Day 4 - The day I took hip hop yoga

Hot damn, was this a fun day.  First of all, I got to start my morning with a 5am alarm so I could head to Haute Yoga Solana Beach to lead my first 6am Wake Up Yoga.  Had a BALL.  There was a great energy in the room... we spent about 30 minutes on the floor before transitioning up to standing.  A whole bunch of sun salutations, some fun warrior sequences, a bit of balancing poses, and the final few minutes we spent free-style yogaing to Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.  I thought it went really well.  General feedback for the class was very positive... ranging from "well, I liked the second half!" (hey, I'll take it) to "best class ever!"  I'm considering it a win.  Stuff to work on, stuff to expand and tweak, but I think it's going to be a really fun class.  I enjoyed the freedom in teaching it.

Okay, on to my 31 Day Challenge classes!  Because in two weeks my Friday nights will be spent teaching at Black Sheep Yoga (woo hoo!), I wanted to get in Roxanne DePalma's Hip Hop Vinyasa Class, at Haute Carlsbad, while I could.  This was the first time the class was being held, and it started at 5:30.  Since I finished my office gig at 4, I had time to zip over and take a bonus warm up class of the incredible Sarah Haughton's Hot 60B flow.  Dang, she's good.  Fellow Haute teacher and contemporary dancer Kenna Crouch was in the class, and was an inspiration to watch... her skills, grace, and flexibility as a dancer just blend beautifully into yoga.  And Sarah's instruction is always such a joy.  She has an incredible knack of weaving a theme or an image or a focus throughout a class.  Her Anusara background is clear in her classes, and I love to take them whenever I can.  I modified for my sore tush, and had a really incredible class... or 55 minutes of it, anyway.

At 5:25, I quietly rolled up my mat and headed from the South studio to the North studio for Roxanne's inaugural Hip Hot Vinyasa.  Saw fellow Hauties Kristin Lovett, Tiffany Davis, and Meghan Gurren setting up their mats as well.  Roxanne's class was just fun.  Great music from old school hip hop to Jay Z.  Incredible and creative and challenging flows.  (Think Eagle/garudasana to Warrior Three to Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon to Standing Splits.  I'm probably butchering the sequence, but I may have blacked out for a moment trying to keep up.)  I kept modifying for my busted bootie, but had an absolute blast in the class.  At one point, I was so inspired by Kristin's fearless attempt peacock/forearm balance/pincha mayurasana, that I attempted it myself.  I lovvvve playing around in this pose, but usually just do it at home against the wall for support.  But why not attempt it here in the middle of the room?  50 Cent was playing.  So up I went.  And over I fell.  Sometimes "failure" is the most exhilarating, fun thing you could do.  After I somersaulted to the floor, I rolled up laughing, relieved that my neck hadn't snapped, and got back up there.

One other fun moment I want to mention.  This was the first class where I went up into tripod headstand, extended the feet up, and lowered them back down, keeping control the entire time.  Victory is mine!  Thanks, Roxy!

So, just a great day filled with a whole lot of yoga, a whole lot of fun interactions with fellow Haute teachers.  And now I'm home, waiting for my sweetie with a glass of wine, a hot shower behind me, and a full night's sleep in front of me.

In summary:

Day 4

Classes Completed: 2

Hot 60B - 4:30 pm - Sarah Haughton

Hip Hop Yoga - 5:30 pm - Roxanne DePalma

Progress Towards Goal: 6/31