Before the pandemic and lockdown in March 2020 I had been teaching up to 14 yoga classes consistently every week. I always attended workshops and classes for myself too but being honest my personal practice had taken a hit. Home life can be sometimes be challenging, but I try to keep my home and work life separate.
The demands of being a fitness professional means I worked every weeknight evening, daytime slots, as well as every Saturday for the best part of 20 years.
When all the gyms & venues closed and I started to teach online, I was secretly quite pleased. The novelty and (lets be honest here) convenience of working from home, even in front of a camera (hugely out of my comfort zone) was great!
In short looking back I was burnt out. Tamas in yoga.
I have to say that I have (and still do) really enjoy connecting with people through the airways in what I call our little online Shala. (Shala means home or place of support in Sanskrit). Sharing my own 'yogaeverydamnday', with those who join me is a privilege. (Which we're a year and 5 months in btw). My body, mind and even the dogs are programmed into this daily rhythm.
We've all learned a lot about ourselves in the last couple of years. I know a big part of my DNA is helping people. In teaching yoga this is sharing what I've learnt, (and am still learning) with others which brings so much satisfaction. Seeing people get those light bulb moments is magic. As well as this, it's been an opportunity to recharge and rethink.
During the pandemic even though I've taught on fields, kids play areas and a pub beer garden, I've surprised myself how much I've thoroughly enjoyed getting back to 'proper' real life teaching again!
I wrote about this before back in February when things started to open up again, (Appreciation blog), but it still feels the same. I'm back to some old venues, familiar time slots with some old and new faces. Yet it still feels fresh. I've got renewed vigour. Even writing this blog (a dyslexic challenge), filming Tuesday Tips on instagram, as well as a few other new things going on this Spring has helped set a new pace.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of my favourite yoga teachers visiting the UK again this year and top up my own face to face learning.
Who knows where the next part of my own yoga journey will go. I'm here for the ride with a new fire in my belly (raja in yoga). And not working every night.
The pandemic has shown me as is instructed in one of yoga's foundational texts, the Bhagavad Gita, to live life as it comes. There's a nice little resume of the story here if you're interested. https://integralyogamagazine.org/the-story-behind-the-bhagavad-gita-2/
If we want to discover this mysterious journey, maybe we need to 'let go' of the route.
Hope to see you soon.
Namaste.
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