Intention

One of the things I love about yoga is the prompting to set an intention at beginning of class. Outside of the studio, I rarely take the time to ask myself what exactly it is that I need in that moment. I am too busy trying to blast through my to do list.

Sometimes I struggle with identifying the right intention but this week the same intention kept floating effortlessly to mind. Acceptance.

For a type A control freak like myself accepting things as they come isn't easy. But, there are so many things in my life right that are beyond my control and I need to just accept.


It is finals week. Accept that I have studied enough, that I know the material, and that I will do fine.

Fall semester is just 2 weeks away. They keep shifting my schedule. I start clinicals. I am taking a lot of credits. Accept that I can't control my schedule, as much as I would like to. Accept that I will be able to make any schedule work. I will be able to handle the work. Clinicals will be okay. I won't kill my patient.

I still have a full year left in my nursing program. That means a full year of school expenses and life expenses but no income. That's scary. Accept that I am investing in my future. That I am making  a temporary sacrifice in order to do something that I've always wanted. That we will get through this year and that I will get a job and make money again when I graduate.

I've been dealing with a few nagging injuries. Accept that injuries happy. Be happy that I am not training for anything big right now. Accept that giving my body what it needs will help me to heal faster (even if that isn't what my brain wants).

Accept that relationships can be hard. People are complex, so friendships evolve and marriage can be a challenge. Accept the challenge and accept the tough times and trust that things will be good again.

My Favorite Yoga Places in Portland, Maine

For me getting to a yoga class once or twice a week is critical to my physical and mental well-being. Yoga makes a huge difference in how quickly I recover from running and how I feel out on the roads. I've tried nearly every yoga studio in the greater Portland area, but these two are my favorites.

Breathing Room

This cozy, little spot is hands down my favorite. They offer a variety of vinyasa classes, from gentle flow to vigorous vinyasa, as well as restorative and yang/yin. The studio consists of a welcome area, one yoga studio, and a bathroom. The studio has a beautiful antique tiled ceiling and funky henna mural on the walls. I love looking at both when I am upside down. The only parking is on-street, but because it is SoPo there is plenty to go around. Every single one of their teachers is so welcoming that after just a class or two I felt like I was part of the BR family. I've found that nearly all of their classes have the perfect mix of challenge and ease that I look for in a yoga studio.

Lila East End Yoga

Lila is a beautiful studio in Portland's east end. There is a class for everyone at this studio. They make it easy for beginners to get familiar with yoga with their foundations classes, for intermediate yogis to grow their practice with the expanding class, and for advanced yogis to get a high level class with Asana junkies. It is also a small studio with an atrium, the studio, and a bathroom. The space feels historic, with an original brick wall and a wall of reclaimed brick. The parking is on street and can be a challenge at peak hours. Their teachers are all extremely knowledgeable. I found that their classes are more vigorous than at the Breathing Room.

What do you look for in a yoga studio?