Cleaning for Free Yoga, or How I 'Spend' my Sundays.

My mom used to pay me an allowance to clean the bathrooms growing up; $20 a week to clean the counter, sinks and toilets.  I wouldn't do it.  I would fight and angry clean and pretend I did it more often than not.  She would tell me, I couldn't go out or see my friends until I did my chores and I would still say no. 

17 years later and now I'm trading yoga for bathroom duties.

There has to be some deep symbolism or growth in that story somewhere.

If she could see me in this role, she would laugh out loud.  Not that she 'can't,' she's alive and well, she just doesn't really grasp what I mean when I tell her I clean the yoga studio on weekends. 

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror last week when cleaning and thought "If she could see me now...", and realized that maybe that reflection would resonate well with others here.  Sometimes we feel like we're the same 16 year old kid, with unrealistic ideals and over the top goals but still learning from poor choices.  And other times, that person feels like a lifetime away. 

Of course I clean my own bathroom, weekly, now that I have my own home and kids.  But to choose to clean up after other people and take out their trash and sort their recycling just so I can get some free yoga, it either goes to show how much I love yoga or how much I've changed.  Hopefully, a little bit of both.

Do you practice yoga?  How has it changed your life for the better?  Where do you see the growth?

And just to clarify, the humility of cleaning isn't the old evidence of my growth.  It also surfaces in the deep breathes I try to take before yelling.  And the postures I implement, not only for spiritual flexibility but for physical flexibility too.  It's evident in the life lessons I've learned.  Step back, observe.  Witness. 

I couldn't have imagined a better way to finance my yoga practice.  And I'm excited to save up enough cash to finance my teacher training because I feel like there is so much to learn and I have so much to share!

Yoga Journey no. 1

I have some exciting news about some new opportunities and updates on my life!  I am so happy to announce that I'm in the process of researching yoga teacher certification with Core Power Yoga.  I've been wanting to do this for a really long time, but when I got pregnant with my youngest daughter 4 years ago I knew it was a goal that would have to wait, the amount of hours of classes and the cost weren't realistic as a new mom, so I put it off.  But then a couple of months ago Core Power Yoga hosted free Sunday morning yoga at the Yard, in anticipation of their new studio space.  My friend Cameron and I promptly signed up for the classes and were hooked.  I signed up for their introductory rate for two months of yoga at a crazy low price.  I went to my first class and instantly became heartbroken knowing that unlimited yoga was not in my budget after my two months were up.  Because of our current budget and income.

But as I was leaving the locker room I saw a sign for their yoga for trade program. It said for three hours of work, you receive unlimited monthly FREE yoga.  Right now, we don't have any extra money, but I do have some limited extra time, and this was a priority!  So I emailed and set my intentions to manifest the time I was available and sure enough at the interview the coordinator offered me the EXACT time I was hoping for! In addition to the free yoga, they also offer YFT members 20% off of their instructor programs.

It was like the universe threw all this at me because I was recently considering going back to teaching full time.  It was a choice I was considering even though I knew I would be sacrificing so much freedom for barely any more money.  But I was thinking of insurance and retirement benefits like a responsible adult and mother of two should.  But after much meditation, and intuition work I decided I don't want to teach art full time, I want to create when I want to create.  I love teaching but I want to own my time and choose a schedule that works for me.  I want to focus on my henna and photography and return to the motions of my body and share that with others.  I'm still in the process of saving for this experience so I might not start right away but I'll share updates as I go, and don't be surprised if yoga videos start showing up on my instagram and youtube channel. 

Wish me luck.

Art and Wellness Event Recap.

I thought I should take a moment and share a little bit more about why I've been so absent from this blog and why I might seem so busy to those that know me in real life. The simplest explanation is that I am.  Very.  Busy.  May was an incredibly busy and enriching month.  June is hardly any different. The biggest event in May was the Art & Wellness Event I co-coordinated with some really wonderful women in a really wonderful space.  I really appreciate everyone who attended and contributed to our Art and Wellness Event!  Because, without them it would have been a waste of countless hours and lots of emails. In an effort to strengthen our creative community I have included links to all our vendors, sponsors and contributors because they really made this event what it was!  We knew we wanted to teach a workshop focused on wellness as I teach monthly workshops using essential oils and DIY home and care products.  My Friend Cameron and I usually teach a class once a month, but lately she's been requested to teach private workshops for those who want to pick exactly what to make and in the comfort of their own home as opposed to a total strangers. We really wanted to do something good for our community so when my friend Sara offered the space at Release the Fear, we knew we could help benefit this local non-profit.  Release the Fear benefits local disadvantaged youth and teens creating a safe space to make art and in the process release the fear and self doubt that can lead to troubling mistakes. Together we were able to raise over $140 with our raffle items for Release the Fear and I'll be investing in a painting in the near future too! As an art teacher this is really powerful and inspiring work.  To us art as a tool to experience a full and happy life, I sort of love that about the creative process, how freeing and expressive it all is.  I can't wait to stop in for a workshop to see the process live for myself, until then I'll just have to browse the gallery and listen to the work that has been created and shared. Here's a glimpse at our event...

Seriously we are so grateful to all of our sponsors and vendors! Hawks and Honey Apparel Wren House Brewing  p.s. it's homemade Strawberry Hedgehog Soap Be You Jewelry Postino Wine Cafe Kerri Burki O.H.S.O. Brewery sonora handmade shaklee Metta Yoga Body Butter by Gina Macaroon Mamma  treehouse bakery  Nekter Juice Bar

Make sure to like our page Workshops with Jenn and Cameron to stay informed about upcoming events.  And you can find us on istagram: @workshopswithjennandcameron!