.html.
San Francisco vinyasa teacher Les Leventhal is doing a workshop this summer about "embracing the playfulness of the dormant child." It sounds really fun, but I'd have to take the workshop to understand exactly what that means in terms of sequencing. (For more information see http://www.yogatreesf.com.
The Laguna Beach YogaWorks location is holding a workshop for Girl Scouts where they can earn their Stress Less badge, and another one where brides can get in shape for their weddings.
What workshop themes have you had success with?
I have very few complaints about the yoga studio where I teach my weekly class. There are lots of friendly, smiling faces, a gorgeous skylight, and ample props. But I've always been a bit peeved that the studio offers foam rollers, tennis balls, wedges, a small yoga ball, and a lot of props I wouldn't even know how to begin to use, but it has only one (two, if we're lucky) eye pillows for students to use during restorative poses!
But nobody likes a complainer. So I've decided to take matters into my own hands, literally. This weekend, I gathered a few materials, and set to work making lavender-scented eye pillows. I made five and brought them to my class, and, lo and behold, had exactly five students! There were a big hit.
Here's what I did! (Pardon my pictures. It's not easy being crafty and taking pictures at the same time!_
Materials (Yields 1 Pillow) 
- Organic Flax Seeds (2 cups per pillow should be about right)
- A 9-by-9 inch square of a soft fabric (Organic fabric is best, but use whatever you have onhand—fabric remnants work well, too.)
- 1 Heaping Tablespoon of Dried Organic Lavender Per Pillow
- 1 Funnel
- A Needle, Thread, Sewing Machine (with zigzag stitch), Scissors, Measuring Tape
Step By Step
1. With the right sides together, fold the fabric in half.
2. Sew a straight edge around the three cut edges, leaving a 5/8-inch seam allowance. IMPORTANT: Leave about an inch at the corner not sewn!
3. Zigzag stitch around the raw edges, to keep your fabric from unraveling. Again, leaving about an inch at the corner not sewn.
4. Turn the fabric inside out through the opening you left at the corner.
5. Insert the funnel into the opening.
6. Using the funnel, fill your pillow approximately half of the way with the flax seeds and dried lavender. 
7. Sew together the one-inch opening in the corner with your needle and thread. Make your stitches as close together as possible.
Voila!
I'm completely freaked out by all the recent events that point that the economy is quickly heading for a recession: sky-high oil prices, airlines bankrupting, record housing foreclosures, high unemployment rates. It's not pretty, and I really feel for all the folks out there who are struggling right now. To put it in the terms they teach in college economics courses, people are cutting back on "luxuries" so they can budget enough for food, shelter, and other necessities. For a lot of people one of those luxuries, it seems, is pricey yoga classes.
I'm noticing a decline in attendance in my class as students who were once regulars are now coming sporadically at best. When they do come, they're asking for ideas on how they can practice more at home.
Since teaching yoga isn't my main source of income, my small classes are no big deal. (In fact, I kind of love that I can give each student more individual attention.) But this has caused me to wonder if this isn't a bigger trend in the yoga community. Are other teachers noticing a decline in attendance, or am I just paranoid? If you have a policy that offers free or reduced rates for the financially challenged are more people taking advantage of it? Are you doing anything to cut back on your own costs as a teacher?
-- Yoga is a necessity for me. But I'm cutting back on $18 classes and practicing more at home. (I think this is actually helping me come up with fun, innovative ideas to share with my classes!)
-- I haven't bought new yoga clothes in more than six months. (This might be a record.)
-- I'm using public transportation whenever I can—and walking longer distances to save on public transit fees!
-- I keep in touch with my students through email and Myspace, as opposed to expensive fliers or advertising campaigns. (Though, I admit this is half thriftiness and half laziness.)
-- Last but not least, I'm being picky about what organic foods I buy. I choose seasonal, local fruits and veggies that tend to be cheaper than the out-of-season stuff. And if I really need to keep my grocery bill down, I only buy the five most important things in organic using this guide.
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