Photo: ©Jessi Bennion (www.lifewithjack.com); Art Direction: The Magazine of Yoga.
Verklempt in Big Sky: a moment of reflecting on one year at the sweet little studio.
BY MAGAZINE COLUMNIST BARBARA DENOWH
I’ve never had this much trouble sitting down to write. Mainly, because I write under the guise of babbles and rambles. I like to set the bar low!
Blogging is a platform that just speaks to me. My idea of a blog is just sitting down to write. Whatever inane idea comes to mind. No writing and rewriting and extensive proofreading and drafts. Just a stream of consciousness. Just the moment. This very moment. Just another extension of my yoga practice.
Om… ummm…
But, I wanted something very different from this post. Something BIG. Something that would strike a chord, tug your heart strings, inspire you … maybe bring a tear to your eyeball.
So I sat down to write. And then deleted. And wrote some more. And deleted. And hummed and hawed and felt defeated. And missed the very first deadline of my life. Seriously.
What I want to share is so special that I’m bound to fail.
I’m reflecting on a year at the sweet little studio. Yup. One whole year. It doesn’t feel real and the words just aren’t there.
Plain and simple, every day
What I find so amazing about this practice is that it is so simple and subtle. Sure, you can make it complex and intimidating, but its essence is sweet simplicity. With that in mind, here are my reflections on one year as a studio owner. (Really, what is more simple than a bulleted list?!)
– I have developed an intimate knowledge of my studio floors. I know where the most gunk collects. I know the weird curves and slants from many classes of watching Pinky balls roll away. I know the marks that I constantly try to clean, but obviously are here to stay. I know the feeling of scrubbing the whole floor on my hands and knees.
Because it is my floor. In my studio.
– I know that there is always a place to practice. I can put my legs up the wall or crank some music and flow.
– I know all of my students’ names.
- I no longer wake up in the morning with dread, the dread of doing something I really don’t enjoy.
– Still, the very biggest reward as a teacher is to hear a student say, “Wow, my back feels so much better,” or “that was a great class”. Or, the very best to hear, “Thank You.”
- I am grateful. Every. Day.
– I’m having fun. Plain and simple.
Barbara Denowh is a yoga teacher in Helena, Montana. You can find her in cyberspace on Facebook or at her website denowhyoga.com. She also rambles about yoga, teaching, her wonderful husband, and her hound at babsbabble.com