expectations

They say that yoga is a transformational practice. Over time, things start to change. The shape of your body, your awareness, everything just transforms with a regular yoga practice. Well, who are these people and how do they know all this stuff?! I don't know, but let me share with you some things I do know.

I am still practicing daily (sometimes more than once) at the studio I've joined, and last night I brought my husband to class with me. Back up even a little further than that and we were actually supposed to go snowboarding yesterday. I had been so excited because of all the new snow, but it warmed up Saturday night, and by Sunday we were worried that the snow wouldn't be very good since temps were in the forties and it was raining. I was a bit bummed that we weren't going anymore, but perked up once I realized that Keith and I could both go to the 5:30 yoga class. Keith is not a yogi. He has gone to a class of mine here and there, but his practice is very sporadic. I could not wait to get him in this class, which is usually taught by Danielle. I kept telling him how sweet Danielle was, and how she sang during class and had the voice of an angel, etc. I can not say enough wonderful things about this woman. He was reluctant to go, but he went anyway at my urging. When we got there we learned that Danielle was leading a kirtan at a very sick friend's bedside and would not be guiding us through our practice. Alex was going to be our sub, who is also great and amazing, but I'd had my heart set on Danielle. When we got into the studio to roll our mats out, the only place we could practice side by side was in the back corner. I like to be as close to front as possible, and preferably not tucked in a corner. Boo on that as well. When we started chanting, I thought to myself, "I don't like this chant!" And then I decided to give myself a mental smack to the face because I was being so negative and bratty. My eyes were closed, but I could hear Keith's voice during the chant and my thought process started to change. How lucky was I to be in this beautiful and warm space, surrounded by all of these positive rays of light (also known as other yogis) and my sweet husband? As I started to move through my practice, my heart started to warm. How could I allow myself to have all these expectations? The moment we are in is all we have, so why would be do anything but embrace it? My practice ended up being a strong and powerful one, not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. When we got to savasana, I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet as I reached over to hold Keith's hand. After class, he asked me how could that have been any better if someone else was the teacher? And he was right. It was perfect as it was.

Nothing in this life is certain besides change. By allowing ourselves to have these expectations, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. I think this is especially key during the holiday season. Things may not work out the way we want them to, but the lesson to be learned here is that we have to teach ourselves to live in the moment, and to the fullest as possible. This is why I think yoga is so beautiful, because so many of the things we learn on our mats are things that we can take out into the world and apply to our daily lives.

Namaste,
Tami