Day 96 - A New Place to Yoga - The Yoga Gallery

On March 31, 2010 - the yoga studio I have grown to love was no more.

When Quinn and I first moved to the Kansas City area in August of 2006 (was it really that long ago?) all I asked for, for my birthday that September was to find a yoga studio where I could try yoga at. I had never done yoga before, but had been curious about since I did Pilate's in college. Quinn ended up finding a beginners class at Inspire Yoga which was not too far from our apartment and when he went there in person to check it out he decided it was a good fit for me. I think I started in early October of that year and by the end of the 5-week intro classes I was hooked.

Inspire has meant a lot to me since that intro class. It is the one place since moving to KC that I have gone to nearly every week (even my job and our home have changed). I can remember being on my mat there through some tough moments in life and the wonderful teachers guiding me through the different postures to let go of everything and just be. So this afternoon when I headed to the new studio, the Yoga Gallery that Inspire has combined forces with I was a feeling little anxious . . .

What would the new yoga studio be like? Would the music sound the same? Where do I park? What do I need to do to check in? - Nothing major, but all the tiny unknowns made going to yoga today a bit more interesting.

The class I went to this afternoon was the same Vinyasa flow class I had been going to at Inspire on Tuesday's after work for a while now - with the same wonderful teacher, Mara - but it did feel a little different . . .

During headstand I noticed the cork floor was harder than the floor I was used to and it actually hurt a tiny bit. The room is longer and the mirrors are on the front wall, so we faced them most of the class (at Inspire they were on the side), the music system actually did seem different and there was a slightly odd odor I noticed when I first walked into the studio BUT there were lots of familiar smiling faces in class and I really enjoyed the sequencing Mara did and when we were finished I felt just right again.

I am sure it will still take some getting used to, but I am going to keep an open mind and take this change in my regular routine as just another obstacle in life and make the best of it!