Laurie Johns Weblog

Teton Canyon, oil on canvas

I left Driggs yesterday after working on this painting and drove to Tetonia to the Yoga Healer’s Yurt for an Ayurvedic massage. It was really a nice way to leave town. Cate’s husband operates Teton Glass on the property. They are in the middle of constructing an addition to the house and it looks like they are installing radiant heat under the floor. Just behind the house is Cate’s yurt. There is also a small free-standing greenhouse on the property. The babysitter was hanging baby clothes on the line when I arrived. The image and the layout of the land was inspiring.

Yoga Healer Cate

I arrived in Salmon around 5:00 and drove to the trail head leading to Gold Bug Hot Springs. It was a steep and hot trek up (about 1.6 miles) and there was a family of really beautiful healthy looking cows blocking my path–I paused for a long while not wanting to draw attention to myself and risk charging cows.

Because dark was approaching by the time I finally arrived, I soaked only for maybe 20 minutes and decided to head back down with Preston, Rick and Michelle. It was really great to feel open to the kindness of strangers. I had been so closed (except to those in my yoga kula) while involved with the yoga immersion–so “immersed” in the Anusara practice.

I camped at William’s lake as Preston suggested. It was magnificent!

Today I spent 7 hours with 9 others white-water rafting (Rawhide Outfitters) down the Salmon river. Our guide, Luke, was excellent and our cook Paulie, charming. I’d do it again in rougher waters even, any time.

Neesha and Cate, my inspired teachers.

Anusara Immersion
Adhikara–Studentship it brings me back to beginners mind continually, so the change is slow but deliberate. I love this style of yoga (Anusara) and have learned more about alignment that in any other practice. Every day and in every pose and even in situations off the mat, I try to apply the principles:
1. open to grace.
2. muscle energy–set the foundation by hugging to the midline–shins forward and toward one another.
3. inner spiral–inner thighs back and out.
4. outer spiral–outer thighs spiral outward.
5. organic energy–expanding out from the focal point–which can be one of three places: pelvis, heart, or the palette.

Because I want to follow the path of Anusara, the criteria for seeking a home changes; becomes more refined. I want to be in a place where I have access to this style of yoga. It makes sense physically–aligning to the optimal blue print, and it makes sense spiritually–aligning to something greater–that large life force that breathes us all. It has given me direction and my yoga purpose once again. And believe me, warriors I and II are no longer the bland piece of cake they were starting to become. Once I can draw in to center and radiate outward (pulsing with spanda) maybe I can live my life in a more authentic way.

The Anusara immersion is really wonderful and I am learning so much. There is a constant “spanda” happening between my brain and my body as I assimilate and embody this new knowledge. Its difficult to write about all of this because my most literary time is in the early AM when the Alta library is closed. I’ll try to record my thoughts in a journal soon and transpose them here.

Teton Creek: site of painting

Last night after class and intense body and brain work, I drove up to the creek to paint pausing periodically to spin my torso around my mid-section where energy seemed to be locked…so much inner/outer spiral and hugging to the mid-line. Around 8:30, I drove back into to Driggs for some bluegrass music on Main Street–a really fun group from British Columbia–we all danced until dark. I felt like I was in a tiny cocoon unable to branch out and connect with others.

Campsite Traghee National Forest, along the Teton Creek

This is one of the most beautiful places I have seen. Driggs is kind of an interesting place too. The population sign reads 1,000 something. When I asked someone about this they laughed–said it’s more like 10,000. Yoga Tejas is really nice and so far the immersion is going well. Cate and Neesha are really wonderful.

Teton Creek

This is the section of the creek that runs by my camp. I took a bath here this morning after lighting a fire that took 30 minutes!

Teton Creek

Further up the creek, it gets wilder. This is where I plan to paint as soon as I have some time. I may have to hang around for a few days after the Immersion is done.

