Fall into your Flow
Dear Soul Dive,
As much as I’ve grown to love the desert, I must confess...I miss Chicago and really miss the seasons. I miss the first blustery days of fall, cozying up by a fire and ordering a ridiculous seasonal latte at some bougie coffee shop after a yoga practice. I miss the days where the weather forces you to stay home and requires you to rest. I miss being grateful for a sunny day and the blessing of a rainy weekend. I miss the fact that despite the misery and harshness of Chicago’s weather, the hustle of city life and the lack of space, I was very much at home in the second city. I had my routine, knew all my neighbors and never needed a reservation.
Moving to California was indeed a culture shock, but a delayed one. Moving during the pandemic was like a dream. Constant sunshine, ample time and no need for plans. Life went back to normal and the reality set in. I felt like a stranger in my own home and honestly still do sometimes. The moment the world was business as usual I was opening a business and my world couldn’t have been more unusual.
Acclimating to a new city, weather patterns, critters, social scenes and all the rest was like landing on Mars with no guidebook. You guys…California is different, don’t even argue that. Sometimes what comes out of my mouth is “so California” I can’t even believe I said it. But here I am, leaning into the wild wild west of America’s perpetually young, wild and free state. And I opened a yoga studio…Sometimes you just have to be the cliche.
I often wonder why. Why was I called to open Soul Dive? What’s it all for? One of the easiest answers is this: so people have a place to go. I think back to my years and years in Chicago and how ready I was to leave long before I did. I overstayed for many reasons, but the biggest was yoga. I loved my studio, I loved practicing, learning and teaching there. I was so in my flow. But the practice does some funny things to us. It pushes us outside of our comfort zones, challenges us off the mat and somehow gives us the courage to take the leap.
Yoga actually works down in your soul and allows for exponential growth. You’ve heard it before, the mat is your mirror. Everything that shows up for you in the real world gets worked out on the mat - if you’re honest and you let it. And trust me, ain’t no hiding from what needs to come up. Allow it, or you’ll get a force quit.
So are you allowing or are you hiding? We’re in the final week of our Fall into Flow Challenge. 21 classes in 31 days. I’d love to hear how this is going. What shifts you’ve noticed and perhaps what resistance comes up for you. Afterall, we don’t always love what comes up. But if we practice, we know it doesn’t last forever. So promise me this: once you’ve fallen back in flow, stay there.
In many ways we’re always finding our flow. There’s no permanence and we’re constantly asked to adjust. Finding the equilibrium, maintaining the balance between creating and allowing. It requires practice and that’s why we’re here. So you have a place to go, to roll out your mat and practice being in flow.
This Tuesday, Yoga 101 & Yin, will earn you DOUBLE STICKERS in the Fall Back in Your Flow Challenge!
Help us spread the gospel of Yoga and let other people know how special our community is here at Soul Dive Yoga by writing us a review.
Big Love,