Day 12 of IDJSIJ Challenge - Goals and Gratitude

Today I did my restorative practice as planned, despite a wayward malfunctioning tablet being handed directly to my face from my 9 year old while I was in Savasana. I looked at it for a minute, told my daughter I had no idea what was wrong but I would figure it out later, and sent her on her way. By the time I came downstairs 10 minutes later, she fixed it herself. A mother’s job is never done, even while pretending to be a corpse.

But I ALMOST didn’t do my writing practice, because I spent the last few hours celebrating with old and new yogi friends at my home studio’s 20th anniversary party! Catching up with fellow teachers and eating vegan chocolate cake at Yoga Loka was as much a restorative practice as a snuggling on the floor under a blanket.

I turned to yoga a year after my daughter’s epilepsy brain surgery. After years of specialists, seizures, medications, tests, and the constant stress of parenting a developmentally disabled child, things were finally settling down. The surgery had ended her seizures and she was gaining physical and cognitive advances. Instead of finally relaxing into parenting as her health stabilized, I felt like my mind was fracturing into pieces and I was spiraling out of control. I knew the problem was in my thoughts and I knew I probably needed therapy or medication or something, but I had also heard that meditation could help. I googled around for a studio, and found Yoga Loka in September of 2010. Yoga saved my mental health, and has become the framework for the way I choose to live and find peace in the world. Yoga Loka will always be a second home for me, and Bonnie Pariser holds a special place in my heart as the first teacher who introduced me to this path.

Happy Anniversary to Bonnie at Yoga Loka, and big love to all the wonderful people I’ve met and practiced with over the years. These pictures are of my 200 and 500 hour yoga graduating classes to honor my fellow yoga teacher trainees, and my yoga home. #yogapractice #yogalife #yogachallenge #yoga #restorativeyoga #yogateacher #yogateachertrainee