Wrapping up 2020 at YESyoga- By: Erin Cummings
Ever since I can remember my mind, my body, my soul has been split into two. Most of the time I like to joke that it’s a dark side and a light side. Even the necklace that I wear every single day, one charm is a heart and one charm is a skull. My life is full of instances in which I walk on a very fine line of leaning one way or the other, or I cliff dive into one side with no parachute. This year split me up over and over, and now I’m finding myself whole again.
The beginning of 2020 was as I thought it should be. The studio was growing. We created a brand new, super successful January program, we were already diving into recreating and relearning our next yoga teacher training, which we already had three people signed up for. We had a vision for the studio, and we were on path to get there.
I felt alive.
My creative brain was kicked into high gear, churning out ideas and methodology for the studio. I loved teaching as my classes were finally filling up. My whole family started coming on Sundays. I got to bring my entire self to work. I got to bring my entire family to work. Both sides of the equation were zipped together and locked full of a vision I created.
March 17th we closed the studio. June 1st we reopened, and then closed again. Finally, to reopen June 21st.
The duality of managing in studio and online was hard. The duality of needing to succeed in business and be generous in time of need was hard. What I learned this year is that I need the duality. I need the “both/and,” because when I can use both sides I get to show up as my whole self, instead of feeling split and living in the middle, frozen.
I learned I can be firm in policy and procedures and have the freedom to create within boundaries. I learned I can be frustrated at the world and know the studio was my solid rock I could always come to…even when it was totally and completely empty. It was there, ready for me.
For me, this year was more so about leading than teaching at YESyoga. My growth, my challenge, my fire burning was from adapting, changing, creating, and mostly listening as a leader.
YESyoga was my duality. The chaos of business ownership and the connection of my YESyoga family. My community was my haven. My people were my lifeline. What YESyoga isn’t is just a yoga studio. What YESyoga is….is so much more. YESyoga is full of duality. It is a place to be serious and have fun, it’s a place for vitality and restoration, a place to build strength and create ease, a place to discuss coffee and Black Lives Matter, a place to learn and a place to teach, a place to listen and a place to speak, it was a place to create wholeness when you show up broken.
This year YESyoga taught me that I need the light and the dark. YESyoga taught me true generous listening and feedback. That success is not what it seems, but the real success is in the mastery of trial and error, of being able to burn it down and start again. YESyoga taught me if I live a life with intention and purpose, I can show up with my whole self to work and love it, even the hard parts.
As this year comes to a close, I am grateful for the duality of the year. It gave me more vulnerability, empathy, courage, generosity, and taught me what true unconditional love means.
