A message from Kimberly! "The last few weeks have been exciting, overwhelming, and both mentally and emotionally exhausting. My husband and I purchased his family farm homestead and attempted a complete renovation of the interior in a 3 week period and to move our household in 3 days. As a Pitta constitution (if you are in the yoga world you get me) and a type A personality, the chaos was overwhelming! There were moments when I wanted to just sit down and cry (and one when I did)!
As I type this I am still surrounded by chaos: unpainted walls, unfinished floors, one working bathroom as the other is being slowly renovated, no curtains, and my new best friend is Tim the electrician! Physically I pushed my body to the max from heavy lifting, moving, cleaning, removing wallpaper, and constant up and down a ladder from sunrise to sunset painting . . . every, room, in, the, house. I am so blessed by Jennifer Snider who took over many of my classes the past few weeks. Thank you to my students for your kindness and attentiveness to her!
But on Monday I returned to teaching yoga. My entire body ached, even the hairs on my head. You would think this physical activity would be good for the body. But pushing myself so hard (especially at my age (no age jokes appreciated here ;)), is not healthy. I learned that when I returned to my mat.
I hear a lot of people comment that their jobs are physically demanding, they are exhausted when they get home, so they don't need to work out. In the midst of moving I participated in a Yin yoga class from one of my teacher trainees who was teaching his practicum as a requirement to graduate from my Yoga Teacher Training Program. Yin Yoga consists of deep stretches with long holds. I learned my respite from yoga had its repercussions. Even though I physically pushed myself in other ways, I learned through this class I was losing my flexibility (thank you Pete Jay). On Monday, when I returned to teaching, I felt every sore and tense muscle, every constriction in my body from repetitive movements, the stiffness in my neck from constantly looking up at ceilings (I texturized 3 of them), and the soreness in my glutes and quads. But after class, I felt energized, oxygenated and refreshed. The movement of yoga releases constriction in the body, moves lymphatic fluid, brings oxygen to muscles and cells, but best of all, brings calm in the chaos.
I offer this because of the lesson I learned from (not) being on my yoga mat in the hopes that if yoga/movement/stretching is not part of your wellness, you schedule time for it, whether it is on a mat or on a chair during your lunch break. To your health."
Current opportunities to experience yoga at the studio: Morning Yoga Flow M/W 8:15 am Flow and Unwind Tues/Thurs 7:45 pm Senior Strength, Flexibility and Balance (St. Charles Seminary - Carthagena (open to the public) ~ Tuesday's at 10:30 am Foundations of Yoga - Wednesday's 6:30 pm. Private sessions are also available. Watch for more specialized classes in the future. I hope to see you on the mat! xo Kimberly Oen