Growth Comes with Change

Growth Comes with Change

Seeing where the Road Takes You

This May I celebrate four wonderful years of teaching yoga in Hagerstown.  In these years, I’ve taught at a party store, a basement, a sunroom, a gym, a park, a conference room, a high school, a lounge, and a historical loft in downtown Hagerstown.  I’ve met hundreds of people – beginners, intermediates, advanced, healthy, injured, young and old.  And the funny thing is, I still considered myself a new teacher.

I recall my very first class as I nervously stood on my mat and held tightly to my sequence.  I spoke quickly, moved quickly and barely left the safety of my mat.  I also decided to begin teaching mirroring my students while pregnant (not recommended).  After two kids and a whole lot of classes in between, my style evolved into something that reflects who I am today – more confident, flexible.

The most challenging decision I ever made as a yoga teacher was to offer all my classes in an all-levels format.  I may have a sequence prepared for class, but I had to be able to adapt to whoever walked through my door.  I had to quickly access my students’ energy levels as well as physical abilities within the first 10 minutes of class.  I took continuing education classes and read lots of books on how to modify and adapt yoga for each body.

While not every class is perfect, I continue to get better with this format. We should all be open to change, willing to see where the next path will take us.  We may not know what the road looks like or where it will take us, but with confidence, we’ll be able to look back at the changes we’ve made to arrive at our current destination.

Here are 3 tips to help embrace change:

1. Cultivate patience.   We are going to make mistakes.  Take a few deep breaths when life gets frustrating.  Life responds between each of those breaths.
2. Have faith.  We don’t always know exactly how a decision will play out.  Decide to be confident in your choice.  Instead of the constant doubting and worrying, become fully aware and experience joy with the outcome.
3. Stick with it.  Changing habits typically take time (31 is the magic number I’ve read about).   Make a plan and stay with it for a period of time.  (i.e. When incorporating meditation in my daily lifestyle, I failed so many times to stay consistent.  I finally found the right formula for me – 5 minutes a day, anytime during the day.  This was four years ago, and now I almost feel like I’ve forgotten to brush my teeth when I don’t meditate.)

Thank you for the last four years.  It has been a pleasure sharing what I’ve learned about yoga with you.  I’ll always consider myself a student learning from you.

Shine On

Limber Llama Yoga teacher, Jennifer Weiss teaching at Girls Inc. of Washington County.

Shine On

Confidence Sparkles

What would my childhood have been like if I had been exposed to yoga at age 10?  This very question is what led me to begin volunteering with pre-teens and teenagers in Hagerstown.

When I pose this question to my adult students, they sigh, and say life would have been so much easier.  “I would have more confidence in my body.”  “I could have taken more time to react to situations.” “I may have been a more authentic me.”  And the list goes on and on.

All the benefits adults enjoy as a regular yoga practice, teens can experience too.  From the ability to act consciously instead of reacting to a situation to redirecting negative thoughts into positive ones, yoga is a toolbox of movement, breath and mind practices.  This toolbox aids in building self-confidence, gaining greater depth of enjoyment of life, and giving courage to be the real you.

It may not seem like all of these benefits are possible, but let’s break it down.  When a student begins practicing yoga poses (asanas), she first has to let go of what’s happening outside her mat in order to do the pose correctly.  Once she gains some confidence in her Downward Facing Dog, she’ll start to connect her breath to each movement.   Then, she stops the movement, but continues to focus on the breath while calming the mind.

The student then begins to practice self-awareness (paying attention) off the mat.  She takes a breath before speaking.  She understands and communicates the feelings she’s experiencing.  She takes more time to make smart decisions.  She gains more confidence in herself as well as her support system.

Who wouldn’t want these benefits?  And who wouldn’t want to give them to their son or daughter?  During the month of March 2014, teens (ages 10-18) can practice for free when accompanied by a paying adult to any Limber Llama Yoga class.