Wonderful Day…

Every day has its own special beauty and charm, however yesterday was particularly wonderful.

I got the opportunity to do 4 yoga events in three counties with 4 vastly different populations. The day served as a great reminder of how yoga has so many things to offer to so many people in so many ways.

That’s a lot of so many’s, but it’s true.

I started at 8:40am in Calvert County with a challenging Yoga for Strength and Fitness class (complete with arm balances, lunges, inversions & more) with my regular Thursday morning team followed by an event with the Calvert County Garden Club. The date with the Garden Club was months in the making – nearly 10 months! About 50 people were on hand for this gathering. It was a most lively yet also reflective and interactive session. We paralleled the worlds of gardening & yoga; discussed the inner significance of the lotus; quizzed one another (they passed!); did chair yoga; laughed and joked plenty; reviewed and practiced balance poses and yoga and back care; and concluded with a relaxation session and story, followed by Q & A. The Garden Club members were quite the crew – gracious, bendy, inquisitive – & not at all shy, I can vouch for that!

Then it was a short respite for lunch and off to Prince George’s County for my afternoon engagement at Bishop McNamara High School. There are around 20+ active participants in the school’s yoga club and we get together every Thursday for yoga instruction. Most of the club members are 10th & 11th graders – yes all girls!! As you’d expect, they are fast learners and very ready to dive in. Yesterday, in their first go at it, they all made it nicely into half moon pose. But they are not just in it for the physical challenge – they’re after the quieter side as well. As one young lady,  the club’s founder, told to her friend in the hallway after the first class, “During the corpse posture at the end of class, I did not even know where I was!” . It has been a real joy – we’ve done 2 sessions thus far with many more to come!

Then it was “hurry up and wait” as I got onto the beltway only to sit in traffic and crawl my way onto Rt 50 – where things were only moderately better. Ultimately I made it to Anne Arundel Community College in time for my evening seminar on Yoga and Back Care. We had a packed house and everyone showed great interest in the topic. During our hands-on session we dialogued and moved through a nearly 2 hr practice (yes I went over as usual!). The theme revolved around establishing and maintaining lordosis – and the many ways that yoga supports back and spine well-being. Everyone was highly involved in the practice and keenly followed the closing story. All participants left with a folder of info and a practice cd.

It was almost 10pm when I finally made it home – just in time to rest and prep for the next morning’s class.

Upon reflection throughout the day and thereafter, I realized how wonderful it is to share the many gifts and joys of yoga with so many different people, and watch them all experience the benefits. Both young and old expressed great interest and eagerly absorbed all they could from our sessions together.

Between the vastness of yoga and the sheer joy of being & sharing with others, it is no wonder why my busiest days are some of the most inspiring!