Beginners Mind

Hi. I’m Skye, the new kid in town. You may have come to one of my classes, introduced yourself to me as you lay your mat next to mine, or seen my name at the end of an email. That’s because after only a few short months as a student at Lila, Genell took a giant leap of faith and not only gave me my own classes to teach, but also a key to the studio, and let me communicate with all of you while she away is cuddling Baby Riley. Pretty trusting, huh? Well, it’s also humbling, which I believe is one of the keys to a lasting and fulfilling yoga practice: humility.

As human beings we naturally have egos, and it’s tempting after many years of practice or teaching to think you know a thing or two. Well, you do know some things. You know yourself better. You know your thresholds and your tendencies. You know the sound of your own breath. But there is so much still yet to learn, and that is what keeps your practice fresh and exciting. That is why teachers teach what they themselves still need to learn. That is how your yoga practice continues to evolve.

Even though I’ve only been teaching at Lila since November, I already feel like part of the community. I have met many warm and dedicated students, received wonderful feedback, and had my brand new classes saved at the last minute from cancellation by the championing of kind hearts and open minds. I am finding connection here, and I believe it is because I have returned to my beginner’s mind. I have been practicing yoga for nearly fifteen years and teaching for nearly seven. It’s the most committed I have ever been to anything. But I am still getting to know Lila. I am still discovering classes and teachers I prefer. I am rediscovering my yoga in this new space and with these new people, and every day is something new.

The same can happen on your mat. Let go of how you think a pose should look or how it looks on another student. The practice of yoga is individual, internal, and at the same time universal. We all have that knowledge and that grace, it just looks a little different on each of us. What if you could start over each time you came to the mat as if you were coming into downward dog for the first time? What would you do differently? How would it feel to stretch those muscles? Every time you come into a pose, even if you’ve done it a thousand times, find something new about it or within it. Do something differently. Try something new. Every day can be a new adventure. Even in child’s pose.

2014-08-03T20:57:22+00:00August 3rd, 2014|#LiveLila Reflections|0 Comments

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