On Friday, June 7, OH Yoga! at Posabilities Yoga Instructors offered a community yoga practice to an inspiring group of individuals who were willing to venture out on a rainy Friday evening. You may ask, “What made these folks so inspiring?” They were coming to a free community yoga class. What’s the big deal?
The majority of the people who came had never been to Posabilities before, had never practiced with the OH Yoga! instructors before, and in fact many had never practiced yoga, ever! Their willingness to stretch beyond their comfort zones is what was so inspiring. Everyone had different stories, different experiences, and different bodies that provided them challenges. For some people, the challenges were stretching in ways their bodies were not accustomed to, for some it was coordinating their breath with their movement, or using new muscles, and for some it was sitting quietly or settling in the final pose of savasana that asks you to “just let go.” As humans, we are creatures of habit, and generally avoid changing our habitual patterns of movement, of thought, of doing. Yoga frequently asks us to do just the opposite, to open up space or opportunity for transformation by stepping away from those comfortable habits. Despite the challenge, and sometimes the discomfort, of what they were being asked to do on Friday evening, everyone in the space received the practice with open minds and hearts. That is what makes them so inspiring!
The OH Yoga! instructors were equally inspiring. As Yoga Instructors, we also have our comfortable patterns or habits that we tend toward. When we offer practices we have favorite poses, cues that naturally flow out of mouths, and we get used to a fairly consistent following of students. A new student in a class is always exciting, but can add new challenges to leading a practice. Imagine a roomful of 15 people whom you have never led, many of whom are unfamiliar with the yoga poses being offered, and all with unique individual needs. This can be a little disorienting, but at the same time offers us challenges and opportunities for transformation and growth as yoga instructors. As OH Yoga! instructors each one of us was stretched in slightly different ways on Friday night that opened us up to continuing growth and transformation.
It was indeed an inspiring evening at Posabilities, and I am grateful to everyone that participated in an evening of exploration and transformation.
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” ~ Samuel Johnson
Katey Hawes, owner and founder of Posabilities, Inc.., is a physical therapist, registered yoga teacher, and yoga therapist.
You may find her at Facebook.com/posabilities4u, Twitter @Posabilities4u, and Google+.