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When I saw the banner for “Spirit Halloween” up on the storefront yesterday, my first thought was:

“Nooooooo…I’m not ready.”

Funny thing, because my cousin had texted me the night before, sharing how she scored a bunch of skeleton animals that my mother & I could use when we participate in a trunk or treat this year…I’m not ready:)

I know there are a lot of Halloween (& Christmas) lovers out there – I love these holidays too. Part of it is, I’m not ready for that yet. But the other part is…how about we slow down & just enjoy where we are today. It is that time of year: August. And now, almost 1/2 way through August. School starts soon. There’s a shift in energy. People start to look forward more – maybe too far forward. Any day now, my mother will start saying “It’s almost Labor Day. Then it’ll be Halloween & Thanksgiving. Next thing you know, it’s Christmas.” (Not ready!)

But along these line, I saw a great video after I saw the Halloween banner. Someone was asked what he would do if he were offered 10 million dollars – would he accept it? Of course, the reply was “yes.” But then, what if it meant that he wouldn’t wake up tomorrow? The answer changed to “no”. So that means that today is worth 10 million dollars.

Think about that for a moment (if your decisions would be the same).

Today is worth (at least) 10 million dollars. I would argue that today is priceless.

So let’s not rush it. Sure – look ahead & plan. But when you start feeling frantic & getting carried away, just stop for a moment & take a deep breath in…and out (maybe come in & join us for class). Allow yourself to feel & enjoy the value of this day.

A few weeks ago, I heard someone mention the idea of a “3rd place” – maybe you’ve heard about it.

You have the place you live – that’s your 1st place

Most people have work – that’s your 2nd place

Then, you have your 3rd place – a place like church or the gym or…well, these are the only two 3rd places I can think of, other than (wait for it)…

A yoga studio! (Specifically, Sanctuary)

Now before you think my blog has turned into a another shameless promo post, give me a minute & keep reading.

Turns out, it’s not a new idea (just new to me). The term was coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his book The Great Good Place back in 1989. He used it to describe spaces that are neither home nor work, but are essential for community building, interaction & a sense of belonging.

We all need a place, or places, where we can be. With ourselves, with others, in connection & community. We used to have more places like this – we’d meet at the local market, maybe at soda counter, even the gas station. Our worlds were smaller & so we saw each more often & there were more places where we could connect & be in community.

(I still sometimes manage to connect at the gas pump, but most of the time the line is 6 deep at BJs & I just drive away😂).

Home & work. These are places we go where we see familiar faces & we can be. (Ok, maybe not always with work). 

Sanctuary is a great 3rd place. It fits all the “requirements” that define a 3rd place, but more than that…it’s just a great place to be. If you are missing something & you’re not sure what it is, it might be this…your 3rd place. A place where you are welcome. Where you see familiar faces. Where you can begin to soften & open & connect to receive & give support. Its no small feat these days. If you’ve been away for a while or haven’t even be in yet…stop in for class & experience why Sanctuary would be a great 3rd place for you.

In each of our family vehicles, we have a 1st aid kit. We learned the hard way. We went away last year to Vermont, for an overnight ski trip. When we arrived at out hotel, we thought we’d have snacks & make dinner. Within the first 30 minutes, our son cut his thumb while cutting bread. He did not need stitches, but he needed some good bandaids. We didn’t have any. The hotel didn’t have any. The supermarket in town was closed for renovations. My husband drove 20-30 minutes to get to CVS to get bandaids. Again, fortunately, our son didn’t need stitches & he was able to get his hand in ski gloves & on his poles the next day, so we could ski.

This is not a blog about our (almost a fail) ski trip.

It’s about what we keep in our cars for “emergencies”. One of the women who comes to the studio keeps her bike on the back of her Jeep, because sometimes she unexpectedly has time for a bike a ride. My mom keeps clippers in her car, in case she passes pretty flowers on the road. I have a friend keeps a potty in her car, for her kids. I keep a couple yoga mats in my Jeep – one for me & one for anyone else who may need one. I also keep my swim bag with me because I never know when I might be able to get in a swim.

So I guess it’s not so much about what we keep in our cars for emergencies, but maybe more about what we keep with us that we might need – sometimes for emergencies, but sometimes for fun. I think it’d be good if we keep more stuff for fun with us, so maybe we can allow more time for fun. And really, you don’t need anything extra for fun. Just a willingness to give yourself some space for it.

Did you see the Eversource trucks around this past week? There were a lot them, after the storm. On the side of a few trucks I saw the catch phrase:

Energy Connects Us

It’s true. Energy does connect us. But maybe not in the way they mean.

Thank goodness for electricity…& generators:) But the connections we get through the internet, social media, youtube – that’s not the energy that connects or powers us, is it?

I don’t think it is.

