Yoga BTS

A little Yoga BTS with my friend Hope Reiners for Mahana.




Warrior I from Vanessa Doan on Vimeo.

The Underground Museum

I visited The Underground Museum...and this is what happened.

It's in Arlington Heights, this is an area I love visiting because everyone is always friendly and always greets me.
As I'm opening the door to the museum, a very charismatic man who is sitting in his walker on the sidewalk exclaims to me, "Are you a model? I bet people tell you all the time you look like a model. You're beautiful. You're a model aren't you?"
I'm laughing, a lot. I say back to him, "No way! Between us two, it must be you!"
"I can't be a model, I'm too old. See all my grey hairs," He lifts up his hat to show me. "And you got dimples too! Mayynnn..."
I thank him for such a warm welcome and we bless each other a good day.
PEOPLE ARE AWESOME.
I get inside, greeted by Justin who has watched this entire exchange and it's brought a smile to his face and he says "It's all love here."
I was already excited for my museum visit, now I'm even more thrilled to come across beautiful souls. All this and I haven't even gone inside yet.

This space feels like a refuge. It feels like a birthing place of many good things. I'm touched by this space. I'm moved by this space. I feel something resonate inside me in this space-filled with love, hope, compassion.  These feelings are only possibly through the understanding of suffering.  What black people have endured in this country, and I'm so sorry.
There's a garden out back, with flowers and many seats. Someone's playing good jamz. I'm in love. I sit and write down these thoughts which I'm sharing with you now.
I'll never know what it's like to be a black person but I'm out here seeking all the awareness I can on an experience that is unknown to me.  Ever since I was young, the black experience has intrigued me and I always felt connected to it in some way.  The books I chose to read, the friends I had (still have), a lot of things. I didn't realize they were "black" things until I got to college and I met my friend Antanice who brought it to my attention. I don't know why it's just been this way. I think it's because justice matters to me.
Tupac says, "I'm not saying I will change the world... We might not be the ones but let's not be selfish because we're not going to change the world let's not talk about how we should change it.  I don't know how to change it but I know if I keep talking about how dirty it is out here, somebody gone clean it up."
So let's keep talking and making art and finding awareness and coming together in communities because that's the way to move forward. To all my brothers and sisters, it's all love.

Berkeley Yoga Birthday

I recently traveled to Berkeley, California to take my Iyengar Yoga certification test, and I passed!
Being from the bay, it was nice to be somewhere familiar but also new to explore.  I stayed at an AirBnB, very close to the yoga studio.  I felt very at home in the community- the local shops and people were wonderful.  I spent one day just hanging out with people, I did not even thinking about the test, acting like I live there!
The day before the assessment, I explored the neighborhood. I spent much time talking to Reverend Betty Gray at her gift shop on Alcatraz Ave. We vibed on the teachings of the Universe, she shared with me about the community, how she opened up her shop and some of the lessons she learned along the way.
I visited Hercules Records, spent a lot of time in there going through many albums.  I picked up a few- including a "Dirty South Anthems"--of course.
I had lunch at Easy Creole, a girl cannot resist some cornbread.
There's a really cool brewpub in the neighborhood too, Hoi Polloi. I'm not much of a beer drinker but I've been trying many different kinds since my one night in Munich (on the way back from Budapest).  I figured, I'm here, might as well enjoy myself.  So I ventured in there and the couple who own the place are so friendly! They let me try a few beers to help me decide.  They serve up truffle popcorn with the brews, there's something about truffle...yum.
The next day was the first day of my assessment, also my birthday.  I woke up feeling great. I walked to Home Grown Oakland, to have breakfast and get some last minute studies in. When I walk in there Blackstreet was playing. Who plays Blackstreet nowadays? I inquire, Robin who works the counter, said something along the lines of "90s R&B is the only R&B that matters..." LIFE. So my birthday started off really well, with a delicious breakfast, amazing jamz and study time.

Now for this test I've been preparing for what feels like years, I walked to Adeline Yoga for day 1 of assessment. There were only 6 of us to take the test, it was nice to meet everyone and the assessors made the experience nice and light. I really enjoyed my time with everyone.  It was tough though, I felt a little roughed up after day 1.  I had some Thai food with a new friend and we went our separate ways to prepare for day 2, the teaching portion. This is the portion that is supposedly the most difficult.  I knew I had prepared myself for this, all I've been doing for the past 8 months is study and practice. So I went through my sequence one time that evening and left it alone.  Day 2 which was the 2nd anniversary of Guruji's passing --RIP to him (it was quite a weekend), came and it was time for me to teach.  My practice was beyond the teaching portion of the test, it was yoga that I had to practice, to keep the fluctuations of the mind at ease, to be present.  

Thanks to Berkeley for a lovely time, I am grateful for the people I met during my stay there and the new friends I made. I'm a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher now. I'd say it was a pretty great birthday this year. Until next time, blessings to you all.

Just how much do we love truth?

In the end, we return to the question, just how much do you love truth?
Do you really love truth or are you just curious?
Do you love it enough to rebuild your understanding to align to a reality that doesn't fit your current beliefs, and doesn't feel 120% happy?
Do you love truth enough to continue seeking even when it hurts, when it reveals aspects of yourself, or human society or the universe that are shocking, complex and disturbing or humbling, glorious and amazing- or even when truth is far beyond human mind itself?
Just how much do we love truth?
It's a good question to ask ourselves, I think.
-Scott Mandelker

Yoga on the Rim

I went on a spontaneous camping adventure to Arizona with my friend Jimmy, and Max came too! Jimmy is a sort of expert outdoorsman while I didn't even own a sleeping bag.

I pitched my first tent, slept in a sleeping bag and cooked dinner on a fire in the darkness of night.

We stayed one night in Sedona, AZ, the red rocks are beautiful! I have never seen so many stars in my life!  This Universe is grand and infinite, seeing all the stars, made me feel small, and then I realized my sorrows are even smaller. Though my pains may feel heavy some days, they are not as significant as the complexities and beauty this world offers.

On day two, we traveled to see The Grand Canyon.  I did not know much about this place except for it's on the list of places to visit in the world, like the Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids.  Jimmy suggested I do a yoga session at the canyon. He would take pictures. Sure, I said.

Yoga on the rim of The Grand Canyon, is the scariest thing I have ever done. Standing on the edge, I had to keep my focus on being grounded, back to basics in all my postures, I could not think about falling, or I would fall.  I've practiced these postures may times, in a room, with even flooring; it was challenging to feel the uneven earth and to look forth onto the other side which was 15 miles ahead of me, and a canyon that's about a mile deep in between. Then it came time to do a headstand, I couldn't get up. My heart was beating fast, I was nervous, because if I fell, I would roll off this cliff. I kept trying, finally I got up! I stayed for a bit, then to come down slowly and safely. I did it! I didn't fall! I didn't kill my self! I felt liberated.

I am reminded, life is to be lived on the rim, the space where you are doing with effort, when it's scary but you keep going, between too much and not enough, between knowing you can and doubting your abilities.  I'm glad to have experienced yoga on the rim, because that's what yoga is, it's on the rim.

Thank you to a dear friend who let me crash his trip to see The Grand Canyon and for being an encouraging presence. Until the next adventure!