I remember that sentence from “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Freshly separated, alone in her Roman flat but also alone in her life, her character learns it as one of her first Italian sentences: I am alone.
This is how I have been feeling lately. As a seasoned yoga practitioner and teacher, I know we are never truly alone, yet my daily life tells a different story. Being an independent entrepreneur can be isolating: your schedule is erratic, you work when others don’t, which makes social life trickier, and yoga definitely isn’t the most profitable venture unless you sell expensive gear to underpaid teachers.
So when Kia, one of my favourite Ashtanga teachers, with whom I used to practice in Paris, announced she was reopening the online community space she started during lockdown, I jumped on the registration link. It opens at 6:30am on a weekday, but I clicked anyway. As I set my alarm, I remembered the years when I would set it at 5:30, put on my leggings and catch an early metro to do my Mysore practice under Kia’s guidance.
I miss that. No friends there, no post-practice coffee, but the energy of the room and the adjustments carried me through whatever the day would bring. It was my moment, away from the mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, teacher. I could just be.
This morning, seeing all these little faces from all over the world checking in, I was reminded of that. With or without registration link, I can set my alarm a little earlier, light a candle, sit on my mat, breathe, move a little more consciously and step away from my daily hustle. Just BE.
Thank you Kia and Uma for creating this space and rekindling this little spark within me. I needed just that.
I often feel lonely, but as long as I remember this, I can never be alone…
