peep this

so i wanted to give a little peek into what was, and hopefully will be again, my weekly sunday yoga class.

after about a year of training with my yogi teacher, i taught my first class in september of 2012 to a pretty decent-sized intermediate group. susan had built up a following and most of them were kind enough to give me a chance :)

i made a playlist that looked something like this:
eyes- rogue wave
sunrise sunset- we are trees
skinny love- bon iver
the thoughts that give me the creeps- hello goodbye
vcr- xx
whole love- wilco
fidelity- regina spektor
heart it races- dr. dog
animal- miike snow
prophets- a.c. newman
tightrope- yeasayer
if there's love- citizen cope
dead sea- the lumineers
how to love- lil wayne
amazing eyes- good old war
the wooden sky- the wooden sky
*(fyi-all of my yoga class playlists are available on my spotify account)

i created a formula that would be 'my style'- a frankenstein-ian creation of all of the classes i had ever taken and loved. i would take barre, pilates, and yoga classes throughout the week and jot down notes if i liked something different that the teacher did. then i would go home and do p90x, or insanity, and incorporate moves from those programs, as well (sphinx push-ups, anyone?). when asked, i called it ashtanga vinyasa, but i was later told that my students referred to it as 'katie's yoga bootcamp' :) i would pick one or two peak poses in the same sort of category (hip-opener, arm balance, back bend, etc...) and build a class that would prepare them for those poses. starting out slow with stretches and small balance postures, moving quickly into sun salutations and vinyasas, pausing in between the flow to focus on a pose that would give them the confidence to fly later on. i wasn't sure if this was how to teach, but it felt right. after a few weeks, my students started telling me that i not only prepared them physically, but mentally for those challenging poses, most of which they had never been able to get into :) (did i mention how much i loved my yogis?)

i tried to come up with my signature closing (you know that thing that teachers say at the end of their class and it always sounds so effortless and all encompassing when they say it? like they just summed up everything you were thinking, and everything the person next to you was thinking, and now you can go in peace and just smile for the rest of the day...?). my teacher used to say the most beautiful phrase that began with 'may all beings be happy', and immediately i would go to a place of quiet content. after my first class ended, i looked out at my students and just said the first thing that came to mind- thank your body for what it's done for you today and thank you for allowing me to practice with you. namaste. it's really very simple, but now that i think about it, it's the core of ahimsa. be nice to yourself. thank you for being nice to me. go in light :)

all i can see is things going swimmingly

it's been such a hectic week, but we are checking off 'i do' to-do boxes left and right!

i've put my yoga class on hold for the summer, because numbers get low and because when i checked out my schedule, i realized i would only be in town for 5 or 6 sundays from now until october! craziness...

i'll still be expanding my practice with classes at local studios, and i will continue to attempt the impossible for me.... scorpion! i'm thisclose... i feel like my toes will never touch my head, and my teacher says that my over-flexible back is actually making it more difficult for me to hold this one. who knew too much flexibility could ever be a bad thing in yoga? but when i get frustrated, i just remind myself how i could barely hold a headstand a year ago. i worked on it daily and last weekend i was able to hold it for 2 minutes and 20 seconds! now, my goal is to headstand while paddleboarding this summer :)

so back to that 'checking boxes off' comment- in the past week alone, i found my rehearsal dress, bought my bridal shoes, and just got my wedding band! (is it bad luck to wear the wedding band now until the wedding? it's so sparkly, i can't help myself...).

the rehearsal dress is from a place called fancy schmancy in albany, ny. i was there to help my mom find her mother of the bride dress when this little tadashi number caught my eye and i had to try it on. love, love, love.

i had seen these shoes on pinterest (tgfp- thank god for pinterest), but couldn't locate them  anywhere.  they were originally from j. crew, but i finally stumbled upon a never-been-worn pair on ebay last week where they were just my size, and slightly cheaper than the original, so i scooped those bad boys up immediately.

as for the wedding band, it's just lovely. joey and i couldn't find any bands that either of us liked so we decided to have both of ours custom made. i wasn't sure if we were being ring snobs, or if we were just unique (joey says unique :). he had this beautiful idea to put his grandfathers ring inside of his, and have it covered in white gold. we went to glen peters in clifton park and they did an amazing job. for mine, i knew i wanted a double band (on either side of the engagement ring) with lots of little diamonds for that antique look. the last step was to get them engraved with something, and i was completely stumped until joey suggested an ampersand. i cried. it's so perfect for us. there is just something about a simple ampersand that says so much- after september 1, it will be me & him, it's that simple. we've also been planning on getting ampersand tattoos on our honeymoon, so it seemed fitting. i think i'll wait to share a picture of the ring until after the wedding, though. i've got to keep some of the mystery, right?

