Once upon a time I was a yoga drop-in junkie. I went everywhere and anywhere to any studio that offered the first class for free. Yoga memberships are not cheap, and I never would have the money to have one due to the fact that I live on permanent disability.

Then, back in late 2017, I was offered a scholarship at a local studio. While thrilled beyond belief, it was also a bit intimidating. When you drop into a class, you have the comfort of knowing that regardless of how the class goes, you will likely never see any of the people in class with you ever again.

So when I walked into “my” studio to take my first class, I was scared. I didn’t know what to expect. My stomach was in knots as I approached the studio and set myself up in the very back corner of the room. All around me women were gathered, mostly moms (which I’m not), mostly high class (also which I’m not), mostly in adorable yoga sets (not leggings and a t-shirt like me), and no one was overly welcoming. It seemed very clique-ish. And as I sat there thinking well that’s fine, as long as I get a nice class in, one bright, shining soul approached me with a big smile to say hi, tell me her name, how long she had been practicing, etc. I am so grateful for Suzette because her warmth made me feel not so awkward, and when other people saw us chatting, they seemed to follow her lead, at least on the surface.

This is the first selfie ever of me and Suzette, taken after one of the classes I taught in studio.

When I first started teaching chair yoga at the studio, Suzette NEVER missed my class, in studio OR when we began teaching remotely. She has always been so supportive and I’m so grateful for the studio that brought us together.

Now that I am no longer with the studio, we practice together several times a week, and have even managed some outdoor lunches when the weather has cooperated. As I continue my yoga studies, she is always willing to be my “crash test dummy” (as I call it) and she gives me great feedback whenever I need it. Suzette is my constant yoga partner and we also happen to be kindred spirits. It’s amazing how the universe brought us together that way.

Back in October, Suzette and I were getting ready to practice, and I decided to start our practice with an affirmation. We repeated it 108 times together, using Malas to count them. Then I integrated the affirmation into the class so it was all we could hear besides our own breath. We did this with our practice for a few days, and when we got to one that was very strong and resonated loudly with both of us, Suzette suggested that we repeat the same mantra together every day for 30 days. I thought it was a brilliant idea, and so on October 15, we began our journey. (Just as a side note, 108 is a sacred number which Vedic culture viewed as “a number of the wholeness of existence”.)

This is one of the Malas we used during the past 30 days, and also happens to be the one that my yoga teacher gave me when I graduated with my 300 hours of Yoga Teacher Training.

Every day, whether we practiced together or not, we at least FaceTimed and did our affirmations together. We had also decided to journal each day about how we were feeling, or any of our thoughts relating to the affirmation. Before each session, we took turns reading our journal entries from the day before to each other. Each day it became more and more obvious that the repetition of this affirmation was affecting our thought processes and re-wiring our brains to believe in what we were saying.

Virtual practice and affirmations together!

When I began writing this entry, I went back and forth about disclosing what the affirmation was, but in the end, I found it too personal and also a sacred oath between the two of us. We are all spiritual beings living the human experience, and as such Suzette and I are constantly striving to be better, to work through the crap life hands at us, and to accept ourselves in this temporary vessel we inhabit during this lifetime.

This was one of the beautiful days when we did our affirmations together in person after a 6 hour lunch! (Seriously we talked for 6 hours as if it was nothing!) You can see a different Mala on my neck in this picture.

Back when I was a teacher, I always told my kids that repetition was the key to learning anything, and now I believe that more than ever after 30 days of repeating this affirmation 108 times.

Some may read this and think it’s a little “hokey” or “out there”, but the mind is incredibly powerful. According to the English American Dictionary, when applied to the spiritual life, an affirmation is a statement of truth which one aspires to absorb into his life. Affirmations are dynamic and practical — not wishful thinking.

If you question it at all, I encourage you to try it. The power of your own mind might just surprise you.