Dedicated

Day 3

Today was my friend Sherry's birthday, so I decided to dedicate my practice to her. Unfortunately Sherry passed away this summer, and I miss her terribly. I had no idea what dedicating a practice meant, but I knew it was something that people do so I decided to try it out. I thought about her all day, not knowing how to properly honor her in my practice.
It was really hard to get to the studio tonight. It is only the third day and I already felt like giving up. The earlier darkness made it especially hard to trek to Quincy after a day of work. I almost went to the West Roxbury studio, closer to my house. I decided instead to go where I knew I could find my yoga friends. I called my Aunt on the way to Quincy. Talking to her got me through the commute (I know! But I used the headset) And before I knew it I was doing bow pose.
Honestly, I had another hard night of getting through the postures. I did not enjoy them one bit. But the feeling that I got at the end of class made it all worth while. And in thinking about Sherry through my practice, I was able to appreciate the awesome yoga friends that make coming to Quincy worth the trip. I practiced next to a mischievous woman who made me laugh all through the class. I got a whole lot of support from Franca before class, and tons of love after. (see the funny pics!) And as always I was grateful to see the steadfast determination of my friend Heather's yoga. So tonight I raise my glass of wine, add Sherry's secret ingredient to my dinner (pickle juice!), and savor a fig in memory of my dear friend who taught me to recognize a strong woman from a mile away.