Branching out…

My mantra for today: You must stretch beyond your present reality in order to grow.

I have made my home in Seattle for three years (next week).  This is a yoga city.  I am within walking distance of countless yoga studios, yet there are many I have not visited even though they sound fantastic.  Why? You might be asking.  It’s simple: fear.

I have avoided going to classes that sound amazing because of those little doubts like “What if they are not nice?” and “What if everyone knows each other/ what’s going on except for me?”  This sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I’ve practiced yoga for 13 years… and am a yoga teacher!  Whether they are nice a) should not be a concern and b) is a ludicrous thought, since we are all the same and all nice and all good, right? Right.  I needed a friendly push, though, to help me grow.  My friend Michele (a great yogini herself) invited me to check out an Anusara-inspired class at 8 Limbs last night.  This was exactly what I needed to break out of my fear.  8 Limbs is one of those studios in my neighborhood that I have been meaning to check out for years, and the Anusara-inspired class with Beth was top on my “to-try” list.  Synchronicity!

As I rode my bike down the hill, I felt inspired by this first step.  Walking into 8 Limbs, I instantly knew it had been silly to wait so long.  The space is warm & inviting, smiles abound.  Our teacher, Beth, introduced herself individually to us and also had each of us introduce ourselves and greet our neighbors at the start of class (I smiled and thought… these are my people!!).  It was a beautiful class, skillfully and artfully lead by a caring teacher.  I drifted into the sea of savasana with a deep smile in my bones.

Riding home after class, I smiled at my hesitation, at what a human experience it is to worry about not fitting in and how easily we can dispel that delusion.  It just takes a little branching out.

om. shanti. om.

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”

~~ Anais Nin