Namaste Yogis and Yoginis,

My greatest teacher has arrived, welcome William Edison Finkel born July 30, 2003. In this issue of Yogalicious I share with you his early teachings as well as some of the Words of Wisdom that inspire me along my new journey.

P.S. I’m excited to begin registration for these amazing retreats, teacher trainings, and events: Yoga In Mexico 3/20-3/27; Restorative Mini-Retreat 11/15; Bright Spirit Teacher Training 200-hour 4/2003; Advanced Teacher Training 500-hour 4/2003; and, for those of you who simply want to deepen your practice or are ‘considering’ teacher training – we are offering our first Asana Intensive Program 4/2003. More details for all programs are below or email jillian_love@yahoo.com.

P.S.S I am so eager for the first studio in Hoboken to open in November! Devotion Yoga is located right near the path train at 79 Hudson Street. Devotion has an extensive yoga program with over 25 classes a week, including kids’ yoga, prenatal, beginners programs, workshops and lots more! http://www.devotionyoga.com. 201 610 YOGA. Don’t miss the grand opening promotions.

With great joy and humbleness,
Jillian

" I used to know everything, I know nothing now" — unknown songwriter

William’s first lecture topic: ‘Things are always, by nature, uncertain. The practice is accepting that we can never know what will happen next. Believing that you ‘know how it is, or how it should be’ blocks your intuition and prevents you from experiencing how things actually are.’ Having said that, let me tell you about the first 9 weeks. My friends predicted my baby would effortlessly pop out –maybe even in downward facing dog! "Your yoga practice guarantees an easy delivery," they exclaimed. Well, my yoga was indispensable, but not in the way every one imagined. Of course I had ‘ideas’ about how I would ‘like’ to bring my baby into the world, however, his birth was harder than anticipated. I had a long labor which ended in a cesarean and a lengthy recovery that made my launch into mothering and nursing super difficult. On top of that, William was in and out of the doctors his first few weeks with jaundice, and a litany of other ailments from reflux to a hernia. At week three he entered his Colicky, no-sleep, nurse around the clock stage and he continues to keep me on 24 hour duty. Don’t get me wrong, even with all the challenges of becoming a parent every day still brings unmatched bliss, but to be honest, this was not my idea of welcoming my infant into the world. After all, "I’m a yoga teacher." I was supposed to give birth to a monk, or at least a relaxed laughing baby. He received so many blessings and OMs in every class for the past 9 months, shouldn’t he be supremely content? Now, 9 weeks into motherhood, all my preconceived ideas about how I would birth and raise my baby have gone out the window! This is actually a good thing. As I let go of my ideas, everything becomes easier! I’ve come to learn that the answers are not in books or the advice offered by others. And the answers aren’t in my ‘head’ either. Instead, I must show up in each unfolding moment with new eyes, new energy and new creative ways to handle the circumstances of the minute. As I stay flexible and ‘forget what I think I know’, I learn to trust my instincts more, tap my creativity more, and make better decisions.   back to top

"As you learn to live from your intuition you may find that the process of making decisions changes. In the process, the right decisions usually get made." Read The Art of Following Intuition by S. Gawain. http://www.innerself.com/Miscellaneous/intuition.htm   back to top