This morning, I was a substitute for another yoga instructor at the yoga studio where I teach classes weekly. This was a 6:15 am class, which, needless to say, is earlier than I am used to getting out of bed, and I admit, it was a “I NEED two cups of coffee” kind of morning. Arriving early, I set-up for class and began chatting with the woman who works the front desk checking in students. She (we will call her Abby) told me that she began practicing yoga when she was forty years old and is currently eighty-three. I thought to myself “WOW! That’s some serious dedication and a beautiful example of a life practice.”
Soon thereafter, students began to arrive and it was a full house with thirteen students of all ages and levels (including another yoga instructor). It was a level 1-2 class, so I started with a gentle warm-up and then picked up the pace after I assessed the level of each student. Abby, to my surprise, was gracefully flowing through the sequences with obvious strength and ease. When we finally made it to the floor for our finishing poses, I offered variations of Hanumanasana (“Monkey Pose” or “Full Splits”). I attended my first yoga class when I was nineteen; I am now thirty-three. I became certified to teach two and a half years ago and I believe it will be years, or perhaps never (and I am okay with that too), before my hips are open enough to expand into the full expression of this pose. But, there was Abby, rockin’ the full expression of this pose! This particular pose is dedicated to the “monkey God,” Hanuman, who is a figure in Hindu mythology and “is worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion.” It was abundantly clear to me that Abby represented all of this and I left class that day with a new perspective… when you are ready, yoga will be there, waiting for you utilize it as a tool to balance and guide you through this crazy roller coaster called life!
Perhaps you have been contemplating integrating yoga into your life and I now ask you to consider this quote by Carl Sandburg, “The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.” Go ahead, take a “leap of faith,” perhaps finding inspiration in another and be brave enough to try something new (it doesn’t even have to be yoga!). It really is never too late. With that said, stay tuned, inCYST is excited to announce our newest program… online yoga classes with yours truly to support women with PCOS. About the author:
Sarah Jones started out as inCYST's very first intern, has completed the inCYST training, and is inCYST’s very first registered yoga teacher. She taught the yoga component of our workshop series at Metta Yoga. Sarah is currently completing her nutrition studies at Arizona State University and is graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics in December, 2012. If you'd like to practice yoga with Sarah, please visit Metta Yoga's website for her current schedule.
Pictures obtained from: www.nicefun.net and http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/hanuman/