Tag Archives: yoga

Ashtanga Yoga Confluence…take 2!

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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It was another long drive down to Sunny-D (aka San Diego) for the Ashtanga Yoga Confluence.  I thought it was going well.  I took my time down and even planned on stopping by Bryan Kest’s studio for a little flow before the Confluence.  Then, I found myself on the 405 yelling at a CHP who was creating a traffic break.

“You SOB!  You’re gonna make me late for yoga!”  Is that a good start to this weekend?

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Well, I never made it above the Radio Shack that day…but I did end up getting tacos in Boyle Heights…mmmmTacos!

I got lost on the way down.  That happens when I don’t print out directions.  I have no idea how I ended up on the UCSD campus but the view from my room the next morning made up for the crazy drive.  Left My Wallet in El Segundo…still playing in my head.

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Overall, the vibe was a little more calm.  There was a kinetic energy last year.  It was the first.  There was so much anticipation.  This year, things were a little quiet.  Sometimes relaxed, sometimes eerie.  There’s a lot going on with the politics of Ashtanga right now.  I don’t know what will happen to the community but I know that the yoga will survive.  As usual.

Seeing David and Shelly, Tim, and Nancy in one place is awesome.  Getting to know the history of Ashtanga (albeit short), and how each person teaches the same tradition a little differently, but with no less purity, is fascinating.  I took a led class with Dena Kingsberg.  I didn’t know her at all, so i figured I should try it out.  Eddie Stern totally redeemed himself with me.  Or maybe, I was more receptive.  Last year, I walked away thinking he was an asshole.  Seriously.  This year, he still held that energetic space, the way that New Yorkers do, but there was a serene base that wasn’t there before.

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The crowds, the chaos, the familiar faces, the new friends…always very cool.

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Next year, the Confluence moves to New York….field trip!

The Resolution Will Not Be Televised

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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I’m told I’m an extraordinarily quiet person.  I’ve always been that way.  Even as teen, I wore headphones to listen to loud music.  I still do.  I think it’s one of the benefits of being a city kid.  In a compact city, for good or ill, your actions effect, or even affect, others immediately.  And, vice versa.

Sometimes, I was so quiet that grown ups would forget I was there.  Awesome.  It was like getting a sneak peak at adult life.  I remember my Mom and her friends sitting around the stereo listening to Gil Scott Heron’s song, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.  It seemed important.  Words like “deep” were used a lot.

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Years later, I had a chance to see an interview with the late Mr Heron explaining the meaning behind the title.

“That was about the fact that the first change that takes place is in your mind, before you change the way you live and the way you move”

Doesn’t that just say it all?  I wish more music today had such a positive meaning or thought provoking lyrics.  I’m bringing sexy back….BLAH!

This time of year, I see more joggers in the Panhandle, more people in the weight rooms, more students on the mat.  By the end of winter, it’s less crowded.  Then a resurgence in the Spring, as people get ready for “bikini season”.

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I’ve never made New Year’s resolutions.  January 1 is an arbitrary date.  I can easily change something about myself or start something new on April 3 or August 12.  But, if flipping that calendar page gets you up an moving, remember that there’s another opportunity on Feb 1, March 1, etc to flip a page and keep it going.

You already know that “first change that takes place is in your mind”.  And, that’s the toughest change of all.

The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

Bah! Humbug!

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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It’s not my imagination.  Christmas comes earlier every year.  I saw Santa trinkets in stores before Halloween!

Sacrilege!

But…isn’t almost everything we do this time of year sacrilegious?  Hanukkah gifts?  THAT wasn’t a tradition when I was a kid!

What I miss most is that elusive Holiday Magic that seems to only exist in advertising.  As a kid, I got it, every year, in downtown San Francisco at Emporium Capwell and, later, FAO Schwarz.

FAO was located where Barney’s is today.  The set up was similar, same escalator.  Imagine walking in and instantly seeing three stories of toys.  Lots of kids were apoplectic at the front door coming in and totally overloaded going out.

