Transformation
We all come to yoga in different ways. Typically, it is the desire to have an “off” day from another form of exercise. I get emails weekly from those interested in attending classes at the studio, looking for a “filler” on those days they are not running, cycling, weight training, etc.
That was my path, to a certain extent. I wanted to heal a few running injuries, knowing that I needed to stretch those muscles that were tightening up due to repetitive movement. Over and over, I would physically heal then hit the road again, ignoring my fledgling yoga practice, only to be found back on the mat a few months later. Yoga overtook running. It became my exercise. Over time, something changed. Not just my body, which was becoming stronger, leaner, more flexible, but my state of well being. I became less reactive to what I perceived as discomforts, whether they were work issues, interpersonal relationships, general annoyances….those items that were once sticky, suddenly drifted away. I felt (and feel) connected to a much larger purpose. I made changes in my life. I took needed risks. I felt (and feel) alive. Whole. Transformed.
Teaching at a yoga retreat in Costa Rica, I witnessed transformation every day, some small changes to major revelations. I watched my youngest son (I brought both boys with me), who only wanted to go on a vacation and wanted nothing to do with yoga, attend every yoga class offered (except for the sweaty, strong, mid-day yoga session that was way too hot for me as well!) without any encouragement from me. I witnessed my oldest son relax and rejuvenate after a tough winter term at uni. I also watched both of them surf that majestic Pacific Ocean like pros!
I saw my son’s girlfriend conquer her fear of open water and get on that surfboard. I witnessed utter childlike wonder and joy as our group hiked in rivers, jumped off of waterfalls, swam in caves, fed sloths, rode horses, swam in the ocean, surfed the waves, played with dogs, did cannonballs in the pool, found many an octopus in tide pools at low tide, tiptoed around thousands of crabs that appeared during the full moon, and assisted newly-hatched sea turtles make it to the sea. Every day, they took it to the mat, between all of the activities, dedicating themselves to a morning and evening practice…in the heat (but to the sound of the ocean and Howler Monkeys)…even if they could not do the entire sequence. Many just found a restorative pose and stayed there, just happy to be in the yoga shala with the group, tending to what they needed in that moment.
But the biggest transformation came from two women who attended our retreat from the east coast- not knowing each other nor anybody else. One is the daughter of a friend of mine, who is the same age as my oldest. I had not met her in person before. She arrived and immediately became part of the Kemper tribe…that glimmer of “new kid” anxiety disappeared as she put herself out there, making every attendee, staff at Boca Sombrero, and surf instructors fall in love with her and want to adopt her as their own. She blossomed. And she embraced her yoga practice. So much so that she has two teachers in Portland encouraging her to train to become a yoga instructor. She has “it”.
The other? I watched this highly intelligent woman, who is ordered and structured (in all the good ways), jump into experiences that were new to her. I saw the happiness in her eyes when we swam under a full moon. I watched her hang in Crow Pose for the first time ever after I cued her in a different way that helped her get out of her head and into her body. She had never practiced yoga in a group setting before - and as such, I saw her open up day by day by day as the group energy washed over her.
Every single attendee brought their authentic selves and shared their gifts. I left Costa Rica transformed. Again, the teacher became the student.