“All The Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
Layin’ In The Sun,
Talkin’ ‘Bout The Things
They Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Done…
But All Those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
All Ran Away And Hid
From One Little Did.”   Shel Silverstein

There was a very nice boy named John Blaustein with whom I grew up. We did all the things 6 year olds do together like swim, trampoline, t-ball. A few years went by until I saw John again at sleepaway camp. I never liked sleepaway camp which was dirty and dusty. The camp counselors had us do things like archery and riflery followed by pottery as if they were trying to teach us the ways of any proper redneckishly effeminate young man.  Anyway, John had become very nerdy in the years since I’d last seen him. Showing up at sleepaway camp, John was oafish and the kids did not take a liking to him. Sadly to say, I joined the herd and ignored John. I will never, ever forget when he came up to me and said, “Why don’t you like me anymore?” It was a sad moment.

Don’t be mad at me for being mean. The universe struck me down with an awful curse of my own awkward nerdiness for the ensuing few years. But I’d like to apologize to John Blaustein who I’m sure today is very successful and doing well. So this is a public apology to anyone to whom I’ve ever been mean.  Mean people suck and there’s no place in the world for it.

I encourage everyone to reach out today to someone you were mean to in your past. Apologize to the kid whose face you drew private parts on with a magic marker when he passed out drunk. Reach out to the poor soul you made cry when he threw a gutter ball at that bowling birthday party. Say something heartfelt to the kid who asked you how to wash crazy glue from their hands and you said “Lick ‘em”. A warm, handwritten note will surely make up for the fart machine you brought to your friend’s Bat Mitzvah.   And it’s never too late to send an email to someone whose drink you laced with Ex-Lax before their high school graduation.

There’s no place in this world for mean people. Life is too short so think back to your less-than-nice moments and make amends. As somebody once said, “It’s nice to be important. But it’s more important to be nice.”

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As a yoga teacher, I meet all sorts of wonderful students most of whom are kind and wonderful people. Often after class, a few students will come up front to speak with me. Usually, I hear warm and fuzzies but not always. These are some of the odder questions students have asked me after class:

1. Are you serious?

2. Are those shorts or underwear?

3. Was that Lionel Richie you were playing?

4. Are you single? Here’s my brothers number.

5. You mentioned a retreat you were teaching in Vail in January? I heard you the first 8 times.

6. Class was great. Sorry my friend left early. He hated it.

7. By the way, that’s not my name.

8.  My-oh-my how we like to hear ourselves talk now don’t we?!

9. I loved everything about class except the yoga, the music, and the philosophy stuff.

10.  I don’t get it.

As 2007 comes to an end, did you have enought moments that you will remember forever?

Let’s begin 2008 in style and start off with a weekend full of amazing moments you’ll savor for a lifetime.

First Tracks skiing/snowboarding is a very rare and special treat. Very few people will have the opportunity to flow on fresh snow as if surfing a crystal white wave down a gorgeous mountain. We will have VIP access to the first tracks of the day as this will be one of our exciting activies on my upcoming yoga retreat to Vail, Colorado this January 10-13. Along with awardwinning restauranteur Pollyanna Forster, this retreat will focus on life’s “peak experience” whether it’s one of Pollyanna’s amazing meals at her restaurant Dish, or a dreamy Savasana with a snowy blizzard in the background, or gliding down fresh powder. The weekend will be full of PERFECTION.

Here are the details

Debuting in the winter wonderland that wiil be Cleveland, Ohio this January 4-6, Yoga + Chocolate and Yoga + Wine celebrate a new era with different flavors, unique varietals,  and a new message. If you have experienced one of my Yoga + Chocolate or Yoga + Wine workshops around the country, please join me again in 2008 for a refreshed vibe that gives you new and exciting routes by which to discover The Moment.

Also, I will be debuting some new workshop experiences:

Inner Geography

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” Lillian Smith

This workshop will be a 2 hour flowing yoga tour along the inner journey taking you from the dark slums of the mind to the luxurious tropical views of your greatest dreams to the ego-driven driven luxuries of your inner casinos to the wide open terrain in the depths of your soul. This workshop will remind you that you always have the freedom to travel on the inner journey.

Livin’ Large in Mas Jegas

Imagine a small country (which i call Mas Jegas) where people earn money based on spiritual wealth rather than financial wealth. In order to be able to “afford ” to live in such a place, one would need to be rich in the ways of the soul. This 2 hour flowing yoga class will focus on how certain kind acts and generous deeds can win you a trip to this exotic land.