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Emporium Capwell was a big department store on Market Street.  Now, it’s the Westfield Mall.  Only the original dome is still there.

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Every Christmas, the roof became a Holiday Carnival.  It was amazing!  I couldn’t stop talking all the way there.

Will there be rides again…Will I see Santa…Are the reindeer gonna be there…Is it gonna snow…Will there be a princess…I don’t like elves

The moment we’d walk in, my mouth would shut and my eyes would open wide.

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I remember the energy more than anything.  Everyone was happy, and generous and smiling.  There were tons of kids I could insta-friend and really, really nice adults.

Things are a little different today.  You don’t have to be naive, or innocent, to have magic in your life.  But, it’s harder to find that natural magic lately.  You know, a feeling that isn’t manufactured by marketing professionals.

I think, more often than not, I find it in yoga.  It shows up in my practice and teaching.

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This picture kind of says it all.  Yes, that’s me and yes, my Mom made them retake the pictures-he wasn’t blinking.

Things don’t always go perfectly but if you can’t laugh at a ridiculous situation (like Santa falling asleep)…well, maybe you should do more yoga.

I (heart) SLC

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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I really do!

I’ve been lucky enough to go to Salt Lake City twice a year for the past 6 years.

I’m there during the winter (30F) and summer (95+F).

But, it’s a dry heat!

On this last trip, I stayed a little longer than usual.  I got to teach several yoga classes.  I sauntered through the aisles at a trade show instead speed walking, attended multiple seminars and ventured out!   I even took the train.

I think I like Salt Lake because it takes me out of my comfort zone.  Mormonism isn’t historically diverse.  Some of the more dogmatic beliefs can be seen as, well, backwards.  Especially to a San Franciscan.  Years before, SLC was a nothing more than a connection airport.  My experiences were similar to traveling through parts of the Middle East—I was treated as inferior because of my gender and skin colour, and even considered suspect as a woman traveling alone.

I thought Utah sucked.

We do this every day.  We embrace someone else’s opinion as our own.  We listen to gossip.  We treat others poorly or unfairly based on a history that should be acknowledged but left in the past.  How often do we judge an entire group or place based on a single experience?

The amount of baggage we all carry makes it impossible to move forward.

As my yoga life moves into a different stage, I’ve paid more attention certain things.  In my practice, I’ve been more honest with myself about where I have limits and where I have laziness.  In my teaching, I’ve started looking more closely at the students’ experience.  I’m still trying to figure out how to help students get real about their own limits and laziness.

A lot of people tune out in the middle of class—start picking at their toes, staring out the window, adjusting the outfit, staring at other people, going to the bathroom, getting water.  The list goes on and on….  These students are, typically, the most vocal after class.  As I mentioned in an older post, people love or hate me.  There’s no in between.  I used to be shocked by bad comments from students with no focus or humility on their mats.  Now, I almost expect it.

Lucky for me, the number of students who understand and appreciate what I do out-weigh the “toe pickers”.

And, I (heart) my students too!

Are we alone?

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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I’ve been eavesdropping on Olympic coverage this week. Most of you know about my torn ACLs.  That’s why I practice yoga.  And, many of you know I tore my right ACL while fencing in high school.

I’m a left-handed fencer; which immediately puts thought of future Olympics in coach’s heads. Most people are right handed, so we’re hard to beat. Put out your left the next time you shake hands…that reaction is why lefties tend to win. Coaches also love having us spar with any right handed superstars. Keeping them on their toes and ready for anything!

Fencing is my sport of choice in the Olympics. Track, swimming, blah, blah, blah…not interested.

When Shin A Lam lost the gold medal this week because of a clock error and stupid (yes, stupid) decision on appeal, I cried.  A few WTFs went flying too.

Because of the rules, she had to sit on piste, all alone, during the appeal.

30 minutes.  We all watch her emotions ebb and flow.

I couldn’t help but think about personal disappointment (my ACL!!), heartbreak and aloneness.  30 minutes!

