So if you’ve ever taken one of my power yoga classes, you’ve experienced some interesting pose sequences. (You say crazy, I say interesting!) One of my biggest joys as a teacher is finding new ways to link poses.
Warrior 1 to Warrior 2? Yuck. Warrior 1 into Goddess? Heck yeah.
Pigeon into Down Dog? That’s all well and good, but I think it’s more fun to first go into an opposite-side forearm side plank. Because, abs!
Chair twist right back into Chair? Okay, sure, but how’s about we throw in a Revolved Half Moon? Because we can!
Yoga = Life
But sometimes getting from one pose to another can be tricky. During my boys’ last week of elementary school, I was teaching some particularly funky sequences in what I like to call my Wacky Wednesday class.
At one point, I got the deer-in-headlights, you-want-me-to-do-what look from several students, so I told them, “Sometimes these transitions are magical and feel like a million bucks, but other times, they are awkward and messy as hell, AND THAT’S OKAY.” And just then, as if I had planned it, a student proclaims, “Just like life!”
Bam. Yoga teacher moment of zen right there.
As it happens, the afore-mentioned student is the mom of a kid who is the same age as mine, going through the same major life transition of being done with elementary school and getting ready for middle school. I had been psyching myself out about this for a while.
I look at my boys and can’t believe my babies are almost as tall as me now, with only two years left before they become teenagers. I’m not ready for this! But ready or not, it’s happening.
Thankfully, yoga has taught me that I just need to keep breathing and try to stay present. There is no sense in worrying about what’s coming next. It may feel like a roller coaster ride or it may be smooth sailing, but we’ll get there all the same.
I happily made it through 5th grade awards night and the last day of school without crying, yeah! We still have the whole summer to go before we complete this transition into middle school, but I’m not freaking out yet. One day at a time, one breath at a time.
Y’all can remind me of that come August.