Tag: restorative yoga

On Yoga Studio Ownership

Looking out the window of my urban retreat…

by ErinLeave a Comment on Looking out the window of my urban retreat…

A couple of weeks ago, I felt stress related to “the yoga studio”. It put me into a little bit of soul searching – was this what I wanted to do when I was happily daydreaming & writing my business plan last year? The work being asked of me felt different than I imagined it. There was pressure, uncertainty and a little bit of confusion. That is not how I want to operate. I left corporate America to experience creative freedom, I had to bring back that feeling of fluidity – trust – and inspiration.

Luckily this investigation coincided with the end of summer and the cosmic energy of “back to school” where even the most unorganized of us feel some sort of reboot with the potential of a fresh notebook or organized binder. The gearing up for fall was the perfect time to reframe and loop back to that original vision that had me so inspired to set out on my own yoga business: retreats, restorative yoga, making opportunities for business women and parents and friends and caretakers and tired people to downshift more than the routine 60 minute yoga class or sporadic sound bath.

Over the past two weeks, I have met one on one with every single one of the teachers and providers out of OM to brainstorm their classes, special events and retreats – all focused in on the question of who we want to serve. The guiding principles?

Does it feel simple? Does it feel life-giving? Is it relational?

And the final motif: “everything must feed everything”.

It’s now a Wednesday morning and I got to the studio pretty early… before 7a, and saw the sunrise from our balcony. The studio was open for silence and that 30 minutes is some of my favorite time in the studio each week. I sit on the mat, with others, and let myself just review what is on my heart and mind without the laptop to multi-task or the phone to Google or the chat to GPT. I feel it out.

Studio silence breaks at 8 with a little small group share:

How are we showing up today?

What is our intention?

Then we proceed with toning the chakras – chanting – and the blessing: lokah samastah sukhino bhavntu.

Everybody’s story starts somewhere and, in reflection of this vision (which is coming to fruition) for retreat and time to feel like yourself, I realize OM Old Orchard is what I always wanted my whole life. You know, there are not a ton of places that allow you to truly show up as you are with reduced pressure to spend, to be and to commit.

As a business woman, I am taking some calculated risks experimenting with pricing and programming – so that everything about this place feels supportive. As my therapist says, “the highest form of respect you can show another person is the power of choice.”

I want the business I run to respect you. If that makes sense.

I know that in a few years, some of the questions I am working through will be answered. The methods I am experimenting with will show me what to run with and what to let die on the vine. I am aware this place of growth I am in is because of the growth I did because of a previous season of growth which I was in because I had grown, and so on….

Isn’t it funny how our edges are constant invitations into present moment acceptance? And – ultimately – into the future that is aligned with the seed of who we have always been…

On September 7th, I’ll be offering a free Fall Intention Setting Workshop from my yoga studio & urban retreat… available in person and via recording. The workshop will present a guiding sutra and inspired text. The programming for fall will be themed on a “pre new year’s new year”, as we lay the groundwork for our desired habit changes, health goals and mental peace.

There is still so much work to do to truly articulate how to maximize what we are creating at OM in support of your personal life. It is not about “going to yoga” but about truly giving yourself the reprieve, the break.

I suppose all of this is to say – to my past self, thank you for growing to this place. To my future self, thank you for your patience.

And to my present self: get to work 🙃 ❤️ ✌🏽erin

Yoga

The human experience of having a faith life.

by ErinLeave a Comment on The human experience of having a faith life.

Since October, I have been allowing the obvious words (what the folks in my restorative yoga community are sharing) surface. I have sat with them and given them space to come together to help me string together something meaningful, some way to describe what it is one might experience in the practice.

There is always the option with yoga to simply call it yoga or restorative yoga or whatever and trust the practitioner will get whatever they need to get out of it. Yet, the depth of my study in regards to the Holy Spirit – the fruits of the spirit – the divine consciousness, somatic spirituality, the way it feels when you feel and then breathe and why that works to enter into some understanding of freedom – why, if you say you follow Jesus, this practice is actually so essential – how the elements of the earth actually poetically unlock the Psalms – how the understanding of Ishwara from yoga sutra connects you so beyond beyond – I mean… it’s the stuff that cultivates your faith life.

You have a faith life.

I think that is what I am realizing more and more.

See, my restorative yoga classes are a 50 / 50 split men and women. They aren’t explicitly teaching on the fruits of the spirit nor are they outwardly “spiritual” or “witchy” in anyway. Or whatever the words are that tend to be a marketing angle or conversation for the female demographic.

The classes are about care & curiosity of the physical body, awareness of the emotional or energetic sensations in the body and becoming present. Being present. Being present.

Coming back to being present.

<inhale>

<exhale>

You know, the more I think about it, I really don’t want to get into the market of saying I know the way to experience God or that I can usher you into some divine or transcendent relationship. I know my role in life, my gifting, is to host and make safe. I have been called and equipped to be endlessly generous with care and comfort. How some people are able to build, I am able to soften. I design paths to perspective rooted in spiritual truth; trustworthy because it doesn’t know the one right way.

One of the honors in my life’s work is when I connect with people who have experienced spiritual safety in the restorative yoga or spiritual direction I offer. My entire life shifted when I realized I didn’t have to pray, emailing God and wait for a response on whether or not I would get what I asked for. Rather, my study (thank you to my teachers) and my practice and the Spirit that dwells within me activated this understanding that you always have exactly what you need.

