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Is it really Autumn? As I write this, this week in September is "birthday week" in our household. The three of us share the same week of celebration. Madeleine has turned three, I had my turn, now it isTracy's, and soon it will be the new baby (we affectionately refer to #2 as "Teeny Tiny Twiddlebug"); though it seems clear today that he or she will get his or her own special week. These days, packed with joy, give me pause to reflect and remember, as well as an  opportunity to look forward and envision.
As a culture, we mark the turn of the collective calendar year with such activity; and I do this personally over this week every year. What arises is how I am filled with deep gratitude for my life, for my family, for my teachers, for my students and for this beautiful yoga.
One of the teachings that I have received from Douglas Brooks' Rajanaka lineage is: when you are truly given a gift, gratitude is the only possible response. A gift is not a transaction or a wager. As such, it's not earned, deserved, nor is a gift possible to pay back. As I reflect back in this week of our birthdays, on the gift of life, I am full and overflowing with gratitude for it all. My meditations these days are on the fullness of heart that I am experiencing, and that state of absolute fullness that exists in the heart of each one of us.
What are you grateful for?
I am grateful for the beauty I have experienced and the  challenges I have faced this past turn of the sun. Early in the year, Tracy and I committed to working to deeper levels in our relationship. That work, although challenging, has been immensely rewarding. Just as we were starting to consider having another baby...voila, we are having another baby. Funny how that works. Time seems to have sped up and "Twiddlebug" will come in October--which really means any day. And no, we don't know Twiddles' gender, we are excited for a surprise! Personally, I am ready to receive whomever comes, and to welcome Grace embodied into our family.
Madeleine is so excited to be a big sister and we talk about it all the time. She is three now, and has just started preschool. I'm sure all  parents can appreciate how fast this all seems to occur, and how quickly our babies grow up. Madeleine and I have been trying to help mommy get some rest, and we went camping a few times this summer. We did lots of hiking, most recently in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Olympic National Park, and before that in my home state of Colorado. We had so much fun exploring the old growth forest (think Ents), tossing rocks into rivers, and sleeping in a tent. It is such a pleasure for me to share these experiences with her and plant the seeds for explorations and adventures to come. I am grateful for my early memories of camping with my parents. It sparked a love of the outdoors that led me to Prescott College and a degree in Outdoor Education.
I have learned so much from this path of marriage and fatherhood. I would say that the quality that stands above all others is love--love and accountability-- how much there is to experience and all the forms that it takes.
My teaching schedule has been full and rewarding. This summer I was honored to teach at some amazing festivals. I enjoyed the  mountains in Telluride, CO and at Wanderlust at Squaw Valley, CA. I taught beside my teacher at Wanderlust and with my dearest friends. It was pure joy. Christina Sell and I just completed an Immersion cycle in LA, and I have another cycle going in Flagstaff, AZ. I'm currently in Australia, where I just finished teaching Immersion I in Melbourne, and now onto part 3 in Brisbane. I have been hosted by many wonderful communities and honored by great studentship everywhere.
I am grateful to see how Yogaglo is giving yoga all over the world greater momentum. I regularly meet people who take my class all the time--and I am just meeting them for the first time. Wow! As folks have more access to classes, the level of practice is going up. I see this at nearly all of my events, and I am thrilled. Recently I was in Ecuador, and I had not met any of the students before, but many of them take my classes regularly, and the weekend started off with tremendous propulsion. They even knew the sound of my timer!
Envisioning....
In looking forward, my thoughts are focused upon welcoming another being into our lives. I find myself both excited and bracing for all that will ensue. My focus in my practices is to envision and cultivate the power that will carry me across this new threshold and through these next months of expansion, exhaustion, and sheer overwhelm. My practice is more focused and intense, and I'm able to get into deep places, both in asana and meditation, that previously took me much longer to access. I am deeply grateful for the support and energy that committed practice creates in my life, and for the power of Grace to carry me in her flow. I will count on my practice in the months to come.
My local and travel teaching schedule will continue with hardly a break (my company still offers no paternity leave). Upcoming this week in Los Angeles, Martin Kirk and I will teach a weekend of Anatomy and Yoga. We have extended the early deadline for that  program and hope to see you there. Also in L.A., Tony Giuliano and I will team up for a 50 hour Level I Teacher Training which starts in a couple weeks, followed by a weekend of philosophy and yoga that I will co-teach with my dear teacher, Douglas Brooks. I will soon begin a complete Immersion cycle in Las Vegas, and complete Part 3 of Immersion in Flagstaff, with an L.A. Immersion Cycle set to begin in February. Coming up soon, I will teach weekends in Portland and Salt Lake City. Over Thanksgiving, I will lead a retreat in Fiji and launch a tour around SE Asia and Japan that will carry me through Christmas. I will launch into the New Year in Tucson offering a 3 day intensive with Darren Rhodes and Christina Sell. Next year, Christina Sell and I team up to offer an extended teacher development and mentorship program for Anusara Inspired teachers called "Good to Great." Come share some yoga with me at any of these events, or in classes at Yogaglo.
As I enter this season of harvest and new abundance, I am ever grateful for each and all of you in my life, for your friendship and studentship, and for all you teach me.
Thank you for the gift of your company. Namaste, Noah
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