Life is always giving us exactly what we need when we need it. Such a difficult truth to remember when LIFE is throwing some challenging lessons at you.
I just completed five years as a full time yoga instructor, and I've been taking a trip down memory lane to SIGNIFICANT moments on this teaching path.
One HUGE lesson came on June 21, 2013. The Summer Solstice. Big day in the yoga world! I'd been teaching less than a year and still at a place where I was pretty much saying YES to any opportunity floated my way. Perpetually swiping RIGHT.....
So on this day, I was slated to teach beginning at 8 am - poolside yoga at Lifetime Fitness in Warrenville all the way through to a joint collab with my great friend Brian Dunn at 8 p.m. at Lifetime Fitness in Burr Ridge.
I was flying HIGH! Feeling so damn lucky to be teaching my art and my passion and making an impact in people's lives. And I had reached a crossroad - my old way of living converging into this new path where I truly wanted to live and embody my yoga. But, at that time, I felt so many remnants of this 'former' existence were holding me in limbo.With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that those little lifestyle choices are actually irrelevant to what truly matters. But I could not see that at the time.
At that juncture, I was still driving a sweet, sporty black Mercedes which back then brought my human ego so much pleasure and it was such a beautiful, smooth and powerful machine. But I found myself feeling a bit self-conscious as I would walk out of a studio chatting with students and stop short so they wouldn't see my car. Who cares right? At the time, I did for some inexplicable reason.
So for a few months I'd been seriously thinking about getting a different car, but it was a fleeting thought as I was so busy teaching like crazy that I didn't attache a ton of concernment to it.
So back to the summer solstice of 2013. After a full day of teaching yoga and after a lovely dinner with Brian and some of our students, I headed home. Happy but pretty exhausted. As I was racing home to rest knowing in less than 8 hours I'd be teaching another four classes, I switched lanes and too late saw the car in front of me!!!
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
I rear-ended the poor guy in front of me. Both sets of airbags engaged: shins and chest from the steering wheel. The front hood popped open! Literally the HAND OF GOD must have been on my steering wheel to guide my totaled car safely across three lanes of traffic to the side of the road. I was discombobulated. Somehow, not sure how long it took, I disengaged my seat belt, crawled to the passenger side of the car, opened the door and literally spilled out onto the ground. I was groping around for my cell phone to call 911 - I couldn't even remember that I had locked it in my glove box to avoid distractions for my exhausted drive home.
And then my Angel appeared. Her name is Char. She witnessed the entire accident, took the next exit and circled back around to check on me. By the time I was in a heap at the side of the road, she had already called 911 and was by my side. A complete stranger. And the best friend I could have hoped for in that moment of my life.
As I searched frantically for my cell phone to call 911, she calmly informed me that she had already done so. She said she witnessed the entire accident and the man did not have his lights on, which explains why I didn't see him! I finally located my phone and was contacting MB roadside assistance, knowing fully well that they would send a flatbed tow truck and that at past midnight on a Friday night, there would be about a 2 hour wait. All I could think of was that I had to be at work in just a few short hours!
As I was on my phone call, the fireman/paramedic was yelling at me to get in the ambulance so he could check me out. I didn't want to delay the tow truck process, so I was trying to wrap up my call. I was becoming agitated by the dick-like behavior of this "first-responder," and before I could even muster a reaction, there was my Angel Char again having my back. She told him she would bring my right into the ambulance as soon as we dispatched the tow truck to the scene.
My other concern was that I didn't have health insurance. City of Naperville had graciously extended my Cobra coverage for me, however, it was nearly $1,000 per month at that time! Another struggle of the free-wheeling, happy-go-lucky lifestyle of a full time yoga instructor - lots of passion and gratification, but not much financial compensation. However, he checked me out and wanted to rush me to the emergency room. At this point my shins were severely bruised and triple their size. But I foolishly still believed I was teaching four classes in a few hours, so I refused to go.
So now I was just waiting for the tow truck, and at this point the Trooper said he would have to leave for another call but he was concerned about leaving me at the side of the road. Char stepped in (yes, she was still there!) and promised the officer she would wait with me for my ride. So I sat in her car and just began thinking about who the heck I could call at what was now past 1 a.m. Mind you, this was 2013, just before the advent of Uber and Lyft! Before I could formulate any viable thoughts - you quickly figure out who your true friends are when you are IN NEED) - Char offered to wait with me and drive me home!! Which she did!
So as I finally got home well past 2 am, so grateful for Char and to God for allowing me to walk (hobble) away from a huge crash, it slowly dawned on me that I was in no shape to teach the next morning. I quickly shot out emails to Brian (he covered my 8 am at Lifetime) and to the lovely teachers and managers at Yoga By Degrees. My classes were covered and I was able to REST.
The biggest lesson that I learned from this CRASH was how futile it is to WORRY. God/Universe (whatever you BELEIVE in) will always provide exactly what you NEED exactly WHEN you need it. It is the truth, you guys!
As I searched frantically for my cell phone to call 911, she calmly informed me that she had already done so. She said she witnessed the entire accident and the man did not have his lights on, which explains why I didn't see him! I finally located my phone and was contacting MB roadside assistance, knowing fully well that they would send a flatbed tow truck and that at past midnight on a Friday night, there would be about a 2 hour wait. All I could think of was that I had to be at work in just a few short hours!
As I was on my phone call, the fireman/paramedic was yelling at me to get in the ambulance so he could check me out. I didn't want to delay the tow truck process, so I was trying to wrap up my call. I was becoming agitated by the dick-like behavior of this "first-responder," and before I could even muster a reaction, there was my Angel Char again having my back. She told him she would bring my right into the ambulance as soon as we dispatched the tow truck to the scene.
My other concern was that I didn't have health insurance. City of Naperville had graciously extended my Cobra coverage for me, however, it was nearly $1,000 per month at that time! Another struggle of the free-wheeling, happy-go-lucky lifestyle of a full time yoga instructor - lots of passion and gratification, but not much financial compensation. However, he checked me out and wanted to rush me to the emergency room. At this point my shins were severely bruised and triple their size. But I foolishly still believed I was teaching four classes in a few hours, so I refused to go.
So now I was just waiting for the tow truck, and at this point the Trooper said he would have to leave for another call but he was concerned about leaving me at the side of the road. Char stepped in (yes, she was still there!) and promised the officer she would wait with me for my ride. So I sat in her car and just began thinking about who the heck I could call at what was now past 1 a.m. Mind you, this was 2013, just before the advent of Uber and Lyft! Before I could formulate any viable thoughts - you quickly figure out who your true friends are when you are IN NEED) - Char offered to wait with me and drive me home!! Which she did!
So as I finally got home well past 2 am, so grateful for Char and to God for allowing me to walk (hobble) away from a huge crash, it slowly dawned on me that I was in no shape to teach the next morning. I quickly shot out emails to Brian (he covered my 8 am at Lifetime) and to the lovely teachers and managers at Yoga By Degrees. My classes were covered and I was able to REST.
The biggest lesson that I learned from this CRASH was how futile it is to WORRY. God/Universe (whatever you BELEIVE in) will always provide exactly what you NEED exactly WHEN you need it. It is the truth, you guys!
ABUNDANCE is surrounding YOU ALWAYS! No need to worry. Let go of your FEARS. Open your HEART and TRUST and BELIEVE that you are right where you need to be. Just always do your best in any given moment. Everything else will be sorted out. Continue to do your DHARMA and you will get exactly what you need and deserve.
Anicca! Anicca! Anicca! Be happy! Be happy! Be happy!
