I recently asked my yoga students to write something about their experience. My friend Tara sent her contribution (below). I remember it very well. Tara is extremely busy, fun, creative and smart and she does it all at an incredible speed while looking cool and in control. She is not your typical yoga student. I knew she would be a challenge! I still felt I wanted to teach her, it happens sometimes that I just ask someone if they want a class. Anyway, she came and here is her story. I also thinks it was one of those encounters...
"The true impact of my experience at Charlotte's yoga class is hard to appreciate if you don't know me. So I will try to paint the picture: My name is Tara I am married, own and operate three cafes, I have three very active children who do everything and two step children, I run marathons, I have seven dogs, I am on the PTA and volunteer to make costumes for ballet recitals and I go to every rehearsal, am show secretary for the horse riding shows and am the Manager of my son's football team just as a start. I am one of those people who do too much, I am also one of those people who talks too much, ALL of the time, and I drink far too much coffee!
So I met Charlotte and we became instant friends (despite all that I have mentioned), one day she asked me to do a yoga class with her at her house. I added it to my rather large to do list, and put it somewhere at the bottom. Charlotte reminded me a few times, and I decided to just get it done. I raced up to her house, coffee in hand, a touch late (probably a lot late) and of course chatting about my latest drama. The class proceeded, and I chatted on, but soon got the picture that the chatting was very one sided, Charlotte was focused on me, not on what I was saying. So I decided to pay attention to her instruction as I realized she was very much attune to what my body was needing (marathon runners have lots of issues) and realized that I was receiving quite a gift and she took me through a routine that would fit in with my hectic lifestyle, something doable.
However, the real gift caught me by surprise. To end of the class Charlotte told me to close my eyes and listen. Out of respect I closed my eyes and hoped we were not going to start any humming or some other such new age mumbo jumbo, and we sat in silence. I think she told me to listen to the sounds, like the birds, and I thought, "What birds, is she nuts?" Then almost like a switch I started to hear the distinct sound of birds singing, birds that must have been there in their trees singing all my life, but birds I had never noticed. The swirl and bustle of my life had masked something so pure, so sweet and so refreshing.
So even as I write this I have stopped for a moment and listened out for the birds, that while I was doing so much I managed to miss all these years, and yes they still sing, it is only for me to listen to them!
A simple gift but a profound one, Thank you Charlotte for listening, really listening to me!"
"The true impact of my experience at Charlotte's yoga class is hard to appreciate if you don't know me. So I will try to paint the picture: My name is Tara I am married, own and operate three cafes, I have three very active children who do everything and two step children, I run marathons, I have seven dogs, I am on the PTA and volunteer to make costumes for ballet recitals and I go to every rehearsal, am show secretary for the horse riding shows and am the Manager of my son's football team just as a start. I am one of those people who do too much, I am also one of those people who talks too much, ALL of the time, and I drink far too much coffee!
So I met Charlotte and we became instant friends (despite all that I have mentioned), one day she asked me to do a yoga class with her at her house. I added it to my rather large to do list, and put it somewhere at the bottom. Charlotte reminded me a few times, and I decided to just get it done. I raced up to her house, coffee in hand, a touch late (probably a lot late) and of course chatting about my latest drama. The class proceeded, and I chatted on, but soon got the picture that the chatting was very one sided, Charlotte was focused on me, not on what I was saying. So I decided to pay attention to her instruction as I realized she was very much attune to what my body was needing (marathon runners have lots of issues) and realized that I was receiving quite a gift and she took me through a routine that would fit in with my hectic lifestyle, something doable.
However, the real gift caught me by surprise. To end of the class Charlotte told me to close my eyes and listen. Out of respect I closed my eyes and hoped we were not going to start any humming or some other such new age mumbo jumbo, and we sat in silence. I think she told me to listen to the sounds, like the birds, and I thought, "What birds, is she nuts?" Then almost like a switch I started to hear the distinct sound of birds singing, birds that must have been there in their trees singing all my life, but birds I had never noticed. The swirl and bustle of my life had masked something so pure, so sweet and so refreshing.
So even as I write this I have stopped for a moment and listened out for the birds, that while I was doing so much I managed to miss all these years, and yes they still sing, it is only for me to listen to them!
A simple gift but a profound one, Thank you Charlotte for listening, really listening to me!"
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