Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope today and all days you feel and be love. Whether from family, friends, lovers, partners, animals, it's all around when we tune into it. Enjoy this day, be kind to yourself!
Lately I've been really present with most of my exhales. I've been splitting my time between Manhattan and Long Island doing my best to curate a teaching schedule that feels best for me. The pace of NY is something I love, but since moving home the reacclimatizing has been up and down. When I first moved back from FL I was excited to explore rental spaces. I wanted to take the steps to open my own space, and while that's still in the back of my mind, it's not resonating as strongly as it was during Hurricane Irma when this first came to mind. I gratefully accepted a position with one studio, but it still hasn't felt RIGHT. Then I found Chris Olstrom, and I noticed my exhale immediately. His teaching style allowed me to feel at home, grounded, FINALLY. I felt the shift and even though it was subtle, it was there. Then I took a class at Y7 Studio in NYC and I noticed my exhale again. This time a much more profound awareness. The dark studio, the loud music, the way my body felt. Another coming, 'home."
Transitions are bumpy and when approaching transition with expectation it can feel like you're holding your breath. I suppose this is the best analogy I can provide to describe how I knew that Y7 and Merrick Hot Yoga (where Chris works) would be my new homes. I finally exhaled.
Exhales are grounding in nature. The direction of the breath is downward moving. When aware, the shoulders soften, the chest gently contracts inward and when I really get into it, i direct it all the way down to the base of my spine. I think we can all agree that a cleansing exhale or as I like to refer to as, "white girl sigh," feel really good. It's another form of surrendering, without the drama of digging into the idea of "letting go." There are 3 other times I've been very cognizant of my exhale. 1) In savasana after Ashtanga. 2) With a very, old friend that I've shared a bumpy road with. The discomfort along our path helped me to grow and learn A LOT, now when I see them all I feel is home. and 3) MOST recognizable, when I'm connecting with nature in anyway, My personal favorite a quick trip to the beach. Staring out into the ocean, remembering how small I am in the grand scheme of things. I am instantly taken back to reality, and my scattered energy is vacuumed back to me, and I feel at ease.
I detoured from my original "moving home," plan, and quickly applied at both studios. These spaces felt like salvation amongst the blurry, fast paced need in me to find my place in NY. The expectations I put on myself, that I'm slowly un-doing. Just like my previous post, releasing my grip with my plan for life feels way less ICKY then forcing myself into an environment i'm not supposed to be in. As I started to step back, let life take over, everything fell into place. My Y7 auditions seamlessly transitioned to the training, and at Merrick Hot Yoga, subbing lead to one class, and now more permanent classes. What's meant to be will be and that doesn't feel scary anymore, it feels more like exhaling.
I have my last two days of training with Y7 today and tomorrow. I couldn't think of a better way to spend Valentine's day with my new tribe of genuine, supportive people. I can't wait to share my schedule. My pipe dream working for Y7 started in 2013, when they first opened I was living in Saratoga and someone shared an Instagram post of people doing yoga to Beyonce. #goals Life took me to so many different places since then, but arriving back home and resonating with this community makes me so flippin' EXCITED!!
To bring a little more awareness to your exhales, try sitting down on the floor for 5 minutes. Set the timer on your phone and just breathe. Getting a bit more familiar with what grounding feels like for you in your body, without distraction, will help you to realize it when you're out crushing life.
