Go With the Flow

This weekend I learned yet another great lesson in going with the flow and how the flow is always greater than what I plan.

I taught two Family Yoga classes at Purple Yoga, one at their Long Beach location and the other at their Fullerton studio. The first class on Saturday was small, with about 6 kids and a parent for each (overall 12 bodies in the room). In this class we were able to adhere to the carefully planned curriculum I created along with the help of an amazing assistant. We planned sections of yoga, breathing exercises, and activities such as Toega (yes, that's right - using your toes in a mindfulness based activity) to writing gratitude messages on leaves that we'd leave sprinkled around the studio for others to find. After all, it was a "It's Fall Y'all" themed class!

Everything went according to plan with some minor adjustments here and there. The ages were pretty standard for a kids/family yoga class ranging from 3 to 8 years old. I was really happy with the turnout and the engagement of each child and their guardian. I felt so prepared for the next day's class with this trial run.

Well, no trial was needed as Sunday's class turned out to be completely different... and it was still beautiful!

To start, we had triple the amount of individuals in attendance. On top of it, we had a wide variety of ages from 1 to 15 years old! In addition to holding space for each individual child/teen, I also had parents for whom I had to take care!

As I walked into the space, with my carefully laid plans, I had a moment of sheer panic: How the HECK will I make everyone happy? How do I lead a class that not only supports the freshly new-to-this-earth toddler but the wise-beyond-their-years teenager? How do I make sure even the parents have an enjoyable time?! I took a deep breath and plunged in, allowing the flow to wind and meander in each moment, as it needed. It truly became a macrocosm of my meditation practice.

I ended up ditching 90% of what I did the day before. Thank goodness for my gracious assistant who, at one point, was able to lead the smaller kids in a specific activity in one corner of the room while I worked with the teens in another. Overall, the teens were simply out numbered by littles and the class evolved to meeting the littles' needs more purely by necessity. I learned I cannot make everyone happy, and that is ok. I learned I can't ensure parents will enjoy themselves as much as their children but that they have the opportunity to support their children's development through this practice and that is ok. Mostly, I learned it's possible to lead an uplifting class while experiencing doubt and that is ok!!

What a gift it is to allow for things to unfolded exactly as it should.

Join me for more Family Yoga! Our Spooktacular Family Yoga is a Halloween themed, costume wearing yoga practice that is sure to be a scream! Oct 1 & 2, only at PY.