Tsada Calendar Yogis & Yoginis

MEET MELODY ~ TSADA'S SEPTEMBER 2010 YOGINI

     
The beginning of yoga for me

I was 10 years old and my father had about 2 years sobriety under his belt. He was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings every day and was learning the foundation for gratitude among other life-changing principles. I had been particularly bratty one day and instead of my parents disciplining me in a traditional manner, they sat me down at the kitchen table with a pencil and a piece of paper and instructed me to write out a gratitude list. What I didn’t know at the time was that I would look back on this moment as one of the most fundamental moments of my life. At first, I was completely aggravated – as many children would be – but then it became an amazing exercise in humility. The list was astonishing. So many things to count. So many things to be grateful for. From family to friends to my pet hamster. I was rich without having a cent. I had it all. And I was only 10.

That is yoga for me. Practicing allows me to settle in this space of awareness that is beyond anything tangible. To realize that all I really need in life is to stop and breathe in the magnificence all around me. To have compassion and love for myself and others. To find my inner strength. To face my deepest fears and surrender to them. To sit in vulnerability and accept it’s beauty. To dive into and remain in the present moment. To remember that I am only human. With each practice I am confronted with a new feeling I never realized existed. I am whole-heartedly surrounded in abundance. And I am truly grateful for all of this awareness.

Thank you Barb, Chinook, Bruce, Celine, Petri, Douchka, Zed, Pradeep and all of the students at Tsada for being so magnificent. It is truly an honor to practice with each and every one of you.

With boundless love. Namaste.

Mel

MEET MICHELE ~ TSADA'S MAY 2010 YOGINI

     

Now that I can look back, yoga had been trying to come into my life for a few years.  I went to my first class in 2004 in Denver, Colorado when visiting a friend.  She took me to a 'hot yoga' class.  OK, we'll sweat ...she said.  Just do what you can she said.  What I could do turned out to be a fraction of what others in the class could do.  I walked out of there - drenched & dizzy when I hit the cold air!  And then once I was dressed felt...better.  HUH?  How is it that after that workout I feel better and not exhausted and ready for a nap?

My next class wasn't until a couple of years later when my company sponsored a lady to come to our office for an hour once a week and teach us yoga.  I immediately signed up and so did several others when they found out you might lose weight.  We did gentle stretching poses with her but unfortunately that only lasted for 4 classes. 

Then I found my way to a Bikram studio here in Dallas in 2007.  Oh sure I thought, I've done that before when I was in Colorado!  This ended up being quite a strict studio and I really learned a new definition of discipline and control with this new beginning practice. 

While I was practicing at the Bikram studio, I would run into this guy named Chinook in the hall of South Side where I live.  He wanted me to come to Tsada and would tell me that I wouldn't come because I was afraid.  Because of unfortunate circumstances, the Bikram studio had to close and I stopped practicing for a few months.  Chinook was still around tho...and still saying I was afraid.  Of what tho?  I denied being afraid.  Like so many I was afraid of new things and I was going to a new studio??  Yeah right!  Somehow I got the guts to go and that's where I fell in love...with yoga for real and with the Tsada family.

I've been with Tsada since September 2008 and I can truly say yoga has and continues to change my life and outlook on life in so many ways.  I've learned a new sense of discipline yet freedom at the same time.  Acceptance and non-judgment towards myself and others that brings me more joy and peace than I ever imagined.  Others in my life have seen the light shine thru my spirit but cannot imagine how light I now feel inside - I never imagined that one change in my life would lead to so many subsequent and natural changes that continue to effect me on a daily basis and allow me to share more peace and love with others than I was capable of before.

Thank you to everyone – teachers and students – at Tsada.

Namaste'

 ~ Michele

MEET CURT ~ TSADA'S FEBRUARY 2010 YOGI

 

That Barb has asked me to write about my experience with Tsada may seem strange, in that I am not particularly strong, limber, or balanced. But you should have seen me three years ago: my spine had all the flexibility of a sixteen-penny nail, and while I could lift heavy objects, I couldn’t really handle my own weight. I may have looked vaguely fit but I had no understanding of that most basic thing, breathing.

My own lack of ease became clearer to me as I observed other middle-aged ex-jocks move as if they were encased in bubble wrap, or were being oppressed by extra gravity. At a Mavs game, I watched a friend—a former player, now coach—rise creakily from his seat during a time out. That’s me, I thought to myself. I didn’t act on my very obvious need for yoga, however, until I met Chinook one day while wandering around Southside. There’s something irresistible in his enthusiasm.

And now, I can’t stay away from Loft 745. I’m awed by the strength and grace of fellow students who have so obviously dedicated themselves to their practice, but mostly I focus on the figure in the front of the room. Barb is a willow tree. Chinook is a ninja. Douchka and Zed are angels.

And while I still look like a dockworker who had a Budweiser for lunch, I’ve improved. My body works a little better and my mind is a little clearer. It’s a powerful, peaceful feeling.  

~ Curt

MEET THERESA ~ TSADA'S SEPTEMBER 2007 YOGINI

And the Journey Begins….

