I got stood up…

It all started when my longtime best friend cajoled me into trying this ‘Hot Yoga’ thing with her. I had been a yoga slacker for almost 10 years, but never had a faithful practice. I was fit and flexible already – why did I need yoga? Finally, for her, I agreed. We were supposed to meet at the studio and take the class together. She stood me up! (Full disclosure: she got stuck in a meeting at work)

So, there I was, absolutely clueless in long PANTS and a t-shirt, walking in to my first Sumits class. It was the most physically challenging thing I had ever done. I was down on my mat for a third of the class, and completely lost when I could participate! Still, throughout that class I kept thinking, “If I survive, I can’t wait to do this again”.

Life Changing.

At the time of this first class, I was in the middle of a personal trauma. I was drowning in debilitating emotional pain. To cope, I had been running, and running and running. My body and heart were broken and beaten down, and still I kept pushing. I didn’t know what else to do. I felt such release after my first class – it was nothing short of magic. I was taking full, deep breaths for the first time in weeks. I cried straight through my next seven or eight classes. The beauty of it was, no one could tell thanks to all the sweat! I had been running to ‘check out’, hoping to outrun heartache. With yoga, the opposite was true, I found I was ‘checking in’, tuning in to my physical and emotional self. I felt as though I was purging some of the heaviness I had been carrying – leaving it behind in a puddle of sweat.

I’ve become so much physically stronger since beginning my Sumits practice. I hadn’t realized how many activities I had avoided, simply because my core was not very strong. After two babies, things just didn’t feel solid anymore. I took that to be a fact of motherhood and growing older. Readers, I was SO wrong. I process stress far more effectively now, including the occasional bout of road rage. I am also completely IN LOVE whoever is teaching, on any given day!

I talk about Sumits yoga all the time. I want to share it with everyone, people I love, casual acquaintances, and random strangers in the checkout lane at the grocery store.

I had already decided to get certified to teach Sumits yoga when Nikki and Stephanie announced the teacher training here in Missouri. What an opportunity! Teacher training deepened my practice in such a way as to render words inadequate. Additionally, I was blessed with an exceptional group of people with whom I shared this journey. So much love is wrapped up in the Sumits yoga sequence and its philosophy, it spills over into ever facet of my being. Sumit himself is a remarkable human being and it is an honor to share his teaching. This is just the beginning!

Practicing yoga has become my passion, and teaching yoga is my Heart Song. Big Love to those who show up on their mats, and put their trust in me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Stephanie, Nikki, Sumit, and my awesome training pals for their part in my journey. Love you all.

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