Encouraging Strength, Energy, Possibility
By Andrea Jarrell
As a yogi and yoga teacher, I am always amazed by how different it is to practice side by side with other yogis versus on my own.
The poses are the same. My breath and my effort can be the same. Yet the experience is so very different. Why?
There are likely as many answers as yogis, but I believe that, ultimately, what is happening is this: we encourage each other. We literally fill each other with courage — to find our strength, our energy, our possibility.
I was recently at a wedding, and the moment came in the ceremony when the officiant turned to the couple’s gathered friends and family to ask if we would encourage and support the couple in their new life together. A resounding “We will!” rang out.
In that moment I was filled with the way our communities buoy us. I remembered a similar moment at my own wedding. How it surprised and thrilled me to know so many people were in our corner.
That’s what I feel each time I walk into PureFire, whether to teach or to practice.
When we roll out our mats, mere inches from one other, we become connected in a shared endeavor. When we fill the room with our collective breath, we join our vitality with others, and it grows unbounded and abundant.
Just by practicing together, we encourage each other to grow. And here’s the thing: we do.
Andrea Jarrell teaches Power 2.0 at PureFire. Off the mat, she’s an author and communications strategist for nonprofits, cultural institutions, colleges, and universities.
