sun a yoga in lancaster studio

Points for Presence: A personal challenge

If you frequent any EPY studio, you’ll know that Points for Presence pops up every July. It’s a time to throw some fun hearted competition into the mix between studios and see at the end of the month how many total visits each studio got. For me, this July marked one year of me being apart of the EPY community, so I’ve been doing some reflecting of looking back on my yoga year.

I decided I would give myself a personal challenge of trying to get in as much yoga as I could with keeping a balanced lifestyle. (I have to say, I’m not competitive but I wanted to see Lancaster win the challenge!) Overall, I was able to get in ten classes for the month of July, 11 hours total. I work full time at a local restaurant leading my fast-growing department, I own a home, have a 7-month-old puppy bursting with endless energy, and a significant other who I care for. So, I have to say 11 hours of me time with my mat felt darn good.

I want to share with you what shifts I’ve noticed about my practice. But I think before you can notice changes in your practice you have to acknowledge where you practice starts from and why you show up on your mat. To be honest, I think up until a few months ago I wasn’t fully aware of why I was always showing up on my mat. I knew I enjoyed going to yoga and I was trying to make it apart of my Life, but I wasn’t focused on it being a priority like I had been this past month of July.

This past month helped me to realize I need it more than I thought.

It provides me a time to focus, slow down, and really reconnect with myself in a way that is different from everyday life. I’ve noticed that I am learning to be consistent with my breath and make it a point to focus on. I’m no longer just breathing because I’m hot and sweaty, I’m breathing to push myself to a place of positivity in the pose. Getting out my head and into my body where I can move my breath through the motions of the pose.

Overall, it’s been the greatest shift I’ve noticed. On top of that, making my practice a priority has helped me develop a better sense of community within EPY as well. It really is powerful to show up to a practice with people you hardly know and to go through the practice without necessarily speaking to one another. You all have different results of a pose, but you come out the other end with sharing the same satisfaction and love for yoga. It really has shown me what it means to be judgment free and to show up to support one another.

I think my journey into power has officially begun.

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