Lessons from the Mat: Abundance

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m just back from a Thanksgiving Yoga class at Prana Moon in Peekskill. Ellen, the owner and a lovely woman leads a special class each Thanksgiving where students bring cans of food as a donation, instead of paying for the class. It was a great class that included a fun flow, and had unique elements like chants, songs and even a little dance around the space. I left feeling inspired and reminded that gratitude brings joy, and surrender brings freedom. 

On the mat next to me, Briana (also a yoga teacher at Prana Moon) did the whole practice with a cast/boot on her foot! She had broken her foot months ago,  and after a subsequent surgery was still on crutches, her foot still packed up in a black boot. She was a warrior though, doing the whole class alongside of me, modifying when needed and using a chair in place of standing at times. I was amazed and inspired by her strength, and it only motivated me to give my all (no excuses!) and move with grace. I was also reminded what a gift a trying time or challenge can be (if we  choose to let it be). Here she was injured, yet powering through with new awareness of what she is capable of, and new compassion and understanding for those with injuries or disabilities. Not to mention that she will now know be a kick ass chair yoga teacher well if she ever wants to be! She was a real reminder that in every challenge ther is an opportunity for growth, and if we can just grab the good out of a bad situation, we can expand exponentially.  

I was also reminded about abundance. Prana Moon is a studio in the next town over from Ascend, a studio that I teach at on weekends.  Now, in some businesses, I could have been viewed as a teacher coming in from a competing studio (in fact, I came to find out Briana and I even teach classes at the same time on Saturday!) Yet, Ellen lives the yoga she teaches—making me feel completely welcome, even inviting me to participage in her Annual Arts & Crafts fair and encouraging me to post my upcoming retreat on her community bullitan board. She truly embodied the gratitude, joy and abundance she was teaching. And that embodiment is what made the class so powerful. 

So today,  I hope we can all  be reminded of our strength, and the grace that is there to carry us through when we lose our way. That we can operate from a place of gratitude and generosity, and surrender to any kind of fear or mindset that there just isn’t enough. For in giiving, supporting and embracing we always win. Abundance is there for you, and you are more than abundantly enough for anything you desire. Don’t forget that.