Laurie, Levi, Janel

Boulder was awesome as usual. The drive from SD was strange. I stopped 3 times (the first even before Omaha) to sleep for an hour. I think I was exhausted from working so much in the past 3 weeks.

Levi is an amazing boy! I just love him and Janel, what can say…is there anything she isn’t good at including motherhood.

Before heading to the Anusura Immersion in Driggs, I stopped home briefly to regroup and to see Caleb. Marty, Cynthia, Caleb and I had a bite to eat at the Mexico Veijeo.

dock at Amber, Jess and Kayla’s

I’m spending my last 3 nights at Amber, Jess and Kayla’s cottage on East Lake Okoboji walking distance from the restaurant. Someone has to keep those three from disturbing the peace.

It has been magnificent to be on the east side of the lake for the rising of the sun, and on the west side for the setting of the sun. It makes my life feel complete to have witnessed both of these occurrences daily for the past 3 weeks.

sunrise, Emmerson Bay campsite

sunset, Bracco patio

I will miss this quaint resort, Bracco, all of my new friends, Janine and the yoga community here. Janine says I’ll be back; I think she’s right.

I sold this painting to Janine and drove to Vermillion to frame and pick it up. When I got home, things changed just enough to make me feel like it wasn’t my home anymore. I had to really resist the urge to re-arrange. Maybe it will be easier to leave than I anticipated.

Janine has given me the confidence that I can own and operate my own studio in the right place. That is mostly what I am looking for as I travel around.

Im finally getting good at being a waitress, but I am also glad that gig is coming to a close. Its much more difficult work than most people know.

I realized today just how much like a machine the human brain is. You have to influence its operation from the start-up because at some point it just gets into a groove and keeps going…those dendrites do seem to follow a path of least resistance. That’s why it takes about 28 days to establish a pattern…I have to re-pattern a few things as a result of my waitress groove. In some ways I really look forward to having the wide open road in front of me, but I need to take care of my expired license first!

image courtesy of Sweet William Images

Okoboji: 4th most popular place to spend the 4th of July in America. It got kinda crazy around here, but I found some time to start a painting that I’m hoping to work more on today when the rain stops.

Triboji Bay

phase II

The yoga classes are going well. I’m teaching a power, a gentle and a vinyasa and I’ve met some really nice people.

Janine, owner of the studio, and I were friends immediately. She is open, warm and wise and a really great instructor. And although it is said that we meet all of our life-long friends before the age of 30, I am sure that Janine and I will remain connected.

It is only when I pick up my tent to re-locate that I feel claustrophobic in my car. Also having to accommodate a wet oil painting makes it difficult. But I’d really rather sleep out of doors than anywhere but my own bed. There is a general flow to what I am doing and its interesting that on the days when I am feeling most like being alone, I attract the most attention.

Waiting tables takes an attention to detail that is difficult for me…coke, sprite, yucatan tucan, cheddar or swiss…I need to care deeply about these things to get it right and, I guess, I just really don’t. My more important role at the restaurant is to entertain all the staff and that makes most days enjoyable. When others aren’t making money, they want to know why I am still smiling…that one is easy…those days of not making money are the norm for me, although July 5th was a pretty good day, but I worked really hard and very long hours…It’s all just experiment…and in the end, none of it really matters, not really.

On the way to Spirit Lake I came across this Oldsmobile milk truck for sale. Isn’t it great? Anybody want to buy it with me?

This is Mike, my favorite Bracco employee.

This is Bracco from the dock. Its actually really fun, but I’m not a very good waitress…yet

This is a couple from Omaha that I met at the campground. I think they thought I was lonely for company because I was reading constantly. I’m reading What is the What? Written by Valentino Achak Deng one of the lost boys of Sudan with the help of Dave Eggers. It is fantastic. I remember being in Madison Wisconsin a few years back and marvelling at the fact that I met so many men from Sudan in one night who were not affiliated with one another…odd, I didn’t understand their actual affiliation. Sometimes I am such a naive white girl.