For the past 2 months I have been attending The Massage School in Acton Massachusetts. It has been an enormous learning experience and a lot of fun. I guess I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started. I had met Alexei and Valerie when I interviewed out in Easthampton MA for 20 minutes. I wasn’t able to get a clear read in the time there. They seemed like nice people, and of course I was trying to act normal not like a wacky yoga teacher. So I expected a lot of rubbing but not much spirituality or philosophical depth. I liked what I saw but I really had no idea how much a part of the new age philosophy they practice.
Alexei teaches his protocol with a quiet self assurance backed by a lot of experience. His corrections are low key and precise and frequent. Which is what I really want, an education, a sharing of experience and knowledge.
Valerie is fabulous, she is almost completely deaf and yet it is rarely noticeable. Her love of the Monroe Institute endeared her to me for many incarnations to come. Valerie is looking to produce a legion of light workers to heal the world. She might heal the universe as well.
Tika is the prize pupil. She is the earth mother who brings the practical real world application and modifications needed to make it all work. Her modifications give another perspective on the protocol and keep it strong and adaptable.
My classmates are a joy. There are 13 of us (3 men and 10 women). A very close knit group. I have learned a great deal from everyone in the class. The group is remarkably non-competitive (non-fearful) and supportive of one another. There is some sort of critical mass with class clowns in this group which leads to some remarkably funny banter.
The cost is exceedingly low compared to the other (big corporate) schools and the education is excellent and fun.
www.themassageschool.org
namaste
charlie

I’ve updated the previous post on my path. To me my path is the safest and surest way to prioritize all tasks in life. Sometimes it is hard to know but it is the question that needs to always be asked. Always. If for no other reason than to learn how to ask for guidance to truly manifest the perfection of our lives.

Sometimes life has interesting twists and turns. This summer when I went to look at what workshops to take to advance my yoga practice and teaching skills nothing appealed to me except the Neuro Soma  workshop in Charlottsville VA. So I really didn’t want to attend but I felt guided to do so. So if I didn’t what was the point of waiting for guidance?

So I took the workshop and immediately saw the value of Thomas Griner’s work and wanted to get a neuro soma massage. Sorry not available in New England.

The path then leads to me getting a Massage Licence (LMT) for merely a years worth of study. So I begin to look at Massage schools and find I have a serious case of sticker shock, 12 thousand dollars minimum. Execept for The Massage School in Acton MA which is $5600 with no accreditation, however you can get a licence to practice in Massachusetts and take the national exam.

So the lesson is whether the cheap place is the right place? The process is to wait, and meditate until I am sure of what path to take. I’ve reduced the choice to 3 places: the cheap place, the status place or the place close to home. The close place I haven’t visited yet. The status place is fabulous, the people are fabulous, the facilities are very nice but the price and location are challenges. I can take a loan, but loans have to be paid eventually, so there is no grant, I am too old, educated and wealthy to get a grant ( the wealthy part is kind of humourous ). Driving home I got to see the future of commuting to the status place or the cheap place and this certainly added to the potential appeal of the close place. I will go to the close place next week to check it out.

Once again I need to revisit: Is this all really on my path? If it is the money, commute or time doesn’t matter. If it is on my path I need to join it.

I’m now at the end of summer and I have signed up for the cheap place. The reason is that I feel guided that this is the place for me. I really wanted to go to the close place because it was so new age and so I fancy myself to be. But the long and short of it is that I am past 60 years old and I am only looking for part time massage work. This make the lower price of the cheap place very appealing. The cheap place is also much smaller and more entrepreneurial than the other more corporate places.

Interesting also is the affirmation that the LMT was the way to go. I have several opportunities (clients and establishments) ready for me to begin. This is how I feel that the path is right. Yoga chose me and now massage is choosing me.

Next on the path is Personal Training. So much for a relaxing retirement.

Things tend to happen in my life which seem to knock me off my path. So called bad things can interfere with my spiritual growth. If the universe is perfect, why does this happen?

Say I get sick, or lose my job, or any number of things which upset a certain stability in my life. Where has the perfection gone?

