The Missing Piece To Your Health

When we think of increasing our health and vitality, we might think about what we are eating, how much sleep or sex we are having, the workout that we said we were going to start and really stick to, or planning a spectacular vacation. But there is one important component that we may not even realize we have or that is missing from our life. Do we see ourselves as part of group where we feel a connection is the foundation to our wellbeing and living a fulfilled life?

Oxford Dictionary defines community as “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”. According to Oxford, to be part of a community, one does not have to sign a legal contract, live in a certain place, or formally be part of a specific group of people. Oxford implies that community lies in the experience of the person defining their community. Community is in the eyes of the beholder.

When Seacoast Power Yoga celebrated its 3^rd year anniversary, over 50 of us gathered to mark the milestone with lots of laughter, sweat and gratitude. Although each of us have different experiences of our community, by showing up to celebrate, everyone was offering themselves and giving themselves at the same time. Many students have shared with me personally; the community of Seacoast Power Yoga has made their lives better. And in my view, it’s because each of them chose to be a part of it.

Here are a few reasons why communities make such a big difference in our lives:

~Community gives people a place to belong. Whether you are 12, 25 or 83, people want to be a part of something. Not everyone has a job they love. Not everyone has a family life that is full of nourishment and connection. A community can be a place where you share something in common or work toward a common goal. Or it can be something that you are just a part of because of where you live or some place you go regularly. I’ve stopped by our Newfields General Store early in the morning and there is a group of men that get their coffee every morning standing around chatting. Community can be both formal and informal.

~Community supports the human connection. People need to be seen and heard in real time. The complexity of our lives is increasing and when our phone calls or lunch dates with friends have been replaced with texts, Instagram comments and Facebook messages, getting in the same room with other people is more important than ever.

~Community supports courage. This may be a sweeping assumption, but taking risks are something that many of us don’t take lightly. Having a community in our corner cheering us on or knowing they will be there if we stumble can make the difference between taking a leap or staying where we are. It’s like jumping off a cliff with a safety net.

~Community offers love and support. After my shoulder surgery, friends and neighbors brought us homemade dinners for a week. It was such so nice and the kids absolutely loved it. People were thinking of us and doing what they could to make things better. My husband and I have also pulled together some meals for friends that could use the break from cooking to focus on their health and healing. It feels great to receive the support and it also feels great to offer the support.

The afternoon of the yoga studio’s anniversary celebration, I flew to Colorado to attend a yoga conference with 400 other yogis with my teacher, Baron Baptiste. I met up with and hung out with old friends but I also made many new ones. I didn’t just show up, I put myself out there and made a point to connect. It was 3 days of fun and I was so filled up by the whole experience. The Baptiste community is always there, but I made the conscious choice to be part of it. I chose to invest in the community and in turn invest in myself.

Communities are like gardens. The more care and attention the garden is given, the more it offers in beauty and bounty. Look around and see the communities that you are already a part of. Make that conscious choice to not only see the community as yours but also to nurture it. Your life will be all the better for it.

Words of Wisdom on The Top of Mt Abram

"This teaches you to trust yourself. You have to do it yourself, no one will do it for you". Funny enough, I heard this from a ski instructor on the top of Mt Abram over the weekend. He was speaking to his new skiers as he was encouraging them to likely head down a tougher trail. I'm so amazed that my yoga not only shows up on my mat but can find me on the top of a mountain in Western Maine. I loved hearing him say to his students (in my own interpretation) "Look- it's entirely up to you. You can ski down this mountain and doubt yourself the whole time. Chances are you will fall on your a$$. If you believe in yourself and what you can do, you are going to own this run. So you decide. I can't do it for you." It reminded me of something I've heard Baron Baptiste say a few times- "Help is not on the way". I'm not sure this ski instructor's students heard him the way I heard him. After all, I was just an innocent and eavesdropping bystander strapping on my snowboard. But, It was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. I needed to hear that I was responsible for enjoying that day and believing that I could make the most of it. That I could be on my snowboard with ease, grace, and connection and that was a powerful choice I could make for myself. My husband, Mark couldn't make it happen for me. Another snowboarding lesson couldn't make it happen for me. Even my daughter, Anna that was complaining of being cold, couldn't make it happen (or not happen) for me. It was up to me.

Thank you Ski Instructor at Mt Abram. Your words matter and I heard them. And yes, I did rock that next run. (Does that sound like a BudLight commercial?) Snowboarding did show me how to trust myself. Along with my yoga, or course.