reaching the century mark

a hundred of anything is a big deal.

a period of 100 years is a century. and if you reach the ripe old age of 100 years, willard scott might greet you a happy birthday on the today show.

100 degrees celsius is the boiling point of water. temperatures over 100 degrees fahrenheit can be considered a heat wave (much like it's been in many sections of LA this past weekend).

in sports, if you ran 100 miles to get to the finish line, you just completed an ultramarathon. if you had biked those same 100 miles, you would have gotten credit for having finished a century. and if you had run or cycled those 100 miles in temps 100°F or higher, you're lucky to still be alive. and should get your head examined.

in currency, there are 100 cents to the dollar, 100 pence to the pound, and 100 centavos to the peso (in fact, most currencies have coins with a value of 1/100th of the basic monetary unit).

if you scored 100% in your last test, you just aced it. congratulations!

and so on. and so on. and so on.

given the significance of the number 100, i have reached a milestone in my yogic journey -- today, june 2nd, i updated the list of teachers on my blogsite and realized that i had just added my 100th teacher to the list.

that makes 100 teachers who have shared their knowledge, expertise, and insight with yours truly. 100 teachers in LA, that is. there are a handful of other teachers that i'd taken classes while i was out of town, but because they're not included in my is this what you're looking for? post, they don't count (sorry!).

honestly, i found it hard to believe that i had actually taken classes with a hundred different teachers, especially since each one was (and still is) unique in his or her own way. i've meditated with some and sweated with others. i've found some of their jokes funny and some of their incessant chatter annoying. some have made my muscles scream with posture corrections while others have made my muscles swoon with delicious massages.

interestingly enough, the teacher who made #100 chronologically on my list also happens to be #100 alphabetically (at least for now). and that noteworthy yoga teacher happens to be... (cue gong here):


jeff wells!
i had taken jeff's open yoga class at jiva yoga earlier this morning. according to the jiva website,

Open Yoga - A traditional Vinyasa Flow Yoga done to popular music

which makes perfect sense, since jeff used to teach at maha yoga, where steve ross and most of his teachers "unite music and yoga in an enjoyable way for people to experience yoga that transcends tradition, promotes joy, and serves as an adjunct for healing."

however, unlike the usual hip-hop and rap music that's played at maha, jeff's playlist was a bit more mellow. according to jeff's website, here's what he played in class today:

1 Jesus To A Child - George Michael
2 Le soleil est près de moi (Automator Remix) - Air
3 Try Again - Aaliyah
4 Got 'Til It's Gone - Janet Jackson ft Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell
5 Be Without You (Manny Faces Remix) - Mary J Blig
6 One - Mary J Blige ft U2
7 Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman
8 Time Of Your Life - Macy Gray
9 Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
10 Unbelievable - Craig David
11 Lately - Samantha Mumba
12 The Closer I Get To You - Luther Vandross ft Beyonce Knowles
13 In Your Eyes - Darren Hayes
14 The Gift - Annie Lennox
15 Tougher Than The Rest - Everything But The Girl
16 The Drugs Don't Work - The Verve

then we rested in savasana while the soothing sounds of ocean waves filled the room (and yes, it was from the studio's sound system, not from the pacific ocean that's a mere mile away).

jeff was featured recently in the june 2006 issue of yogi times magazine. here's an excerpt from that article:

Three years earlier, Wells made a conscious shift to dedicate himself to living the life of a Yogi. He met his teacher, Sri Shankaracharya, and began weekly attendance at the Sadhana Ashram, immersing himself in devotion to the Divine Mother (bhakti yoga) and the esoteric practices of Kundalini Maha yoga. The teachings inspire Wells to respond to his surroundings as though everything is a manifestation of the divine and therefore he journeys throughout his day honoring the divine in everything and everyone.

Wells' devotion to elevating his state of being is the ultimate aim of his life and therefore his teaching practice. It is about seva, being of service (karma yoga). "I want to touch people where they are," he says. "For some that means a spinning class, for others it will occur in the sacred space of the yoga studio."

so to jeff and all the other teachers who have shared their inner light with me, i say,

namaste! the divine in me recognizes and honors the divine in you!