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I’m on my back on my mat. Eyes closed. A blanket of warm air holds me as my mind’s eye walks me along a path through a forest. Peace.

But let me take you back about a year and a half.

I walked into a Modo Yoga studio in hopes of getting a “good stretch” to compliment my workouts. This came on the heels of my doctor (in my earlier, shall we say, more physically robust days) asking me to try yoga as a means to simply move my body. I was immediately drawn to the setting of the studio and the greeting I received. I made my decision then and there to take advantage of the intro month offer. I was given minimal instruction: Shoes off, no talking and a hot room – perfect. Of course, words never fully prepare one for 100+ degrees, now do they?

That first time (do any of us ever forget our first time?), I simply laid on my mat, closed my eyes and imagined I was on a beach in the tropics. The heat disappeared. I was meditating and didn’t even know it. Every week I found myself on the mat more and more. Breathing deepened. Mind cleared. Heart opened.

You see, it turns out that all of my life had been spent in some sort of yogic state. It wasn’t so much that I had an “a-ha” moment about yoga as I had the “a-ha” that it had always been a part of me.

What began as a physical practice quickly became mental and quite spiritual. For while it seemed that yoga was always very prevalent within me, practicing Modo yoga with guides/teachers…angels, if you will, provided the missing focus. It was this focus that changed everything. It was this focus that allowed me to essentially “unfocus” everything and allow me to see and feel with incredible clarity. To allow me to live more fully. To open me to love my wife and children deeper than I ever imagined was possible. And that’s saying a lot.

I have smiled, giggled, and even laughed out loud in class. I have wept, sometimes openly, during my practice. Sometimes I knew why, and other times it was a complete mystery. Each time it was incredibly therapeutic and cleansing.

This will not be everyone’s experience. But it has been, and continues to be mine. For some, yoga will be a time to ‘get a good stretch’. That doesn’t make the experience any less or more meaningful. We are individuals with different needs, wants, souls and realities.

Looking back, I’m not sure if I found my mat that October day or my mat found me. I’m just so very glad that we found each other.

Start YOUR journey today!

With Love from our friend,
Steven Levitt

Every day, I meet new students who have never practiced yoga before. More often than not, they are slightly scared; they have a fear of not knowing, not being good enough, a pre-determined shame of not being able to complete the series before they even begin. “I’m not flexible. I’m really out of shape. I have never felt this badly about my body before.” Every time I hear this, I feel a little sliver of heartbreak for them and then push that away and get the strength going for the both of us. I lead them to the doors of the hot room and leave them with the small but mighty words of encouragement “You can do it. I know you can. Have fun.”

Let me take you back. Many journeys begin in this way, and mine was very much the same. I came to Moksha Yoga Aurora to try something new. To get outside of my comfort zone and most importantly to me at that time: to lose weight. That was my primary goal in life. Must. Lose. Weight. 6 years later, I am still here, still haven’t lost weight, but I’ve gained so much more.

I pumped myself up to come take my first hot yoga class by convincing myself this was a good thing. You need to go. You need to try. Make the commitment, Kathryn. I suffer from anxiety like many people, so I have many conversations with myself about things like this. The need to “try”. To continue. I walked in to Moksha Yoga Aurora and took my first class with none other than Belinda Degano. I moved through the class for the first time with a very foreign peace of mind. There were times where I had no idea what was happening, what were these words? What language is that? Wait, why am I at the front of the room, they told me to go towards the back! Ah, I already messed this yoga thing up. Then, slowly but surely, all of ‘that’ started to melt away. I felt like I had accomplished something much more emotional vs. physical in that room. It was wonderful. So I came back. Again and again.

I flew under the radar at the studio, coming mainly to the 8:30 pm Moksha 60 class after long and stressful days in my former life as a Media Strategist. Moksha was my sanctuary. Just for me. No one could bother me here. Everyone was friendly. The space was comforting to me. I found this crazy deep appreciation for people who didn’t even know me. For Lisa’s ability to be brutally honest and laugh about it, that hearty, pure laughter that is contagious. For Paria’s honey-like voice, “Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.” For Anna’s sugary sweetness, for Belinda’s calming strength and power, for Amanda’s words of wisdom, for Sara’s dreamy savasanas, and Jess’ straight up humor. Each teacher during that time brought something new to my life. They were a meaningful part of the journey. More names can be added to that journey now in 2016, each teacher leaving tiny footprints on my heart in ways they will never know. Yoga is more than just postures. It has and continues to strip away the layers of my being, leaving me available and raw. Leaving me vulnerable, but able to grow from that place of vulnerability. Every day I wake up and commit. Some days are harder than others for sure. Yoga allows me to move forward. We are all searching for things, some we find and some we never do. But holding on to spaces that are safe, that are beautiful, is something to be noticed and recognized. This is why we practice. This is why I keep coming back.