This presence of self and this full awareness of where you are – right here, right now – this is Stoic, Yogic and Christ Consciousness, Old Testament stories give us this in rich narrative & poetry.

And you know the thing that tells us otherwise? Ads.

My rule of thumb, and I have found myself sharing this more these days for some reason – is that whenever I find myself about to Google what I need or a solution to how I feel. Whenever I feel like I need a certain treatment or need to spend to heal, I ask myself what somebody in Bible times would have done. What would the most ancient of my ancestors do with the feeling I have in my body.

Sit on a rock?

Drink some water?

Get comfortable?

Look around?

Seek higher ground?

Try to rest?

Wander the natural world seeking a sage?

Allowing the intuitive yes and no to lead me in any of these ways?

We all have a faith life. Whatever you believe is going to work to bring love (connection), peace (an evenness within) or joy (hey! wow!) is your faith. Whatever you believe will happen again tomorrow like it did today (rising moon? setting sun, anybody?) Whatever you know is the way things always work (light after darkness is a good one or the process of compost or how elements of the natural world work together) is the way things will always work.

In yoga, Ishwara is the supreme divine. It is what taught our ancient ancestors and what continues to teach us today. Ishwara is ultimate because it is the beginning and the end. We experience Ishwara when we chant OM – the literal sound of a circle as the mouth goes from Ah to Oh to Mm.

Circles are a great way to recognize where your faith. Cycle of thought or cyclical behavior not working for you? Giving you anxiety? That’s a great place to start rewiring into a new loop. Clear the mind chatter by establishing the miraculous circle of body – breath – mind – breath – body – breath – mind – breath – body – you get it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that having a faith life is not “being spiritual” or “being Christian” or “being religious”. It is being human.

SO. What do you put your faith in?

<deep breath in>

On Teaching Yoga

Listening to the Bod

by ErinLeave a Comment on Listening to the Bod

I am teaching a ton lately. The main studio I teach from has a few teachers traveling or out for personal reasons so I picked up quite a few classes to help out. At 4:30pm yesterday, I was teaching my 3rd class of the day and found my body resisting any and all plans I had for class.

The only thing I made a note of that my body agreed would for sure be a part of class was a traditional flow through the 6 directions of the spine. (Which a human should do daily for optimal health, so not a lot of room for debate there, anyhow..)

When I teach yoga, I am continually relaying invitations to my students’ practices based on what I am noticing in my own body. I call it cueing “acute yoga” – sharing felt sensations – moving awareness around and inviting breath to coordinate with one’s inner gaze.

The yoga I teach is a direct reflection of my personal practice so if I don’t do it? I don’t teach it.

As the class of 5 settled in, I shared with them about how much I have been teaching and – as such – have noticed the increase of dedicated time tuning into my bod has me in more fluid communication with my body. They chuckled when I shared the very true story about how, when eating a caprese salad before meeting my daughter (knowing I would take her out for a burger) my body said, “thank you – I really like this.”

“You’re welcome.” I replied :)

I mentioned earlier I don’t teach what I don’t do so, I thought in this inaugural journal On Teaching Yoga, I would share some foundational parts of my yoga & belief system.

1) I see the body as the first gift given in this life making it miraculous, spiritual, communicative

2) I pay attention to inner voice and inner dialogue and talk back, using breath & inner gaze as buffers between thoughts

3) I notice what I feel in my belly / chest / etc related to the thoughts I have and when images come to mind

4) I practice revolving consciousness and ascending breath as meditation 3 – 5 times weekly

It has been almost a year that I have been back in the studio after a COVID induced hiatus, teaching from my personal practice which has evolved immensely from when I graduated YTT in 2016.

Not only do I LOVE teaching yoga more than I ever have before, but that the way I am teaching these days has me talking more about the practice before and after class with others. AND I LOVE THIS EVEN MORE THAN TEACHING YOGA! :)

I am hearing from students on how the tone of the teacher’s voice and the presence of self displayed by the instructor impacts the practice.

I am learning how invitations to notice felt sensation ushers in a deeper flavor of being human.

I am learning about when they feel connected or disconnected from their bodies.

And in the studio – I am noticing how truly humbling it is to watch bodies move when I teach because they are teaching me. It’s so freaking cool.

In all of this, I am paying attention, big time, to how it all comes together because of that #1 foundational part of my yoga: the body is a miraculous communicative device. The body is so amazing: every cell, every memory.

There is a scripture I love love love love love (1 Corinthians 2:11) that emphasizes how nobody can know us – our body – our experience better than we know it and, likewise, we cannot know our body and our experience better than the Spirit of God.

When you look at what neuroscience tells us about how the left brain only ever registers roughly 4% max of the body’s sensory experience in a given moment, that scripture makes more sense than ever. Think about it. I sure am.

There are at least a half of a dozen other things I could say right now but I think I’ll wrap it up as listening to the body is a big huge wide topic and I am so curious where people are with this.

What do you guys think? What is the last thing your body said to you other than “I’m tired!” or “I’m hungry!” ???

This is totally a favorite thing for me to talk about!! I would love to know :)

PS – anybody have a trustworthy resource on somatic spirituality?