The energy that connects & powers us is real connection & community. I’ve been saying this a lot lately. It’s what brings people into the studio to practice. The opportunity to connect with the energy of other people. To look people in the eyes. To smile & have someone smile back. To be greeted & welcomed & seen. To share a challenging moment together.

To support each other.

Energy connects us. You can feel it when we practice together. So if you need a boost to your energy – come practice with us this week.

I’m sure that I have written this blog before, but when I went looking for it in my “archives” I couldn’t find it…

4th of July – Independence Day.

I get it. I get why we have it. But it’s interesting, because we place so much emphasis on independence. The independence of our country, trying to get our kids (at an awfully young age, in my opinion) to be independent, as individuals – thinking that we need to be independent enough that we can do “it” (whatever it is) on our own.

But we need each other. Plain & simple. We need connection & community. It’s part of why I think the practice is so powerful. On the one hand, we can turn our attention inward & focus on ourselves. On the other hand, when we come together & practice in community – we are that much stronger. The connections we make on the mat, help carry us off the mat.

We can still celebrate our independence, but let’s also acknowledge the value of interdependence.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a bunch of ideas for blogs – I get them in “weird” moments…hanging clothes on the line, standing in line at the grocery store, in the bathroom. Most of the time, I don’t want to stop or pause what I’m doing, to pick up my phone & write or dictate notes to myself. The phone feels so intrusive. 

Sometimes I’ll keep reminding myself of my idea(s) until I get a moment to take some notes (I guess I could keep a small notepad on me at all times – that feels like work though). But often, life happens & I lose the ideas.

That’s why there was no blog last Monday – if you follow these Monday mornings, you probably noticed. I know at one point, I had at least 2 good ideas for blogs. But when the end of the week rolled around…I had nothing:)

Liz Gilbert talks about this is her book “Big Magic” – one of my favorite books for life & yoga! She says ideas come to us to – they’re genius. I am not a genius – but I do feel like I am visited by something (that she calls genius) when my writing & teaching flow. She also says that if you sit around for too long, or get distracted & don’t act on your idea (with) the genius – it’ll leave you. It’ll go find someone else who is showing up & putting in the effort & it’ll deliver a package of inspiration or genius to them.

You might have noticed that I just said, “showing up & putting in the effort”. Because she talks about that a lot to. You can’t just sit down one day & write an award winning novel (or maybe you can?). You have to show up. Not just with writing, but with anything. I use this in teacher training. You might show up & teach an amazing class & everyone will tell you how inspiring & wonderful you are. But you might also show up & teach a regular, solid class & everyone politely thanks you & leaves. Or, you might not feel like showing up, but you do & you teach a mediocre class & everyone leaves without saying a word. You have to show up. Before you can even show up & actually teach, you have to show up & practice teaching! Before you can do that…you just have to show up. For yourself. For others. In life. Show up, put in right effort…not just effort, but right effort – that comes from the Yoga Sutras. I also think you have to give yourself credit for that. Whether it’s a good class or not, whether it’s a good day or not. Show up, right effort & give yourself credit.

I used to get bummed out about missing ideas. But I’ve gotten better about letting them go. I hope they find someone else who does a better job in expressing them. And while I would love to always teach a wonderful & inspiring class – mostly I practice showing up.

As an aside – this was going to be a short blog about how I had nothing to write last week. Then I sat & wrote…& kept writing because I think I got visit from genius. Please note! I am NOT a genius:) But I had a dozen other things that I should have been doing in the time I took to stay with this to get it all down. Showing up. Right effort. 

And if it had turned out to be a short blog about nothing? That would have been fine too. It’s a practice.

I took a great, fun flow class at the Berkshire Yoga Festival this weekend. During class, maybe near the end, the teacher said yoga was “magic”. 

I feel that. Yoga feels like magic to me. It was especially apropos for me, because I just had taken a workshop, right before the class, that left me wondering what I was doing. Was teaching yoga something I had done for so long, I just did it? Or was it something I still truly loved. 

The class reaffirmed for me my love of the practice. Mind you, it’s not like I had been questioning my love of practicing & teaching leading up to the weekend. It was just some things that the workshop leader said & asked. (Isn’t it funny how we let other people get in our heads?).

So the “magical” flow class afterwards was just what I needed. (Isn’t it funny how the Universe does that?). I feel the magic in the practice – when I teach & when I practice. Not every time! But I feel it.

But I don’t think it’s magic. I think it’s the effort & the commitment (ooh…scary words) &self-love that goes into the practice. Into showing up really. You have to love & care about yourself enough to commit to taking care of yourself. To commit to showing up. If you’re just going through the motions, getting on your get just to get it done? It’s being present. For yourself, with yourself – even for others & with others. It can feel like magic, but there’s so much more to it.

