We've known that we were going to be finding a new space since the end of last summer, after all the room we rented from the Surf Lodge was really a temporary situation during the winter season while they had few guests and we looked for a "permanent" space. I would look around every once and a while throughout the winter by checking gumtree and walking into estate agents' offices. I even went on a few viewings with them, but nothing was really panning out. All the while I knew that we would be Divinely guided to the perfect space.

About three weeks before we were scheduled to be out of the Surf Lodge and into our own space, we still hadn't found anything, and suddenly a felt a slight surge of pressure, as in: now is the time to REALLY start putting the effort into looking. So during my meditation that day, I posed the question to the Universe, "Where shall we go next?" And, I received a very specific response: Roberts' Realty; 1124 Beach Road. To this day I've still never seen Roberts' Realty or the address of 1124 Beach Road, nor do I know if they even exist.

What I do know is that by listening to the response, I decided to take a bike ride down Beach Road to locate this address. Though I didn't find anything close to the address, I did feel like I was led into "downtown" Table View near the beach. My eye caught on a space that looked open with lots of windows and a great location. I started asking around to see if anybody was renting it; I heard that particular space (next to Mojo's) is going to become an ice cream parlor. So, I kept looking around for more spaces. Right when I was peering through the window of the best space I had seen, yet, a man came up to me asking if I was looking for business premises. He had stopped next door to get some lunch, and the following conversation transpired:

Raymond: "What are you looking for space for?"
Me: "A yoga studio."
Raymond: "My ex-girlfriend is an Ashtanga instructor!"
Me: "Wow, really?! That's the kind of yoga we're going to offer!"

He didn't even end up eating at the space next door, in favor of going home for some lunch. So, to me, it really felt like he wasn't coming for lunch at all, but that the Universe had sent him there (under the guise of going to lunch) just to meet me.

That was Saturday. He called me two hours later, which seemed like a miracle in itself: an estate agent calling back in two hours with the perfect place to look at?! He found the perfect size, location, and rental amount, to boot! In our quest for a space, I had begun to increase the upper limit of what we could pay, simply because having a studio in a safe place, close to home was very important, and we were consistently unable to find space for the low limit I had set. And yet, Raymond found a space that was offered at my original limit. We had to wait until Tuesday to check it out.

When I got to the building and realized the location, I became very hopeful. It's directly above Karma Internet Cafe and Ka'na Surfboards! Two places that feel very aesthetically pleasing, all in all, a good vibe. When I looked upstairs I was shown three spaces. One that was a little too small, one that was a little too big, and one that was just right! It felt so perfect because the 100m^2 space that felt too big used to be a dance studio, and really felt perfect with it's large open spaciousness, light hardwood floors, mirrors, and exceptional lighting. Perfect except for the fact that it's twice the amount of space we need, and twice the amount of rent we can pay. However, visions quickly began unfolding giving us the distinct impression that soon we would be expanding into the larger space. When I found out that the owner of the building also rents to Jennifer and Meg for their space, Sundara Sanctuary (a wonderful, multidisciplinary studio in Claremont), I really felt like everything was transpiring in a way that made it all feel so right.

Later that week, Ben and I met with the other building owner Peter to discuss knocking down walls of the space we were going to rent so that we could make it one large open 50m^2 space. At the time, I mentioned to him about knocking down part of one of the walls to expand into the next room, that of the dance studio. That was a very brief and efficient meeting that took place in under two minutes!

The next day, Alfred, the owner with whom I originally met called and said that he had been talking to Peter who relayed that we were quite keen on expanding fairly soon. Alfred asked if we would rather just take over the bigger space, only using half and therefore paying half, and then commit to expanding in 6 months! How perfect can everything be?!?! When it's right, it's right, eh?!

So, of course we said YES! and now we are in an absolutely beautiful large, sun-filled, airy, spacious, clean space that we can call the home of It's Yoga Cape Town!

All of this has really given me the profound realization that we are all connected to the Universal flow. Being part and parcel of the Universe we are part of its flow. The more that we recognize and connect with that flow, by first connecting with the breath, the more things feel like they flow FOR us. The more we try and force things, or block them from happening, the more we feel overwhelmed, stuck, or victimized. By recognizing that I am part of the Divine Flow, I allow that energy to flow through me, as me, and simply stay present and aware so that I can take advantage of all of the opportunities that the Universe presents.

I hope to be able to take advantage of the opportunity of sharing the new space with you!

