This. is. Leadership Team!
What is Leadership Team? LT is a kickstart into personal growth and Shakti team growth through reading, inquiry, teaching and practicing more, knowing your WHY for everything and engaging in the community.
last april, Ruby and I took a weekend "retreat" to the Blue Ridge Mountains to get clear on why and how we want Shakti to develop. Out of that weekend came the concept of two Shakti Team members to be the honey that connects our team and takes our teaching, community involvement, and business to the next level.
ENTER EMILY UNWIN AND TAYLOR PARKER (AKA THE PERFECT MATCH)
"I personally think Taylor is the kick in the ass that I need." - Em
"and I personally think Emily is the softness that I need" - TP
This semester is not about coaching, telling people how to teach better yoga, or forming some kind of hierarchy. LT is about giving every single teacher and desk staff space to grow by seeing something they hadn't noticed on their own. The really incredible part about this whole thing is the inquiry. If you've been around Ruby lately, you probably haven't heard her say an imperative or declarative sentence- it's like all questions these days. Questions offer space. Inquiry leads to discovery which leads to possibility and new actions on the horizon aaaaaand you got there by yourself which feels SO powerful.
Some questions we've been asking LT:
Why do you teach yoga? What makes a strong leader? What beliefs are you holding onto that block you from being present? Where are you hiding? What is for you on the other side of giving that up? What's possible?
You already know and love 'em...
Taylor P: adventure, possibility, and joy
She's the Shakti Strength firecracker from Savannah, Georgia. She teaches clean, simple, and invigorating power yoga and is challenging herself to land the perfect "nugget" of inspiration in her classes. When I first started taking Taylor's power flow classes, she would mention a concept of power yoga called Balanced Action: Sthira and Sukha. Sthira means steadiness, and Sukha means ease. I was holding a Crescent Lunge with sweat dripping off my eyelashes onto my now maroon leggings which were bright red 6 minutes earlier. Like WTH is this girl talking about ease? There is nothing easy about what we're doing. And then I was like okay if I want to survive and even empower myself in this class, I have to figure out a way to balance the effort. Those few seconds really changed the way I started to show up in power yoga classes. Cultivating ease is crucial to creating a spacious experience even if Tay calls 3 minutes of mountain climbers.
Taylor P invented Shakti Strength which is the perfect compliment a regular power practice if sometimes you just wanna jump or take it up a notch. TP also teaches Foundations of Power Yoga on Thursday's at 9:30am. Don't be mislead though...this is not a walk in the park. Be prepared to break down what makes power yoga empowering and use the tools she gives you to get the most out of your regular practice.
How to get more of TP: her Journey into Power master class on October 21st from 4:30-6:30...more info soon!
---
Emily U: Queen of Compassion
Compassion could be Emily's middle name. She has open ears, an open mind, and believes that showing compassion toward everyone is the secret we're often missing. This semester Em is committed to daily meditation, practicing "above the line" speech at all times, and practicing at the studio at least 4x a week. Emily is also the inventor a new class at Shakti called Peak Power Practice (Triple P). This is for you if you feel like your body isn't prepared or you just don't know how to get your ankle to your upper arm bone in Flying Pigeon. She intelligently sequences movements to prep the body for intricate poses. This class is for you if you are ready to add more color in your practice.
Don't miss the chance to wind down on Sunday evenings with Emily in restorative. As much as we believe in sweat, we believe in rest- this is what you need! With a pursuit in nutrition science, Emily encourages her students to push themselves to an edge and create time for rest and play. She has also taught herself to play the harmonium. You'll be serenaded as you set up for restorative and for the first few minutes of Savasana....what a gift.
How to learn more from Emily: Intuitive Eating Workshop on November 12th at 7:15PM...more info soon!
Click image
Leadership Team's Intention: In tapas, we cultivate resilience & joy that empowers our community to be up to something big.
Get ready to see a lot more of this duo around the studio. Comin' for ya, Fall 2018.
xx,
Maggie