Finding Balance in SP

Hey Blog Readers….I’ve been in Sao Paulo the whole week with a variety of experiences going on, but feeling somewhat limited in my residency at YogaFlow. I have been staying here at the studio, which I really Love because the students are super friendly, there is a private room for me to practice (which I have been taking full advantage of) and the energy of YogaFlow is very peaceful…and I am missing my social life!

But before going into that, a little Yoga Re-cap. I had classes here Thursday and Friday night which were Candle-lit Vinyasa classes and they were great. Although there are vinyasa classes here, most of them are very ashtanga based with their sequencing and I brought something very different to them. Lots of groovy music, the candles and the fluid movement made for juicy classes.

Saturday was Building to Backbends and the peak experience of 6 Urdvha Dhanurasana’s is always a delight. Hearts and energy bodies blasted open. There were several Iyengar teachers in the room (which honestly makes me a bit nervous every time!) who all loved it and there were new students to yoga as well who have a new passion for the foundations of asanas.

Saturday afternoon was The Natural Link. There were only 12 students and we gathered in a circle (which is how I prefer to teach this workshop) and took the journey through the elements. I practiced with them and every time I create this experience, it works! Even in a city of 22 million, we were one with nature by the end of it all!

Turns out that Pedro Kupfer, a friend of mine from several years ago and “Mr. Yoga” Brazil, was here in SP offering a free Satsang on Saturday afternoon. Initially, I tend to feel a bit jealous and sad that students do not chose to come to my classes, but alas…I make space for those emotions and trust that the students that needed / wanted the experience were there. This has happened several times before where my travel schedule of traveling 1/2 way around the world coincides with local favorites which means that attendance at my classes drops significantly. The Portuguese word that I am working with for that is ‘Entrega’….surrender.

Saturday night we hosted Kirtan at Yoga Flow and Charlie (owner of Yoga Flow) and my friend Sergio accompanied musically and there was strong Bhakti energy. I attempted to record it on the laptop, but something didn’t work….Entrega. After the Kirtan, I was pretty spent and slept well.

Well…there’s lots to write about the energy at Yoga Flow where I am staying is always active with students and teachers.  And I need to get ready to leave for the weekend….so I must stop with this.  I’ll be writing over the weekend though and have some more reflections and thoughts.  This post seems kind of dry….for now!