May Theme: Showing Up For You, On & Off the Mat
/Over the past six weeks or so (aka since the start of quarantine) two questions have kept me feeling both grounded and inspired:
How can I show up (virtually, emotionally, etc) for others?
How can I show up for myself?
There’s been tons of upheaval in the external world, to say the least. Everyone is going through this together, but also not all in the same way. We’re all coming at this from different work and home life situations, different financials, different personalities, different support systems and outlets and resources. And so as much as we’re all in this together, we’re all in this together differently. As I’ve sat with this idea over the past six weeks or so, it’s helped me feel grounded in compassion and understanding, and resulting in an overwhelming pull to extend these to both myself and others. For myself, it’s helped me show up for myself - to take additional time to meditate and connect with the world through my senses, to make time for my own practice, to be gentle with myself when needed while also allowing myself to explore my uncomfortable zone (see below) and be, well, more comfortable with that (or maybe just less terrified). It’s helped me to explore opportunities and possibilities, to grow, with more curiosity and at least slightly less fear.
As I’ve continued to show up for myself more, it’s left me with the first question: how do I show up for others? And so this month, my theme is going to be a little different. This month, I want to show up for all of you in as many ways as I can (virtually), using yoga to help and support both on and off the mat. Since I signed up for yoga teacher training, I knew that I wanted to use yoga to help people, not just in the physical practice, but in life, in community, as well. As I delved deeper into this, I began to explore the idea to use yoga to connect with causes and organizations, and offer classes to raise funds and awareness. In September, I began teaching a weekly Yoga to Benefit Kids’ Chance class. For the past month, as it became clear that quarantine/stay at home/social distancing orders were going to continue for a while, I brought that class virtually. I teach it every Tuesday, at 5PM, on zoom. I also made it Pay-What-You-Wish Donation-Optional, because I know there are people that are struggling financially at this time, and perhaps they could use yoga now more than ever. So my first offering is to invite you to this class. If you can donate, awesome. If you cannot, totally OK too. You can learn more about the class at the link above, and you can contact me for the zoom link and password (have to keep it password protected for security reasons).
In addition to this weekly class, I’m looking into more opportunities and offerings, more ways in which I can expand what I share in terms of yoga classes/practice, as well as how I can use those to help those in need. I would love your input. Here are a few things I’m offering/considering:
I’ve been building a small video library on vimeo. Some are pose tutorials, others are quick standing flows, some are longer (say 10-20 minute) videos.They’re definitely of the “homemade in my living room with my laptop’ variety, but they're what I can create with my current technology/tools, and I want to offer them. I am honestly not 100 percent confident in sharing them yet (maybe ever), but I feel my ego is less important than the possibility that they might help someone, so I’ve decided to share with those interested. They too are password protected so if you’d like to view I’m happy to share that. Please contact me for the link and password.
I’ve begun blogging and posting about yoga for specific body parts, muscle groups, and specific types of poses. In the blogs, I include photos and give bulleted tips. So far, I’ve done a post on Yoga Inversions for Beginners, and Yoga Lunges for All Levels. In order to make these posts as helpful as possible, I’m looking for input. Are there specific poses, types of poses, or certain yoga benefits (grounding, energizing, heart-opening, etc) that you’d be interested in me posting about? Any suggestions for pose or practice-related posts, I’d be happy to hear! I’d love to incorporate these to make sure I’m providing content that helps as many people as possible.
Same question for yoga tutorials and videos - I’m looking for requests, so let me know what would be beneficial. It could be a tutorial on a specific pose, or a longer video that focuses on a specific area of the body. It could be specific type of pose (folds, hip opening, back bending, balance poses) or positioning (standing flows, seated poses, supine poses). I’m also open to suggestions for class levels (beginner, intermediate, all-levels, etc) or specific type of class (vinyasa, yin, slow flow, gentle, a combo of these) as long as the classes lie within what I’m certified to teach.
I’m considering the possibility of offering some more virtual live classes. Here are some options I’ve considered, and I’d definitely love to hear if you’d be interested, so that I can offer what would best benefit others.
Quick before work classes. This would have to be 6:30 or 7AM, and probably on 30-45 minutes.
30 minute lunch break classes (say 12:15-12:45).
An additional after-work class (4:30, 5, 5:15, 5:30PM sometime around there). It would be a full hour.
One-time benefit yoga classes for a cause. If you have connections with organizations/charities/causes that you’d be interested in doing a yoga benefit for, please let me know. I’d love to chat!
One-time benefit classes for YOUR organization/cause. If you’re an non-profit, charity, etc that is helping others and would like to do a class to benefit your organization, I’d love to see what we can do.
Virtual private sessions at a reduced rate. I actually am already offering these, but throwing it in there in case people weren’t aware.
Other options I haven’t yet thought of!
I do work an 8-4 job that I’m working from home right now, so I have to work my offerings around this. I’m definitely open to suggestions. I feel that this having extra time at home and the opportunity to provide virtual classes offers me a great opportunity to help people, both on and off the mat, through yoga, and I’d love to chat, get creative, and see what we can do.