The perfection is still there. I have fallen into the trap of judging the events in my life as bad or even good. Life should be embraced completely and fully in all circumstances without judgement. When bad things happen, I have judged the situation as bad. When good things happen I have judged things as good. Both situations are traps or “learning experiences”. The goal is to join the perfection of my life. Avoiding things judged as bad and seeking things judged as good, may not be the best strategy for living my life. So, then how do I find my way?

What I look for is what is on my path. My path is determined by my intuitive guidance of what feels right for me to do. Sometimes it is better to do something painful but feels right than painless but feels wrong. The difference is subtle. My attitude is that my priority is to progress spiritually, every day begins with a meditation.

For me the trick is to be aware. Is something harmful or harmless? And wait for the intuitive guidance. Wait in the moment. Is it on my path or off my path? If I am not sure, wait. When in doubt, don’t.
Be in the moment. If you are grieving, fully grieve your grief. If you are sad, be sad. If you are happy, be happy.

I finished my taxes and my accountant Harvey Cohen asked me to calculate what will happen with early retirement. Make sure you look up your full retirement age. Things also change over the years. Check out the Social Security Website it has a lot of information. The results are interesting. Comments?Early Retirement Worksheet Apply 3 months in advance:

Local Office: 140 Union Street Lynn MA,

 Hours 9-4

1-800-772-1213

I am now approaching 62. Do I take social security at a reduced rate or wait until full retirement age for me at 66, or do I wait further until 70? The other question is how much can I earn during early retirement? I changed my numbers for privacy.

 According to example Social Security Statement:

62 $1200/month, $14400/year

66 $1600/month, $19200/year

70 $2000/month, $24000/year

This is quite accurate because my expected earning rate is per year is $xxxx and I am less than 2 years away according to the SS statement.

If I retire at 66, I catch up (62 – 66 earnings) in 12 years (age 78)

If I retire at 70, I catch up (66 – 70 earnings) in 12 years (age 82)

Spouse Social Security:

Here is the first gotcha. If your spouse earns less than 50% of your benefit she is increased to 50%.

Spouse earns  $500

62 1200, ½ = 600, delta +100

66 1600, ½  = 800, delta +300

70 2000, ½ = 1000, delta +500

Assuming we both live that long catch up goes to 8 and 9.5 years for 66 and 70.

 

Earnings :

The first year I retire in 2009 I would calculate the month of December; separately  $1,180 as the monthly limit.

The Next 3 full years (63, 64, 65) the calculation is an annual limit $14,160.

Any amounts over these limits are deducted from the SS benefit at 50%. If I earn 100 over the limit 50 is deducted from the SS Check.

In the year I turn 66 (2013, full retirement age) my earnings limit goes to  $37,680 and 1/3 of the amount over limit is deducted from the SS check.

The amounts are estimated by me and corrected by social security.

My 2008 earnings:

20000 Job A

20,000 Total

20000 – 14160 = 5840

5840 * .5 = 2920 = 243 monthly reduction

1200 – 243 = 957 Projected Social Security Benefit Amount

Considerations:

1.     Social Security qualifications change.

2.     I need the money now more than more money later.

3.     Home equity loans get cancelled based on balance.

4.      Earnings increase substantially and I’m locked in at a lower rate? There is some adjustment.

5.      While I’m younger I’m able to do more things with the money, than later on when I don’t need the money as much. Health issues etc.

 

Documentation from Social Security:

Special rule for the first year you retire

Sometimes people who retire in mid-year already have earned more than the yearly earnings limit. That is why there is a special rule that applies to earnings for one year, usually the first year of retirement. Under this rule, you can get a full Social Security check for any whole month you are retired, regardless of your yearly earnings.

In 2009, a person under full retirement age for the entire year is considered retired if monthly earnings are $1,180 or less. For example, John Smith retires at age 62 on October 30, 2009. He will make $45,000 through October.

