Saying goodbye
Vistamar High School
This past week I said goodbye. The end of the school year has come and now I let go. Saying goodbye to a place I have been blessed to be a yoga teacher for the past six years. The halls of Vistamar High School. I began teaching there when the school first opened in September 2005 and it has the unique curriculum of having Yoga as a P.E. option. Thinking back to when I found out I got the job I remember checking my email inbox while traveling in Peru. It was the one day I had to check email and there it was…the one that would change the course of my teaching forever. “We would love to have you join us for the Fall trimester 2005″. I can still remember how I felt in that moment. Joy, elation and fear! Holy cow, what now?!
Well “what now” has turned into the most beautiful journey one could ever imagine. It began with very early mornings of yoga with the students and some of the staff (the school only had 60 students the first year), and then we got wise and moved it to the afternoons, after their school day. Tired students and teachers are hard to motivate at 7:30am. Now the school has over 200 students and even more faculty sharing their divine inspiration.
Throughout the past 6 years I have been blessed with meeting some of the most talented, smart and beautiful students in our Yoga classes. Each and every teenager I have had the honor of getting to know has been a part of the experience. This experience in teaching, in sharing, in giving out and in giving back. How lucky have I been? I was able to tailor this program of Yoga for Teens to educate them in some much more than just the physical practice of yoga. They have learned about anatomy, body psychology, yamas and niyamas, mantras and mudras, chanting and their favorite, Kundalini! This has been pure joy all around. I say good bye as I let go and move on. Move on to the next phase of my yoga journey. As I make the transition to Hawaii by paying it forward and giving another teacher the opportunity to teach and learn from the MOST amazing group of people under the age of 18.
For our last class we sat in a circle as they shared their most memorable yoga experience through the years. Some of the things shared… ” I learned that I was of the internally rotated tribe” and “the Led Zeppelin class was my favorite”( Chloe~musician). ” I liked when we did arm massages (wrist actually) and when we talked about Justin Beiber” (Laura~freshman), “this is my impression of you” (Jack messes up his hair so it looks like mine!), “I like when we did talking yoga”~sometimes they just needed to share (Alicia and Brionna), “I liked it when we did the inversions, it was scary but fun!” (Briana), “I’ve really enjoyed this class and I think I’m going to sign up for yoga in college”~ my favorite!!! (Michael). With a final group hug and a sappy Yoga teacher trying to keep my composure it is done…but never forgotten.
It has been my baby. Now its all grown up.
Can I get a Namaste….whoaaaaa Yoga!
