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My yoga studio is moving to a new location.
It’s just a few blocks from the current place, but many of us students seem to be dealing with this like stereotypical Bikram yogis. The change is freaking us out. We love our same 26 postures and setting up in the same spot in the hot room. Although we are learning flexibility, when it comes to changing up our studio space, we are getting slightly bent out of shape.
We are also excited for a new adventure. An adventure with nicer showers.
But first, we must say goodbye to our old place, and for some of us, that is proving difficult.
The old place is where I wandered in one day, not knowing a thing about Bikram yoga. It’s a place that I came to rely on to fix my aching body and screw-loose brain. It’s where I made wonderful friends and did poses I never thought were possible for my clumsy, 30-something body. It’s where I went on my birthday, on the anniversary of the day I broke my back, on the day that my dog passed away. I went and cried and healed and then finally, I laughed.
It is sweaty, hallowed ground.
So, I’m having a hard time letting go (admits the yogi-in-progress).
Of course the new space will be wonderful. It will become the place where new things happen. There will be new experiences in the hot room and deepening friendships on the benches after class. But at first, I will walk into the studio like a person entering a random party, looking for anything familiar and wondering where the bathroom is. We will be strangers, that place and I.
Our brilliant studio owner, Lizzie, put a vase on the front desk at the current studio. The sign says if there is something – some energy, some feeling – that we want to come with us to the new studio, we should write it on a piece of paper and put it in the vase. This vessel will travel with us, with all the good wishes inside, to the new studio where it will not be opened.
I tried to figure out what to say to this vase. How do I express all of my hopes for this next phase of my practice and my life? How do I capture all that gratitude on a Sticky Note?
I was having a hard time putting it into words (admits the writer-in-progress).
So, I wrote:
Peace, love and acceptance – for myself and everyone else. Thank you for everything.
As I wrote it, a tear slipped from my eye, wrinkling the paper and smudging the ink. My message is so incomplete…but in a way, anything would be. So, I accepted the imperfectness of my words and placed the note in the vase.
I’ll be there for the last class at the current studio. I’ll be there for the first class at the new studio. I’ll figure out where I like to leave my shoes and where the hot spots are. I’ll open my heart and introduce myself to this next part of the path.
Hello.
(*Yes. I totally quoted Semisonic in the title of this post.)
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Just here. Just now. 
Oh yes! One of my favorite yoga studios upgraded to a new location this year, and I had so many sentimental feelings for that space, it was sad to say goodbye. But the new space is phenomenal, so much nicer! And the funniest part is that I still go to class at the same times, and all the same people who have been going to that class for the past 10 years still go at the same times and set up in the same spot in the room, so it’s like nothing has changed. It’s very sweet. 🙂
It’s wonderful how you can bring energy with you, isn’t it? So glad your new space is lovely. Thanks for reading!
The Yoga is in You. The place you practice is irrelevant . ( your bathroom or in Paris) All attachment and desire bring is suffering. Let go . Let go of the chaos, drama and emotional ups and downs. You are so fortunate to have a studio to practice, supportive friends and showers . It is all a matter of prospective:-).
Of course the yoga is in each of us…but I’m still sentimental about my first yoga home! 🙂 I like to pay it due respect for all that has happened there.
I am definitely feeling uneasy about the move, although the new place looks like it’s going to be awesome. I’m going for my last class in the old studio tonight and am already feeling sad about it. But then, part of being flexible is being open to new things, so here we go!
I’m more of a half glass full type person, but I get the sentiment and attachment to a place where you’ve gone through so much. Having said that, new beginnings can open doors to new experiences – both literally and figuratively.
I’m a runner and I have a tried and true 5 mile loop through my neighborhood that I use as my fall back run. For the most part I love that route, but from time to time that loop gets boring, tiresome and feels much longer than 5 miles. Whenever I try another route – be it near my home or in a different city – 5 miles goes by like 5 minutes.
Instead of lamenting the fact that I can’t run my usual route, I celebrate the idea that I get to have a new experience on a new route.
Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but maybe the new studio will bring new people, experiences and a freshness to your practice you might not be expecting. Good luck!
I agree, I don’t think it’s about positivity/negativity as much as just acknowledging how important the place has been to my life. The new studio is wonderful, and though we all cried saying good bye to the old place, it was so fun to welcome the new space!
Hi Lisa! I’m returning to Bikram today for the first time in two years. Although the studio is at the same physical location, it is under different ownership and has been completely made over. I’m wondering how similar or different it will feel…. will I gravitate to the same spot in the room… what will be the energy in the room… will I see a familiar face…will I, after 24 months, be able to rediscover what it was that made me go back to that room over and over again. As to your previous post, I know full well how my life is without yoga, and I hate it. Wonderful posts! Good to talk to you again! Namaste.
Congrats for getting back to it! Fantastic! Enjoy your practice and thanks for reading.