happy friday! xo

wouldn't it be nice if we were married

wedding updates! although we only have a few months left, i presume this will be the first of many.

i should start off by letting you know that we've chosen a date and that i will officially be mrs. katie menz as of september 1, 2013. i've heard that the whole "name-changing" process is really frustrating, but i think i'm up for it. i also plan on keeping my maiden name (guiffre) as my middle name, because i just cant give up the sweet nicknames i got through highschool and college (guff, kt guff, guff-unit, guffers, guffer-nutter). i'm interested in hearing about what others have done as far as the name switch- did you keep your last name? did you take his? did you hyphenate? please share!

these days, i feel like we are in the home-stretch. things are moving quickly and we are crossing tasks off our to-do list daily. we picked our location and it's perfect for us. i found a (grey) marchesa dress on a random trip to the city and it's lovely. my yogi teacher and friend will be officiating the ceremony. we have an amazing local 9-man band that will keep the party going all night. we found a really great photographer that fits our style just right. we have 14 of our closest friends in our bridal party, and of course, we have eachother. i try to remind myself that one of the most important parts of this whole process is to focus on the real reason we are doing all of this. every once in a while i get caught up in the cost and magnitude of it all, especially when the number of guests crept over the 200 mark... but the wedding is just a chance to celebrate with all of the people that have played a role in the story of us. i would imagine that being married will be a lot like the last 6 years, with the addition of a lovely piece of paper that basically states 'forever'. i'm guessing we will still disagree about what temperature to keep the apartment at (i'm eternally cold and he's an oven). i'm assuming there will always be time for spontaneous weekend morning wrestling sessions (3 broken toes later, and i still enjoy these moments). and i'm positive there will continue to be plenty of stay-at-home, thai food/movie nights in our future (because i can't really be expected to cook more than 4 nights a week). at some point, if we're lucky, kids, work, and a mortgage will complicate it all, but i'm looking forward to those adventures with my best friend by my side.

right now we are working on the invites (see the save the dates that i designed below), putting together some crafty decorations, and i'm trying to figure out what to do with this overgrown-pixie-on-it's-way-to-a-bob hair of mine. suggestions welcome :)

where do i start?

it's been almost a year since my last song-lyric-titled, anti-cap-letters blog post and i've really missed it. sure, there have been plenty of times where i've thought, 'i should write about this on my blog!' but it never came to fruition. i think the longer i waited, the more daunting it became, which is just plain silly because nobody is making me do this. ease up on the self-inflicted pressure, girl in the mirror!

so here i am, a slow day almost coming to an end, tired of looking for the perfect bridal shoes online, and almost out of almond butter, thinking now is a good time to start this ol' blog up again.

it's almost impossible for me to begin where i left off, which was describing my wonderful, life-changing experience at last year's wanderlust festival in stratton, VT. i still have all of my classes written down and my notes from those classes, but i can't quite tap in to the overall feel, and it would be a disservice to try to recap at this point so i'll just move on. the good news is, i'll be heading to the 2013 wanderlust festival, so i will be sure to blog about that experience twice as much, just to make up for last year :)

i know i was giving you guys the play-by-play of my yoga trainings, but i haven't wrote since i actually began teaching. surprise! i am officially a yoga instructor at the local ymca and i am loving every minute of it. each week i try to attend 3-4 other yoga classes from various studios and teachers to find new tricks, and then i spend about 2 hours setting up my class and playlist. it is everything i ever wanted it to be and more. the students are amazing. their encouragement and feedback kept me working hard and coming back when i was so nervous i was getting sick every saturday night before i taught (i still get nervous, but not sick anymore, thank god.) i have regulars who show up every week, and when they cant make it, they call to tell me why :) they've nicknamed it the yoga bootcamp, because it's nothing like traditional yoga, and i always guarantee they will work up a sweat. joey and i make a playlist each week that is high energy, full of music from the likes of pearl jam, lil wayne, she & him, beyonce, the beatles, and vampire weekend. it's kind of like a dance party with a really wonderful group of people, in a room filled with mirrors, for one hour every weekend.

