I believe that being in relationship with others is like standing in front of a mirror. Whether a relationship is deep or distant and passing, how we receive another’s qualities is often a reflection of how we receive ourselves. Sometimes that reflection can connect us to something familiar; whether that’s beautiful and warm or painful and raw. I think this is what can make practicing yoga in community so powerful and supportive when it comes to our personal growth.

One of our foundational values at Humble Haven is belonging. Humble Haven has always been a place to gather and since belonging is actually a fundamental human need, how to cultivate it is at the center of every service, corner, process, and product that we offer.

When we reached out to the team to tell us a little bit about the role that yoga and Humble Haven has played for them in 2024, it was incredibly meaningful that a common theme was that the practice of yoga and the studio as a whole has been an avenue of sharing - sharing laughter, creations, tears, space...

I love you

I’m sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

These four phrases—or, as we like to call them, mantras—comprise the Ho'oponopono meditation. Ho'oponopono is a meditation for personal and collective restoration.

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?”