He takes a part-time job beginning in November earning $500 per month. Although his earnings for the year substantially exceed the 2009 annual limit ($14,160), he will receive a Social Security payment for November and December. This is because his earnings in those months are $1,180 or less, the monthly limit for people younger than full retirement age. If Mr. Smith earns more than $1,180 in either of those months (November or December), he will not receive a benefit for that month. Beginning in 2010, only the yearly limits will apply to him.

Also, if you are self-employed, we consider how much work you do in your business to determine whether you are retired. One way is by looking at the amount of time that you spend working. In general, if you work more than 45 hours a month in self-employment, you are not retired; if you work less than 15 hours a month, you are retired. If you work between 15 and 45 hours a month, you will not be considered retired if it is in a job that requires a lot of skill or you are managing a sizable business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings Limits

Under federal law, people who are receiving Social Security benefits who have not reached full retirement age are entitled to receive all of their benefits as long as their earnings are under the limits indicated below. For people born in 1943, the full retirement age is 66. The full retirement age will increase gradually each year until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

 

  2008 2009

At full retirement age or older

No limit on earnings

No limit on earnings

Under full retirement age

$13,560 / For every $2 over the limit, $1 is withheld from benefits.

$14,160 / For every $2 over the limit, $1 is withheld from benefits.

In the year you reach full retirement age

$36,120 / For every $3 over the limit, $1 is withheld from benefits until the month you reach full retirement age.

$37,680 / For every $3 over the limit, $1 is withheld from benefits until the month you reach full retirement age.

• “Government Pension Offset.”

 

 

http://www.ssa.gov/planners/faqs.htm

Q. My wife and I both worked under Social Security. Her Social Security Statement says she can get $850 a month at full retirement age and mine says I would get $1450. Do we each get our own amount? Someone told me we could only get my amount, plus one-half of that amount for my wife.
A. Since your wife’s own benefit is more than one-half of your amount, you will each get your own benefit. If your wife’s own benefit were less than half of yours (that is, less than $725), she would receive her amount plus enough on your record to bring it up to the $725 amount.

 

I spend a lot of time in warm ups for all my Yoga and Pilates classes. I try to get everything stretched out and ready for the practice. To me warm ups are the most important part of the practice.

Every time I do my practice alone I come to the test: should I change (shorten) or skip warming up. Before I taught Yoga I would just go to the “good stuff” and do that. Now I find myself doing the warm ups for every practice. Its the most important part of the practice.

People will ask me: What should I do on off days on my own? My answer is: Do the warm ups and what you remember.

As I get older the warm ups become more important as does all of the yoga practice.

When I first started teaching Yoga about 4 years ago, I started doing a lot more yoga and my wrists were always very sore. So I began the wrist program which eventually grew into the present warm up routine. An older version of it is posted on my web site for your reference.

Yoga is warm ups and everything else. Try not to look forward to the “good stuff”. Understand it is all “good stuff”. Join the perfection of your practice by coming fully into the now whenever you look at the clock, look forward or get bored. Just go deeper into your bodily awareness.

I find I frequently try to undertake too many changes all at once in many directions and domains in my life. Once a change has been set in place a habit has been established that I want to stick to. But once I have had the intoxication of making a change I want to follow the pattern and energy of change into more changes. This would be unfortunate because the habit has not been fully fixed in place and the changes will eventually go away.

I want to make the change and set that path and stick with it. Any changes at this point should be minor adjustments. There is enormous power in inertia. Make sure the path is the right path, set the priority then once the change has been established into a repetitive habit strengthen it with repetition only making small incremental changes.

My yoga practice works this way. The practice is modified only gradually over time. It becomes easier to do because of the energy that has been expended in that direction. Modifications either stick or don’t and it doesn’t matter they survive on their own merit. The practice continues with the great power of inertia that repetition gives it evolving gradually over time.

namaste

Setting priorities is the hardest thing to do, because to do it right takes a lot of time, is an endless commitment to self study (the 4th Niyama Svadhyaya) and huge amounts of energy.

The best boss I had was able to break things down and prioritize tasks for everyone else just fine he struggled with his own tasks however. He was aware of that weakness and worked on it endlessly.

