Change

Sometimes life can hand you a change that you didn’t see coming. It’s immediate and it’s permanent. There’s no negotiating with the change, easing into it. It has just happened and so….now what?

This has been my experience the past two years. Dealing with injury that is permanent. Having to relocate to the Pacific Northwest. And yet, I see the blessings that have come with these things. No, I’m not one that would say to find the gold in the grief or that if you think positively about horrible things that they will change. Nope. But what I will say is that these things are parts of life. The good and the bad. Life isn’t punishing but no one escapes from the lows that come that are a part of life. It’s when I assume some sort of permanence in life that I cling to, that’s when I run into difficulty.

While I miss my students and my friends in San Diego, I know that I’m in the right place. I’m slowly starting to teach here.  I wouldn’t say that I’m embracing the change, rather, I’m flowing with the life that is offered here. I’m opening to the possibilities and I’m releasing old ideas and ways. For that I am grateful.

The Yoga that We Need

After class a student came to apologize for being late but they really needed yoga after flying out of state and back for cancer treatments. I mentioned there were yoga for cancer classes, and their response was tentative. In no way was the person dismissive, they were in the medical field and they appreciated those classes. But the need to feel normal, a part of and outside of a medical setting made them feel better, even if they couldn’t participate fully in a regular class.

It reminded me of a study I helped facilitate years ago studying yoga for veterans. Freshly out of a yoga for veterans training, I taught the 4 week series of yoga classes. The training was very informative, specific on what I could and couldn’t teach, how to avoid triggering PTSD, accommodate injuries and create a safe respectful class. However, for this group of veterans, it wasn’t right for them. They needed to be more physically challenged, they didn’t like the gentleness of the practice. They didn’t want or feel the need to be accommodated beyond any injuries they might have.

As a yoga teacher, it’s in my nature to try and accommodate everyone and make yoga accessible to all. It’s why a lot of yoga classes have been tailored into specific offerings like cancer recovery, veterans, back pain, corporate environments, addictions, prenatal, etc.  And for good reason, as there are specific practices needed for certain conditions and some practices to avoid completely. However, sometimes the individuals who fit those demographics for those classes need something different.  I’ve seen people undergoing cancer treatment in my gym classes. I’ve had people missing body parts taking a regular class. While they might be able to get a class specific to their condition, needing to feel a part of is why they’re at the gym or studio.

For me, as a teacher, if I can recognize that there may be a reason why someone is there beyond whether they can fully participate in the class or not, I allow them the experience of being a part of.  I have students that wear shoes during the practice. I have students that sit in the back and barely move and yet come every week. If I don’t worry if they’re doing every pose, if they’re late or not, then I get to practice union too.  In this space, we are all together. We are all practicing yoga. And it’s the yoga that we need in that moment.

Poetry for the Dark Times