Things I Learned on a Mat
Lynn Sullivan - Highland Yoga Student - 6/26/2005
LA is
a great place to discover yoga. It’s easy to practice surrounded by palm
trees, ocean breezes, and pretty people who make a living in show business.
Several years ago, I did my first downward facing dog in a yoga studio in
Santa Monica, California. I had trouble with that whole concept of
surrender and letting go. Breathing? What are they talking about? Still, it
was a whole new world, and I was intrigued with learning more. I left LA
vowing to continue this journey back home in New Jersey.
This
was not as easy as I had hoped. In New York, then I had my pick of
welcoming places- Jivamukti, Om, Be, Exhale- the names alone are relaxing!
But I wanted something closer to home. It’s hard to say “Namaste” when
you’re stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel commuting back from the city. And let’s
not talk about the weather. Inner peace seems impossible when your umbrella
turns inside out on yet another rainy workday, or when you’re scraping ice
off your windshield in a snowstorm in Willowbrook Mall. So I placed my yoga
mat on a shelf, and figured I’d have to wait until my next trip to LA before
doing any more chaturangas.
Now
at this point, dear reader, you might be saying, “Well, why didn’t she get a
Rodney Yee video and do it herself at home?” The answer is quite simple: I
am lazy, and will make any excuse to avoid doing any at-home exercise.
So
there I was, just living and breathing, (without living and
breathing) when a miracle came in the mail in the form of a postcard.
A new business was opening up on Route 23. Highland Yoga. Yoga? On Route
23? MY Route 23? And the first class was free! And it was 5 minutes from
our house! No more laziness, no more Final Jeopardy, no more excuses. From
that first “Om” on a cold wintry night in Bromat Plaza, I decided that
Highland Yoga would be my oasis.
Now I
am a changed woman. All social engagements are checked against the class
schedule, and my weekend does not start until I come out of my savasana on
Saturday mornings. I actually like being barefoot and sometimes I even
think about how maybe I could be an instrument of peace. (Okay, not all the
time, I’m still working on that one.)
A few
months ago, I went back to that yoga studio in LA where my journey began. I
sat on my mat with a purpose. Now I was part of the yoga community. I
smiled at the other students and knew that we were all there for the same
reason. Putting my hands in prayer position, I started to breathe, really
breathe, just like I was home at Highland Yoga.
Namaste.
Lynn
Sullivan
and her husband John Bowers reside
in Kinnelon. Lynn had a long career in show business as a musical theater
performer and Radio City Rockette. She recently left her job as an
entertainment manager in the corporate world. Lynn is excited for her
next job as a first time mom, as she and John are in the process of adopting
a baby girl from China.
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