As I am about to go on a new adventure, take on a new path of my life’s journey, I find myself reflecting on the wonderful year I have just had. I reflect on the choices I have made, the friendships I have gained and the growth I have experienced. I reflect on my yoga journey, wondering how I got to where I am and what would have happened if I had made different decisions. I do not regret any decisions I have made, my imagination sometimes just likes to visualize what might be different.

This thought mostly stemmed from the decision of which apartment my love, Paul, and I would purchase when I moved to Calgary. We originally made an offer on a beautiful loft in Marda Loop, Calgary but were out-bid by a more competitive offer from another buyer. We were devastated, not being able to shop the apartment market again for two months. When we finally were able to move forward with a positive outlook, we found another wonderful place and this time it became our home.

This was two and a half years ago, why am I reflecting on something that happened so far back? The reason is, the location we live in now is what determined which studio I would practice at when I returned from Alabama in Spring of 2014. I Googled studios as soon as I was home and came across Yoga Passage. It had some incredible reviews and was only about a 30 minute walk or 7 minute drive from my apartment, a wonderful walk on a sunshiney day! Due to its proximity and its reputation, I started to practice at Yoga Passage and immediately fell in love. The studio was traditional in the way that they did not get caught up in their appearance, popularity, and yoga trends. But the biggest draw for me was that they were a community. Yoga Passage has been around for about 15 years, and prior to that it was a studio under a different name, making it one of Calgary’s first studios. I loved the teaching/traveling experience the instructors had, the way they welcomed the students and invested in getting to know them. Yoga Passage truly felt like a second home to me. I was safe, I was learning and I was loved.

This beautiful feeling that I experienced each time I stepped through the doors of Yoga Passage is ultimately what made me begin to consider Yoga Teacher Training at their studio. My reflections of “what ifs” focused around the thought of “What if our original offer had gone through? Would I have found Yoga Passage or would I have chosen a studio in Marda Loop? Would I even be a yoga teacher?” I was amazed by the thought that I may have never pursued yoga teacher training if I had practiced at a different studio in Calgary, that my practice may not have grown the way it did and maybe I wouldn’t have felt as safe and passionate about learning/find self. It all came down to walking distance, and that walk lead me to the yoga teacher I am today.

Trust the path your life takes you. It is easy to get caught up in things that do not work out the way you hoped (like not getting the first apartment) but everything happens for a reason and you will eventually come to a positive place when you trust and love the process.