So often, things happen and we retreat to that safe zone in our own heads.  We isolate ourselves mentally or, even, physically.  The great thing about this shot, from Getty Images, is that you can almost see the thousands of people directly behind her in the stands.  She’s not alone.  I was right there with her and so were millions of others around the world.  We all supported her.

I guess the Olympics are like life…

Once upon a time…

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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I’ve always been shy…seriously.  I started teaching not only out of frustration with the quality teachers I encountered as my practice advanced, but to open up more.

It’s worked…sorta.  I’m now an ambivert.  Well, one step at a time, right?   But, I like to think that I’m still shy.  I stopped wearing my hair over my face.  I don’t hide behind glasses that I don’t really need, yet.  But, my story about myself remains the same.

At work, I talk a lot about the story.  In design, and especially in marketing, we identify what story the consumer wants to hear.  Not just about the product but about themselves.  Companies like Apple and Whole Foods have mastered this.

But, it isn’t just a corporate thing.  We all do it everyday with one another:

“I didn’t tell you because I thought it would hurt your feelings.  I did it for you”

= I’m a giver.  I’m a good person

translation:  “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to risk that you wouldn’t like me anymore”

= If you don’t like what I’ve said, I’m a bad person

“Well, maybe we should meditate on this a little while longer. (awkward pause)   ‘Cause…I just…well, I don’t know what you think about this but…(sigh)…well…(awkward pause)  Well, maybe we should meditate on this a little while longer.”

= We’re in dialogue.  I’m a good person

translation:  “I’ve already made up my mind but don’t want to commit.   You tell me what you’re thinking first”

=   I don’t want to compromise.  I’m a bad person


Over the last few months, I’ve had several conversations that have not been truly honest.  People aren’t lying to me on purpose…I think.  They’re just trying not to tell the truth.  They’re not taking the risk.

The funny thing is that I like people more when they tell hard truths.

This has forced me to take my yoga off the mat in a good way.  Not an easy way, but a good way.

Don’t call me Chicken!

Posted on by Nadine Johnson
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For the first time in four years, I’m not leading a yoga retreat in Yosemite…I think. There’s a chance I may do something in late Summer.

I do have a couple of personal excursions planned. Alone with a pack and a map. The thing I love about going to out there is that I get to face all of my fears.

As a kid, Golden Gate Park at night was the scariest place I could think to be. Although you can see straight through to another street from one side, even the Panhandle was too much. The Presidio wasn’t an issue. It was still an Army base. Tons of patrols and, besides, my dog was buried there. Until the movie Cujo came out, I was fine with it.

I guess it’s no surprise that I ended up loving Yosemite though. In college and even after I came home to SF, I’d spend as much time as possible in Griffith Park. I overcame a mild fear of heights (or really a fear of falling) on the super narrow trails that lead from a small parking lot in N Hollywood up to the Observatory.

I’ve pretended to be James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and even touched the Hollywood sign.

In Yosemite, I’ve talked to Marmots in the morning, cursed mosquitoes in the evening and stood in the snow next to a redwood looking straight up thinking “holy sh*t that’s tall”.  Sometimes the history of the space is overwhelming.

It’s pretty special.

Last summer, when I was invited to join a group on a climb to Denali in 2012, I thought why not?  But, I’m not an experienced climber.  I would just slow the group down.  Secretly, I like walking but I don’t like carrying packs.  I’m the consumer for valet climbing.  When I followed up and found out that the group was already full, I was a little relieved.

Expedition Denali is still going strong.  I may find myself in Alaska in 2013 to see the group off or just offer a little yoga when they return, who knows.  But, now, I have more inspiration and another aspiration.

Special thanks to Chelsea Griffie (pictured here with Shelton Johnson (seated)-yup, he was in the Ken Burns documentary on National Parks) for catching me after taking a yoga class together and asking “Hey, do you want to teach yoga in Yosemite this Summer?“

I’ll say yes to anything right after practicing yoga.  Glad I did!