Yoga & Community by Christa Maurer
I have been practicing yoga for about 13 years. Yoga’s meaning to me and my life has changed over those years, but one thing has remained the same. For me, walking into a yoga studio has always meant finding a community.
I began by taking a prenatal yoga class when I was just 27 years old. When I was younger and expecting my first child, I first turned to yoga as a way to help with my labor and delivery. I signed up for a prenatal yoga class to supplement our birthing classes and that got me in the door of a yoga studio, and that changed my life.
I think I was extremely lucky because the first studio where I began to practice and understand yoga was a warm and welcoming place. The teachers were extremely knowledgeable and there were all sorts of different classes to choose from. I met many good people at the studio and made a couple of really close friends, other women in my prenatal yoga class. When I decided to stay home with my baby, I and some other new moms from the studio formed a mother’s group. We practiced yoga together, had “playdates” with the babies and even the occasional moms’ night out. I loved being around other like-minded people and the sense of belonging that I felt.
Our family moved in 2001 and it was a very difficult move for me. I missed my friends and family. I felt lost. My daughter was just beginning school, but I was not familiar with the other parents yet. I really missed my old yoga studio and the regular practice. After settling into our new home, I found my next yoga “home.” This new studio was different, solely an Ashtanga studio. It attracted a completely different type of practitioner. Rather than other moms, I was able to meet and connect with all different types of yogis and yoginis – some like me and some not. The one thing we had in common was a love of yoga. A friend of mine once said something to me that I’ll never forget. She said that we all meet and become friends with certain people at particular times in our lives for a reason. The friendships I made at the Ashtanga studio came about at a time when I was ready to really deepen my practice and start to study yoga beyond the physical postures. Again, I had found the community I needed.
Our family moved again in 2005 to Northern Virginia. This time the move was most difficult for my kids. I was thrilled to be living near a big city again. I figured I would have no problem finding an Ashtanga studio. Settling the kids into their new home and new school took a lot longer and was way more stressful than I expected. The first thing I let go of was my yoga practice. Out of guilt over the move, I threw all my energies into helping the kids adjust. I volunteered for every single party and field trip at their school. I was class mother for 5 years. I baked, crafted, chaperoned, organized and carpooled. All the while, knew I wanted to get back to my practice so I started to search for my new yoga community. In my search I tried different studios and took classes from different teachers. I was able to meet and take classes with Ursula before she opened her own studio. And although Ursula did not have a “bricks and mortar” studio until about a year ago, she certainly had already created a community of dedicated and loyal students. The Inner Power Yoga studio itself is simply a physical manifestation of the community – can I say family? – that continues to grow and thrive. IPY is my yoga home away from home, a place where I have met so many wonderful people, made good friends, found support, gained knowledge and, of course, actually practiced yoga! We are all blessed to belong to the IPY community.