Defying And Embracing The Facts Of Life

We are settling into our new space at AKA Studio in Brunswick East. Change can be disorienting, and I’m grateful for how gracefully you’ve all moved with us. For me there is an odd mix of both familiarity and novelty because we have returned to where I started Mysore Melbourne 12 years ago. Many, many mornings have passed, hundreds of students have breathed and moved in our spaces, my then 4 year-old now towers above me at 16, my teacher has passed on, and life had evolved and changed significantly.

I’m appreciating how revisiting the physical experience of teaching in the space brings back some reminders of what prompted me and felt important as I started this school. One of those things was steadiness. If change is the fact of life, how do we stay steady? My own exploration of Ashtanga tradition and method has playfulness to it - I recently realised that I practice Ashtanga yoga both to defy and embrace the facts of life. I steady myself with routine and repetition, knowing full well that change will win. I nourish my aging body with movement, and breathing, and the energy that comes with it. I get both better and worse at it over time. I stay playful and light when I can. I’m grateful to be jolted out of my seriousness when I find myself becoming fixed again.

I admit it - our move surprised me as much as anyone. However, I welcome change. I feel both steady and light as I land where we are.