Maybe I’m just splitting hairs! But I think expectations, especially for immediate gratification, can mess stuff up. The practice is challenging & messy & again, it asks you to show up, whole-heartedly. So if you think you’re going to just hop on your mat & have some magical, transformative experience…well…you might! But you might not. And if that keeps you from getting on your mat again & again & again (there’s the effort & commitment & self-love), then you won’t feel the magic. And more than that – you won’t feel the rewards & benefits of the whole of the practice in the whole of your life & your being. Because there’s the real magic (hint – it’s not magic). The change that comes when you show up, even when it doesn’t feel magical.

Last week I asked if it was worth it? Yes.

When I told my 10 year old niece that I had bought Vans hightops (she had a pair of Converse), she said “good luck getting those on”😂

She wasn’t wrong.

I wanted a fun pair of sneakers for summer & found these on FB marketplace – they were a bargain. But unlacing them, so I could relace them, so I could wear them, I wondered if maybe I had made a mistake. It’s a lot of laces.

But…after that first time…I developed a system…which sounds like a ridiculous thing to say. They do take longer to get on than slipons & other “regular” lace up shoes. But it’s not a big deal.

It got me thinking, obviously. What is the big deal? I (kind of) get it with my 10 year old niece. She’s 10. 5 minutes is like a lifetime, especially if you want to get out to play. But maybe that’s where it starts? Because at 56 years old, if I can’t take 2 minutes to lace up my shoes? If I can’t wait patiently in the check out line at the grocery store? 

Yoga helps a lot with patience. I’m know I’ve talked about it in class…are you rushing into the pose, just so you can rush out. Are you rushing into class just so you can rush out? What is the rush? Just to get to the next thing? And then the next? Where does it end?

I love the sneakers. They’re fun. I don’t mind the extra.

The other day, I emptied the dishwasher. It is one of my least favorite tasks to do in my home…actually I think it is my least favorite. I avoid it. I would rather handwash a sink full of dirty dishes (we have a 17 year old – our sink gets full a lot) than empty the dishwasher. At any early age, our son was assigned this task as one of his responsibilities. No matter what I tell myself…that it’s a luxury, that we’re lucky to have one, that it only takes 5 minutes…I still avoid it.

But, I emptied the dishwasher. As I finished, I thought “what’s the big deal?” Because it isn’t, right? Because it does only take a few minutes & it is a luxury & it’s easy to do it.

I realized I have probably put more effort into avoiding emptying the dishwasher than is required to actually empty it.

How often does that happen to you? 

Maybe you avoid emptying the dishwasher too:) But really, I’m talking about other stuff. The stuff we go to great lengths to avoid. The stuff that takes a lot of effort to avoid. The stuff we don’t want to deal with. Sometimes it’s external stuff, like the dishwasher & people or situations. But so often, it’s internal. 

THIS is what makes the yoga practice so challenging. You can only avoid chatarunga for so long before you realize, it’s not the pose you’re avoiding – it’s a part yourself that you’re avoiding. As a culture – we’re good at avoiding. We’ve set ourselves up (with distractions at the tips of our fingers) so we can avoid ourselves.

But you get on your mat & there you are. Inevitably, if you’re going to stick with the practice, you have to stop avoiding. It’s challenging. It might even be scary at times.

But is it worth it? You tell me.

On Saturday in class, I talked about “The Murph”. It was an idea I had – something that was in in my head before class. But full disclosure – it wasn’t fully formed. That happens sometimes when I’m teaching. Sometimes I let the idea settle back down for another day. But on Saturday, I ran with it.

If you don’t know what the Murph is, it’s a Crossfit thing – I think it’s pretty cool. I had friend who was doing it on Saturday & another friend who owns Crossfit & they were doing it. I think all Crossfit gyms do it on Memorial Day weekend. It sounds hard: 1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1 mile run. With a weighted vest, if you choose. It’s done in honor of a soldier, Micheal Murphy, who gave his life in a effort to save fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. It was his “regular” workout. Crossfit gyms picked it up as a way to honor him & everyone who has served our country. That’s why they do it on Memorial Day weekend (remember, that’s why we have Memorial Day – to remember the folks who died in service of our country).

Anyway…back to Saturday’s class.. If you were in class & couldn’t figure out why the heck I was telling you about the Murph…

Like I said, it was in my head – just an idea. The Spirit of it – it’s importance.

We had a couple new people in class that morning – they clearly had not expected class to be what it was (Saturday morning Power Flow!). It looked like they thought it was hard (like the Murph). But they weren’t alone. I was moved when I saw the folks next to the new people help them out – show them how to use a block, give them encouragement. Even more than that – we were all in it together. Moving at your own pace, on your own mat, with your own intention…but with a shared intention to practice together, to connect & support each other (like all the people who do the Murph – at their own pace, in their own gym, but with a shared intention). 

So that’s it. Whether it’s yoga or Crossfit or whatever you do – we’re all in this together.

We can’t do this thing called life without each other.

I think it’s good to remember that today & every day.