A Little Rant for Your Friday

Welcome to Friday! I wonder if I'm the only one who feels utterly brain dead from the week? Things always ramp up to an insane pace as the school year ends. I can't wait for summer to hurry up and get here.

Amid the insanity of getting ready for proms, graduations and trying to get in a few extra hours at work before I stop for the summer, I'm trying to keep the house running smoothly. Honestly, I don't think I'm doing so well. Oh well, everyday is a new opportunity to get it right.

One thing I think I am getting right are my yoga classes. I've been able to keep my prices low, making it more available to a wider range of participants and I've been able to cover my costs. At least I was until yesterday when I got a bill from a school district I'd been teaching in for almost 2 years.

After two years of no rental fee because I was servicing only their staff and their special needs students, I was hit with a $78-$130 rental fee PER CLASS!! (The $78 is if I commit to more than 11 weeks of teaching, the $130 is for less than an 11 week commitment.) I don't take in even half of that per class because the groups I teach are small (3-5 participants). Talking to the person in charge did nothing which surprised me. Surely some rental fee is better than no rental fee at all? (I had offered to pay a percentage of my per person class fee). Apparently in this school district it is not, so unless a miracle occurs, I will no longer teach yoga there.

Will I lose the students? Probably not, since they've already asked if we could continue in an alternate location. Still the inflexibility and greed of the situation bothers me. My goal is to make yoga accessible to everybody not to make a killing at it. To pay room rental fees that high I have to either have more students per class than I am capable of giving adequate attention to or dramatically increase my fees. I don't feel willing to do either.

BTW, just to give perspective on room rental rates in my area, I pay about half of the lower room rental fee at a community center in my area and the gym where I work charges room rentals a percentage of their per person fee (usually 20-30%).

I need to take a few deep breaths and let the whole thing go...

A Kick In the Rear to Get Me In Gear

Sometimes we all need a kick in the rear to get us moving in the right direction. It looks like I just got one this morning. It seems a coworker of mine went to work this morning and was greeted by a sign saying, "We will be closed today". While returning to her car, she encountered several electric workers who was there to shut off power to the building due to the financial crisis. It seems I'm out of a job.

Okay it's not the incredible financial crisis others are experiencing. I teach several places, most of which pay better than this one. (At this location, I only taught one class and my take home pay was only $7.06/week.) Even though this place has become a pit, I'm sad. Maybe its the just the fact that this is where I started my fitness career.

So I've spent the morning making calls, sending emails and trying to figure out my next move. There are 5 regulars who take my class there. I want to offer them an alternative venue so this class can continue. Maybe this kick in the rear means it's time to expand my home yoga studio class offerings?

Ever since the end of summer, people have been asking me about this and I keep putting them off. I think the time has come. But first I'll close my eyes and take a few deeps breathes in and out through my nose...

Wasn't I Wearing a Tank Top Just the Other Day?

Well the sun is shining and the sky is blue but 33 degrees is a far cry from the tank top weather I left behind in Florida. We finally pulled into the driveway a few minutes before 11:00pm last night and so ends my two weeks of yoga training in Florida. I'm a little too addle brained and backed up on laundry to go into great details about how I kept costs down while I was there but I'll give a peek into my technique.

Perhaps the biggest bit of wisdom I have to share is this: Sometimes the hotel that costs a bit more is clearly the better choice.
How can this be my frugal friends? Let me explain. I opted to stay at the hotel the training was being held at. It cost about $20/night more than some other local choices, even with the groups discounted rate. However, because I didn't need to worry about getting to my training every day, I eliminated the need to rent a car ($44/day before all those screwy charges they add on) or take a bus ($3.00/day unlimited transfers).

This hotel also had a fairly complete kitchenette, including fridge, stovetop, microwave, pots, pans, plates, cups, utensils and a dishwasher. This allowed me to go grocery shopping when I got there and eliminated the need for eating out which is always a big savings.

