Residue

How many times can you recall where you've sat reveling in good vibrations following a big event? Perhaps it was that first moment after leaving the reception on your wedding day. Or maybe, it took you three years of study in your graduate program and you've just heard that your dissertation has been accepted. Or more relevant to the inspiration behind this weeks theme, you've just graduated from a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training. This past weekend another six students completed their 200-hour program and were welcomed into the DYT teaching community by previous graduates, totaling 55 grads over the past five years that the program has been offered.

The ceremony was held at our local park and as I sat on the grass looking around at the people who had gathered, I felt a deep sense of gratification for how this particular community has come into existence. I remember sitting on a bus in India in 2013 and having a conversation with a fellow Off The Mat Seva participant (we raised money and awareness around the issue of sex trafficking in India and were on a tour), and she was telling me about how she had created a Yoga Teacher Training program. The conversation gave me confidence that I too could manifest such a program and so I  proceeded to undertake the process of becoming a registered yoga school. Six months later we had our first class of students and have continued on ever since.

It's a somewhat difficult experience to encapsulate in a few words-transforming, challenging, fun, inspiring, confronting, hard, delightful, or rigorous are just a few that come to mind. I've had many people say that it truly changed their life as it did mine when I stepped onto the formal path of becoming a yoga teacher. And although it's an individual exploration, we journey with everyone else who has undergone or is undergoing the process. During the final weekend, each trainee teaches a class as their final exam and we invite graduates of the program to be the students in those classes as they understand this moment better than anyone else.

The day after graduation, two grads came to class at the studio and were both flying high, still enjoying the afterglow of the weekend. They were basking in the residue of having accomplished a challenging task. And this residue is an actual physical sensation that emphasizes the positive and uplifting moments that we create in our lives. It's as though the residue is the current to something bigger and connected, a place where we experience joy and ease. It can feel like a touch of magic has just happened and is to be savored. Post-savasana bliss is something I witness at the end of every yoga class I teach. Having had the experience of the class, which at times may be physically challenging, we absorb our practice by being fully supported with blankets and bolsters as we lay on our back and completely surrender to the moment. If we are gifted sufficient time, our return to a seated position feels like a delicious respite from the busyness of everyday life.

This positive feeling can be created in different ways. Going on a yoga retreat, particularly if it's for more than a couple of days can have a huge effect, often leaving us in a calmer state than when we arrived. Spending time in nature tops up the residue bucket simply by feeling the wind on our face. As we get toward the last few days of a vacation, we often don't want to return to ordinary life as the present moment and feelings of release are so powerful. 

Reading the final page of a great book often creates a moment of simply soaking in the story. It's not as though as soon as we close the chapter on the book that we grab another and begin reading straight away...we savor! The first few bites of a favorite dish can also bring us to a previously established residue of flavors. Sensations on the taste buds can create lifelong memories emblazoned upon our brains. I dream of the ambrosia that was fresh peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream made by a cousin in one Michigan summer. Just writing that makes me salivate!

Part of connecting to the residue is noticing it's an actual physical experience. We may be bone-tired but have no agitation. We are able to marinate in the deep satisfaction of having come through something that's often much larger than our individual selves. My thought of the week is to encourage us to truly embrace the sweetest moments of our lives, particularly the ones where we've had to apply ourselves. Breathe it all in and enjoy the full moment!