I'm just gonna come right out and say it: I love you.
I love all my yoga students: past, present, and future, you included. I love every moment of you on the mat. I love every deep belly breath, every breakthrough, every frustration. I even love your moments of embarrassment, self-pity, shame... I love all the parts you want to hide. When I'm with you in the studio, I'm loving it all.
Because that's us in our human-ness together. That's real.
When I left my desk job to go to yoga teacher training, the main thing I knew is that I never wanted to do a job again where I had to hide who I really am. My desire to show up in the world in all my radiant, messy glory was so strong that I couldn't wait to leave my easy paycheck behind and head onto an uncertain but promising path.
I quickly discovered that it's much more fun to explore the ups and downs of practice and life with other people. And that's where you come in, you wonderful human, you.
If you have ever been my student, in any capacity, you have witnessed me in my ongoing attempt to peel back the layers of my habits and attachments, to embody the spark within me as genuinely as I possibly can. You've held space for me and inspired me. You've given me the motivation to live in service to my deepest beliefs. That's a tall order, and it's still a work in progress, but your presence has encouraged me immensely along the way. You probably weren't even aware at the time that you were giving me such a gift. But you were. See what we can do just by showing up?
As a way to say thank you, it's my intention to always do my best as a yoga teacher, to fill that role with integrity and humanity. That's another tall order, but I do have some guidelines that I set for myself that keep me humble and on track. I'll share my personal rules for being a good yoga teacher in my next post...
For now, consider yourself fully appreciated and LOVED!!
xo,
A