Additionally, this hotel had a massive continental breakfast every morning with lots of choices that a creative veg or vegan guest could partake of. They even had dinner included Mondays thru Thursdays with free unlimited wine and beer. No, I didn't eat the meatloaf or pulled pork in the name of frugality and I didn't need to pour myself into bed after a few too many but I was able to make a hearty salad every night to have along with whatever I prepared in my room. Best of all, the coffee was free and fresh 24 hours a day!

They also had a courtesy shuttle bus that would take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius, including back to the Amtrak stop so we could start our journey home.

Another bit of wisdom comes courtesy of my husband and a woman I met on the train ride down: Before deciding you need to rent a car so your kids and hubby can see the sights, check out the local bus system. The SCAT bus system was friendly and super easy to navigate. Jim was able to visit:
Siesta Key Beach


Coquina Beach on Longboat Key



Mote Aquarium


I'll share more but now I've got to get back to being mom (that's code for doer of laundry, maker of dinner, payer of bills, and general organizer of daily life.)

Greetings From Sarasota Florida!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that my first week of yoga training was just amazing. I expect my second week to be the same. I've been keeping a food journal to keep track of my meal costs, including on the train, but I won't be sharing that until I'm back in NY a week from Monday. The weather is far too beautiful for me to be inside blogging.

Om Shanthi to all.

Are You Ready For a Change?

After as much procrastination as one human could muster, I held my first yoga class in my home yoga studio Monday.




Its a small space but its a clear space and its my space. All you parents out there know how hard that can be to come by. BTW, check out the rolling grocery cart that I use to bring my yoga mats to the kids classes I teach at a local school. What a convenient way to tote my mats, blankets and cd player without looking like a circus juggler. I got the idea while spending my week in NYC training.

The days leading up to it had me totally stressed. The nice thing about working at the gym is, if something is not right in the building (ie. too hot or too cold) its their fault, not mine. No such luck when its your own studio. I consoled myself with the thought that this weekly class was a freebie required by my yoga teacher training. It is meant to be part of the learning process and therefore mistakes would probably be part of the package. Besides, how pissed could anyone get when it was free??

All things considered, it went very well. Only 1 out of 5 people showed up which was a bummer but the weather was bad so I can't mind too much. Next weeks turnout should be better. The woman who did come sent me a lovely email afterwards with a subject line that read "yoga class rocks."

There were problems that I need to work on before my next class. The room was too cold, the dogs were barking (why did the UPS man pick that time to deliver?), I forgot to bring my cd player down so there was no music...but none of the problems were earth shattering. I already feel more confident about teaching my next class.

So why am I telling you this? I'm not looking for praise, instead I'm pointing out that if I can do this, you too can start making your dream a reality. When I bounced my idea off another person who attended the yoga training with me, she told me her mom started her yoga studio the same way. She used an empty bedroom in their house and now she rents a fairly large space to accomodate the growth of her business. The lesson here is start small.

Next, you've got to generate interested. When I decided to try teaching before school yoga to kids with special needs at the elementary school level, I offered a four week free trial session. Of the five kids that came to the trial session, four signed up for the follow up class.

Similarly, when I work privately with autistic children, I do a minimum of two free sessions. These free sessions allow me to build rapport with the child/children and to make my mistakes on my dime not my participants'. It gives me a chance to show the benefits of yoga to my potential clients. I've done free sessions with two kids and both have become regulars. I have to make it relevant and useful for my clients.

Finally, I always do my best to be attentive to my students whether adult or child. It sounds goofy but its true. My students (and/or their parents) aren't coming to hear me complain about how tired I am or what ever is going on in my life that's less than smooth flowing. They came for themselves or their kids. It's about them, not me. My role before and after class is often that of listener rather than speaker.

I don't pretend to have all the answers but this is what's been working for me as I slowly grow my yoga business. Its been so fulfilling that I wanted to share in case anyone else out there is on the cusp of career change but still scared into inactivity. You can do whatever you want to, especially if it improves the lives of others.

What are thinking about doing?

A Little More Shameless Promotion

Remember a while back I shared my Just Start Grant application? Today's the last day to rate Just Start entries. Here's the link to mine. It takes a minute for my page to load so just be patient. If you like my idea, leave some feedback and tell a friend.

