yoga for hope

saturday morning i had the pleasure of attending the 4th San Diego Yoga for Hope. i had heard about this via FB from a fellow yoga teacher who also happens to be a cancer survivor and eagerly recruited some friends to attend with me. big yoga events can often be a let down as it's incredibly difficult to lead such a large group and to keep things organized but this event proved them all wrong. they offered a discounted rate for teachers so i took advantage and signed up a few days before the event. attendees could also sign up on a team and set fundraising goals. i chose not to fundraise this time around as i had never been before and i usually try to do one big ABTA event a year and hate to hit up friends too many times a year.

i forgot to mention one of the best parts of this event! it was held at Petco Park! the Padres beautiful home field! i actually went to the game the night before so i was kind of dreading heading back down town early on a Saturday but i had made it an early night and rose early excited to start my day with yoga with a friend. upon arrival there were lots of booths giving the usual yogi freebies; water, granola bars, and essential oils. we got in just as the event started and were towards the back of the field but could see the stage via the jumbotron. several instructors who had coordinated the event spoke and shared their personal stories with cancer and what prompted to create the event. the top fundraiser was given an award bringing in a whooping $5000. then a beautiful women got up to speak about her cancer journey. i am not sure of the specific type of cancer she has but she has had to relearn how to walk and had multiple rods put in her to replace her femur bones. after recuperating from all of this she went on to complete half marathons and continue her yoga practice. she recently found out that she has to undergo more radiation due to the another tumor found near her foot. as the tears rolled down her cheeks, i don't think there was a dry eye in the place. this woman was truly inspirational for all that she has overcome and for getting up there to share her story when it was so very raw in her heart.

one of the most touching parts of the class came next. the speaker announced that she would be asking a series of questions and to start ringing your bell that we were given upon entry into the event when the question applied to you. she started by asking that those who were currently undergoing chemo/radiation ring their bell... those that were one year survivors... those that were two survivors... those that were five year survivors and on... and eventually invited everyone who had been touched by cancer to start ringing their bell. As you can imagine, the whole class was ringing their bell in unison.

shortly after we started a wonderful yoga class suitable for everyone and allowed for a great  workout under the warm morning sun. i was thankful to spend this morning with a friend to raise money for cancer and support the yoga community that has all been affected by cancer. usually i think about my events/activities leaving matt shaking his head at me, he was always a little more "reasonable" than me and didn't agree with all my new age yogi ways but this one, he would have loved. doing yoga on the field of petco park was the perfect way to dedicate a practice to matt.

 the studio for the day

 strong like warriors

 yogi toes

 yoga for hope 2014

me and meg! 

namaste

Melissa