vantage point

The summer provides ample time for a teacher like me to explore various interests, callings, and passions. I have been lucky enough to fall in love with a fellow educator who also enjoys spending his summers growing and learning in most every way possible. He is a movie obsessive guy dating all the way back to classic movies, many of which I have not seen. And the more he asks me about this movie and that movie, that more he realized he had hundreds of movies to show me.

So today, he began my introduction to Alfred Hitchcock. I of course saw the classic Psycho, but other than that nothing. He set me up and we watched Vertigo and North by Northwest - both were incredible films. As I watched, I noticed there were a wide variety of perspectives that I didn't expect to see in these older classic movies. Hue informed me that Hitchcock was a groundbreaker in areas like cinematography. Before he selected these specific films, he spent a good hour talking to me about every other DVD he has in these big huge cases. Which was absolutely adorable.

See, when he gets to share his passions with me he gets to talking and just can't stop. We both have that thing about us where we love to share our interests and passions with the other, and the other loves to listen and hear all about it.

In both of our perspectives, learning the interests of each other is essential. It translates over to yoga. I have discovered what I believe to be the issue with my back. Many of the yoga sessions I complete stretch my back, and because of it I don't think I have been focusing enough on stretching my chest and opening it up.

In order to experience yoga at its fullest capacity, I must focus more on heart-opening exercises and poses. A fellow yogi told me that she has been practicing more restorative poses because they are not her strong suit. It's inspiring to know that instructors have challenging areas just like a beginner yogi like myself.

Actively engaging in new perspectives stretches you emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Otherwise, you remain the same static self suffocating your potential.