For some reason, yesterday I decided it would be a good idea to try yoga. After the half marathon a couple of weeks ago, I have been trying to take a break from running, but I have to do something, so I figured yoga might be a nice compliment to pounding pavement? I have taken yoga classes before, but I have never been able to find one that wasn't so intense I felt awkward as a beginner, or one that felt incredibly slow. Needless to say, I am not a yogi and have never taken a liking to a class, until now.
I am not even completely sure how I stumbled across
Yoga Ananda. I was looking through the internet and everyone that had seemed to have taken a class there, loved it, so I thought, why not? I called the studio and they told me to come on in. At first I couldn't find the place, it had a little sign in the front yard that I saw only after I had spotted a girl with a yoga mat. When I walked in, I immediately felt like I had found something so special in this big city of Houston. You know that saying, "You are exactly where you are supposed to be," well that was just it, I was exactly where I was supposed to be: in a hot yoga room, with 14 wonderful strangers and a teacher who guided us not only through poses, but through our own journey back to the heart. I know that may sound cheesy, hippy or yogi-like, but it is the only way to describe it.
She spoke a lot about letting go of what we think should happen; what we think we should be. She talked about letting go of the judgments we place on ourselves and also on others. I tend to be extremely hard on myself, so as I sat there sweating, I felt something shift when she was saying all of this.
She read to us from a book at the end, and afterward I went home to see if I could find it. I am pretty sure it was one from Melody Beattie... Anyway, I found this excerpt and thought I would share it with all of you.
Honor the Beginning
Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly or arrive with a big bang. Beginnings hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated. Beginnings hold ambiguity, fear, and hope. Don't let the lessons, the experiences from the past, dampen your enthusiasm for beginnings. Just because it's been hard doesn't mean it will always be difficult. Don't let the heartbreaks of the past cause you to become cynical, close you off to life's magic and promise. Open yourself wide to all that the universe has to say.
Let yourself begin anew. Pack your bags. Choose carefully what you bring, because packing is an important ritual. Take along some humility and the lessons of the past. Toss in some curiosity and excitement about what you haven't yet learned. Say your good-byes to those you're leaving behind. Don't worry who you will meet or where you will go. The way has been prepared. The people you are to meet will be expecting you. A new journey has begun. Let it be magical. Let it unfold.
Go where your heart leads you. Your soul knows the way. It will speak quietly through the voice of your heart, your wisdom, your intuition. Listen to the voice within, that assures you you're safe. You will meet and learn from everyone you need to along the way. Don't limit your own experiences. Don't limit those experiences of those you love, or those you meet along the way.
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I hope you all have a wonderful day. Enjoy every step!
Sorry for the extra long post, I just had to share with all of you!
If you live in Houston,
Yoga Ananda is located on 1822 West Alabama.
I literally can not wait to go back!
