Then And Now
This is a photo of me from almost exactly 10 years ago. It was taken before I was married and before I had kids, The picture was taken in Bali, where I was teaching on a yoga retreat near Udbut. My youngest daughter saw it recently and commented, “Wow, Mom, you look very beautiful in this picture.” (*insert hearts here*)
When I think back to ten years ago as a fresh-faced yoga teacher at the ripe age of 32, I thought I had things figured out. I had been teaching yoga for a handful of years, was considered a “yoga champion” by many, and was newly inserted into the Austin yoga scene. I liked Austin a lot for it’s yoga scene. I practiced yoga every day back then and wondered why not everyone made yoga and/or movement more of a priority in their daily lives and routines.
My, how things have changed.
These days, I’m lucky in the mornings to get 5 minutes of a breathing practice in before my kids come tumbling into the room. I steal 10-15 minutes in between my work schedules to stretch and maybe hit an asana or two. I scour my calendar for blocks of time that I might get a full, comprehensive yoga class in and - when I do (every other week or so) - oh, does it feel glorious! AND. I know that this is still so much more than most people get to themselves on a regular basis.
What I’m saying is - I get it now. I know how full life can be of bills to pay, mouths to feed, relationships to nurture, problems to solve, and doctors’ visits to book. And I’d like to extend a sincere apology to anyone whom I may have made feel like their life wasn’t right if they weren’t practicing #yogaeverydamnday in the past:
I’M SORRY.
I KNOW YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT TAKES A VILLAGE FOR HUMANS TO THRIVE.
One of the reasons I love yoga therapy so much is because I can help individuals create a yoga practice that is just right for them. That means not only addressing individual strengths, weaknesses, and goals - but ALSO taking into account specific lifestyles and schedules. Yoga can be done any time of the day for however long it fits into your calendar. Yoga can be curating new morning routines, taking a walk around the block without your phone, being still with a mindfulness practice before going to sleep, an intentional breath here, a gentle twist there - AND it can also be two hours of asana practice followed by pranayama and deep meditation. It’s up to you! As a yoga therapist, I’m interested in helping YOU do YOU well.
For those who can’t fit in the studio class or carve hours out of your day for practice, I’d like to offer small “Yoga Snack” videos for you to sprinkle into your days and weeks. This first one is themed to relieve neck and shoulder tension. Try it out after you’ve been sitting at a computer for a while or to help alleviate neck kinks and stiffness. Moving forward, I’d like to provide more breathing techniques, nervous system hacks, and body-specific tune-ups/tune-ins. I hope you enjoy this one and be on the lookout for more to come!
This is a recent photo of me and my two daughters, about 1 year post-divorce. I’m just as happy as I was in the previous photo of myself from a decade ago - just now with different challenges and with new things love and experience.
