(Quick side note: on Friday night (Feb 10th) it was a full-moon, a lunar eclipse, and a comet was passing by, so one could say it was a pretty energetically intense evening. I pulled two tarot cards and I'm pretty sure they were giving me a heads up about Saturday!)
So once a month, the museum offers Namaste Saturday where they host a yoga teacher and people attend a one-hour yoga class in the big, beautiful indoor courtyard with heated-floors (!). This past Saturday unfortunately the teacher cancelled last minute, but the museum staff were kind enough to allow people to come in and still practice in the space.
Um, SO COOL!!
So I got myself all set up by the giant green Chihuly tree, propped my camera on my portable tripod, and had every intention to practice and film myself to share on my IG (and to be able to continue to watch my progress). I started practicing, warming up with some Sun A's, and people started lining their mats up facing me perpendicularly, as one would for the class. One woman suggested I teach, after watching me practice, and in typical fashion I giggled it off, thinking she was joking. However, she wasn't! She kindly 'nominated' me to teach, and having that sense of CARPE THAT FRICKIN' DIEM, I didn't allo wmyself to think and decided to just do - when would I get another opportunity like this?!
The staff who organized the event were kind and totally cool with it. I went around to everyone who had shown up (maybe 15 people or so) and explained to them I had been nominated to teach and was open to it, but that they could do whatever they wanted to and I wouldn't be offended. I also explained that I am not a certified yoga teacher, so I would not be touching anyone to make adjustments. I shared how often I practice (3-4x a week) and how long I've been practicing (consistently for 4 years, off and on since high school), as well as past yoga trainings I've participated in. The attendees were incredibly open-minded and supportive, it was awesome!! So, without ANY preparation, OR music, OR audio system, I jumped in and led the hour long class...well, 47min of asana and 5min of meditation (and I didn't even time myself!).
Sure, I fudged up several times, especially when I was trying my hardest to cue breathing ("exhale forward fold, inhale flat back, exhale forward fold, inhale high to low push up..."), and with mirroring. My energy was positive and high, so honestly I just laughed through it!
The class was a mix of first-timers and even a couple of teachers, so I did my best to create a sequence that tailored to the full spectrum; but I also wanted people to move with their breath, as one of my favorite yoga teachers offers every class, and for people to connect with their bodies in a way that they typically haven't throughout the day. I found myself pulling from TC-TSY, from my experience in my regular yoga classes, and from my role as a therapist - it was, again, AMAZING. I had no idea that I could ever do something like that and be so brave!
After savasana, I struggled a little with feeling so emotionally overwhelmed; I wanted to cry but I was just so moved and felt euphoric! Everyone clapped, which was...surreal. And some of them even came up to me after class, which was so touching. I will never forget that moment or the kind words that were shared with me afterwards.
I'm still riding the high, and feeling so empowered.
So fast-forward now to this morning: it's Monday, so I went to my regularly scheduled 6am yoga class with my beloved teacher and soon-to-be-on-the-blog-for-my-interview-series-On Drishti, and in case you're not Boston based, we've been having a lot of snow, and are in the midst of a second snow storm. Turns out, everyone decided to sleep in this morning except my yoga teacher and I! I ended up having a ridiculously incredible private session with him that included some seriously divine adjustments; he also helped me with my form, and it was definitely an invaluable session for which I am eternally grateful.
As I mentioned, I'll be posting my interview with him soon, so stay tuned!!
Take care, be well, take some deep breaths, and smile today. It's gunna be a great Monday!
- S