A beautiful testimonial from the Winter Wellness Challenge, Helen đź’š
I hate to use an overworked cliché but the best way I can describe the combined festival of the OHYP Winter Wellness Studio Challenge and Estell’s birthday celebration month is as the definitive gift that keeps on giving.
On so many levels: from the chance to dress-up and party, paint your hair purple, savour Perth’s best vegan cupcakes, meringues and melon shark; to the
perfectly-timed reminder that committing to three classes a week is such a better choice than more couch, screen or wine time.
There was the gift of the chance to contribute to Estell’s school community, and so many great rewards for that participation. And, biggest gift of them all, there was the chance to hang out with the gang, in a hot room, where you do stuff that’s sometimes uncomfortable, often undoable (for this old bod) but always worth a try, because you get to laugh at yourself, or someone else’s toes, or eyebrows, or West Coast Eagles shorts or whatever, and, before long, you’ve spent 90 minutes concentrating on achieving something that isn’t anything to do with the bits in your life that aren’t working the way you’d like them to and no amount of obsessing about them is going to change that. And you come out of the room smiling, grateful.
On Sunday, trying hard not to scare away some new yogis, Binny called the rest of us in the room misfits. I’ll put my hand up to that, but I’m looking for a new term that doesn’t make us sound as if certain people (me included) should be locked up. So, what about bene (as in good) fits? We’re the Bene Fits, or the beneficiaries of OHYP, of Binny’s vision and mission, her inspiring teaching, her drive and boundless (admittedly chocolate-fuelled) energy. We get to marvel at Estell’s latest routines, her fashions, and the way she can deliver the sit-up dialogue in a wicked Irish accent. We’re also blessed to be on the receiving end of the talents and experience of amazing teachers Shelley, Genevieve, Kana and Darren. And we’re the beneficiaries of a special sort of inclusivity that has nothing to do with being PC or woke, and everything to do open-hearted acceptance, genuine friendship.
If you were one of the new faces wondering what craziness was happening Sunday morning, the answer is joy.
There was joy in the room.
So please come back to class.
The joy is free.
Free to us all, the OHYP Bene Fits.
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