Oh, Yoga, How I've Missed You

After two and a half long months of being on crutches and in a cast, I was eager to get back into exercising. The absence of spinning, yoga and running in my life this summer has been detrimental to my physical and psychological well-being. Anybody who knows me understands that physical activity is my therapy, and without it, well, let's just say it's a good thing nobody else got hurt!

 So, you can probably imagine my delight, my excitement, my utter joy when the doctor gave me the go-ahead to begin my routine again. Some of you may be reading this and thinking, "Ok, whatever floats your boat..." That's alright, we all have our "thing" that keeps us sane through the craziness of life. For me, like for so many other people, yoga is the answer.

 I haven't, however, always been a big fan of yoga. In fact, the first time I tried it I thought I wouldn't be able to get over the idea of laying myself bare and vulnerable for all to witness. It took years before I realized just how grounding the practice really is and how it can turn my worst mood into serenity. Also, I'm not at all flexible. Yoga is hard. Stop laughing, I'm serious!

 My return to yoga and various other forms of exercise make me think of going back to school in the Fall. I'm a little rusty from having taken time off, but the thrill of learning new things, seeing past teachers, getting reacquainted with friends and wearing new outfits makes me truly happy. As I was working on my breathing and struggling through poses, it struck me that I no longer worry whether I'm perfect or not. The point is to keep showing up and keep trying to improve. I will probably never do the splits, but that's ok. I won't know unless I try. I want to see how far I can get, how much I can improve and how much I can learn. It's the process that makes us grow, not the result.

I hope our students are just as excited to start school again as I was to start yoga again. All I know is that I want to be there to see their faces when they show up to learn. I want to inspire in others that same love of learning and watch when that spark is lit. There is truly nothing greater.

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