Ever since I became staff at my studio, I have been going to a LOT of classes at my studio which is pretty awesome because the teachers are marvelous and it’s so nice to have a real world yoga community (as you will remember just this time last year the majority of yogis I knew and loved were the ones i met online). However, I LOVE experimenting with different types of yoga. I started my yogic path by going to as many different studios as possible and I miss the feeling of an intense different practice. So when my mom, who is a prana flow teacher trainee, invited me to take class with Maria Garre, I decided WHY NOT.
Maria Garre is a well known prana flow teacher and travels the world teaching this Shiva Rea style yoga. She comes to my town once a month to teach the trainees and offers a class open to the public every time. My first prana flow class was not the greatest because I felt uncomfortable with the cues offered. So I went into the class with some apprehension.
I was pleasantly surprised when Maria Garre’s words blew me away. Her cues were right on, her words were inspiring and opened my heart to the philosophical ways of life that I enjoy so much. Practicing next to my mom was an honor (and yes of course we held hands in savasana) and I left the class feeling alive. The prana flow theme was lunar flow in honor of the new moon coming upon us and wow those hip openers were juicy and liberating.
During class, Maria philosophized about FLOW. She asked us to look back on 2011 and notice what aspects of our lives were flowing and what were not. She stressed the importance of focusing on what is FLOWING and not on the parts of our lives that are stuck. Positive energy and openness does not come from stressing about the bad stuff in our lives. How wonderful to practice to such words! It really made me think about my life and I realized I have definitely been focused on the stuck. My money issues, lackluster job, and difficulties with my weight have been at the forefront of my brain and I have not been paying attention to the wonderful things that ARE flowing in my life.
Practicing next to my mom, I felt such a rush of gratitude for her, my inspiring father, my biological dad and his new son, and the rest of my family, both step and real. Being able to walk to work and to my studio has been such a blessing. I am 100% healthy, my written voice is finding it’s strength, and my inner power is blossoming into something I am proud of.
And most importantly, I can feel yoga flowing through every vein in my body. My yoga family is supporting me, sending me high to the sky of life. I am saying YES YES YES to it all and YES is coming back to me full strength. I know I am on the right path to where I want to go. 2011 was the year of yoga and the radical change in my life is largely in part to my practice.
As Pattabhi Jois so eloquently stated “practice, and all is coming”.
At the end of the two hour class, Maria asked us to let go of something that is stuck in order to make room for more flow. We cannot add more water to a glass that is already full.
So Maria, I am letting go of my SHOULDS. My idea of what my life should look like. I am riding the ocean of life with my arms wide open, accepting it all, loving it all. Money will come. The right job will come. My weight will come off as I embrace the body I have now. I have my yoga mat, my meditation cushion, my wonderful sangha. All is coming.
Namaste.
December 18th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Sounds like a fabulous class. I've been wanting to try all different classes and styles. I have a tight schedule so I'm not doing it as often as I would like to. Letting go of "shoulds" is something I also need to work on.
December 18th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
I felt like I was flowing along with you as I read this post. It sounds like you have a very solid yoga foundation, and you are fully open to the flow of the universe. It's pretty cool that you enjoyed the teacher so much after not really being fully into her class last time. I wonder if it was something different in HER or maybe that something had shifted in YOU that gave you a different perspective?
December 22nd, 2011 at 6:13 am
Your words are one of your many gifts T! I love your openness in exploring what the universe has to offer. And I LOVE your commitment to release the "shoulds" – such great inspiration to do the same in my life.Missed you while I was gone!!!