Like many others, when I first started practicing yoga, I saw it merely as a physical practice. One that got my heart pumping, sweat dripping and helped me to sleep at night. Once I found it, I dropped my gym membership and began practicing hot power yoga nearly every day at my home studio, Down Dog Yoga. Several months into my new routine, I was surprised to find myself consistently weeping in resting poses like half pigeon. A bit concerned and very confused, I approached my teacher, Alison Adams, after class one day. With tears still streaming down my face, I asked her what she thought was going on. “It’s working. Keep coming”, she said.  

The culture in which we live has created a mindset that we have to earn our place on our mats.  We have to "work hard" so we can play hard, or something like that! If we "take a break" we've somehow become a backslider.  I have surely felt this about myself and have needed to draw upon my knowledge of the 8 Limbed Path of Yoga to affirm that what I do on the mat is just one small part of this path that I follow.

As weeks have passed and I’ve had a chance to reflect on all of the efforts that it took to plan these two days of fun, I have relished in the beauty of how after a mere hour together, we were no longer strangers and already learning so much about one another. The beauty of although varying in ages, body types, and preferred styles of movement, together, we enjoyed every single offering. The beauty of how food brings people together, even despite taste, allergies, or dietary restrictions. And just as a retreat does, it reminded me that our differences are the very thing that make us stronger and provide a sense of connection to each other.

The alarm goes off at 4am every morning and the ritual of self-care begins. after some time of reading ,prayer and reflection I arrive at humble haven at 6 AM greeted by beautiful smiles and the warmth of the heated studio.

Sometimes rest looks like taking a day off from exercising my body. Sometimes it looks like staying home to recharge. And other times it looks like a yoga practice at the end of a busy day. The thing about taking rest is that it gives your body the time it needs to get stronger.

“For the second time in as many months, everything in my life changed in an instant- each its own specific lesson in impermanence and non-attachment. In yogic philosophy, the fifth Yama is Aparigraha, a Sanskrit word translated as non-attachment or non-possessiveness, the idea that there is a level of spiritual freedom to experience when we work to understand the impermanence of everything around us. What about my physical practice (and my body) was I attached to? What did I make it mean, that I could not teach or practice yoga?”

Life is all about the journey and what you experience along the way.

Teaching various offerings at Humble Haven, as well as what I’ve taught in the past, allows me to have a different experience every time I show up for ‘work.’ The versatility that exists within my teaching nourishes my desire for fitness.

I hope we all have been blessed with one if not more “aha” moments in life. When the pieces finally fall into place. Life can have a low-key way of presenting opportunity, in the hopes you are listening, taking chances, and willing to deviate from the beaten path. My oatmeal routine was face-to-face with the spicy Humble Haven 2nd Annual March Bingo (“How could it already be March again?!”). I thought about the previous year’s grind to the destination: the end of the month, the checking of boxes. But this year, I was determined to take the various class offerings to connect to more layers of myself and my community.