Please allow me to introduce myself...

Sooo...

Here's a little back story. I like to think of myself as one of those wide eyed stud horses you see in movies. All full of fire, and crazy in the head if caged for too long. Stoic, eh? But seriously...I'm kind of a free spirit. I've seen a lot of places and I've met some really amazing people in the past few years.

This is how it began. I was a fat kid. Not enormous, but pretty fat. Like if I smiled you couldn't see my eyes because my face was so big and I definitely carried lots of extra chub around the midsection. At 13 I would eat an entire block of cream cheese while I watched Saved by the Bell and then whatever else came on for like all day long. My parents were never very conscious of nutrition and I didn't really know any better. (My parents are awesome by the way, just in case my mom is reading this). Anyway, so a couple of years later I get this job at Subway making sandwiches. I couldn't drive, so I would roller skate to work. I lost the weight and I vowed to never get fat again. Then a few really cool things happened. My mom started working at a chiropractors office. I got a job at a gym and later a second job at a health food store. Bodda-bing. This whole love of fitness, nutrition, and natural health was born. I couldn't get enough! It was amazing. I was fascinated. I became super concerned about what I was eating and far more physically active.

Hmmm, let's see...in 1999 I enrolled in the Virginia School of Massage in Blacksburg. I learned lots about the human body, loved class, and later learned that I hate giving massages. You win some you lose some. I would have done it all over again though. I learned SO MUCH about how the body works and it really made sense to me. Weight training completely evolved for me because I had this whole new understanding of physiology. That, in itself, was worth the tuition. So now I had all this knowledge. I had a great understanding of spinal health, nutrition, weight training, the muscular and skeletal systems of the body, and I've always been way into my spirituality. So what am I going to do with all of this stuff? Absolutely nothing.

When I was 22 I decided that my life had become Groundhog Day. You know, that movie with Bill Murray where he wakes up everyday and literally nothing has changed. Yup, that was pretty much how things were moving along. So...I left. I had this super inspiring conversation with my friend Amelia and that very day I bought a one way ticket to Alaska. Adios. I put in my two weeks notice at work, filled in my landlord, found homes for my cats, sold my car, got rid of a bunch of stuff, got on a plane and flew away. Hooray!!!

Alaska was beautiful. I worked at a resort in Denali State Park. Traveled around for a bit and when the season was over I flew to Kauai. I Bummed around, lived in a van on the north shore, and stayed stoned pretty much the entire time. Hawaiians have great weed by the way. (It's true) I sold the van and I flew to San Francisco. I found an awesome roommate, signed a lease, got a job, and decided to kick it for a while.

So this is the part of the story where I FINALLY mention yoga. Were you beginning to think this blog should be called Who Gives a Shit Loaf? This is where it really got started for me. I mean, I had taken a few classes before...but this is where it all happend. I started taking classes a few times a week at this awesome studio called Castro Yoga (the name of the studio later changed to Yoga Garden of San Francisco and is still alive today). Castro Yoga was an Iyengar centered studio. The style is very hatha (physically centered) and is super intense. The positioning of the body is very exact and one of the major ideas, as I understood it, is to work through the pain. Iyengar yoga is pretty common in S.F. because one of the world's major Institutes is there. Anyway, more about Iyengar later. Back to my story. I was in the studio for many hours a week and began to really develop my physical practice. I practiced pretty hard for about six months and then later kind of lost interest. I took a few Bikram and Ashtanga classes but nothing ever really rooted. It's super easy to get distracted when you're 23 and living in San Francisco. To make a long story shorter I partied like a rock star and later moved back to the east coast.

When I moved back to Virginia I became involved with this international school of occult studies known as The Modern Mystery School. I spent the next few years studying the Kabbalah and a few other subjects before later moving to North Carolina where I am currently living. When I got here I had a hard time finding work that didn't suck. (I've been waiting tables for about a trillion years...which, by the way, is an EXCELLENT way to support yourself if you like to travel.) But as it turns out when the economy is going through a massive transition eating out is kinda one of the first things to go. This I found to be pretty stressful since when I needed work before, I never really had trouble finding it. So I stressed and I stressed and I worried and I worried...and then one day I had this epiphany. IT IS AS IT IS. I could be broke and I could be a stressed out mess...OR... I could be broke and I could be happy. It's really that simple. So I started to look at this time as an opportunity to explore other aspects of my life. Made some friends, read some books, slept in, made some dinner, drank some tea, you get the idea. I was still looking for a job, mind you. It's not like I was in a bathrobe all day referring to myself as The Dude. But...I did decide this year that money will never own my happiness or my peace of mind ever again.

So as it turns out I had time to pick up my mat . I started taking a meditation class at this local yoga studio in January. The studio was beautiful, I had lots of time on my hands, and I thought "well alrighty then, I'm gonna do some Yoga". So I did, and it's been at the center of my life ever since. In April I went to study in Yogaville, Va for a month...(yes, it's a real place.) Yogaville is where the Satchidananda Ashram is located in the United States. I'll speak more about Satchidananda in another post. Anyway, the ashram is absolutely amazing and I had plenty of time for self reflection and meditation while I was there. Not to mention an in depth look at the many aspects of yoga and what it means to truly live a yogic lifestyle. When I left the ashram I was a certified Integral instructor. I was officially able to teach the arts of pranayama (breath control) and hatha yoga. For the first time in my life I was truly passionate about what I wanted to do!

Well, it looks like we're about up to speed. I'm back in North Carolina. I'm waiting tables at Mary's of Course! Cafe (the most awesome restaurant in Winston Salem) and I'm teaching some classes and continuing to cultivate my practice at New Planet Yoga. I have a room in my home dedicated specifically to my practice. I'm meditating on a regular basis, I'm eating well, and I'm in great shape. Life is beautiful. My 11 year high school reunion is coming up next week and I can't wait to go. I've had an awesome ride these past few years and I love where my life is headed. Things are great.

So there it is. That's where I'm at.