Yesterday I got called in to teach yoga at Mag Rock in Popoyo, Nicaragua. A group was in town celebrating their friends’ recent marriage, and I wasn’t sure how many of them would make it to class. I grabbed a couple of extra mats I had lying around, just in case.
Then they started rolling in. Sixteen came with the wedding group, and one guy just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I thought I’d be nervous teaching that many people, especially with everyone coming in at different levels of flexibility and fitness. But somehow I felt more relaxed than I sometimes do teaching one-on-one. I think it helped that everyone was still in celebration mode. They were up for trying whatever I threw at them, which made it easy for me to have fun, too.
I went with my signature Fire & Flow class, a mix of Kundalini kriyas and gentle vinyasa. I was impressed by how much everyone got into it, especially during the kriyas. One guy slipped out halfway through, and of course there’s that little moment as a teacher when you wonder if it was something you did. Then again, maybe it was the Nicaraguan heat, maybe he had a work meeting, or maybe last night’s gallo pinto caught up with him. Moments like these are a gentle reminder to let things go and not create stories in your head. Let people be, just as they are.
By the time we got to the end of class, I had a different problem. I usually like to walk around and give a gentle shoulder press and a little neck massage while my students are in Savansa, and I’d just realized how long that would take with 17 people (okay, 16 by then). I skipped the massage and went around the room, gently pressing each person’s shoulders and taking a moment to cradle their head in my palms. I know how much I appreciate that little bit of human contact at the end of a yoga class. I wanted each of them to have a moment to feel held before they got up, rolled up their mat, and went off to explore Popoyo.
And it paid off :)
A few people tipped me afterward and shook my hand, thanking me for the practice. And guess what? I get to teach them again on Saturday. I feel so lucky to get to share something I love, get my own workout in, soak up that view, and get paid to do it. How special is that?!
Come do yoga with me at Mag Rock in Popoyo.
Yoga is officially back at Mag Rock, so if you’re in Popoyo and want to try Fire & Flow, come join me every Wednesday at 9 a.m. If Wednesday doesn’t work for you, or you’ve got a whole wedding crew of your own, contact the Magnific Rock hotel concierge to book a private class.
Phone and WhatsApp. +505 8237 7417.
Email. info@magnificrock.com
See you on the mat!