Monday, November 15, 2010

The 2010 Yoga Journal Conference

Last Saturday Ruth and I went to the Yoga Journal Conference at the Diplomat Hotel in Hallendale Beach and it was truly a wonderful time. I am feeling sore now but I am so glad that I went. I am very lucky to have a good friend like Ruth who is also a yoga teacher (we did teacher training together) and shares my passion for yoga.

Ruth and I so happy to be at the conference

Ruth picked me up at 5:45 am and we set off on our adventure. When we arrived at the hotel I was totally blown away by the beauty of the Westin Diplomat. We walked around for a while checking the place out and scouting out the room where our first class was going to be. Then we to the Cafe and had some coffee in this gorgeous hotel.

Arriving at the hotel

Hips and Twists with Rodney Yee was going to be our first class and we were extremely excited about it. We were the first ones to put our mats down and we made sure we had a good spot. I have been doing Rodney's DVDs for years and I was sooo psyched not only to see him in person but to take class with him. All of a sudden the door opened and there he was. The famous and fabulous Rodney Yee sat on the stage in front of us with his wife Colleen Saidman Yee.

Ruth waiting for Rodney Yee


I was waiting for Rodney too!!!


Rodney and Colleen

We worked hard in the two hour class that focused on hip opening and twisting. Rodney and Colleen took turns teaching and adjusting students in poses. When they brought us into downward facing dog with a twist Rodney came over and grabbed my extended leg and helped me go further into the twist. I felt like I was just touched by......well....the Yoga God. LOL I was surprised by how down to earth and friendly he was. He taught us with a sense of purpose but also a sense of humor. It was an honor to be in the in same room with this amazing teacher.

Rodney in Side Angle

When class was over we met him and Colleen and he was nice enough to sit and pose for picture with both Ruth and myself. Ruthie and I were like groupies. LOL It was the perfect beginning to a wonderful day.

Rodney with my hand on his knee. Yeah, I had to touch him. :)


Rodney and Ruth
After taking pictures we ran to our second class which was a fun class about unstacking or decomposing postures. The teacher was Cindi Lee and she really taught us a lot about starting in simple poses and working up to more difficult postures. It really gave me food for thought.

Then it was time for lunch and shopping!!! We had so much fun walking around the yoga marketplace buying new shirts, mugs and of course, a shirt for Ruth's granddaughter, Emily. I managed to spend all the money I had allocated to this shopping spree and more. It wasn't hard to do. :)

We had an hour or so to relax and hang out so we walked around and went out to the pool area to find a place to sit and regroup. The weather was beautiful as was the pool at the hotel.

Ruth and I by the pool

We were pretty tired by this time but we managed to find a way to have fun and laugh. Boy, did we laugh.

Gangsta Yoginis

Our last class turned out to be a bit of a surprise. We thought we would be taking a class on how to teach beginner students but it turned out to be a beginner student class. We had a totally fun time in this class just being together. There was a lot more laughter in this class than there probably should have been.

Then it was time to go home. We were both very tired but so happy we had gone to this conference. It was a time that neither one of us will ever forget.

Waiting for the car


I don't know about you Ruth but I am looking forward to next year's conference. If it is half as much fun and inspiring as this was it will be fantastic. :)

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