In priorities we learn from the past, live in the present and plan for the future. (Learn, Live and Plan)

So the questions begin: What is on my path? What is most important? What should I do now? What should I do today?

Where am I going, what would I like to do and what is my bliss.

Ram Dass would look at his planner do see if his life was too busy and if so work to reduce his commitments. He would have to make decisions based upon his priorities.

For me the most important thing I do is meditate. That becomes the day’s first activity.

The practice of yoga and pilates comes next, fortunately I get paid to teach them so I teach my practice. I know a lot of yoga teachers don’t believe in that method of doing the class as you teach it, but I always preferred yoga teachers who did. I felt it motivated me and gave me a good model to copy, otherwise you are copying other students.

Those are the big items. The one shortcoming is making sure my advanced yoga practice still happens.

I also make sure I am aware of the important people in my life and take time to make sure those relationships are nurtured. My marrige relationship needs more time than the others. It is a priority.

Study of yoga and anatomy is fit in after the big items.

Other items are dealt with as the come to deadlines or crises.

Setting priorities is difficult. There is fear involved. The incarnation only lasts so long. Awareness of that and everything else in understanding my life is an endless task. Fear sets the agenda. Love goes forth as awareness of the now.

A couple of weeks ago Rosemary began a fast out of the blue. It was for her health and digestive issues and she liked it.

I’ve fasted before but had fallen out of the practice over time. It is tough to do alone, the smell of food drives you crazy, it’s much easier if no one is eating. So because the energy was there I took advantage and coattailed on Rosemary’s energy and fasted the following Sunday, my day off. Rosemary didn’t fast, but I persisted and fasted for the day and I did it again the next week. I like the way I feel during the fast. The one day fast works for me and I’ve lost 10 pounds, which is a lot for 2 weeks, but I’m a guy so these things happen. I can usually lose weight if I can just stop my normal overeating habits for a while. Lately, however that has been a problem. The fasting changed all that, my attitude toward food and hunger has changed. I can handle a little hunger without problem. I’ve also rid my diet of some of the real baddies like bagels and cream cheese, english muffins and started paying attention to carbs and fat, namely not eating them.

During the fast I drink the Yogaville fasting juice which roughly works out to be 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup, and 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice and a glass of water. As much as you want. You won’t want too much, trust me, but it is something.
So there you have it Fasting works for me. I’ll update this as it progresses or regresses.

At the beginning of every yoga class I talk about awareness during the warm-ups, I feel awareness can be trained and improved in anyone. Awareness is the natural domain for yoga. The mind-body connection in yoga naturally develops awareness in the practitioner.

In warm-ups we pay attention to sensation in the bottoms of the feet as we develop Mountain Pose. We are instructed to stop with any sensation of pain, “pain is a red light” and we are cautious with the feeling of sensation, “sensation is a yellow light”.

The whole practice is focused on being mindful of our bodies and the feelings of the various yoga asanas. and allow the body to take you into the now. This makes the whole asana practice a moving meditation with all of the relaxation benefits of being in the present moment.

At the end of the yoga class we are guided to relax the body and observe the thinker to again deepen the participant’s awareness experience.

Ultimately the goal is to bring yoga into everyday life, so that every moment of every day one is practicing yoga. The yoga practice in everyday life is that of mindfulness, being and growing the awareness of one’s whole person. The practice of mindfulness, awareness improves it in every part of our lives, just like exercising makes the body stronger and more muscular.

I feel with the practice of yoga awareness I become more aware of my body and more aware of my surroundings. I feel the awareness gets me closer to witnessing the perfection of the miracle of life and how it manifests in every par of our lives. I see all of the wonderful humbling lessons of life like driving in Boston traffic, learning to practice compassion and awareness while applying the break to avoid the other cars.

The lesson is always the same, more compassion and love for self and others. Seeing that we are all related and that the lessons we get in our lives are the perfect lessons we need right now. No matter how harsh it may seem at the time. It is the same for others and even those you love. Everyone has lessons and we need to let them have their lessons as we have ours.