update and a recipe

It seems I've fallen behind a bit on my blogging... So, I will just post a quick update and recipe for an awesome salad that I made last night. I'm keeping you on your toes, mixing it up, yes?

My name is on the schedule!

This week has been sort of amazing in terms of yoga's place in my life- and it's only Tuesday! I am teaching 3 classes, one of which is in the evening- tonight in fact!  This is the most I've ever taught in a studio, or anywhere else in a week, and I am really loving it.  I also had my very first private yoga client, visit one of two (or more)...This is a project that is super exciting to me because it requires reserach, study and development of a practice specifically for her.  What I did not know previously is that she has very little yoga experience, so that adds another dimension of challenge.  But I love it
and am thrilled to have the opportunity to work one on one. Lastly, I also attended a meditation workshop last night.  It was about doing meditation while laying down instead of sitting, followed by  a dharma talk.  The meditation was nourishing to me and I'm not sure if I fell asleep or just went really inward, either way, I was pretty out of it and relaxed.  The dharma talk left me confused and feeling un-enlightened.  That's OK.
I do have some anxiety about teaching an evening class, but I'm trying to just ignore it.  I think I am nervous because I don't know how many students to expect, so it is a little difficult to plan the class.  In restorative yoga, we use lots of props, which take up space, often spilling out off of the mats, so smaller classes are better, spacially.  Thankfully, I did some training in teaching restorative yoga with minimal props, so I can adapt, but I'm not at the place where I have all of that stuff just memorized and ready to come out of me, smoothly and gracefully... so my approach will be to plan for both a large class and a smaller one.  Argh!
Also, the class is 15 minutes longer than my usual, so I need to fill that time.  But I think I have that covered, in that we'll do a longer, more active warm-up. 
Also also also, I'll be subbing for the regular teacher, and I haven't had the chance to take her class since this subbing situation popped up last minute.  I know that we teach similar styles, but I don't want to disappoint her regular students by, well,  not being her- haha.  There's nothing I can do about that and I need to just get over that as well. 
In all, I'm not THAT nervous, and I'm really excited.  This won't be my very first time teaching, so I've got that going for me. 

Yesterday's class was fun, and I was rewarded by a comment one of my students made.  She said "that was like a mini vacation". YES!!!  That's what I want people to feel. 
The class started off a bit rowdy because a small group of lady friends came together who had not seen each other for a while and made plans to do my class socially.  That's totally my kind of jam, I'm all about bringing people together as I am a self-proclaimed social butterfly queen.  I felt honored that they chose to come to my class, but there was talking and busy energy about the room as we began.  One of the ladies, who now I realize must have been a brand new beginner and so was feeling a little self-conscious as we started, she kind of did her own thing and was also sort of talking to her friends a little while we were warming up. I had to assert myself as the teacher, and take control a bit.  It wasn't a big deal, but it was a hurdle I wasn't expecting to have to get through.
Anyway, the students started to calm down, cool off, and feel good.  I could see it in their bodies.  I think that the situation with the rowdiest lady who might have felt a little uncomfortable could have been nipped in the bud if I had remembered to ask if anyone was brand new to yoga.  I didn't think about it because restorative yoga can be practiced by anyone- no experience necessary to reap the benefits- so it didn't really concern me.  But, in forgetting to ask the students, I was only thinking of my own experience as a teacher, and I could have made her feel more comfortable upfront were I to address this at the beginning of class.  Now I know.  I think it is also good in that it opens up the conversation in the room, and makes me seem more open and approachable (or rather, exposes my openness and approachable-ness).  I want my students to want to ask me questions and interact and engage, so I'm happy to have found a new way to show that I am available.

and on to the food.  As well as being a social butterfly queen, I also consider myself to be a salad maker queen.  This is one I threw togehter last night.  

 Toustous (Couscous + Tuna= Toustous)

1 cup couscous
1 1/4 cup cold water
juice of 1 lemon
a little olive oil

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl and let sit overnight (ideally), covered.  (6 hours was enough for me yesterday though) ---so this is great, you can start it in the morning before work and then when you get home you will have lemony couscous, made without using electricity!

Gather the following to add once the couscous is ready:
cucumber- chopped
a bunch of parsley-chopped
a little bit of kale- finely chopped
avocado- chopped
radishes-chopped
handful of sundried tomatoes (or regular tomatoes)
sunflower seeds
fresh chives or green onion
can of tuna*-whatever type you prefer
            
more lemon juice to taste
S+P to taste
balsamic vinegar to taste
more olive oil to taste

mix it all up in a bowl and top with a dallop of plain yogurt and maybe a scoop of hummus and you are rocking it.
 *you could also use salmon, but then the recipe would have to be called Soussous which is a little strange