Eric recalls trick
While Evie practices breath
Adventure awaits
~Sarah Brenes
Dear Sarah,
The first class of yours that I attended… You told a story about your dogs. I might have this wrong, but my memory tells me it was Cash, who in his four-legged exuberance, stepped on a beaver dam, sending sticks downstream.
You told us the home-wrecking afternoon built a restless night of sleep for you. But when you checked the next morning, all was well. The critters, most likely accustomed to nature’s disruptions, had rebuilt.
The lessons from your experience were woven into intentions that we carried forth on our mats.
On that warm and sunny Saturday morning, I was like a butterfly caught in a gauzy net. I started watching the studio’s schedule for your name as teacher. And as weeks turned into months, and months into years, I soon came to know I wasn’t trapped, I was learning to fly.
Not only have I learned how to activate the arches in my feet, un-hunch my shoulders, and take breaths that reach almost to my tailbone… I’ve learned universal principles of alignment that extend well beyond the four corners of my Manduka mat.
When one among your students gains access to a new pose, we all celebrate: mudita, which means vicarious joy. In your classes there is a gracious and spacious sense of community. And although you have never said this… I’m quite certain that you are watching all of your students like a hen with a brood of fluffy yellow chicks. Not only do you balance our flow to empower and meet the needs of all, you also give non-judgmental cues so that we can self-correct.
Thank you for being a part of my flourishing and a part of Flourishing Fictions.
You make me want to be a better person.
Gratitude and Love,
Gail
💚💚💚