Thank You!

Staying Healthy This New Year

Jim and I watched Sicko this weekend. I'm not a huge Michael Moore fan (I think he routinely goes for the teary eyed shot) but I think he's right on the money with this movie. The healthcare system in America is a broken one, how can you put a monetary value on life and limb? Why don't we have access to universal health care like our European counterparts do? Why is health care in America a big money making business? No matter what you think of Michael Moore, its definitely worth a watch.

Watching the movie reminded me about the importance of prevention. Exercise, rest, healthy foods all play a big part in keeping healthcare costs at bay. To that end I whipped up some granola, experimented with some lunch bag snack recipes (more on that tomorrow - I have to wait for feedback from the kids), made 6 loaves of Barbara's bread and vowed to clear the kitchen counter enough to get back to sprouting this week.

This weekend we have another Winter Sun Farm pickup which will add some variety to what's in my freezer. Access to local veggies grown without pesticides is so important to health and the local economy.

So far I have kept my promise to myself to do yoga every weekday morning after I drop Jim off at the train. It's hard to unroll the mat at 6:10am, it's hard to meditate until 6:15 and it's hard to begin the most basic sun salutation after that. The whole time I'm doing yoga, I'm fantasizing about relaxation pose. Am I almost there? Can I skip a few poses to get me there quicker? When I finally settle into relaxation, it's bliss. I feel the tension in my muscles just melt away. In the end, I'm always glad that I pushed myself to do it.

2008 Day 2, Back to Real Life

The thing about a few realxing days away is, it hurts to get back to the normal grind. The first day back is the worst. Although the kids don't go back to school until tomorrow, today is that day for me.

I was up at 5:15am to take Jim to the train station. Once back home, the whole drop off/get back home procedure takes about 15 minutes, I decided to ease into my day with a little yoga to get my head on straight.

Fifteen minutes later, I'd done medidtation (Biscuit licked my face to let me know 5 minutes were up. Who knew he could tell time??), sun salutation, spinal twist, shoulder stand, fish and relaxation. I felt much more able to tackle the day. My yoga teacher pointed out to us that a sun salutation moves you through all the body positions, except spinal rotation, hence the added spinal twist, and balance - I usually struggle through tree pose for this. I added shoulder stand in because I like the challenge of shoulder stand and fish is the counter pose.

If one of your resolutions is to do more yoga but you don't want to spend money on classes or you don't think you have the time, give Rodney Yee's AM Yoga a try. Its only 20 minutes but its a well balanced program. Take it out from the library to see if its for you.

If you know anyone who's training to be a yoga instructor, offer to be their student. Most yoga programs require you to volunteer teach, mine certainly does. You may be able to get the benefits of yoga while helping a friend.

Now, remembering the calmness yoga brings, I'm off to the shower. Then I'll drive my daughters to my brother's to babysit his two kids. Next, I'll head back to teach a class. Then I'll pick up the girls, possibly drop my niece and nephew off at daycare, drop Leen off at her final lifeguard training, hit the yarn store to pick up the yarn I need to finish Tasha's leg warmers (I'm a little cranky about this but I'll tell the tale another time), pick Leen up and finally go home to make dinner.

How many weeks until summer vacation??

Living Room Redux & Holiday Thoughts

We spent this past weekend moving furniture around. It all started with me coming back from my yoga training in NYC and announcing that I wanted to clear out a room in the basement to use as a yoga studio, albeit a very small yoga studio. Fortunately, Jim is a patient man!

But wait you might be shouting, I thought you had cleaned out your computer room for the same purpose. Its true, I did try this but its a very small space. Its ideal for just me or me and Kyle but not more than that. Plus, the cat box ended up in the corner of the room. Just for the record, kitty poo is not condusive to yogic peace. (Like the dog suddenly needing attention when I practice yoga, the cat suddenly needs to poop.)

We managed to create a whole new look for the living room by ecycling our couch and recliner, moving chairs and a futon from downstairs upstairs, staining the futon frame (which we meant to do 8 1/2 years ago) and buying a new futon cover. In the process we cleared out the basement room. Interestingly, we now have more seating in the living room with a less cluttered look because the "new" furniture is smaller.

