Branching Out

A few days ago, the Yoga-fy tip of the day was, "branch out." That is just what we're doing with Yoga on the Go. This week we were in Encinitas, CA, which is something of a yoga mecca on the West Coast. While there, we were fortunate enough to squeeze in some visits to local yoga sites between meals with family and friends.

First, we paid a visit to the meditation gardens at Paramahansa Yogananda's Self Realization Fellowship. The gardens are an immaculately peaceful oasis in the middle of bustling civilization. The SRF definitely has a large presence in town.

Later, we took a class with Lauren from Yoga Swamis, and learned a bit about how the community is handling the recent disappearance of the famous Yoga Yurt. Everyone seems to sorely miss the Yurt, and other studios are generously offering up their space for the teachers to continue their donation classes and community service. Lauren taught a fantastic class with fun mood lighting and original sequencing in a style that clearly came from her heart. Thanks, Lauren!

After that, we took a hot class at Yoga Tropics. The Bikram style class was new for me, and I really enjoyed it. This also led to the Yoga-fy tip about branching out. We can tend to cling to a certain style of yoga that resonates with us. This is, of course the best way to take our studies to a deeper,  more focused place. Yet, we shouldn't forget that yoga has as many different facets as there are different people. It's said that the sage Patanjali had a crown of a thousand cobra heads that could teach as many people their individual yoga at once. In a similar way, modern yoga's plethora of styles offer something for everyone. It's imperative also to remember that we can each learn something from every style. Remaining open to diversity expands our knowledge and consciousness, both on the mat and off.

Now, we're on the road to San Francisco for about a day, so I'm wishing and hoping to fit in at least one class there. It's going to be an action-packed day, though, so keep your fingers crossed.

NAMASTE!