I am nearing the end of my RYT200 training. It's hard to just enjoy the moment and not look forward to the next step. I'm constantly reminding myself to be present, to just enjoy where I am at the moment and not think about the journey I've made and its highs and lows or look ahead to what might be.
Yesterday I completed the Senior Yoga specialty course. We learned how to effectively modify poses for folks in advancing years or those with special conditions of any age. In the past I have been somewhat hesitant to teach that population because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to give them what they needed for a safe practice. I often have seniors and other folks with unusual conditions in my mixed level classes and I usually remind them to listen to their bodies and take lower options whenever available... but in this course I learned ways that poses can be taught to support poses and let people truly feel that they are okay working with where they are... such an important lesson as we age and begin to realize that in order to practice we don't necessarily have to move into advanced poses to truly reap the benefits... and as a teacher, being able to help someone with functional mobility can be so rewarding in itself. And it's okay that sometimes people don't have the goal of eventual samadhi or enlightenment. They just want to be healthy and happy.
Today was Pre and Post Natal. We focused on achieving a safe practice that truly honors women at this special time... honoring the process, nurturing, feeling supported. I realize that, having never been pregnant (and not planning it anytime soon) I might have fallen short in the empathy department... being here today helped me realize ways that I can help women maintain their flexibility, endurance, strength, and inner peace, even... during this time. I loved the partner poses...
Tomorrow and Sunday are Level 5. I'll talk in more detail about that experience as it's being led by Beth Shaw, the President of our company. I'll admit I'm a little intimidated by this!
I am so fortunate to have Meredith who has hosted me so graciously, shared her space, her bathroom, her car, her time with me as her guest. What a great way for the both of us to finish this part of our journeys together. I eagerly anticipate Sunday afternoon when we can finally say that we're finished with our certification. At least, this stage of it! We're already talking about India...
For me personally to finish in Atlanta, the city where my mom lived her final years and passed away just over ten years ago, is especially poignant. It's sad that, once again, she won't be here to celebrate with me, just as she wasn't here for my engagement, my wedding, the purchase of my first house, or any other milestones from the past decade. But she is with me in spirit, reminding me that I am strong and have the resolve to be both comfortable in my own skin and brave enough to reach ahead for things I never thought possible.
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