Fulfilling My Destiny

The wave of emotions that have come over me this morning are beyond words.  Tears again begin to roll down my face as I write this.

I taught my usual 6:30 am Hot Hatha class this morning at Be Yoga and my regular students were there (with a few missing 😉 ) but still a room full of warm, energetic, compassionate and strong individuals that I have grown to admire and appreciate over the course of this summer.  The energy we have exchanged throughout these weeks is amazing.  Stories shared, laughs, tears and sweat as I have guided them through their asanas.  They continue to thank me at the end of every class but it is I who thank them.  I thank them for bestowing upon me, the honour, of guiding them through their practice.  The privilege of being able to share this journey with each of them as we move through different postures with our breathing and open up our bodies, minds and souls to new experiences.  It doesn’t matter how tired I may sometimes be getting up at 5:30 in the morning to teach these early classes, I am always grateful for being there.  I always feel so much better by the time the class is complete.  I feel better because I know I’ve done something good for someone else.  Whether it is a pose that I have guided the class through that feels really good in their body, or a passage I’ve read from my book of Daily Inspirations that has resonated with any given student on a particular day, I know I am doing what I am meant to do.

Today, I was reminded of that.  One of my students who has to leave right on time at 7:30 to ensure she gets to work on time said she didn’t want to miss my reading at the end of the class because she looked forward to them.  I assured her I would read it before she had to leave.  Another student at the end of class, after I told her it takes a special person to do what she does (she’s a special education teacher for children with special needs), told me that I am special because it takes someone exceptional to do what I do, and do it well.  Another two students said that they look forward to my classes in the morning telling me that I am so “zen” and that they love everything about my classes from the variety of poses and my strict attention to alignment to my song choices.  And finally, another student, one who has had her fair share of struggles this past year, gave me a gift.  It was a Groupon deal for paddle boarding lessons for me and my family which I had offered to pay her for but when she handed the piece of paper to me, she put one hand on my shoulder, looked me straight in the eyes and said she didn’t want to take any money from me because she could not repay me for all that I have given to her this summer.  She wanted to give me a gift to thank me for making such an impact on her.  Telling me that each of my readings affected her in every class, in a different way each time.  She took my breath away.  I was speechless.  It took everything in me to just say thank you, blow her a kiss and walk to my car before she could see the tears streaming down my face.

It’s amazing.  I don’t feel like I am really doing anything out of the ordinary.  I am teaching yoga.  It truly doesn’t feel like work because I am doing what I love.  But I think that’s what makes it so special.  These students feel my passion.  They can sense my desire to want to make a difference.  The inspirational quotes that I read at the end of my class are far from original.  I read them from a book that someone else wrote, and took the idea from one of my yoga teachers who would always read something during savasana in her class.  It resonated with me and I decided very early on, that I wanted to share this with my students when I teach, ending each class with some inspiring quote that they can take away with them.  Sometimes I read the quote of the day, and on other days, like yesterday, I read something that I know will mean something truly special to at least one person in the class.  One of my students yesterday (her first time in my class) told me that her brother had passed away last week and she wanted to warn me that she may cry during her yoga practice (which for you non-practitioners is not uncommon).  I knew at the end of class which inspirational reading would serve her purpose, and as I read it during the final easy pose (cross legged with eyes closed), I looked over at her and saw her smile, while tears rolled down her face.  As I choked back my own tears, I continued to read and smiled, knowing I had served my purpose.

I am not some extraordinary human being.  I am far from perfect and have more faults than I care to admit.  I am just me being me. I do believe, though, that God gives each of us the power to do some pretty extraordinary things throughout our lives.  We choose whether or not to use that power.  I don’t know what the future holds.  I just know that I want to continue to do what I am doing.  It makes me happy and if I have been able to put a smile on some other person’s face than I know I am doing what I am supposed to do.  I am fulfilling my destiny.  How could I ask for anything more?

Thank you students for continuing to take my breath away.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”
Maya Angelou

Until next time,

I  wish you all a fantastic weekend.

Namaste,

Lisa Pisano
Lifestyle Coach