25/05/2024
** S E A S O N S C H A N G E **
With a mix of gratitude, excitement and sadness, I'd like to share that I'm no longer offering public weekly yoga sessions in the Duncan Pavilion.
Sadness because it has been a beautiful exchange, connection and energy for seven years now, a time of growth. Sadness because it has been an honour and a privilege to be there with many of you each week over the years as we journey along the ups and downs of life. Sadness because the people who came regularly have become to me friends, teachers, and sources of humour, wisdom and nurturing guidance. Can you tell I could keep going?! You get the idea. It's been a special thing that really aligned well to my life and enriched it.
Excitement because I'm really passionate about and inspired for other projects and work in my life and that's how it works - seasons change. I don't want to have big regrets on my deathbed and so frequently reflecting, prioritising and adjusting is crucial to live a deliberate life (as Thoreau put it). Now that my family and I must align to the school week and now that my passions are taking my attention elsewhere, something had to give. There are lots of things I want to cultivate in my life, but I also want to thrive and not be running around like a headless chicken, always going on to the next thing. So I'm slowing down, prioritising and with care and intent, focusing.
Over the years as a community we've donated to Yoga Education in Prisons Trust, to our wonderful local jigsaw whanganui and to UNRWA for Palestine Refugees. I'm happy about those (albeit small) contributions we've made to such needed mahi.
On to the gratitude. I have so much gratitude to all the people who gave me a chance, especially to those people who kept coming back to practice in the Pav, with the ocean, the mountain, the elements, with me, with it all. Thank you. I also really appreciate all the people who behind the scenes helped me, like Progress Castlecliff, most especially Paul who was steady and reliable in his management of the Duncan Pavilion and who has done so much for our community - thank you Paul! Thanks to Hayley Holland for offering me this opportunity back in 2017 and for her support in my hesitation. Thanks to James Barron for his photos and promotions through Castlecliff.NZ. I'm grateful to the people who had my posters up in their businesses, like The Citadel and Paige's Book Gallery. Big shout out to Ivan for all his support. Finally, I'd like to express my immense gratitude to my wonderful parents who have always both inspired and supported me. Specifically to our yoga, they often came along to practice, they helped me sweep and mop the Pav when I was heavily pregnant and they encouraged and enabled me to further my yoga education through courses in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Phew, this is long. I will make another post about options for continuing your yoga on. And I have several emails coming soon to regulars about a few things, including some future meetup options.
First pic is a snapshot from our last sesh on Monday and the second more contrasted pic was taken by James in the early days, maybe 2017.
May you live with love for yourself and for the well-being of all beings, with gratitude,
Simone Summer 💚
