Shades of Gray

Hello friends!

I’m not a big fan of the words ALWAYS and NEVER.

The internet is full of them these days, especially in clickbait headlines and listicles: "5 Things You Should NEVER (or ALWAYS) Do as a [gardener/decorator/baker/teacher, etc.]."

A few months ago, having just turned 65, I stumbled across a video that was titled “5 Brands of Shoes Women Over 65 Should NEVER Wear.” You know I had to click on that one. Guess what? I had worn 4 of the 5 pairs on that list – and they were all incredibly comfortable!

Obviously, I’m doing aging all wrong.

I’ve been teaching yoga for 15 years now. When I first started, I was often unsure if I had served my students in the best way possible. I clicked on a few of those ALWAYS/NEVER articles and, wow, was I intimidated. It was clear that I’d NEVER learn the "right" way to teach yoga.

But I kept trying.

I continued my own practice and completed more training. I watched and listened to my students. The more that I did all of these things, the clearer it became: yoga is less about rules and absolutes; yoga is more about possibility.

We have options. We can try different ways to move and breathe and stretch. We can choose how we want to spend our time in this human body.

Life is full of shades of gray – it's not just black and white, always and never.

When we come to our mat, we have the opportunity to explore those spaces in between.

ALWAYS love!

Nina G​