Can I actually teach yoga? Can I actually sit in front of a roomful of people and speak to them honestly? Can I actually share my inner thoughts on the internet, of all places?! Cue the spirals!
These are just some of the recent thoughts I've been grappling with in my head. Without hesitation, I’ve usually answered them (almost instinctively) with the phrase "I can't do that." Cut to me finishing my mentorship with Erin Gilmore (@eringilmore) whose authenticity bleeds through so heavily it’s cultivated a new wave and approach to practicing yoga. Of the many things she’s taught me, showing up more authentically for myself and students has been my biggest takeaway. I've been teaching yoga in San Francisco for over a year now and have been struggling to not hide behind the robotic persona of only speaking in canned phrases like "reach up higher" or "twist a little deeper." I often joked with Erin about how someone like me, who seemingly had nothing figured out about her life, was supposed to "authentically" tell others how to live theirs.
"You don't! That's the beauty. That's authenticity right there." she’d explain.
Her words have been resonating in my head ever since. I'm slowly learning that my definition of being authentic is about openly sharing the things I've been struggling with, contemplating, or working through in my own head. So I’m focusing on re-writing my false narrative that I certainly can teach yoga AND give my students a glimpse into my inner madness - even if the bare minimum for them is to simply see a human being and not a curated projection.
So I'm starting this silly little newsletter to do exactly that - share the things that I'm working through, discussions I've had at nauseam with my friends, or articles and information that I believe should be discussed more openly in our communities. But don’t worry! We'll also keep things light with my favorite internet findings (memes! what the kids are up to!) and Spotify playlists I've been using to sequence my classes. As I often tell my students, follow along with me, or don’t! How you choose to spend your time is entirely up to you.
That’s all for now :)
Shannon
As promised!
The playlist from the latest flow:
What’s taking up my brain space:
Gen Z is telling us to live a BRAT Summer! But what is that exactly? While there are many definitions, I define it as do what you want, wear what you want, drink what you want, & be outrageous.
A bonus playlist! This one’s for running or aggressively dancing around your home. Something with a beat and has been on repeat for me the past month.
You rock :)