Front desk staff, Anisha, tells us about her journey to her mat and what that meant and looked like for her.
What does Modo mean? To some, it means salvation or freedom. For others, it means a safe place to exercise and practice yoga. To me, Modo means family.
This summer I was given the incredible opportunity to become a full-time member of the MYH community by working at the front desk. I have been practicing at MYH Dundas since 2012 and I’ve always felt like there was something special about coming into the warm studio being surrounded by even warmer faces greeting me before and after classes. It was my escape from the cold, my escape from reality; it was a mini-vacation (it was certainly hot enough to be one!).
As a full-time student during the year, I can never make it to my mat as much as I’d like so I decided that this summer I was going to change that. Since I’d be coming into the studio almost every day to work, I thought I would just do a class (or two, or three) around each of my shifts to get back into the habit of practicing. I set a goal to complete 100 classes before school starts in September. I completed almost 70 classes during my 3 months of practice. Every time I was in the studio someone asked me how my 100-class challenge was going. It amazed me to see how supportive everyone at MYH was, whether it was a student, staff member, or teacher (especially since everyone comes to their mat with different intentions).
Each smiling face motivated me to come in for more classes to ultimately make my goal. Although I couldn’t successfully complete my summer goal, I was proud of my efforts of even making it to my mat in the first place because it was 70 more classes than I probably would’ve done before.
Sometimes the challenge comes in being able to accept the fact that we can’t always complete every goal we set for ourselves. Or we may even need to learn to change our goals in the process to make it something more attainable to achieve. I have seen many mental, physical, and spiritual changes in myself due to my steady practice this summer; changes that never would’ve occurred without having yoga in my life. Although I had to change my perspective and change my goal, I didn’t give up or lose, I’m still a spiritual warrior, a spiritual winner, and know that I have the MYH family supporting me every step of my journey!
About the Author:
Anisha started practicing yoga 5 years ago in 2012, when she was just 15 years old. She turned to yoga to help keep her grounded, focused and giving balance to a hectic school schedule. Now, a full-time student at McMaster University, she uses yoga to destress! Anisha refers to her hour in the hot room as a ‘mini-vacation’ for her mind. She also loves that yoga is a great exercise for the body.
(Originally published September 12, 2017)