Namaste,
Sarah

    "Wow, you practice for two hours a day?! That's dedicated." She said with elevated disbelief and slight confusion as to how one could manage such a thing.
    I replied, "Yoga has completely changed my life, and when something gives you so much, any amount of time is so little in comparison."
    To which she questioned, "I don't mean to be skeptical, but exactly what benefits have you actually seen from doing yoga?"
    At that moment I realized that I hadn't verbally expressed this in a while, and I had this nearly overwhelming appreciation for being asked the question. I'm always grateful to the Universe for opportunities to experience and express a sense of gratitude, and to do so directly with someone is even more amazing because it gives me the opportunity to share my love and my discovery with others, occasionally opening up the possibility for others to experience their own amazing transformation through yoga.
    The next morning, I was still living in that question and wanted to share my ruminations with all of you.
    It's absolutely the truth. Yoga has completely transformed my life, and continues to be this limitless gift of self and Self discovery for which I am eternally grateful.
    I have not been sick once since I started a six-day-per-week yoga practice. I used to get at least the occasional cold or sinus infection. And since I've had this consistent practice, and combined it with using a neti pot, I have been absolutely physically healthy. One reason is that I am so much more in tune with my body. When the body feels tired, I'm actually able to hear that and listen to it and respond appropriately instead of pushing through to meet a deadline or satisfy some other worldly sense of obligation. Through yoga I have learned that my body is not only my best friend, but also my best teacher, and the only one that will be with me my entire life.
    I would say that pre-yoga, I was often pretty stressed out, definitely easily excitable, very controlling and very impatient. Though I do not profess to be entirely stress free, it somehow flows off of me like water off a ducks back. Though I still get very elated and feel so light that I actually wonder if I'm going to lift off of the ground (which I experienced so many times in the Sun Salutations immediately after making the decision to move to Cape Town, and once we arrived), my moods do not oscillate between such extremes of pleasure and pain. And, if yoga has taught me anything it's to simply go with the flow and breathe. I am not in control of anything; I've realized that the more I can recognize this the easier it is to experience equanimity, peace, and contentment with whatever the present moment offers, be it expected or unexpected.
    Yoga gives me the tools to discover what truly makes me happy and the courage to arrange my life accordingly. If it hadn't been for yoga, I honestly wonder if I would have been able to leave California and move to Cape Town. Perhaps, but it would have been so much more difficult.
    Yoga has taught me that everything is all good all the time. Even when it isn't, is still is. Even when there is something that I want to change - that in and of itself is all good, as is the present condition as well as the unknown future condition. Therefore, nothing is ever worth worrying about. In fact just today I realized that the only thing that can alleviating worrying is the decision to stop worrying. Once the conditions about which one worried improve, one can find innumerable reasons or alternate conditions about which to continue worrying, thus it is simply the decision to change one's perspective that changes the situation.
    Yoga continues to teach me about balance. Currently my practice is filled with a sense of understanding the balance between gentleness and strength, discipline and nurturing, growth and acceptance. So many concepts that are so integral to the teachings and experience of yoga have confused me: "How am I supposed to work on building and stretching muscle, but remain gentle and relaxed? How am I supposed to focus my mind on breath, bandhas, drishti, the feeling body, and my intention, but then also relax and just let things flow?? How am I supposed to both want to grow, develop, and progress, and yet practice happiness and contentment with where I am right now???" I continually struggled with these seeming dualities until it gradually dawned on me that the answer is not either/or; the answer is yes/and, always both. This is where the balance comes in. There is no one thing on which to focus. Simultaneously, everything and nothing is important.
    Most of all, yoga has taught me about love. That it really is okay to love everything and everyone. That I don't need to be concerned about what people will think or how they will react. That love is the most important gift that I have to offer, one of the biggest reasons why I am here on this Earth. That we are all loved unconditionally, and that it's only a matter of time before we realize that all we are are conduits of that love.

    There are so many more ways in which yoga continually affects and improves my life. I am truly grateful for all of the masters who have passed this practice down through the years, for all of the teachers who have helped me uncover my true self, and for all of the students who continue to also be my teachers.

I look forward to continuing to learn and grow with all of you.

Namaste,
Sarah

This week I've learned that I absolutely love teaching ALL the aspects of yoga - asana (postures), fundamentals (intricate details of breath, bandhas, and drishti), and philosophy.

It's Yoga Cape Town started offering our very own classes in two locations this week, and also completed the first workshop at Karma Space with great success! Day 1 - 1 student, Day 2 - 2 students, Day 3 - 3 students! If we keep growing like this we'll be in our own space in no time!! :)

It's amazing how when I listen to the supportive and creative voice of intelligence and allow it to speak louder than the critical and doubtful voice of the mind, amazing things happen. Everything just flows, and even when I start to *think* they aren't, I listen a little harder to intelligence and realize that they are flowing perfectly, providing numerous opportunities for me to grow and learn about myself, my true Self.

As I prepared for beginning the yoga classes, and the workshop alike, of course the doubtful mind kept trying to insert it's meek opinion - Why would people want to hear what you have to say? What if no one likes your facilitation style? The list could continue. And each time, I was successful in bringing my attention back to the breath, where the intelligence had the space to express the knowledge that everything was just as it should be, that everything is unfolding perfectly, and that as long as I keep breathing I'll continue to keep realizing this in every moment. Now I call that SUCCESS! :)

I want to thank all the folks that came to the first It's Yoga Cape Town classes and workshops. I look forward to developing our yoga together!

Namaste,
Sarah

Yeah!! The It's Yoga Cape Town website is now up and running!

All the recent changes at IYCT are very exciting, and this is the place where we'll get to share them with you as we add more classes to the schedule and eventually find our very own space for IYCT to call home! Right now we're really focused on spreading the It's Yoga love, expanding the It's Yoga family from the flagship studio in San Francisco, where Sarah received her training, and building the IYCT community.

Much appreciation goes to all of those in San Francisco, California, and throughout the international It's Yoga family who have expressed such warm wishes of success and words of encouragement as we embark on this new adventure. And! Much appreciation to all of the Capetonians who have supported the effort by coming to your mat and joining the spiritual revolution with It's Yoga Cape Town.

I look forward to seeing each of you on your mat, and getting to share the fun and dynamic Rocket with You!!

Namaste,
Sarah