Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for supporting me, for coming to my classes, for teaching me and for reading this. I want to dedicate this newsletter to you, my community, and to the power you have to make each of us grow, laugh and heal. You hold us accountable and you hold us together. With you, I will not fall apart.
The last couple of week have been so wonderful. My schedule is upside down and I hardly have any time to sit down. But classes are back and I am getting so much joy and wellbeing from sharing time with my students. I can feel their warmth even through a screen.
With Kia, we sometimes start class by reciting the Buddhist prayer of the 3 refuges (more on this below) which acknowledges sangha, community, as one of these refuges. Having connected with Mysore Yoga Paris over the lockdown period has been a life saver: with Kia’s support, we have explored all that postures, pranayama and meditation has to offer, looking out for each other, whether we have met in person or not. I have never met Patsy, for example, but every time Kia gave her a ‘very good’ I smiled, happy for her. Same with Laura, Arnaud, Roberta and so many others … I call them my family.
The current situation, so full of uncertainty, is challenging. But it also holds opportunities. This morning, I practiced with my Stockholm-Mairena family, expertly guided by Agneta who, on Thursdays, comes to see her Glasgow community. This is truly ONE world. My community helps me to see that and not only what separates us. Often, I meet with some of you for coffeeasana, a Rosina invention and gift that every yoga community should adopt.
In our communities, we grow together, we get inspired by each other. We are reminded we are not alone, not for one moment. Even when injured, we are not alone. My community motivates me to get up and practice, to keep up a discipline that I know makes me healthier, a nicer person, more resilient, more loving. It helps me to explore my patterns and supports me to change those that are unhelpful. What makes us connect is commitment and devotion to a practice that requires listening and softening. And when we meet we do just that, listen and soften, as we walk on this shared journey together. I feel so blessed, so lucky to have you all.
Laura x
https://www.lauragonzalez.co.uk/yoga |