i recently got this tattoo to honor my practice and the whole yoga-teaching experience. it's sanskrit for ahimsa, which most people recognize as a symbol of 'non-violence'. this is true, but on a deeper level, it means to be kind to others, be kind to yourself, and not to allow others to cause harm to you. i'm really working on those last two, so this just serves as a small reminder to not be so hard on myself, and not to take what others say to heart.

i think that's all for now. i dont want you thinking that i suddenly became long-winded in my extended absence, and then swear off this lil' blog forever. be back soon,

xo

droppin' bombs on 'em

(my wanderlust journey, parts 2 & 3 are still in the works, but here's a little diddy to hold you over)

so a few months ago, while aimlessly wandering around my place of work, i decided to spontaneously mount my co-workers desk and assume the position of 8-limbs, in all it's arm balance glory.

because my co-worker, judy, is totally awesome and completely used to my randomness, she scooped up her phone and took this pic:

after my graceful dismount, she promptly asked "now what was that all about?" and i said "i dunno- just felt like yoga-bombing your desk". not really sure where that came from, but i immediately loved the idea of "yoga-bombing" in random places, on furniture, out in public, everywhere! so we took this clever game with us to wanderlust and my mama and i yoga-bombed the heck outta that place. fields, concerts, markets... during breakfast, with our coffee, before bed... nothing was off limits.

i've talked to several people about it since and my yoga lover friends really dig it. in fact, they've started sending me photos of their yoga-bombs and i love it! this is a pic of our friends geoff & jake on top of a waterfall, completely rocking bakasana and virabhadrasana 2, respectively.

a few friends and i went out on paddleboards last weekend and dropped bombs all over saratoga lake (that sounds weird but it still makes me happy). I'll show those photos in an upcoming post about my newest love, paddleboarding, and how i'm attempting to combine it with my first love, yoga, and my always love, joey. stay tuned!

xoxo

lets hear it for the boys

we interrupt our wanderlust series to bring you this shocker from yoga journal: boys should do yoga, too!


also, you get to look at girls in yoga pants, which is a favorite past time of some of my male friends...

yea we up, up, up in the clouds

so picture this: yoga & live music. on a mountain top. in vermont. for 3 straight days.

that, my friends, is what they call wanderlust, and the only way to describe this crazy magical festival is life-changing. i documented the entire trip with photos and notes so that i could share it with you guys, but my advice is to just do yourself a favor and go next year.

here is my attempt at the first in a 3-part recap series. i'm separating these parts by the days that we attended, starting with numero uno.

Day 1:
Class Schedule
Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles
Performed by MC Yogi


Vinyasa Forever
Taught by Schuyler Grant
(co-creator of wanderlust)


Air: Arm Balances that Defy Gravity
Taught by Desiree Rumbaugh
with live music by Todd Boston  





my mom and i arrived at stratton mountain in vermont at 9:00 am on friday morning with way too many bags. we weren't exactly sure what to expect, so we brought snacks, a different outfit for every class (just in case), and 4 yoga mats. we went straight into the little village at the base of the mountain to register for the classes that we had already signed up for weeks prior to our arrival. we had each purchased the 'seeker package', which meant, for $500 (not including our room and food) we had unlimited access to all of the entertainment, live concerts and were able to attend up to 3 classes a day (the most that's allowed). we chose 2 classes a day to take together and then 1 that we would do on our own.

our first class that morning was located on top of a small mountain, in a massive tent known as saddlespan. the front stage and first few rows were covered by the tent, but the back of the class was wide open to the sun. over 150 people were signed up for the class, so we squeezed our mats together in order to make room. mc yogi introduced himself and his wife, amanda giocomini, and they began by telling us the story of ganesh, the lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. he is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. mc yogi began rapping while his wife instructed us through a fast paced vinyasa series, which peaked in several 'group positions'. bending forward in warrior 3, we were told to reach our arms to the left and to the right and link arms with our neighbors. you would think that we would only be as strong as our weakest link and go down like human dominos, but for some reason, it gave us an incredibly strong base and we maintained the pose for a few minutes.

