Xerxes and other Deities...

Last week I practiced with Xerxes, God of Yoga and took a class from Seane Corn, Goddess-Teacher-Curly-Girl Extraordinare. All in one week.

I know. Come to LA and pretty soon you're partying with the Gods...

He's a lovely guy, that Xerxes, with one of the best yoga practices I've ever been in the presence of...you would assume that I guess...what with him being, well, holy. I've had a bit of a yoga crush on the All Powerful One for quite some time now, and up until last week only had the privilege of being his student, but this time he actually came with me to a class and set up his mat within arms length of mine.

It's an amazing thing folks, to practice in the presence of greatness. It seeps into you. It crawls into your breath and your body and pretty soon your limbs feel nearly as liquid-y as his (0r hers) look. And you remember how a teacher once reminded you that we're all sharing the same oxygen, trailing it in and out through our nostrils and passing it along, all perspiring and respirating into the same invisible soup and you think Yes! I'm doing that now! Here, now! And you think for a moment you might be able to twist as deep and jump as high as the great One himself (or herself)...and for a moment, maybe you can. But even if you can't, it doesn't matter, because you feel his (or her) inspiration and it hooks into you, or you hook into it, and you remember why you are there and the possibility for the deeply personal in the practice, and that the more it is your practice, the more it is everyone's. Because truth is truth, I suppose.

See, this is the kind of estoerica that comes from being in the presence of the divine.

I recommend highly finding a deity you can hold up high and also occasionally be in the presence of, like my dear Xerxes. Or...Seane Corn.

Seeeeeeaaaaannnnnnne Cooooooooooorrrrrn.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. Hair like mine.
2. From Jersey. Which is just cool.
3. Hot.
4. Not someone I would ever fuck with. Seriously. She's so full of love and also not somebody who anybody would EVER walk all over, if you get my drift.
5. Awesome eyebrows.
6. Teaches without makeup on.
7. Heart-driven, oh yes indeedy.
8. A mystic without bullshit.
9. Did I mention the hair? And that she's hot?
10. Kick-ass sequencing.
11. Knows her alignment.
12. Knows her anatomy.
13. Knows a whole hell of a lot.
14. Married to an actor. I don't know...I just think that's cool.
15. Just 'cause.
16-1,000,000. Inspires me to want to do good, be better, work my ass off.

You may remember my raving about Seane Corn after the Omega Being Yoga Conference, at which I completely geeked out and could barely speak to her coherently, and so it may come as no surprise that as soon as I found myself in Venice I tracked her down at Exhale Yoga and, boy oh boy, I was nervous like a puppy--sitting on my mat, hoping she would remember me, and then hoping that she wouldn't, hoping she would give me an adjustment during class and then hoping that she wouldn't, just so dang pleased to be in the room with her (when I wasn't secretley scowling about all the "show offs" in the front row who kept throwing in perfect yet unnecessary handstands at every turn. Jerks.) and also slightly embarrassed by my own silly reverence for this person who may or may not know more than any of the other amazing teachers I have been blessed to find, but makes me feel all giggly inside and I guess that's why you can find her face on every yoga/healthy living/etc. magazine around. I guess that's what they call Cha-Ris-Ma. And she has got it in spades.

For those keeping track: she didn't recognize me, but did give me one small adjustment during class. That's either because I'm AWESOME or because I sort of fell down with nerves everytime she passed within three feet of me.

(Oh, Seane...why can't we just bond over our hair?)

Thank you, Gods of Yoga...you are too many to count here. Thank you for keeping me inspired and childlike (in the best of ways)...

xo
YogaLia