Thank you to Belinda. Thank you to all my teachers, my friends, and my mentors for allowing me to be part of something so meaningful.

Start YOUR journey today!

With Love,
Kathryn

I’ve just returned from an awesome vacation with my husband and friends in Madiera and Sao Migual – glorious islands of Portugal. Although I didn’t practice yoga in a formal way during our holiday, I did use my travel mat to stretch and practice a few poses at the end of each day; coming back to my mat always helps me to still my mind and breathe more consciously and calmly.

I visited Moksha Yoga Aurora in July seeking some relief from my constantly busy striving, questioning, worrying mind. I didn’t know what to expect when I entered the studio, but I was reassured by the warm welcome I received from the wonderful staff.

Restorative Yoga with Mary was my first experience at the studio and I’m so grateful for her kindness, compassion and welcoming nature. Although my mind would still wander away from the present experience of the stretch and the breath, Mary’s warm and calm encouragement – through hands on adjustments and the use of props to make postures more relaxing – kept me coming back. Not only did this class give me the confidence and encouragement to keep coming back, it also piqued my curiosity about the physical and spiritual benefits of yoga and it enabled me to take the risk of trying other types of classes at the studio.

Since then I have taken many classes – Moksha Series, Moksha Flow, Moksha Music, Yin, Pilates, Barre – and each time, in every class, I have experienced the beautiful sense of community, the warmth of inclusion and the authentic desire of teachers to offer support, inspiration and encouragement. My participation has not always been consistent as – like everyone else – work commitments, family obligations and health issues have often taken me off course, but I keep coming back.

Now that I’m “mostly” retired I have more time to commit to my practice – both on and off the mat. In February, 2016 I joined the wonderful Moksha Yoga retreat to Mexico. This experience definitely took me out of my comfort zone as I traveled alone, engaged with very able and experienced yogis and had lots of time for personal reflection. This experience encouraged me to make more mindful decisions about my health. I committed to making yoga a regular practice and to learning more about its origins and philosophy.

Yoga Has Helped Me To Become More Physically Active.

Walking, climbing stairs and – Zumba, Nia, swimming, etc. During our recent trip I walked many kilometers through beautiful landscapes with relative ease. I know this is a direct result of my yoga practice. All those utkatasana poses continue to pay off.

Even more importantly, yoga has helped me to meet challenging situations and worrying circumstances with greater ease and calm. This is not to say that I am always willing to accept things as they are, but I am more conscious of my reactions and more likely to pause and respond in a mindful way when something troubles me. I love the inspirational quotations and invitation to set an intention for my practice at the beginning of class. The simple intention to stay with my breath is a challenge; however, when I make the effort, I feel the benefits immediately.
One of the books Anna recommended in class – “Living Your Yoga” by Judith Lasater has been a tremendous support in helping me to deepen my practice. Lasater says “to practice yoga in the deepest sense is to commit to developing awareness by observing our lives: our thoughts, our words, and our actions.” For me this is an important insight and an important challenge; sometimes I choose to be unaware and to shirk personal responsibility. So, this is definitely an opportunity for growth and transformation. Lasater goes on to suggest that “it is our dedication to living with open hearts and our commitment to the day to day details of our lives that will transform us.” I believe this to be true, but I have found that the desire to live authentically is challenging. I’m learning to be more compassionate with myself when I find my actions in conflict with my longing to live more responsibly.

Finally, I would like to express gratitude to all of the amazing teachers at Moksha Yoga Aurora. Each one brings a lovely warm spirit of kindness, encouragement and inclusion to their classes. I certainly feel part of the community and I am committed to continuing my yoga journey with their support.

Next adventure — Moksha Yoga retreat to Costa Rica!