YOGIYING OUT

WHEN IT COMES TO Doing YOGA...

I believe that yoga meets us where we are and teaches us the importance of balancing strength and ease. Many people talk about the meaning of yoga, defining it as the "union" between mind, body, and spirit. While that is certainly accurate, for me, yoga is also an exploration of the delicate balance between strength and ease, illumination and darkness, existence and non-existence, life and death, being and doing, and connecting and disconnecting. I find it creates a container for both the discovery of my own depths as well as my surrender to that which is out of my control.

As a Libra, I am in a constant state of recalibration; finding balance and losing it again. Yoga helps my acceptance of this. It emphasizes pausing. Noticing. BREATHING. Transitioning. It allows for all of the universe's opposites, extremes, and everything in between to gracefully coexist. It is grace, and peace, and liberation in their most authentic forms. It is where I come to when I want to go home.

"Yogiying out" is a phrase I came up with that describes any designated exploration and/or experience of yoga that deepens one's connection to their "yogiest" self.

when it comes to teaching yoga...

I like to go deep, and I like to connect with the people around me. For a long time, I have had a vision of yoga & group therapy combo. I have looked around a bunch and found many classes that call themselves "yoga therapy" but end up being restorative yoga classes, or classes where people will share their names, then head to their mats and proceed with class as usual.

In my vision, classes begin and end in a circle. Some classes will even remain in a circle throughout the duration of the practice. Students share their names and intentions or dedications for practice with each other, and maybe a personal detail, if they are comfortable. Classes are shorter, an hour at most, and incorporate individual postures, partner postures, and group postures. Students grow together and get to know each other over time. Class concludes with ohms, gratitude, and then tea. The remaining time is spent connecting, asking questions, and sharing space. Students leave feeling connected, cared for and like they were apart of something greater than themselves. Community isn't just built over time, it's created during every single class. There is no such thing as a stranger.