First of all, this post has nothing whatsoever to do with Kookaburras, but they are so darn cute that I thought you would like to see them. There were 5 of them hanging around in the trees back of the house, not making a sound. Perhaps all the wet weather dampened their intrinsic mirth.

What I really wanted to say today is how happy I am to be back in the saddle, that is, teaching. I have a really lovely group of people coming along already. Some of them are speaking about the gains they’ve received in just the few classes I’ve held so far, and today they were very appreciative throughout the class as the yoga soaked into anatomical crevices and shone a light on bodies’ dark crannies.
What makes me happiest of all is that I can see the potential of building a new yoga community here and perhaps encouraging a love of yoga.
I’m crafting my teaching to convey conviviality, and  at the same time, coaxing the students to pay close attention to the body/mind.
You experienced yogis know how this is done. You’re attentive to alignment points, bandhas, breathing, and the activity of the mind, as much as you can be.
For new yogis, it’s such a challenge to identify parts of the anatomy from which one might have been disconnected for a long time. By repeating instructions and repetition of poses, the teacher helps the student create new neuronal pathways from mind to muscles. It takes time and patience. Sense of humour is helpful, too! I think yoga is inherently funny. (Imagine an outer space visitor dropping into a yoga class.)
I told the students this morning that we don’t really know what yoga is when we first encounter it. It’s like meeting a new person who will become your significant other. You have ideas about them and opinions and judgments, but it’s going to take quite some time to get below the surface. As you dive in more deeply, you see and understand so much more in yoga (or your beloved) than you could have ever imagined.
And it’s likely to make you happy!