the importance of community

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By: Samantha Merkur
Samantha Merkur has been doing yoga for about three decades. She began practicing yoga because of its Aryvedic healing properties. Sam struggled with digestive troubles and eventually shifted her ...
Edited date: February 2, 2022Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

om of the day

I was so proud of myself last week for accepting a dinner invitation to a group of bloggers all contributing and committed to health and wellness! I was hyper organized, as any mother knows how to be. Early pick-ups arranged, sitter coming for dinner…out the door. My “ahhhhh” slowly turned into my Om of the day.

I’m sure by now you have heard of an “aha” moment? It is important to recognize that students of yoga often experience many eye-opening and new ways to gain perspective with a consistent regular old yoga practice. So as I transitioned from mommy-yoga instructor into entrepreneur-blogger, I navigated rush hour traffic, and tapped into that regular old yoga practice with a deep belly breath. In that one breath I was able to taste the next chapter of my life, entitled: “How does Mom return back to worklife with balance, creating her own opportunities and ensuring she is surrounded by the right community?”

I very quickly put the pieces together in my head as I was preparing myself to meet 18 new professionals, likely mothers, health and wellness educators and advocates. I was eagerly excited and yet mildly shy to introduce myself into this new vortex of energy. It was like lifting up into my handstand for the first time all by myself. A little intimidating, but invigorating and inspiring all at the same time.

And just before I was able to exhale all my breath from the bottom of my pelvic floor, there she was… one of the most boisterous voices in my life. I heard my mother say, “It takes a village to raise a family,” Just like it takes a network of the right professionals and my own yoga practice to help raise brand awareness, it is equally important to support and be in alliance with my new blogger relationships. This was my new yoga prop that was about to give my foundation that aha boost. Now I was way beyond survival and lifting with grace and confidence into my handstand.

If you think about it, we support our families with love and a commitment of financial health. We support our immune systems with eating wisely, supplementing with vitamins and minerals, and perhaps practicing our own yoga. And today, we have the added support of our professional communities. These networks and environments that provide authenticity, honesty, inspiration, mentorship, and…maybe even insight into enlightenment!

My yoga is like my own personal network. The meridians and chakras commanding and negotiating with the fascia netting and musculature energies, that all work towards healing and strengthening my entire vessel, from the inside to out! Yoga ultimately ends up supporting the immune system with different asana (poses) like twists and building internal heat with the belly breath. Yoga can support your family in times of focus and managing despair. The practice of pranayama, awareness of breath, and the ability to command it, may save your life one day figuratively and/or physiologically. Yoga in its most basic form means to unite. Bring union to your divine self.

Today I am celebrating my “coming-out” of mommyhood, floating into my new chapter of a growth-fulfilling career, and it hits me… I will always need my yoga to survive. As I will always need my village to raise my family and my network to grow my business… And there I had my “aha” moment and my Om of the day.

Also read: who is the yoga community?