One of the goals I set for myself for this year back in January when life was more steady and time passed in a linear way was to start teaching yoga again. Over the past decade, yoga has played an important role in my life and has felt like part of my core identity; however, I let my practice and teaching slip through the cracks of life.
Two years ago, Alex (my husband), Shadow (my dog son) and I moved cross-country to Seattle, WA, to explore the wonders of the PNW. During that short step of time, we adapted to a new life, starting new jobs and navigating a new city (and endless evergreen forests), while also planning a destination wedding. As expected, a lot of my passion projects, like blogging, learning guitar, practicing photography and teaching yoga were paused to protect my sanity.
That amount of change in such a short time feels like a walk in the park without a mask compared to where we are today. This worldwide crisis is awful, terrifying and devastating. It’s been a wakeup call on many fronts. We’ve all been impacted in some way, and nothing about this is easy as we all continue to claw at normalcy while also accepting this new reality.
What’s helped me start to adapt is establishing new routines and resurfacing things that help keep me mentally and emotionally okay, like long socially distant walks outside, cooking healthy-ish meals, connecting with friends and family on video calls, and yoga. The silver lining for me has been reconnecting to my yoga practice. I’ve felt called to unroll my dusty, dog hair-covered mat, and as I find my flow again, my mindset and attitude has also shifted.
An Unexpected Virtual Adventure
During a recent mediocre live stream yoga class, I had an “aha” moment while stretching my spine in down dog: Why am I not doing this? I’ve struggled to find my yoga “home” in Seattle and that’s okay, but that blocker/excuse doesn’t have to exist in today’s hyperconnected world. If I’ve got WiFi and a laptop, I’ve got a way to share yoga with others.
I’m thrilled to share that with a new last name, comes an unexpected new online adventure. I've rebranded Passport to Zen (RIP) to Megan Nelson Yoga, and created space to open the virtual doors to my own online yoga studio.
Yoga for All
Whether you’re brand new to yoga, want to get back into it or are an avid yogi, I invite you all to join me for my vinyasa venture! I’ll be offering a variety of Zoom livestream classes each week to help us all reconnect with our bodies and minds.
I think you’ll love my classes because they are welcoming, approachable and fun. I value simplicity in all aspects of life and especially in yoga (i.e., Sanskrit, while beautiful, isn’t used often in my classes). I thoughtfully create every sequence and playlist with love in hopes you leave your practice feeling good.
Below are the times I plan to teach each week, and visit my website for a schedule of upcoming classes.
Tuesdays & Thursdays
Class: Slow Flow Yoga This all levels class focuses on strengthening, balancing and calming the body and mind by gently practicing postures, breathing techniques and meditation. Perfect for beginners!
Time: 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET
Length: 30 minutes
Sundays
Class: Zen Dog Flow Get down with your dog in this all levels class that focuses on breath awareness as we flow from pose to pose in a mindful rhythm Great for all levels of yoga experience! Show off your pets while you stretch! (Dogs not required to attend, but encouraged :D).
Time: 8 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET
Length: 30 minutes
How to Join
All classes will be held on Zoom. For access, email me at megnelsonyoga@gmail.com or send me a DM on Instagram @megnelsonyoga, letting me know which class on what day you’d like to attend (e.g., Slow Flow on Tuesday, May 12), and I’ll send the link to join along with a Spotify playlist.
I’m offering all these classes for free or on a donation basis (Venmo: @megan-k-nelson) because we could all use more kindness, connection and groundedness during this time. <3
Please reach out and let me know which class you want to join, and please feel free to share this opportunity with people in your network that may be interested in joining.
Namaste safe out there.
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