mc yogi's style was full of energy and humor, just how i like my instructors. when he played buddhist monk chants, he would shout out "sing along if you know the words!"and when someone sneezed, he would reply "ganeshu". after about an hour of sequences, he cranked up the tunes and told us to throw our hands in the air and start jumping like we were at a concert. immediately, the tent was full of people running around, laughing, clapping and jumping to the music, until we eventually spilled outside onto the mountain top where the celebration continued. i dont know how long it went on for or which songs were played, but i remember that when it stopped, and we stepped back onto our mats, a strange feeling came over me. at first, i felt dizzy, like when you stand up too fast and the blood rushes to your head and you almost fall over and the world gets a little blurry for a few seconds... and then that feeling was followed by this strange urge to cry (which i managed to refrain from, fyi), and then i realized i was smiling. and i looked over at my mom and she was too. both of us, with these huge, cheshire grins, which had spread across our faces...and we were giddy, even during the chant that followed, while mc yogi beat boxed (om gam ganapatayae namaha). i remember thinking, if this is what wanderlust is, i never want to leave. my teacher, susan, would later refer to this as my yoga break through... i just couldnt stop smiling.

until my next class.

it's not that i didnt enjoy our afternoon vinyasa with schuyler grant, because we absolutely did. she is an amazing teacher with a deep knowledge of the physical aspects of yoga. but holy cow, what a difference from our morning class.

over a hundred of us gathered in a large room inside the lodge and we listened to her lecture about correct posture and common mistakes that yogis make. then we stepped onto our mats and went through a blur of a vinyasa as schuyler shouted out poses to us in a militant rhythm, "UP DOG, DOWN DOG, INHALE, EXHALE, CHATARUNGA, AGAIN!". she marched between our mats, adjusting us, literally and figuratively, as she passed. if i felt her looking at my right thigh, i would move it, just in case she was thinking, 'why the hell is that girl's right thigh like that?'. there was something about her that made me feel like i needed to do better. she taught us how to protect our shoulders by loosening our trap muscles when we are holding our hands above our heads. there is this belief that we need to be rigid and pulling our arms out of the sockets to reach perfection, but thats not the case. from the shoulder to the elbow, our arms should be relaxed and in their sockets, but from the elbow up through the hands is where we really lengthen. she taught us how to protect our knees and watch for hyper-extending, which is very common for yogis. when we are standing in balance poses, we shouldnt lock our knees- there should be a slight micro-bend. the strength and the base comes from tightening your quads up and into place. try it. it's genius.

we also spent a serious amount of time on alignment- she taught us how hips need to be tucked under and slightly forward for both warrior 1 and 2. this prepped us for our saturday class with  natasha rizopoulos, who would take these instructions even further (but ill get to that later). overall, i really learned a lot from schuyler, but it's not the type of yoga class that i would want to go to every day. she definitely improved my form, and for that alone, i'm glad we went.

my third and final class of the day was arm balances. at this point, i was already exhausted and completely running on excitement because, as you already know, i love me some arm balances. my mom opted out of this class, so i headed back to the saddlespan tent, where i had had my yoga break through earlier that morning. again, over a hundred people attended, but looking around the room this time, i noticed more men scattered about. for the first time that day, i started to get a little nervous- maybe i shouldnt have signed up for an intermediate/advanced class like this. maybe everyone here can do handstands. maybe they are all looking at me and can tell that i cant. paranoid much? it was strange to be so uncomfortable, because yoga is usually the one place where i feel like i can be myself. but our teacher, desiree rumbaugh, immediately put me at ease with her bubbly personality and sweet sense of humor. she climbed on stage, explaining how arm balances should technically be easy because, in actuality, our divine selves want to fight the gravitational pull and float away, so if we can just let that happen, then boom, crow pose will follow. she made everything sound so simple, as she twisted her body into crazy shapes and let her legs float up into the air- then she would pause, challenge all the boys by shouting "you're not gonna let a girl show you up, are ya?", come back down and say "now you try". so we did.

we tried crow and crane, side crane and dragonfly, 8 limbs, firefly... every arm balance pose you can think of... i was able to successfully hold all of them with her helpful cues and techniques, but i was most psyched about dragonfly. i wanted to do it again and again, but she interrupted our class and asked "how many of you are perfectionists?". i looked around the room and noticed almost every single person had their hand raised... she continued, telling us that most yogi's are. we strive for perfection and thats the driving force behind arm balance poses. wanting to get it just right, but the truth is, we never will. desiree said thats the beauty and curse of yoga- perfection doesn't exist. poses are different for everyone and technically there is no right or wrong way. i found that really interesting because over the next 3 days, i would be told to tuck my hips under, then no, point them out, straighten my back, but with a slight curve, turn 45 degrees to the front while staying parallel to the side...each instructor had their own cues for how to get "correctly" get into a pose. of course, there are better ways to prevent injuries, to get the most out of your practice, and to cater to your own body, but it was a real 'ah ha' moment for me. but the best part about this class? i learned a bunch of new party tricks, like this one... :)

xo