Q3 of 2018 & the importance of Kula

So I have been meaning to blog for a while but it's such a minefield that I wasn't sure what to blog - worried about judgements and what I wanted this blog to be, eg: educational or sharing things about me.

But then I figure, why can't it be both? Isn't a blog a way for you to get to know ME? As well as to learn something (I hope!) as and when I want to share that?

So, here goes - this is a blog about me. So stop reading now if you wish...

2018 held a lot of promise but as life does, it serves you lemonade AND lemons. A reminder to take the rough with the smooth.

Having relocated to Dubai and set up my own company, I embarked upon teaching in different studios. Styles have been different and I am learning every day - from students and also management - and I continue to grow. Feeling more confident and empowered that whilst I may not be everyone's "cup of tea", there are certainly students who appreciate what I have to share. And the results are tremendous! I am finally starting to understand the concept of Kula - Community - and how important that is and can be within one's life. A sanctuary for like-minded people. Somewhere where there is no judgement or expectations but where we arrive just as we are and we are accepted all the same. Even if we cannot accept ourselves, within a Kula, we can find acceptance and peace. Even just for an hour. And there is laughter and energy to be had too, which nourishes the soul and reminds us ,we are not alone. We are all in this together, connected whether we realise it or not.

And at the same time, I have returned to practice law on a part-time basis. I have realised the importance of socialisation and the human need to feel appreciated and to contribute to a common cause. Even within an office, it is a Kula within its own way.

For a long time, I was unsure about a return to law but now that I am back practising, it gives me so much enthusiasm and a sense of belonging.

They say that yoga seeks to bring balance to our lives and perhaps that is what I am starting to find: a balance between what I was originally and what I am now. There is no over-functioning or under-functioning. The seesaw of life is not tipped one way or the other. I am independent and me once again and yet at the same time, I am part of a beautiful community where we are all equal and bring so much to the table.

Am I happy to come to this realisation? Hell, YES! This year has thrown things which were unexpected and which I initially did not want but as time goes on, I am looking forward to this final quarter and what can be achieved, both on and off the mat. I look forward to the love, light and sharing of knowledge - in whatever industry that may be - and to perhaps contributing to helping and healing.

A very dear friend asked me, before leaving Bahrain, what I had learnt from my time there and I said that Bahrain had taught me the importance of hope. Now, in Dubai, I ponder upon that very same question and my answer to that now is trust. So now I am learning to trust that the choices I have made and will continue to make, provided I act with integrity, will be the right ones and even though I did not think I would be where I am, I am here, I am alive and I am going to seize life with both hands and accept that I love to teach, but I also love the law and to help people through advising them, and that's ok. The two are not mutually exclusive and there is a Kula that can be found within each.

So, as we enter Q3 of 2018, what are my intentions? How do I plan to see the year out? To find balance in my life - on and off the mat - to remain a part of the Kula that I have found, and to trust that life has a bigger plan than what I had hoped for, and to live every day with gratitude and humility.

Move. Breathe. Love.