Will Thomas, Somatic Relief Yoga

Six years ago this month, the pandemic forced Mary Margaret and me to close Yoga House Miami. Of course we thought it was temporary at first...

We had been open for almost twelve years at that point and had lived out our dreams of creating space for community, healing, friendships (even a few resulting babies) as well as some nightmares (mostly involving plumbing 😂).

The suffering of so many is obviously the first acknowledgment when remembering those days.

But the upending of our business led to something now very dear to my heart: practicing (and teaching) yoga at home.

Up to that point, my chosen yoga tradition required industrial-sized electric heaters, giant mirrors, a large room and many parking spaces requiring many car trips to gather a large number of people at once for the 1 to 1.5-hour sessions.

Switching to home practice immediately relieved a lot of stress, not just as a business owner, but as a yoga student myself: no more checking Google Maps for traffic time to make class, no parking worries, my own bathroom, and only competing for mat space with my dogs.

Aside from removing the logistical stress, home practice has enhanced the more introspective turn my practice was taking anyway...

After an injury at 47, I replaced the athleticism in my practice with curiosity, and have become stronger, more flexible, and mind-body connected than I ever was before.

In other students' words:

Fred pointed out that home practice let him relax into trying balancing poses "without worrying about knocking over the person next to me."
Lorena says "Roll out of bed, turn on Zoom, and 35-minutes later am ready for the workday with much more focus."
Penny says "Waking up to knowing you are going to MOVE with Will and friends, results in mental and physical success."
(Studio practice and all that came with it was hugely beneficial to me for a lot of years. I hope it is and was for you, too.)

Does developing a guided practice at home sounds good to you in this moment?

Will - Somatic Relief Yoga

Actual song on the radio at the time. Be safe out there folks.