inspiration...

so, i'm getting married in april. and to be honest (at the risk of sounding shallow) that's the main reason i decided to do the yoga bender. i was looking to jumpstart my body into greater strength and outward beauty for that one day.  i've gained weight and i don't feel as good as i'd like.  but i'm pleasantly surprised that going to yoga (almost) every day doesn't feel like a chore the way dragging myself to the gym does.  i have been in the BEST mood (except for the bout of PMS) since the bender started.  my body feels amazing! 

but the biggest thing about this yoga bender that inspires me is the amazing assortment of human beings in every class. i love STY because of this strong sense of community. i've met some of the coolest, most interesting and beautiful, smart people (mostly women) at STY and made some real friends that i value a great deal. the chatty moments before & after class inspire me, when it's possible to connect with the people around me that i'd otherwise probably never even meet. it's hard to believe this is the same place i was so nervous to come a year ago! when i first started, i'd sit on my mat before class, quietly, and want to talk but i didn't know anyone. slowly, it's become more and more a place of fellowship and community.  

i'm inspired by how hard everyone works in class! last night in brigette's class we were laughing about how people who don't practice yoga think it's just this gentle stretching and breathing...(this is after one hour of nonstop physical exertion compliments of brigette!)  i love those moments when a class is really hard and we're all sweating and exhausted and i make eye contact with a friend and just laugh because it's so weird and awesome that we're all doing this together.  

i'm inspired by the strength and flexibility of the other students. sometimes when we're working on something that my body just isn't ready or able to do, i look around and i'm just completely amazed! not in a competitive way, but in a, holy crap! that is awesome! kind of way. :) and when a friend comes to class with me and they are challenged and inspired too, it makes me happy. 

i'm inspired by how yoga has made me more aware of myself, my body, and the space i occupy in the world. 

my teachers inspire me. i feel so supported and "seen" by the teachers whose classes i attend regularly. i feel like i'm making progress in every class.  i feel as if the teachers know each of us and our bodies and what we can do so intimately that they know just how to adjust each of us to make the pose that much better, deeper, more aligned. 

yoga, to me, feels joyful even when it's really hard. especially lately, i've found myself laughing or smiling in the midst of one of kim's hellish pose-holds or sarah's crazy jumping planks or brigette's (what feels like 10 minute but is really one) hand stand holds. i love this yoga bender! i might make it a 90 day bender to take me all the way to the big day. i bet i'd have wicked arm muscles by then. :) 

~amy~