The Training Wheels Come off Before Class 11

I have a confession to make. Both of the yoga mats I used in training (fondly known as "chocolate brown & "pink princess") have been lost. One was left by accident on Third Avenue in the City during the heat wave, and it was just too damn hot to walk back for it. The other was left to dry on my fire escape and it blew away. That's right, it must have fallen five stories down and hopefully did not hit anyone on the way. I began thinking about those mats and all the emotions they shared with me. The good times and the bad, the laughs and the tears. I said to Ish the other day, "if this mat could talk, what a story it would tell." That was about 10 minutes before I lost it.

In a lot of ways, those two mats represent the training wheels of my journey into teaching. Now that they're off, I must be stable on 2 wheels; 2 arms & 2 legs in one base. I have a new found confidence in my teaching that only comes with time and practice. I'm discovering a different sense of inner peace in my delivery. I am no longer scared of making a mistake. I can actually feel the yoga as I practice, as opposed to just listening to the words and reacting.

As Lorenza said in her class yesterday, the student has come full circle and become the teacher. The yoga community is a beautiful thing in that respect. We all learn from each other, by sharing with each other. I was able to give back yesterday to my own NYC yoga community by volunteering to assist at Free Yoga in Bryant Park, sponsored by Bikram Yoga NYC and LuLuLemon. It was a wonderful morning with all walks of life taking part. 250 people in total.

Sometimes your wheels come off before you're ready and you have to deal. In my case my mats had to disappear for me to realize what I have and what I've gained.