Finding Balance

When I think of what my yoga practice means to me the one word that comes to mind is balance.  Yoga empowers me, more than anything else I've found, to balance all aspects of myself and my life.

Balance is something I've been for striving towards for a very long time and only in the last few years have I finally started to grasp (although it is always a work in progress).  In fact, my first tattoo that I got when I was 18 included an infinity symbol which for me is a reminder to never stop seeking balance.

I've always consider myself to be a nature-friendly kinda person.  I enjoy the outdoors, love animals, am a recycling advocate, enjoy making all natural bath products and am quite spiritual in my beliefs.  My career, however, is a stark contrast to that.  I have a very technical, "plugged-in" job as an Instructional Technology teacher -and I love it.  I couldn't live with out my Smartphone or the Internet, in fact as I sit here writing this I realized I left my phone charger at work.  My battery will die soon and I will have to go the entire evening and morning without it!!!!  Ahhhhh!  So reconciling these two very different sides of myself has always been a struggle.  Sometimes I have felt more like a teeter totter than a cohesive individual.

My practice helps me find peace with myself on the good days, the bad days and everyday in between.  Its a way for me to challenge my body and my mind simultaneously.  In a lot of ways my practice has become an extension of me, something I can't live without.  I've found over the last few years that if I miss practice, or go a couple days without getting on my mat I feel it.  And not in the physical sense, or at least not only in the physical sense.  My mind misses it, my emotions become erratic and I struggle with focus.  It is my practice that helps me hone in on who I am as an individual, to embrace it and to find comfort where my passions overlap.

What I hope to achieve...

I've always considered myself, first and foremost, to be a learner.  Even in my career as a teacher, I'm a learner first.  I seek to learn from everyone and every situation whether its the teacher(s) I'm co-teaching with the students I'm working with or the strategy/tool I'm attempting to use.  In addition, my specialization is instructional technology - which is changing everyday.  The way a software works, the tools available and the network in which we work.  They are constantly different and I am always seeking to understand them better, to grow and change with them.  

My personal life is no different.  I enjoy cooking, taking care of my pets and practicing yoga.  My husband is a chef and can attest to the fact that with every dish I make I brainstorm ways to change and/or improve it.  I constantly ask for his feedback on what he would do and the best techniques for accomplishing it.  When it comes to my pets (more about them later) I read books, follow experts, attend training and basically spend as much time as I can interacting and observing them to learn how best to meet their needs.

My practice is one more way in which I am a perpetual learner and I hope to attend teacher training to further my own practice.  There are so many things I still want to learn about my body and its abilities, about the history of yoga, the techniques, approaches - everything I can.  I'm always craving more with my practice.  I want more time on my mat.  I want a deeper understanding of all aspects of my practice, not just the asanas.  This is my primary goal.  

While teaching is something I love to do- its my profession and teaching yoga would be an amazing way to bring two aspects of my life together, I don't see teaching yoga as the end all be all of my training.  If when I'm certified, teaching a class or two fits and makes sense then yes it would be fabulous but for now my objective is to make a stronger commitment to my practice.

My Background

Welcome and thanks for visiting!!!!  This blog is intended as a medium to share my journey as a yogi.  I'm applying to a teacher certification program at my favorite yoga studio East Meets West (EMW) and hope to use this space to reflect and grow.

One of the DVDs I used
way back when!

I first “discovered” yoga around 1998-1999.  I was in college about to change my major, transfer schools and move to a new city.  My understanding of yoga at the time was that it was about stretching and flexibility -which sounded great.  I always loved the way stretching made me feel, not only while I was doing it but after.  So I  bought myself a mat and an at-home DVD.  

For a number of years I practiced pretty irregularly, mostly a combination of yoga and Pilates using only a variety of at-home discs.   It wasn't long before I noticed a yoga studio on Elmwood Avenue and became intrigued.  I signed up for an Intro to Yoga workshop and loved it.  When that expired I took classes at the studio whenever I could -but money was tight.  As I started making a little more money and my insurance improved, I would get reimbursements for gym memberships. I took advantage of it and utilized the cardio machines, weights and group classes.  So for a few more years I bounced around different gyms trying different workouts and always attending their yoga classes. But I was never satisfied.  The classes were lacking direct instruction, adjustments and/or modifications - I always left longing for more.  In the back of my head I was thinking about the classes at East Meets West and how great my experiences had been there.

About 7 years ago I was going through another big change in my life, I had just ended a ten year relationship and was living alone for the first time.  I made a commitment to myself to pursue what truly makes me happy and not settle for anything less.  It wasn't long before I started attending East Meets West on a regular basis.  For a few years I was able to consistently attend at least one class a week and supplement it with classes at my gym as well.  I was fortunate to have found out that one of the teachers at EMW (Patrick) also taught a class at my gym!  It was during this time of practicing regularly (albeit a small amount) that I started to learn there were not only different kinds of yoga but that each teacher provided a unique experience.  

The real tipping point in my practice came in the summer of 2013 when the studio offered month long unlimited passes at a discounted rate.  I teach Instructional Technology in elementary schools so the summer months are significantly more flexible for me.  I purchased two months, attended 4-5 classes a week and  I couldn't believe the difference.  I felt better -physically, mentally, emotionally and even professionally.  September rolled around and I had to go back to work, my unlimited passes expired and all I could think was "how can I possibly go back to one day a week?"  I couldn't.  I told myself to be realistic though (schedule wise and financially) and aimed to attend twice a week.  The school year progressed and I was pleased to find I was attending at least twice, but more often than not, three times a week.   Somehow focusing more on me than on my job made me better at it and everything else I did.

For the most part, my practice has centered around East Meets West.  I've taken classes at a few other studios including Beyond Yoga & Pilates and Blue Lotus, both of which are/were in Rochester. While I've never attended any teacher training, I have gone to a few workshops including one on arm balancing at Midtown Athletic Club (Rochester) and two at East Meets West -an inversion workshop (with Kathleen and Sara) and an Ashtanga workshop (with Sara and Patrick).  It was during these workshops that yoga became more of a mindset/lifestyle and less my workout routine. I truly fell in love with yoga.  Workshops were more than just attending classes, I was learning so much and I wanted more.