Personal Yoga Studio

August 19, 2022

Last weekend my oldest son, Alex, fledged into the world, taking with him his furniture, clothes, tools, and other possessions to a lovely apartment about 5 miles away from our home. This time, I expect he will succeed in making his own nest. He has a clear head, a great career path, good income, and a lovely girlfriend with whom he will share his space and expenses. I feel great about his choices! What Alex left behind, was a nearly empty room, a small table with 2 chairs and a very dirty carpet. He worked construction while he lived with us for nearly 2 years, and those work boots were typically a mess after a long day.

So, Saturday afternoon after a brief cry when he drove off in the moving van with his girlfriend, I set to work scrubbing and reclaiming Alex’s old room. Cleaning can be very therapeutic for me. First, I got a bucket of water and simple green to wash the walls and windowsills. Next, I ran the curtains, pillows, and bench cushions through the dryer to get rid of 2 years of dust. After that, I vacuumed the carpet a couple of times. It still looked terrible, and I wanted to be able to practice yoga on the floor, so I rented a steam cleaner and gave the carpet a thorough wash. By Sunday morning, the carpet was clean and dry, and I was able to spend much of the day gathering my yoga materials and reclaiming the beach themed decorations I purchased for what was our guest room after Alex moved out in 2016.

Now, I have a personal yoga studio that I use at least once a day to practice my asana. Sometimes I have come back for some meditation and pranayama in the evening. My long-term goal is to use the space to teach small yoga classes, primarily to my husband as he recovers from back surgery and is ready to work on strengthening and limbering. Perhaps in time, I will use this space to teach zoom yoga classes or to have private yoga classes for beginners or friends who want to work with me one on one.  It is a small space, but I can accommodate 3-4 students or do chair yoga with a couple of folks.

The open space and simple decorations are soothing to me. In all honesty, I would love to own real a beach cottage, so I have tried to give the space a beachy vibe and play waves or coastal sounds as I practice. For a few minutes each day, I let my mind imagine being at my happy place near the surf. The crystals my friend Robbin gave me cast rainbows around the room in the afternoon and morning sunlight. Thanks to the table Alex left, I also have a great spot to write or take a zoom call. By Tuesday, both Nick and my younger son Andrew had decided it was a great room for things they wanted to do, as well. I think we may need a sign-up calendar so that we can each enjoy the peace and privacy of the room.