How Yoga Helped Me Navigate Choppy Waters

"You are average, Melanie." How could I becontemplated my position in the scheme of
average? I had been practicing "hot yoga" forlife...Peeling away at my personal layers of
nearly five years when my husband of 32 yearsprotection; I entered a place where fear and the
passed away. I started adding more days to myunknown hold hands. It was a scary time. As the
weekly practice to heal and meditate...to releaseheight of the waves increased and the speed of
anger and frustration...to handle the stress ofthe wind mounted, my mind began to let go. I
separation and it worked. Was I really average?realized that my contribution to the globe was not
I was 56 years old and I found that I fit theas significant as my contribution to the three
statistic of the average age of widowhood. I feltother members of the crew on the sailboat. Being
too young to be a widow and as my practicepresent, being alert and aware of the moment to
improved I knew that the door to a happy lifemoment traverse across the body of water that
was not closing. Yoga helped me see that theseemed endless, was my focus. Taking care of
possibility of a healthy and full life was ahead ofthe direction of my thoughts and my energy
me and that there were no limits to my flexibility.helped my crew and helped me to find a peaceful
Because each posture addresses so much of thepresence. There is a wonderful sense of freedom
"inner mind", my adjustment to this new chapterin the middle of the ocean. It is that exhilarating
was enhanced by a positive focus and afeeling of "anything can happen here" sense that
consistent practice.draws the soul. Knowing how to ride the wave of
After a few months of reflection, I decided toanticipation and fear; adventure and the unknown
participate in my yoga teacher's first Yogatake their place in your heart center and fill you
Teacher Training along with sixty other yogisup. What a sense of accomplishment when you
from around the world. While I was not thefinally reach land! There is just no feeling that can
oldest, I was close to the oldest enrolled for fivemeasure up to that first leap from the boat to
weeks of intense training, six days a week fromthe dock!
7am until 9pm or later. I did it...I completed myAnd once I hit the dock, I began to teach yoga
training and while I was not convinced that Ion the beaches of the British Virgin Islands. With
would be teaching, I wanted to share mythe crew members of over 50 yachts on the
knowledge. With a body that was more tonedinitial ocean passage, there were plenty of sailors
than ever, I began sharing the message whereverready to stretch out there bodies and feel the
I traveled. "Yoga can change your life!" becamepower of yoga under the intense sun and
my theme song.cloudless blue sky of the Caribbean. What a
With meditation and concentration, I sent ajourney! And yoga has been a full passport to the
message out to the universe that I wanted moreadventure in my life.
than ever to "participate" in this new life; exploreWhile the loss of a loved one, and in my case my
my new freedom and challenge my fears. Themarriage partner, can and will leave one in a state
following year I attended yoga retreats in Brazil,of confusion, Yoga has opened the window to a
North Carolina and Costa Rica and later Santorini,new beginning. It works. In addition to the
Greece. I took advanced yoga training and beganpersonal loss; I experienced a rearrangement of
to teach privately and as a substitute at mymy life through tremendous damage to my home
regular studio. I attended yoga conferences infrom three major hurricanes in the past two
Canada and Arizona and I supplemented my yogayears. When I lost my office addition because of
training by visiting an assortment of yoga studiosflooding from a broken water line as the result of
in California and New York. I was asked to teacha fallen tree, I turned the space outside into a
at a Day School in Miami Beach and in preparationmeditation and butterfly garden and the space
for that assignment I attended training for Kidsinside became a yoga studio. I use my studio as a
Yoga in Italy along with 20 others. I was the onlyplace of meditation and personal practice. I have
American!collected all my favorite yoga books and
Along with the yoga exploration I began sailing....Imemorabilia from my retreats in that space. I
wanted to experience the taste of the sea andknow that when one door closes, another opens.
the mystery of its lure. After assorted sailingI have survived great loss and received great
classes and day sails with a sailing club, Ireward...the yin and yang of life.
participated in my first ocean passage with 55When I complete a practice with my students I
other sailboats from Virginia to the British Virginalways leave them with an affirmation. My
Islands. Yes, I meditated and I relied on my Yogafavorite is...
to get through a major storm under veryNo matter how dark the tunnel, it always leads to
challenging circumstances for ten days on a 55light.
foot Schooner. Each day of the voyage I