My home base yoga studio, Trillium, is celebrating four years of serving the community where I live. I owe my yoga practice to Trillium. While I did take a weekly Pilates class at the rec center in college, I did not pick up a regular yoga practice until this studio opened so close to home.

I started going to yoga classes for all the wrong reasons. I wanted a yogi body with all the flexibility and handstands it naturally came with. I wanted a good excuse to wear yoga pants without feeling like a imposter. And I wanted a good workout.

While I can work up a good sweat in a challenging flow, I continue my weekly practice because it’s the best form of self-care I can find. After I stopped feeling guilty for not being home for the picture perfect Saturday morning in bed with my family (that very rarely happened in the first place), I started to really value the 75 minutes it takes to fill my soul with goodness. I walk out of the studio with a smile on my face, physically confident and mentally recharged.

In honor of its four year anniversary, Trillium challenged its students to attend class every day for a week. Even though I am a certified yoga instructor, I’d never practiced seven days in a row. At first I thought I’d be too tired after coming home from work, but after my husband reassured me it was okay to take the time every night to go, I committed.

I signed up for a class each week night and the mornings on the weekend, including my usual Saturday morning mindful flow. And just like the studio owner said in her challenge promo, my body thanked me. I showed up to each and every class ready to move. And each class and teacher was different.

Vinyasa flow. Hot yoga. Power yoga. Yoga fundamentals. I connected with each teacher in a different way to make the practice my own. Since taking virtual classes at home during the pandemic, I’m truly able to close my eyes, listen to instruction and flow at my own pace. This week was no different. Teachers cue things their own way. I tried new poses to stretch my body in ways I had not before.

I did discover a couple of things:

I really like to practice in the morning, mostly because I enjoy the sound of the espresso machine grinding beans in the coffee shop next door (Little Bean Coffee Company). There’s something about the sound that makes my brain smell coffee aroma and it’s a wonderful way to wake up.

No matter the teacher or how the practice flows, it always ends in a sweet savasana. Trillium Yoga studio’s ceiling fan softly circulates air around the room as you cool down. Surrender to the mat and relax, but even when you accidentally open your eyes, you see a beautiful painted tin ceiling. It’s one of the things that makes this Antioch studio special.

I was mentally prepared to wake up sore every morning, but my body didn’t put up a fight. It adapted and blessed me with really good nights of sleep. While I know I can’t commit to yoga every day, I appreciate the challenge. I know I can handle picking up the pace. I still am striving for a handstand and I now know that perfect yogi body I was searching for is the one I already had to begin with.

Namaste.

Special thanks to my teachers this week: Katherine, Kristin, Olivia and Canella. Extra special thanks to Sara for this week’s challenge and for owning the best studio ever! Congrats on four years!