There's always a moment during these big events where I freeze mentally and wonder if I'm screwing everything up. It usually occurs when it's too late to change paths, like when the ecyclers had loaded the couch and recliner into the back of their truck. Then, that feeling of angst in my gut propels me through the rest of the job at hand. I wonder how many times people are paralyzed into inactivity because of this same cycle of feelings? It can be hard to go against popular culture (ie, why don't you just buy new furniture?) but everytime you do, it gets a little easier. This is probably why, with Christmas barely a week away, I can't get stressed at all. I'm still knitting at my usual pace and enjoying the process immensely.

For anyone who's still feeling the stress of the holiday shopping pressure, I suggest you refer to the Complete Tightwad Gazette where Amy Dacyzyn talks about whether or not kids need new toys (page 664). Let's forget the stress on monetary amounts and get back to "its the thought that counts!" Stop letting the advertisers steal your holiday joy! (For that matter, don't let anyone steal your holiday joy. Go stand out on your porch and sing a rousing chorus of "I Did It My Way" if you need to.)

Rhonda Jean over at Down to Earth had a great post on holiday giving yesterday. Its far more eloquent than my rantings.

Here's a simple pleasure we discovered over the weekend, Scrambled Eggless Eggs from How it All Vegan. Its a simple but tasty recipe. I added some chopped veggies and a little tvp to soak up some of the excess liquid. I did garnish it with the gamashio as suggested and it was delicious!

A Shameless Bit of Self Promotion

I confess, I entered the Just Start Grant Contest. Entrants were allowed 250 words to explain their small business plan/goals. To see mine, just click on the link on the upper left side of my blog. Voting by the public will help determine the winners, so go check out my entry and if you like it, tell your friends to check it out too!

I'm Back!

I've just gotten back from a week of Advanced Level 1 Yoga for the Special Child training at the Integral Yoga Institute in NYC. Considering the cost of spending time in the big city, I think I did a pretty good job keeping it frugal.

I shared a room with a friend at the Chelsea Inn. Total cost for accomodations for 5 nights, $432, meals, $77 (we had to check out a few veggie restaurants!), supplies ($45), and transportation ($38).

It was an amazing training but now its time to reconnect with my family. I'll give a more detailed rundown soon.

My Time Out

My yoga time out yesterday really helped me get my head clearer. I had already begun clearing out my computer room/office to make it my personal yoga space as well. Moving the coffee table out of the way so I can spread my mat out in the living room has gotten a little tedious for me. Has anyone else ever noticed how their dog can be sleeping peacefully on the other end of the house but as soon as you get into downward dog or triangle they need love and attention immediately???

Having a dedicated space also makes it easier when I'm doing yoga with Kyle. Having a door to shut out the distractions of the world really helps him focus. Of course at the moment, there's no door on the room in question. There had been one but when the boys' bedroom door fell apart a few weeks ago, I moved my door onto their hinges.

If you're wondering how a bedroom door can break, you obviously don't have two sons. Sons can deconstruct ANYTHING!! The door literally fell apart (the support pieces from the inside fell out the bottom leaving two flimsy pieces of wood that periodically jammed shut) from little boys hanging on the doorknob and riding it as the door opened and closed. The demise of the door was further helped along by a little temper fit or two slamming it shut.

So getting a new door is now on my to do list. For anyone who was inspired to try doing yoga with their kids after my posts about Yoga for the Special Child but has become frustrated with the process, let me suggest mini yoga sessions. Kyle has been resistant to doing yoga since school started, really resistant. You can't do yoga with a screaming child, it defeats the purpose of it.

Instead, I've begun doing 10 minutes of yoga with him before school each day. I believe Sonia Sumar says in her book Yoga for the Special Child that a little yoga everyday is better than a lot of yoga once in a while. Sticking to 10 minutes means 1 quick round of chanting, and basically 1 movement for each directiont he body can go in (forward, backward, sideways and twisting) and the fastest relaxation you ever imagined. As he becomes less resistant, I'll begin increasing the time we spend.

