bohoRyan... Guest Blogger

On a rainy Saturday night,  after a long day of work, my life was forever changed.  Candles were lit, splashes of rain could be heard on the windows, and I pretended to know what a chaturanga was while grunting my way through my inaugural Power Vinyasa Flow class.   Sweet BohoKD took me to my first class at Big Yoga.  I was so intimidated and scared and I definitely didn’t look the part of a fit and trim Yoga class attendee.  (I’m still trying to lose my baby weight from my first child who is now 11.)  Tugging at my five year old Lululemon pants that I had pulled up over my belly button to squeeze in anything that was bulging out, I took a deep breath and stepped out of my comfort zone.  

That was May,  and now I am an avid Big Yoga subscriber.  These people have it figured out.  When you walk in, everyone, I mean everyone is smiling, happy that you are there, happy that they are there, happy that anyone is anywhere.  This is the kind of person I want to be.  They rent out mats, towels, whatever you need they have it.  They treat you like you have been part of their yogi family for years.  I am the queen of “fake it till you make it” but with this crowd I didn’t even need to fake it.  They see the potential in me that even I don’t see, so they treat me as if I am already that empowered, awesome, hard core, peaceful, playful, did I say peaceful, yogi that they know I can be.   

(here is what I think of when I think of Big Yoga)

Big Yoga is a Baptiste inspired studio, and if you haven’t heard of Baron Baptiste,

you may want to go ahead and open another window and order his book/s ASAP.  

Baron Baptiste

Baptiste yoga is (in my own words) a place to release the need to be perfect, the fear of failing, and push yourself to your edge, maybe even falling over it to come into who you are wholly.  The classes are hot and sweaty, and sometimes you might touch someone else’s leg, foot, etc...but its worth it.  On these mats there is a sense of community and a place where vulnerability and mistakes are applauded.  

I recently signed up for the 40 days program at Big Yoga.  Wow!  I could stop there because that’s how I feel, my muscles hurt, my eyes are sleepy, but man my biceps are starting to look good (Hey gurl, Hey!) and I don’t fly off the handle as much as usual with my sweet family.  I am at the beginning of week 3 and feeling as if this challenge is a little harder than I thought it was going to be.  Waking up at 5am to make it to 5:30 class is harder than I thought and actually today I totally slept in today!  

One day at a time, one foot in front of the other, here I am, this is me, and I may be crying on my mat or I may be asleep too, but I am no longer thinking that I am the only one who feels this way.  I realize/d that everyone is scared, everyone is insecure, everyone has fears, everyone wants to be loved and love…..alright enough, you need to experience it for yourself.  Get off your computer and go! Go now!!  

Also for all of you juicers they just opened a juice bar (Big and Juicy) too!! Now Big Yoga will become one of the biggest expenses of my monthly budget because Sophia, the aforementioned 11 year old, has taken a liking to their Kid’s yoga.  She loves it and I love that she has a place to go and feel good about herself.   Also I like that I have a place that I can go and feel good about myself too, life can be so difficult when we are worrying about everything and everyone, its so refreshing to put down my masks and be who I am, to be fully present, to shine light beams out of my chest (okay so that’s a little much…) but you know what I mean.  See you on the mat.

Peace, Love, Light

Ryan