Together again
Yoga District’s H Street Studio (Photo credit: Yantar Yoga)
As yoga studios around DC re-open, I am rediscovering the power of shared energy present while practicing in a shared space. Online classes have made all the difference during COVID, allowing yogis to still feel connected to each other and a larger community, but the experience was never quite the same. Technology challenges don’t help either, all too often distracting both teachers and students from the practice itself. It’s good to be back in person, safely.
After two of my beloved nearby studios - Be Here Now Yoga and Realignment Studio - closed permanently because of the pandemic, I found my new yoga home at Yoga District. With several studios across the city and a continued online and hybrid offering, Yoga District offers a great variety of affordable classes suited to diverse needs and styles in a belief that yoga is accessible for all and that no one should be turned away for the lack of funds. I also love the eco-friendly approach: most studios are powered by renewable energy including wind power and use green products, from toilet paper and hand soap to mat-cleaning solution.
In my previous blog I talked about the inner calling to share yoga with others as a form of service and an expression of compassion. One of my favorite yoginis, Kino MacGregor, recently wrote a great blog on what it means to be a teacher of yoga - phrasing intentionally different from yoga teacher to emphasize the teaching part and not the yoga. She talks about practical considerations and caveats from financial struggles for many who decide to make teaching their livelihood to the unavoidable tension between devoting more time to teaching than our own practice. If you are a fellow yoga teacher or think about becoming one, this is a great read.
I don’t necessarily think of my Self as a yoga teacher - yet or maybe ever. For me, the experience I treasure is that of a fellow traveler on a yoga journey who hopefully has something useful to share and not just in the asana space. To quote another great yogi, true living master Dharma Mittra: “If you have a little spiritual knowledge, you should share it. This is the greatest form of charity. As long as I am in good health physically and mentally, I plan to teach and share what I know to help others.” That’s the plan anyway.