Tonight is my knitting class and I've got 23 rows to finish! If only I'd remembered to grab my knitting bag when I took my son to swimming lessons yesterday. Actually its not that big of a deal at all. I discovered that taking a sweater apart is actually a lot more time consuming than you'd think. I haven't unraveled the whole sweater yet, only enough to make this project.

To finish the purse you need to blanket stitch the edge. Here's a more visual explanation of blanket stitching.

If felting really results in such a durable product, I might use the rest of the sweater to make a larger tote bag.

I made a huge batch of vegetable soup yesterday to use up the veggies in the fridge. I've frozen it all in anticipation of the cold winter ahead. Yesterday, I went through my cookbooks in search of a turnip recipe that tickled my fancy. In the past, I've roasted them with beets which is very nice but I was looking for something different. There was a turnip puff recipe that intrigued me. Since most of the recipes I found called for mashed turnips, I think I'll probably peel, cook and mash all the ones I have, especially since they're taking up two drawers in my fridge.

My Training is Complete!

The last week has just flown by. For seven days everything I did centered around my Yoga for the Special Child training. The class ran from 9:00 to 5:00 every day. That meant I was up and out of the house by 8:30 at the latest and home just in time to make a quick dinner. Jim really picked up the slack for me with the kids which made the whole experience possible.

The training itself was amazing. Sonia Sumar is just an inspiration to me. Her training was a unique blend of lecture, practice and observation. Of all the trainings I have been to in my life, this was the first one that got me so excited. It wasn't just the subject, it was the people that I met while I was there. All of them had such a commitment to helping children and they were so down to earth about all the hard work they were doing.

We were able to observe Sonia working with several children but the highlight for me was when Sonia worked with Kyle on Wednesday. I feel so much more qualified to help him realize his potential using yoga now that I saw Sonia working with him.

When I began the training I was thinking only in terms of working with Kyle but now I'm leaning towards working with other children with disabilities. Its funny the paths you suddenly find yourself on.

Yoga For the Special Child Training Begins

I start my Yoga for the Special Child training session tomorrow. I'm so excited. Its one thing to read a book but its another to have someone to guide you through the poses.

Kyle will be attending on Wednesday afternoon. I still can't believe Sonia Sumar will be working with him. This is such an amazing opportunity for us. Jim will be bringing Kyle so we'll have two sets of eyes to pay special attention to what she does with him.

My posts will be very sporadic next week since the trainings run 9-5 for the next seven days.

Yoga for the Special Child

I just got my confirmation letter and itinerary for the week long Yoga for the Special Child Basic Certification Program I will be attending this summer. My youngest son has very mild cerebral palsy and I've been doing yoga with him for years. Sonia's book, Yoga for the Special Child, has been an inspiration. Knowing that I will be attending a training that she will be teaching is so exciting, I can hardly wait.

What does this have to do with frugality, you may wonder. Actually, quite a bit.
In terms of my sons health care costs over a lifetime, the savings can be substantial. The greater his mobility, the less his need for adaptive equipment and services as he moves into adulthood. In terms of his quality of life, this little investment will help me work with him more effectively. As it is, most people don't realize that he hass CP since he does all the things other kids do. Kyle will also have the opportunity to work directly with Sonia Sumar, the creator of Yoga for the Special Child as part of my training. Sonia uses the children of particpants in her teaching.

If you want to look at things in a more concrete dollars and cents spent way, consider this. This training is being offered in Queensbury, NY which is about 25 minutes from our cabin in the Adirondacks. Although the training costs $895, I will not spend any additional money on hotels,travel (ie. airfare), or meals. Finally, I am learning a skill and earning a certification that is not only useful in my personal life but can also be incorporated into my work as a fitness instructor.

I should also mention that I paid for the tuition by check, not by charge. I planned and budgeted for several months before comfortably being able to spend that much cash on anything. Now that its spent, I have no regrets and no credit card bill to worry about.

In other yoga news, I'm still working on that headstand. As I tell my yoga classes, Yoga is a practice and there's something to be learned each time we practice. Now if I could just stop falling over!