A Balm for the Soul
I first started practicing yoga in high school on the advice of my therapist to help with my anxiety (20+ years ago!). When I moved to Greenville in 2008, I was thrilled to find Greenville Yoga 4 blocks from my rental house and immediately started attending classes with Caroline on Monday and Wednesday nights. As my career and schedule changed, I was thrilled to find a more intimate Tuesday and Thursday class with Liz D. While I continue my yoga practice as self-care, I was pleasantly surprised when week after week, friendships grew among my classmates. That had never happened at my other studios - we talk about the studio being our "third place" and it's so true for me!
I'm a very structured person (some would say I have "control issues"), and I've already worked from home for the past 10 years. When the world shut down in March 2020 we all thought this was only a two week shut down, and I already had my daily work schedule in place - so it never even occured to me to stop attending class. When it became obvious that this would last MUCH longer than two weeks, continuing my practice only made sense given the rush of anxiety (and lack of control) that was happening around me. The transition to virtual classes was seamless - and seeing my yoga friends week after week before and after class was a balm for my soul. It was reassuring to know that we were all being as safe as possible so we can be together again as soon as we're able. Also, what the heck else was I going to do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, sit around and freak out for 3 hours a week? Plus, watching us all practice with (and around) our pets brings MORE than a "seed of a smile"
I'm feeling more confident getting out and about and love that our little yoga family are checking in each week, celebrating everyone's vaccination status and keeping each other's spirits up. I think the only way my practice will change is when our class is ALL comfortable practicing in person again. IN OUR NEW STUDIO HOME! Not having to practice with my dogs barking in the next room and the robot vacuum getting stuck on things will be a GODSEND.
