be kind

i saw this quote recently and felt it's truth. sometimes in the most delusional days of caregiving/grieving... i would wonder as i walked down the street, "does anyone know what is happening to me at this very moment". it was hard to realize that life was continuing on for people even though it seemed it was impossible. 

last week i finally started teaching at a new studio, Reach Yoga. if you don't know i became a 200 hour yoga certified just a year ago now but haven't started teaching any weekly classes. i was grateful to pick up two classes a week and teach a slow vinyasa to students new to yoga. today was my second class and i am remembering just how much i love teaching. i have still been teaching Zumba on a pretty weekly basis after hours at a San Diego County office but it feels good to finally share this love of mine with students. already i have learned so much and can't wait to continue to instruct my students through new flows. today as i ran along the Pacific (also training for a half marathon!) i hoped that i helped someone's life with yoga earlier that day. then i envisioned someone rushing towards me for hugs at the end of class thanking me for changing their life. but then i remembered this quote. i remembered a Zumba student approaching me after class one day because her sister was battling cancer and this gave her an hour of relief. you just don't know. she salsaed around that room with the best of them. i had no idea through her zumbaed out grin that she too was battling the cancer beast. so as i ran i thought of this quote and how true it really is. you never know when you are teaching someone something either positive or negative so just do your best always. or at least try to do your best, that's all you can do. 

namaste

the widowed yogi 

Back to the Mat

The past few weeks, I have been busy teaching Zumba classes and training to teach a Sculpt class at a local yoga studio. Between all this action, there hasn't been a ton of time to just take a regular old yoga class. Last night, all though it was still part of my training for this local studio, I got back to my favorite type of yoga class, an Advanced Vinyasa Flow class. The teacher was one of the studio's Lead Trainers and she gave a fierce class. This style of class allows for a good workout as there are lots of chatarungas (yogi push-ups) and all of the poses prepare the class for a peak posture. This is basically an advanced pose that all the prior classwork opens your muscles and works towards. Last night's peak posture was Bird of Paradise. Balance is a challenge for me in bird of paradise but it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I am easily able to get out of my mind in this type of class and stay present in the moment. After class I felt renewed and remembered what inspired me to get to this place and how important it is to continue my practice even though I am staying active in other ways.

bird of paradise

link here to master class for bird of paradise

back to the mat tomorrow! 

melissa