e x c u r s i o n s I notice Matt’s shoulders drop, and his hands, which had been balled tightly, open and relax as the class continues. When Blair wraps up, she says, “The light in me honors the light in you. Namaste.” He thanks her and walks off happily toward the television room. “Matt!” Blair calls. “Your shoes!” He comes back over and laughs. “There’s something you can write,” he says to me. “He was so relaxed he forgot his shoes!” After class, Blair explains that teaching at Good Shepherd is challenging for her but she loves it. The population changes from class to class as residents get back on their feet, and she has to adjust to new clients’ needs during each class. Sometimes residents stay for a few weeks. “I had a family come to my classes for a couple of months. A mom, dad, and two kids. They all did it together while they were here, and I was so happy to share these relaxation techniques with them during such a stressful time. I tell them they always have access to relaxation if they keep bringing themselves back to the breath.” Blair knows from experience that yoga can help people during hard times. As a child and teenager, she watched her brother struggle and survive leukemia. Then, when she was 16, her father died suddenly from a heart attack. “His death was very surprising. I went through a really tough depression. One day my friend was, like, come try yoga. I went, and I automatically felt this relief. And I thought it was crazy. I’d never felt anything like this. I started going every single day. It has encouraged me to reach out to people and encourage them to reach out, build confidence and strength.” Though she was admitted to UNCW, she felt her path was teaching yoga, and she decided to forgo college to become a certified yoga teacher and is engaged in an intensive Kunga yoga teacher training program. “I want to continue to teach and deepen my practice. I’ve been looking for a space to teach veterans, and I especially want to work with children, especially those with cancer or who have an ill relative, because it’s such a stressful time.” In this way, Blair seems to be coming full circle. She began yoga to soothe her pain; now she is teaching others the skills she’s learned. I began taking classes at Salty Dog Yoga in Carolina Beach. She’s certainly shown me during her classes that yoga isn’t the self-indulgent practice I thought it was, or a way to escape pain. Instead, it’s a practice that can connect people, an offering of love, compassion and respect. Namaste. b Author Virginia Holman, a regular Salt contributor, teaches in the creative writing department at UNC Wilmington. The Art & Soul of Wilmington
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