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!
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