About Me

Yoga changed my Life and it's just too good a thing to keep to myself! I have been practicing yoga since 1995 and am a certified yoga instructor. I teach a combination of classical Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow. My teaching style is safe, compassionate and challenging at the same time. I teach at a number of studios, and also offer private and group lessons!

In addition to my schedule, I post other writings here, about yoga and Life in general. For private or group lessons, contact me at: workofheartyoga@gmail.com .

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Art of Change

Hello my dedicated Yogis!

I am committed to writing on my blog more frequently so you may start to see some things not only yoga related, but tidbits from my whole life or even little works of yogic fiction. Since I'm going on leave soon, I'll need something to occupy my mind while awaiting our new arrival.

Those of you that haven't seen me for a while, yes, I am pregnant, and am due to give birth the end of July, although I swear this little one is coming sooner. Or maybe that's wishful thinking?

So, to all my GODA Yogis and students elsewhere, yes, I will be taking some time off to bond with my new little person, and to get the hang of being a new mom. Cheryl has been an unbelievably supportive boss and has given me a lot of flexibility. As of now, I'm going to be gone for approximately 4 months. My last day of teaching at GODA is Sunday, June 21st.

I DO plan on coming back to GODA as soon as I can. And I will keep you posted about teaching anywhere else. As for my private lessons, I can't really take on any new clients right now, and will also take some leave for a few months. I will work that out individually with my clients.

What does this mean? This means that change is in the air! But that's ok! It doesn't have to be bad! Change can be an extraordinary and exhilarating experience for everyone! Yes, I will have subs taking over my classes. Stay posted to my blog, because soon, I will post who will be taking over each of my classes. Trust me, Cheryl will make sure you are in great hands.

"But how do I deal with having a sub when I'm so used to April," you might ask... Well, here's the deal. When I first started teaching you all, I had to get used to my students, the studio, and you all had to get used to me, right? Well, the subs will be paying attention to how the class goes, they will get used to your names and faces and injuries, etc. And you will maybe learn some new poses, or new ways of doing or thinking about the poses. And I encourage both my students and my subs to keep an open dialogue - if something didn't work for you, ask the teacher about it after class, if it felt too hard or too easy, TALK TO THE TEACHER. Also be aware that as teachers, we often get conflicting reports: one student thought the class was too hard, another LOVED being challenged. It takes a little bit of time to strike a balance.

Also, it's a good time to use your breathe to open your heart and mind to some new styles of yoga, new teachers, new voices. Let it be an opportunity to explore and have some fun!

And, as always, if you are truly having any problems with the classes or teachers or what have you, TALK TO CHERYL! Cheryl is always interested in constructive feedback from students. Leave her a voice-mail, send her an email, or better yet, stop by and talk to her in person (she's usually there Mon, Weds, Friday in the mornings).

And remember, this is change for Cheryl, for the new subs, for you guys, and I am going through quite a bit of change myself. So let's all be as supportive as we can. We are a little community at GODA, after all.

I will keep making posts about my classes, how things are coming along with baby KirkHart, and maybe some other quirky stuff as it bubbles up in my brain. Feel free to send me topics you would love to hear me write about too!

Peace!
April KirkHart
www.workofheartyoga.com
workofheartyoga@gmail.com