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I took my youngest in for his birthday check up. He was SO excited. I made a big deal about it. I told him, first see the doctor, then get a toy and a sucker, then we will go have lunch on a patio somewhere with Daddy. He’s got a sunny disposition and based on his actions he was a little combo of nervous and excited. It made me laugh and feel a little excited too.
The doctor walked in hurriedly after my boy aced his hearing and vision tests (I have to brag!) The doctor always starts with his colorful height and weight chart. He shows me where my son is on the chart, how much he’s grown, etc. I never really pay that much attention because (besides knowing which rides he can get on at Six Flags) they are just numbers and honestly I hate that they start their lives being compared to other kids.
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The other day I had a teacher apply at The Yoga Casa. I explained that I was only interested in hiring a body positive yoga teacher; that we are a body positive studio, anti-diet and accepting of all bodies. This teacher went ahead and applied and said, “check out my blog.” So I did. The first article I saw was
“2 Strategies to Conquer Weight Loss.” My heart sank. I have a dear friend who used to work in marketing. I’ve often sought advice from him on a multitude of marketing mishaps. We were looking over some of my numbers once and he said to me “yep, people are kicking your tires.” Kicking my tires? He explained that in the wellness/fitness world people will look and think about and look and think about and look and think some more but they are hesitant to actually set foot in the gym/yoga studio/nutritionist office.
Interesting! Why is this I thought? Why do people ruminate for so long over decisions that are in their best interest? You don’t deliberate over wearing a seat belt. The reasons run deeper than a long windy road but here are my thoughts on it. My life hasn’t been thrilling but I do get a few claims to fame. When I worked at the Four Seasons, I gave a massage to a real life English Lady. Her life was so astounding. She always insisted that I not call her “Lady.” (We were required to call all guests by their formal titles. Everyone feared getting the actual prince of a certain foreign country. His formal title included no less than 10 words, ending in “his royal highness”. I digress.)
The thing about doing massage full time was that I got to work on a lot of people, most on vacation or at the hotel for a wedding or party. I was astonished that I rarely saw people from the many conferences and business events that were happening. Ironically, when people were the most stressed they didn’t have time to get a massage. I feel the same about yoga. It’s when your schedule is frighteningly packed that you can’t make it in. Monday is MLK day and with it will come the monsoon of MLK quotes. I’ll start:
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Great, right? We quote him every year on this sacred day but do we live by his words? Who among us has kept quiet in order to “keep the peace,” to not “ruffle feathers,” to “keep the calm” in the midst of a political storm. Many people I’ve heard from in the yoga community are saying that the tenets of yoga compel us to remain the strong steady force of peace and harmony. That our role is to remain neutral in a down pouring of opinions. Happy New Year Casa Family!!! We made it to 2021! This past year was like no other. We experienced it all...this year long dumpster fire burning with suffering, healing, uncertainty, love, fear, and joy. We were forced to get still, to see what was working for us and to let go of what was definitely not.
Inevitably, this time of year brings with it the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions. These resolutions incite a panic in us or (maybe a funk?) Whatever the mood it seems equal parts antipathy and aversion. Uggggh. My sister lives up north and she hates it. She is so far from our childhood of big sunny Texas skies and sunburnt summers. For her now, the winter sun rises around 10:00am and sets around 3:00pm. The first few years my sister felt real fear as the dark nights approached often saying with a hint of panic in her voice, “winter is coming.” Every year, she has come to look forward to the Winter Solstice and the glimmer of hope it brings.
Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and therefore the shortest day. This year, in the northern hemisphere, we celebrate this dark night on December 21st. Yoga communities honor this time as the blazing rebirth of the sun (as well as a yearly rebirth within ourselves). We take this time to set glowing intentions and to call in what we most desire. We also illuminate what is not serving us and attempt to let it go. The very first time I meditated I was five years old. I remember laying on the grass. I watched the cotton candy clouds floating by slowly, peacefully. I closed my eyes and could feel the vibrations of the ground beneath me. I remember feeling connected to my body and the Earth. I felt my heart beating and I sensed my entire being from my head to my toes. My mind rested.
Of course I did not know I was meditating or even what meditation was, but looking back that is totally what I was doing. I was listening and observing my body; my internal world. I was simply being. I recently learned of a new -ism. You know, like racism, sexism, classism. But have you heard of healthism? Once I researched more I realized that I actually know this -ism all too well. Like a pair of cute jeans that don’t fit but I won’t get rid of, I see it every day. I see it on social media all the time and I myself have unknowingly participated in this mindset. So what is it?
Healthism is another form of shaming people (just like those cute jeans). It is when you believe that your way of being healthy is THE way and everyone else needs to pull up their big girl panties and get in line. There is an awesome scene from the Netflix series “Shrill” that exemplifies this. The main character (who is in a bigger body) is approached while getting coffee by a very well meaning, adorable and ENTHUSIASTIC fitness buff. The fitness buff insists that the main character has a skinny girl inside her just waiting to come out. In the book the series is based on, the writer jokes that the fitness buff makes it sound as if she has accidentally eaten the pretty little skinny girl. It’s funny but also great example of healthism at its best. My friend is at home with her two sons. She wakes up to find them eating ice cream from the freezer. She takes the ice cream away and makes them a nutritious breakfast. The next morning she hears them getting into the freezer again and repeats the same steps. The third morning she’s in the shower enjoying the hot water, the silence, the time for herself, the steam and the delicious feeling of getting clean and ready for the day. She hears the freezer crack open. She sighs. The kids have ice cream for breakfast that day.
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LoraRead my thoughts on yoga, teaching, parenting and everything in between. Shout out to Tiffany Stewart for help with the writing. Archives
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