My first introduction to yoga was in 2004. A year I will never forget. On New Year's Day 2004, my husband of 25 years, died of a massive heart attack while working out. The previous week I received the tragic news that my mother's breast cancer had spread to her lungs and was inoperable. After three months of intensive treatment I lost her to cancer in April 2004. Talk about your world spinning out of control. That's when my search began to find a calm center in the middle of this massive emotional storm.

I knew I was on to something the day I meet Chinook. He had something I wanted and it wasn't just his leopard yoga bag. I was drawn to his energy and insight. At the time of our first meeting, my daughter was playing basketball for SMU and Chinook was working his yoga magic on the team to help prevent future injuries. Being the curious mom that I am, I jumped right in with the team. That's all it took to get me hooked.

The first couple of years my yoga practice were sporadic to say the least. In June 2007 I took a huge leap of faith by moving to Dallas, letting go of the past and embracing yoga as a daily practice. Moving to Dallas has not only allowed me to be closer to my children but also has given me the blessing of practicing my yoga at the best studio in the world. Tasda is a spiritual sanctuary for me. It's the real deal. Not just the yoga "flavor of the month". When my friends ask me what kind of yoga I do, my response is, "The Best".

Yoga has transformed me in more ways than I ever imagined possible. Sure the physical strength I now have is awesome. But it's only the icing on the cake. By quieting my mind and listening I have discovered inner strengths that far outweigh the physical. For me yoga is a body, mind and soul connection where I can embrace harmony, peace and joy. Through my practice I'm uncovering and claiming my true essence and purpose in life. So what if it only took me 50 years. The next 50 are going to be the BEST………because Life is Meant to be GOOD!

Wishing you all love, light and lot's of laughter.

Namaste' ~ Theresa

MEET MAUREEN ~ TSADA'S JULY 2007 YOGINI

I started taking yoga classes in March of 2006.

Yoga was fun, relaxing and enjoyable.

On June 16, 2006, I sat with five of my family members in a doctor's cramped examining room as my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told that he had 6 months to live.

Warm, toxic, nauseating waves of stress flooded into my stomach. My father was going to die a painful, ugly death. My mother, who had lost her own mother at the age of 23, would be a widow at the age of 59. My 18-year old adopted brother would lose a father for the second time.

I closed my eyes. And I reminded myself… to breathe.

At that moment, I began to practice yoga. I didn't drop into one of the poses we all imagine when we hear the word "yoga," but I put into practice one of the many

principles of the discipline:

Keep a calm mind in the face of adversity.

Know your physical and mental limits.

Don't let anything in your life control you.

Breathe.

Practicing yoga has helped me survive this past year. I look forward to each class, and know that even if I enter the studio with a mind filled with turbulent thoughts, I will exit with a calm spirit and an invigorated body.

A few weeks ago, my father celebrated one year of survival! While yoga wasn't one of his tools of survival, both my mother and husband now practice regularly. It comforts me to know that, if and when his condition goes downhill, the three of us will all be able to step back…and breathe.

~ Maureen

MEET DAVE ~ TSADA'S AUGUST 2007 YOGI

My yoga practice began with Chinook seven years ago and at the time Barb was a student like me taking his classes. Before then I was the proverbial night-club-life executive tumbling down the rabbit hole with no direction but the means to maintain what I now know is a habitually self-defeatist lifestyle. My best friends at the time tried incessantly to bring me to their yoga class with Chinook. It was upwards of a year before I finally agreed to try what I had the predisposition to label as not "macho" … which quickly changed.

I do not recall the exact day but the first time I tried yoga my body reacted severely both physically and mentally. The end of the first class, which was difficult and somewhat clumsy, still gave me a feeling like nothing else. I remember the sensation of distinctly sharp pins and needles all around my body and a rushing of energy within my body. This is the juice I seek every time I practice yoga.

At first, my mind fought to cling to the familiar and the more it resisted this new part of my life the more I realized I was holding myself back. It was suffering that consumed me by not living with a free and open mind. The signals were all around me that I needed to change my ways and become responsible for my actions. I found that a consistent practice and positive attitude was the key to develop strength and compassion. I discovered that you only need to look within as we are born with intuition. It is impossible to do yoga without a clear head and deep breath which provided me the avenue to define who I was and what I strive to be and that is truth.

I do not recall ever telling anyone but for the first year yoga was very trying on my body. In the beginning my body was so constricted that I would get debilitating cramps from accessing my body in these new ways. There is no way to put this delicately but I would sometimes even throw up after class. But I wholeheartedly stuck with it knowing that it was truly good for me. Eventually my body craved yoga and it has become an integral part of my being.

I believe yoga promotes a healthy metamorphosis. The other day someone who has known me for a decade, and saw me not so long ago, stepped in to my office to say hello. He was stunned. He did not recognize me and went out of his way to exclaim how well I looked and the expression on his face spoke volumes. Not only can I feel changes internally, it has also transformed my body externally.

The fact is, yoga improves all other aspects and activities in your life. To me, the increased agility and strength is a byproduct of what I am getting out of yoga. In my experience not all yoga studios are created equal so I recommend not judging anything based on any one class. Chinook and Barb's studio at Tsada is like a second home. It is a refuge when my mind gets bogged down. It's not always easy to find time for yoga practice but your own body and spirit are commodities that should never be discounted. Yoga is the best thing I've found in the world that you can do for yourself.

Namaste' ~ Dave