I have had one of those weeks that chews you up and spits you out. It seems like every day I peel back another layer of work for myself. Each evening I come home exhausted. Years ago when I first came out of the classroom I expected to be less tired. I was wrong. Being in education is exhausting…period. In or out of the classroom being it’s hard on your body and soul.

Yesterday I woke up early and went to hot yoga. When I got home my family asked me why I would choose to do yoga in a heated room, dripping sweat onto my mat early on a Saturday morning.

Here’s the thing…yoga makes me feel stronger.

It helps me find power within myself.

I have had arthritis since I was a child. The kind I have craves movement. If I don’t work out or do yoga I can tell in a day or two. I am stiff and sore and swollen.

When I balance in tree pose I will my body to cooperate. I tell my joints not to give up on me.

There have been plenty of moments in yoga I didn’t think I could get through a flow. I have lost my balance. I get right back into my pose.

Sometimes my instructors even ask if I need to do something else. I usually tell them, “no, I need to do it.”

When I am doing yoga I think of nothing but my movements. The stress of my day doesn’t float into my mind. I don’t think of strategies for professional development. I don’t consider my full calendar the next day. I don’t worry about curriculum alignment or formative assessments or teaching strategies. My mind is empty of everything, but movement.

But, my blood starts circulating. My muscles loosen.

When I leave I feel like a bad ass. I am refreshed and rejuvenated. I am grounded and refocused. Every time.

The lessons I learn in yoga are lessons I take with me each day in my work. Yoga reminds me I can get through challenges. Yoga reminds me to find new paths when others aren’t working. It reminds me to slow down and breathe when I am frustrated or confused. Sometimes it reminds me to find my power in a new or different way. It reminds me that there are times it’s ok for my mind to be empty, mindlessly watching tv or rocking on my porch or in savasana.