Dear Friends,
20 years ago...
I discovered yoga.
I had just graduated college in 2001 and I was drowning as a first-year elementary teacher that got placed in a 1st/2nd combination ELD (English Language Development) classroom in Cupertino with no mentor or co-workers who could guide me, while also taking night courses at Santa Clara University for my Masters in Education.
Yeah, it was a lot.
I never liked yoga before, but everything changed that specific year when I started practicing with Sherry Han. Sherry had a very unique and creative approach to sequencing her classes, and she was super quirky, but honest and real when sharing stories. I gained all the benefits of yoga including strengthening my mind, opening my body, recharging from my exhausting days, getting through a rough first pregnancy...
But what hooked me were her hands-on adjustments.
When I started teaching yoga a few years later, I wanted to share that same connection of physical, hands-on, yummy yummy yummy adjustments with my students.
It's a lot of work to show up on our mats!!! But one little touch, basically a little massage or an assist to deepen in a pose... is my way of saying, "I see you, I feel you, I honor you."
If you are fully vaccinated and also love hands-on adjustments like I do, then I'M HERE FOR YOU!!!
(If you prefer contactless yoga, you are still welcome to practice with us!)
Please join me for YogaBURN Tuesdays at 10:45am or Gentle Vinyasa Yoga Wednesdays at 10:45am at our new Weekday Location: UU Marin!
Our New JULY Schedule!
Thank you to all of you who came this past week to our new weekday venue at UU Marin! We are indoors again which feels a bit strange, but we were able to open some doors to bring in fresh air. If you are still looking for outdoor-only classes, Saturdays at 9:30am will remain at "The Garage" in Terra Linda (covered parking lot with open sides).
This Tuesday, July 13th, please join us at 9:30am as we Stop Drop And Dance for Erin Meyers' birthday!
Don't forget: bring your kids for free when you join!
An extra huge thank you to Andrea Spencer, Sarah Spencer, Stefanie Taylor, and Tiffany McElroy for being the first to try out our new classes!
- YogaBurn Tu 10:45am
- HIIT Camp 30/30 Wed 9:30am
- Gentle Vinyasa Yoga Wed 10:45am
(Hint Hint: small classes equals more hands-on adjustments =)
Please do not come in-person if you have any signs of sickness or have been exposed to someone with Covid-19. Vaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask.
Baby Steps
Recently, I got a notification from YouTube that my Stop Drop And Dance channel reached 1000 subscribers.Immediately, I went to criticizing myself, saying, "1000 is nothing. That's nothing to celebrate." I thought of all the other big channels out there with hundreds of thousands, millions even, of followers. I looked at my own top videos with the highest view counts and was honestly embarrassed to even have them posted because they were taken during the pandemic, in my living room, with a pretty shaky camera. I felt embarrassed to have "just 1000 subscribers."
Toxic self-talk.
Then I coincidentally got an email around the same time from a more recent yoga teacher mentor of mine who teaches specifically yin, Devi Daly. In her newsletter, she happily announced that her Devi Daly Yoga Channel just reached 1000 subscribers. But my reaction for her was so different. I was so genuinely happy for her because Devi is an outstanding Yin Yoga instructor, and she also just started her online business during the pandemic. I believe that her content is amazing and I can imagine her channel to become really successful in a few years. If you do not know her, check out her website athttps://devidalyyoga.com/
Celebrate every step forward.
The timing of Devi's email couldn't have come at a more timely moment.
Speak to ourselves the way we would treat someone else.
Celebrate every success, big or small.
Keep moving forward.
Love yourself.
Trust.
"I might be a work in progress, but everyday I get a little bit wiser, a little bit better, a little bit stronger."
Shine Your Light
Our newest song on our YouTube channel, by Master KG, Akon, and David Guetta, is simple to learn and easy to dance to, but most important is the message:
It's so dark out, world's so dim
Let your light shine from within
No more hatred, let love win
I'm your family, I'm your friend
Enough said.
Love,
Grace
