The yoga world is changing. Yoga studios are temporarily, and in some cases permanently closed. This is a difficult reality to accept and will be met with grief. What does this mean for practitioners, teachers and studio owners? Change brings about opportunity. With each end, a new beginning is on the horizon.

You’ve heard the old adage, “change is inevitable.” When things are comfortable it is a great one-liner to throw out in support of someone going through a challenging time. Yet when we ourselves are in the violent throes of change, we want so desperately for things to go back to the way they were. There is no comfort in knowing that change is part of the deal and as long was we are breathing, we will face that change and turmoil.

The Reality of Change

Unfortunately, life is not intended to be easy. Life will inevitably challenge you, and hurt you, and show you time and again that you are never safe from pain. As human beings we are hard wired for self-protection. We will do anything to withstand any unwanted change and its consequent hardships. And yet, it always has a way of finding us.

Studio Closure

Last week one of my favorite yoga studios in Vernon, British Columbia closed its doors. Located a 45-minute drive from my in-laws home, I would make the trip as often as I could when we were out for a visit. When I heard the news, my heart sank.

This is not the first studio closure I have survived. My first was my home studio. The place where I took my first hot yoga class, the place I gained confidence, the space I started my teaching career. It was the space where my life started.

In the weeks that followed the closure, I thought I was never going to be whole again. Where was I going to go everyday? What about all the faces I might never see again? I didn’t just lose a yoga studio, I lost a community of people who bled sweat and tears with me for years. I lost all that. For those grieving the loss of your home studio, I know where you’re at.

Grief

Brene Brown teaches us that grief is not limited to the loss of a loved one. Grief can be the loss of anything we hold dear: a space, an idea or even a concept. And grief, my friend, is horrible. It is likely the most undesirable human experience. When it descends upon you, it hurts like hell.

An experience of collective pain does not deliver us from grief or sadness… These moments remind us that we are not alone in our darkness and that our broken heart is connected to every heart that has known pain since the beginning of time.

Brene Brown, Braving the wilderness

My advice: give yourself at least 40 days to grieve. During that time, new routines or spaces will feel strange. This is normal. If you notice any slight desperation for the return of what you once knew, this is grief. Try not to shy away from it, become aware of it. This too is normal.

When my studio closed, I tried out a bunch of new studios and judged them harshly for all the ways they were different. It wasn’t that they were doing anything wrong. It was my grief. I wanted what I had back. My studio, my community, my yoga and my teaching. I wanted it the way I had it. It was the place I was most comfortable doing it. I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable doing what I love doing. Grief.

The Practice of Yoga and Movement

Yoga is the practice of change and of evolution. This occurs both inside and out. While you may develop an attachment to a specific style of yoga or space for your yoga, your practice is not actually dependant on anything outside of you. In fact, your evolution as a practitioner requires you to move without them. Your practice is there for you always. All you need is time and space to do it.

About 40 days after the closure, I decided to join another studio in the city. It was a beautiful space. Bright with natural light. A welcoming community and a kind and loving owner. I practiced there over the months that followed and then began to teach. I have been there ever since. In time I grew to love my new home immeasurably. For all the ways it is different from my original home studio and for the ways it is similar.

I look forward to returning and practicing alongside my friends and students. I expect it will be different but I am prepared for any eventuality.

Online Yoga: The New Normal.

Quarantine has opened my heart to the power of the home practice. I have a one-year-old son so before now, my practice was limited to 2-3 times a week in-studio. Now I am able to practice every day! Live, online classes are incredible. They have the ability to bring practitioners together and connect you, in real time with the instructor.

No. It’s not the same experience as in studio but there are some incredible benefits to establishing a routine at home. First of all, practicing yoga at home decreases the spread of Covid-19, it keeps practitioners connected to one another virtually and keeps you motivated in your practice by working with a teacher in realtime.

You will find a new home for your journey, for your yoga and for your movement. In this time, it may even be in your home amidst the craziness of your family and fur-babies. Your practice and the experience will be different. In time, I expect you will understand the benefits of this experience and of the changes you’ve weathered along the way.

From my highest to yours, Sara.