This morning, I was sitting in my hotel room in Birmingham, Alabama, working on my conference talk. I was stressed about how to best construct my argument to get my message across, worried about fitting it into the time limits, and distracted by the constant work messages that kept popping up telling me to deal with this crisis and contact that person and arrange blah blah blah. Then my notifications told me it was time to teach my weekly half-hour meditation class.
For twenty minutes, I sat in stillness with the group who has been meditating with me every Friday for the past three years. I noticed the humming of the traffic outside my window--little cars like bees buzzing. I felt the air conditioning on my cheek, the sun from the window on my arm, my hip bones as I slightly shifted, my eyelashes greeting each other as I blinked. I came back into my body and back into the thrill of being alive: a human being in the swirl of other human beings, in this place, in this moment in time, and in the glory that is life. That's all it took to let go of my anxiety about work.
It's as easy as it sounds, if we take the time to do it.
All are welcome to join for meditation each Friday at 2:00pm (Central). It's free. Take a break for a few minutes, let go of your work week, and come back to yourself. You don't even have to turn your camera on if you don't feel like it. Here is the meeting link: https://atu.webex.com/atu/j.php?MTID=m9e7909952da8c720fa48a2d76530e7e0 .
Weekly Mysore Practice
I began my yoga journey as an Ashtangi. That is the practice that made me fall in love with yoga, and it has been my constant ever since. Each time I practice the sequence, it is like coming home. I love many styles of yoga, but there is nothing to me as difficult, and nothing as rewarding, as Ashtanga.
A Mysore-style yoga class is an assisted self practice that is based in Ashtanga. In these classes, all of the students are working on a similar sequence of postures, but the practice is tailored to each student's needs. Students work through their own practice guided and supported by the teacher. The set sequence of postures builds in complexity and intensity as you move through them, with each posture laying a foundation for what comes after.
Join me Sundays at 4:00pm at Força for Mysore practice in a supportive community of new and experienced practitioners.
Upcoming Events
April giveaway! Each time you attend a yoga class at Força enter your name to win this yoga mat bag!
April 16, 9am: Outdoor yoga for Força's 10th anniversary! Free community class.
Upcoming Music Monday Classes (6:30pm, Força):
4/4 Hozier
4/11 Third Eye Blind
4/18 Lady Gaga
4/25 The Beatles' White Album
Need a Yoga Mat Bag? New Styles Available!
Check out the full line of available mat bags and straps:
May you be happy. May you be well.
