The moment is now….
Here we go! Holding fiercely on to my faith, courage and endless hope, we are ready to launch A Moment of Grace Yoga studio this weekend. It has truly been a labour of love, one that I have poured my energy, endless intention and gratitude into everyday since finding the studio space in the most serendipitous of ways this October 2024.
A Moment of Grace has been a dream of mine for several years, since I first stood in a yurt in the middle of the woods. You see, my journey into teaching yoga began at my lowest point. It was 2022, and I had just emerged from the latest “wave” of the pandemic as a healthcare executive in a community organization; sick, tired, in pain, and full of sadness I was suffering from a chronic and debilitating condition that would take almost a year to diagnose. I know my story is but one of many I have heard from colleagues, friends, and others who bear the scars of the struggles we all faced during that time. Although that was my lowest point, I had been struggling for a decade prior to the pandemic, ignoring the signals my body and mind were sending me loud and clear. I was suffering with several incurable, debilitating autoimmune conditions. Despite the fatigue, loss of my hair, ping ponging weight, pain, malnutrition and the toll it took on my mental health, I soldiered on: getting a Masters degree, working two jobs and pushing through workouts, social events, and many, many transitions. I decided it was “mind over matter” and if I just decided to keep going, I would somehow outwit, outsmart and outplay my illness.
Though I had been practicing the physical postures (asanas) of yoga for almost 20 years (including my daily morning practice in my living room thanks to Adrienne in Texas, that were streamed straight into my living room via YouTube during the pandemic), I didn’t truly begin my practice of yoga until I stepped into that yurt. Heal, Evolve, Thrive, founded by the incredible duo of Trish Masters and Maddi Rundle, transformed everything about my being; participating in their yoga teacher training healed my understanding of how to relate to my body, process my emotions and interact gracefully with the world around me. It pushed me to embrace every corner of wisdom our heart, body and mind hold, and in doing so, I healed. I healed generations of trauma. I healed the pain of chronic illness. I rested, deeply. And I found gratitude, joy and mindfulness. The debt of gratitude I owe yoga, that yurt and the magical people within it, is bottomless.
And so, A Moment of Grace was born. I realized that the greatest gift I could give my inner perfectionist, A-type, doer, striver, achiever self, was Grace. Grace is a reprieve, a pardon from the burdens we carry. It is elegance, and ease. It is kindness and forgiveness. And to me, it was truly my saving grace.
There is a saying attributed to Pablo Picasso that says “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” And a Moment of Grace Yoga Studio is my gift to the community that will enter it’s doors and find sanctuary within. My deepest hope is that each individual we touch finds a moment, a glimmer, or a lasting shift that allows them to see their gift, by letting go and finding their Grace.
Our first class starts at 8:30 am on Saturday Dec 14th with Mary T starting us off strong and roaring with Power Yoga, followed by a 10am kids yoga class (taught by the one and only, me!) and moves into a 12pm Creative Flow with the uber-talented yogini and musical genius (not to mention friend and soul sister) Amy Pitt.
I do hope you will come join us to enjoy smiles, warmth and peace in our blossoming space.
Sending you love, light and joy, xo J
