Bubbles

Bubbles.

Now to be totally honest, in my world “bubbles” used to mean an alcoholic drink savoured for celebrations and best served ice cold. Welcome to 2020 and the same word is now how we describe our circle of friends or family. The invention of social and support bubbles paved a new way for us to look at the people we surround ourselves with and how grateful we are for those likeminded individuals we have in our lives. This got me thinking more about how we tend to migrate towards souls with similar interests and people who find joy in the same things as we do.

Of course, we as practicing students of yoga both on and off the mat are all lovely people. The Yoga world is huge and open to all! A positive movement of, erm, movement! An army of wellness warriors. We breathe deep, we don’t judge, don’t harm and we are all whole-food vegans who only drink the purest green juice with a perfect level of alkalinity...

Like I say, we don’t judge.

Jokes aside, I really am proud of the incredible community we have as teachers, staff and students at New Energy Yoga. I myself have made great friends that I have met on the mat and I’m sure many of you have got to know each other over the years too. The savoured moments in Savasana, the sideways glances when a teacher calls downward dog “a rest pose” and the shared joy of conquering another Asana or reaching a new level of awareness.

A little more thought on the subject and I decided to ask my friends who don’t practice yoga, how much they know about the subject. And it turns out, I’m not quite as inclusive as I perhaps thought. Okay, I have a big social media presence that everyone can see. I post pictures, share words (often sarcasm I’m afraid) and set reminders for when my classes are, but do I ever take the time to speak to people who are totally new to Yoga? It appears not! Safe with our bubble of yogi friends, it can be easy to forget those who don’t automatically show an interest or love for the practice. I have decided that next year, with a brand new class for total beginners and a little help from you; I am determined to change that.

I’ve always had a strong belief that yoga is for everybody and every 'body', yet how often do we hear the stream of:-

“I can’t even touch my toes! I’m too tall, too short, too big. What’s meditation? I CAN’T SQUAT! I’m not flexible, I’m self conscious, can’t bend, isn’t yoga for women? Won’t everyone be looking at me? I should have done it years ago, it’s too late now”

I would love for 2021 to be the year we collectively lay those negative statements to rest in a final Savasana! As students of yoga we already know that none of those things matter and each of us have our own reasons for attending yoga classes. It’s such a powerful, personal thing and the benefits need to be explored to be found. Seeing is believing and all that! How amazing that we can share this with our loved ones. Encourage them to try a flow at home, show them the transformation of Pranayama - proper breathing (after a bad day at work, anyone?) or to step out of their comfort zone and come along to a class. If we spread our words, like blowing bubbles, 2021 could be the year our yoga world gets bigger and more inclusive than ever!

As we start heading towards the close of this very strange year and with positive news on the horizon, let’s pledge to keep our practice strong and our yoga mats clean. Keep our spirits high, and continue blowing (or drinking) bubbles!

Jamie John xx

Written by Jamie John and published on Thursday 19th November 2020 at 08:00