When I cannot find the words to say what I am feeling, I often can find that someone else has already said them. I found what I was looking for after several days of digging around in poetry books, newsletters, and yoga teacher training readings. In his book The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life Parker Palmer says,

“The courage to teach is the courage to keep one’s heart open in those very moments when the heart is asked to hold more than its able, so that teacher and students and subjects can be woven into the fabric of community that learning and living, require.”

As any mother can attest, my experience with my first child has changed my perspective on many things. From how many hours of sleep a human needs to effectively function (less than you think).  How success is not determined by productivity (slow down). How leaning in to the littlest moments of life that bring the richest contentment (her first smile, the sound of her breath as she sleeps, her tiny hand clasped around my finger). My heart has never been so full. It feels like it can not possibly hold anymore. I know that this is exactly where I am meant to be: caring for and watching my daughter grow each and everyday. I will be honest, there were several times this winter I was not sure I wanted to return to teach, but I know that my heart is calling me to do more. 

The warm, sunny studio at Coconut Yoga will be my home base this year. You can catch me on Tuesdays at 9:30am for a Sunrise Flow starting March 19th. We will move through a full body practice that is centered on the seasonal, lunar, and daily shifts in the world around us. All levels welcome! The first class is near the Spring Equinox. It is perfect time to start new routines as it is a time of new growth and increasing light. We will be focusing on balance and equilibrium. Light and dark. Softening and strengthening. Holding on and letting go. Yin and yang. Chocolate and vanilla (Ok, maybe not the last one…). 

After living and experiencing the prenatal and postnatal body this past year, I think that this population of women need some extra love and care. I will be turning my attention to creating workshops, events, and courses that will focus specifically on journey into motherhood. It is a new passion of mine, as yoga has empowered me to feel embodied, balanced, and nourished during my pregnancy, birth, and postnatal journey.  I will also be available for perinatal individual sessions, as I can attest, this journey is very personal and each woman’s experience is unique. More on this, embodiment, and the art of paying attention in future blog posts (and baby yoga pictures).

Mark your calendars for my first prenatal workshop on April 27th at Coconut Yoga with the brilliant Rachelle Malik, The Food Therapist. We will focus on cultivating a balanced, healthy body and mind throughout pregnancy with yoga and nutrition. 

I am still on the sub list all over town, so keep an eye on my IG and FB for cameo appearances at other times and at other studios.

Love & light, 

Kristin