Goodbye 2010, Namaste 2011

Another 3.5 more hours and the year will be up.  Needless to say, 2010 simply flew by, and as I sit in the comfort of my own home with loved ones (instead of joining party revelers in crowded malls and pubs as they await the New Year's countdown), I think fondly of how the past 12 months have treated me. 

• My yoga practice has grown from strength to strength.  But I also recognise that the practice has had its peaks and troughs.  To quote one of my favourite Yogaglo teachers, Kathryn Budig, "some days I feel like a rockstar, and some days I just feel like a rock".  
• I love teaching yoga.... but I am a student of yoga, first.
• My third (and definitely not last) trip to Mysore, India delivered me to the presence of two great teachers in Hatha Yoga and Yoga Therapeutics.  In less than 4 weeks, my notebook was already full of notes, but my heart and mind were immersed with knowledge and shanti.
• There are so many (popular) yoga masters out there, and some shalas have, to an extent formed a cult-like association with that particular yoga style... yet those who seek will truly find the hidden gemstones among the Masters.
• It is not YOU who turns away from Yoga Therapeutics, dismissing its importance in the yoga equation... is your EGO.
• Yoga is not about achieving that much-admired pretzel posture (ok ok, it does look good on the Facebook profile page), but more so, Yoga is about balance... a fine line between nurturing softness with substance.
• Teaching at a yoga studio can sometimes be equated to working towards a slice of partnership in a law firm.  However, when the slice is offered, you get a chance to look closely at the ingredients, and realize that it may not be that delectable in the first place.
• Nothing is permanent... but honestly, non-attachment is also one of the hardest practice of all.
• You start where you are, and your yoga practice will take you there.  And where 'there' is, is exactly where you need to be. 

So as 2010 draws to an end, and the world celebrates a brand new year, I think about my New Year resolution (and creepily, I hear my mind's voice singing "I wanna be a billionaire, so friggin' bad, buy all the things I never had).


But instead, my affirmation would be to continue to do my best work.  I will infuse my teaching with enthusiasm and energy, thus making each class a gift to those who come to the mat.  I will continue to be fully present, as a yoga student, teacher and friend, to nurture, support and to do my part with humility and gratitude. 


Someone once asked me, "wouldn't you want to some day own a studio and leave behind a legacy"?  Well, if I could just touch and change one person's life for the better through yoga, THAT would be my legacy.

Happy New Year, everyone.  May 2011 bring you amazing adventures for the body, mind and heart.  Peace, love and joy always.

xx