I am trying to adjust back to “normal” life…
I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been easy to get back to life and routine but then again nothing about this year has been easy in terms of routine, right? The month away from home, nestled quietly in the trees doing yoga and mediation during the day… was a little like an alternate universe from the chaos of the world and I have to say I found bliss in this place.
My YTT200hrs course was by no stretch of the imagination easy but then again soul work never is. Our days started 8am sharp to around 4pm and some weeks were 6 day weeks and others 4. It was intense and beautifully so. I left home each day in the dark and cold and sometimes rain. The road eerily desolate due to lockdown so I could take a slow drive between the trees to our meeting place. Only a handful of us. There is something powerful that happens when you commit to this level of structure and routine, maybe it’s in the sacrifice or the discomfort but to me it’s when deep change happens. My heart was expectant in the best way. We always entered the room quietly, left our shoes at the door and did our cleaning regime and took our temperatures and then quietly took to our mats to meditate, sometimes up at the circle under the trees and other times in the warmth of the studio. Starting on time, this way always felt a little sacred to me. Quiet routines and sitting in stillness, breathing is always a good way to start my day. After this daily ritual, we would start our Asana / movement practice for a good few hours. Every moment teachable, every moment humbling as we grasped new concepts or took hold of old ones with greater understanding. We broke for lunch where we all spent time getting to know each other and then back to the studio for theory - learning Sanskrit, Yoga Philosophy, Anatomy and Physiology and teaching methodology. We learnt so much in a relatively short space of time. As the days moved into weeks and weeks into the month, sadly our month had passed with our hearts expanded, minds blown and deep connections solidified with so much goodness.
So now what…
I am now a qualified yoga and meditation teacher with my 200hrs certification, right? But I know I’m not quite there yet, I feel like someone just handed me my drivers license to enter the roads with just a few hours behind the wheel but this driving thing, is serious business and I need more time in the seat. If you know anything about me, you know I’m a huge advocate for time in the seat. So I have work ahead of me… and boy am I doing it and loving it. Like with my art, I hope it’s something I never stop learning and doing because both these have felt like a coming home to me. With that love and commitment to my practices, whatever that may be, I know that will always spill over into sharing, hopefully at some point. Sharing beautiful is and will always be such a big part of my heart. So I will start small, like with my TinybagsofLove… my first little online class. I started small with something burning on my heart to share. I think this will be no different. I’m happy and ignited and so at peace. I am so grateful to my teacher, Jim and my other teachers and my fellow yogis who are now also teachers and my teachers, who I will continue to work with, learn with and grow with. Again, thank you to my family, friends, work colleagues and YOU for allowing me the space to do this and get lost in something so beautiful for my mind, heart and soul. I missed my studio and creating so much and I missed connecting with you online. I am hoping to catch up soon.
Sending much love, always… Jeanne-Marie
