My alarm went off at 5:45am, I hit snooze. I was tired and didn’t want to get out of bed. However, I mustered up the energy (I mean, I didn’t really have a choice ;)) and slowly gathered my things together. I drove in the frigid cold to Corepower and set up the studio. I made my way down to the desk and as I waiting for my shift to start, I began to brainstorm on an intention.

I am a firm believer in setting each intention for the class as something that speaks to me personally. I feel it makes it easier to speak to and stay authentic throughout the class. I settled on vulnerability: “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” Of course, Brene Brown, my inspiration.

Vulnerability is something I speak about often, and that is because it is hard and I feel that the more you speak to something, the more you believe it. I mean, the same is true for anything else. If you tell yourself you can’t do something or that you’re not good enough for long enough, you begin to believe it. Brene Brown constantly reminds me of the importance of staying vulnerable and authentic in a world that is constantly criticizing. Be brave, find your truth and courage. It may be hard, but it will always be worth it.

I ended up having one person in class who also had to leave early. This meant I was able to cater the flow and practice to her, reminding her of the importance of vulnerability and staying true to yourself; to not judge yourself when you’re on the mat, but use courage and truth to push you to YOUR edge. Some may be discouraged if they had only one student in their class, but I loved it. I had the chance to adjust and speak to her on a personal level. Find her limits and help her push them. Find her passions and cater to them.

After she left, I had some time to myself and decided to flow on my own. I was trying to just listen to my body…which can be hard when you tend to have expectations. I tried forearm stand a few times, but my mind and body weren’t having it. So instead, I decided to flow for a while. Finally, at the end, I decided to try forearm stand again and almost got into lotus forearm stand! And just like that, I felt myself blooming from the muddy waters.

 

It’s the little things that bring me joy and that is why I love yoga. ❤ To remind us to be patient, authentic, vulnerable, and honest with ourselves. Overjoyed, I decided to treat myself and roommate to a Starbucks latte and a big hug. I am determined to not let anything bring me down from this yoga high. 

What makes you feel like you’re on top of the world?

See my full “flow” – sped up 5x below: