Posts In: experience

by Laura McCorry

One of my teachers used to begin class with two simple questions: Where are you?

At work, at home, at the grocery store. At yoga, waiting for class to begin. So many thoughts and plans running through my head. My body carried me to class, through the motions of walking, driving, talking, sitting, without any special notice or conscious direction.

Where are you?

His voice was clear and strong. The entire class answers back with one voice:

Here.

Then the next question: What time is it?

Morning, afternoon, after work. I’m in the middle of something, still working it out, making plans. Thinking about someone, wishing, worrying. Early with nothing to do then running late and feeling anxious. The day slips away hour by hour until I rush to make it before they close the door and hastily sit down on my mat.

What time is it?

The room has grown quiet and still. I’m aware of everyone in the room and how our disparate thoughts and experiences have all been submerged into this one experience, together. We answer:

Now.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

by Monique Minahan

We are the space that holds the light
   however bright it may be.
We are the space that holds the darkness
   however dark it may get.
We are the space that holds the energy
   however charged and wild.
We are the space that holds the silence
   however long and still.

We are the space that holds the laughter
   giggles, belly laughs and laugh/cry combos.
We are the space that holds the grief
   heartbreaks, heartaches and heart roars.
We are the space that holds the beginning
   the wondering, the exploring, the innocence.
We are the space that holds the ending
   the fragility, the no mores and the emptiness.

We are the space that holds life
   in our bellies, in our hearts and in our eyes.
We are the space that holds death
   of our partners, of our children and of our dreams.
We are the space that holds the question
   who am I?
We are the space that holds the answer
   when it comes, in its own time, when we least expect.

We are the space all our experiences flow through, the space our being rests in, grows in, lives and dies in.

Honor that space. Hold that space. Enter that space daily through your breath or through yoga or through a hug, a cry, a laugh, a word or a pause. Create the doorway into yourself and then walk through it and witness the magnificence that is called being human.

Monique Minahan
Contributing Writer

Mo is a writer and yoga teacher who believes in peace over happiness and love over fear. She likes to set her sights high and then take small steps to get there. You’ll find her walking the dirt path behind her house with her little fluffy dog, practicing walking her talk by keeping her head high and her heart open. 

Read more from Monique on her blog, mindfulmo.com

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a yoga teacher training course? We’re excited to bring you another installment of stories, hopes and reflections from Yoga One’s class of 2013. (You can read the first post here.) Do you have a burning question about teacher training? Send it to us in the comments!

Amy P.  

How am I growing? I’m surprised by the anxiety I feel over having my teaching evaluated. Confused by my insecurities and doubts, and proud of myself for being willing to grow and ask for help. It is humbling and inspiring to have teachers and to be a student among students. My practice is moving towards the unknown – using my breath to open the back waist and soften the adrenals to prevent depleting myself, allowing the back of my body to receive the support it needs.

Anna W. 

My intention for Yoga Teacher Training is to begin the path towards becoming a yoga teacher. I love moving my body and I love meditation (although the latter is harder to make time for!) so I’m excited to blend both practices and share that experience with others! One amazing thing I’ve learned so far is that yoga meets you where you are. I don’t have to worry about making my body conform to one perfect pose, each day I can do exactly enough for my body and enjoy that experience.

Janssen J. 

When I started my yoga journey I had no idea that I would ever want to teach. I wanted to keep this amazing feeling to myself and use it for my own growth but eventually I outgrew the confines of my own experience. I had the choice to stay with what I had cultivated or to continue growing and expanding out to the rest of the world.

Every discussion we have during Yoga Teacher Training about the philosophy and history of yoga changes things for me at a deep, deep level. The idea that we are constantly creating this existence made the biggest impact on me. Even though the tradition and history of yoga are important, we are not limited to only experience what has already been experienced. We create something completely new every time we step onto the mat. Every time we open to grace, we open our ability to see the world through new eyes.