May 2024

Written By Lara Estrada

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference.”
~ Steve Jobs

Happy May! I was recently thinking back to how yoga first came into my life. When I was in college, we had an option to take classes facilitated by other students for 1 unit of credit— a way to fill your schedule to full-time status if needed, or to take a course “just for fun.” I browsed through the course list, looking for something interesting. I was intrigued to join a class called “Meditation, Mysticism, and the Mind.”

This class was popular and waitlisted, but I was able to get in. Every week, we had different guest speakers who shared their experiences with various spiritual paths, ranging from a Native American healer to a devout Catholic, and many others in between. As part of the course, we also were able to experience different modalities of mindfulness. I remember participating in a walking meditation group, and also— my very first yoga class.

When I think back to that first donation-based yoga class I attended years ago, I remember being very excited to go, and telling my roommate about it. I remember feeling challenged and getting sweaty. I really enjoyed it! Although, I never made it back to yoga until a few years later, after college when I started working full-time. That’s when the practice really stuck with me, perhaps because I needed to move my body and clear my mind more than ever, after sitting at a desk all day and contemplating if this was what work would be like for the rest of my life.

In my life, and I’m sure in yours, there were many stages of discovery and questioning, with whatever I was going through at the time. I realize now that my interest in the spiritual world was always present. I always craved a deeper meaning in life, and discovery of purpose. I continue to navigate that today, as a part of me is always wondering what I will do next.

Part of the fun of life is not having answers to everything, yet being open to trying new things and diving in to what seems intriguing in the moment. When I was a freshman in college signing up for a random course called “Meditation, Mysticism, and the Mind,” I never would have guessed that years later I would own a yoga studio, a space for people to get curious about the same things. Life has its own way of connecting the dots.

This month, we have great classes every day, as well as workshops to connect the body, mind, and spirit. Hope to see you soon at the studio!

With Love + Gratitude,

<3 Lara

Workshops & Events

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Lara Estrada
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