Reader,

This past weekend, I spent a lot of time at the pool.

My son was competing at the Alberta Summer Swimming Association Provincial Championships, and it was an exciting weekend for our family. He became Provincial Champion in the 200-metre, 400-metre and 800-metre freestyle events in the 13–14-year-old age category.

Yes, I am a very proud mom.

But as I sat in the stands watching race after race, I found myself thinking about something else, too.

Swimming is interesting because, in many ways, it is an individual sport.

Each swimmer steps onto the blocks on their own.

They have their own race to swim. Their own time on the clock. Their own goals for that race or that season.

And their own experience of success or disappointment.

Over the course of the weekend, I watched all of it.

There were medals and personal bests. There were races that went exactly as hoped. And there were races that didn't.

But surrounding all of those individual experiences was a team.

Teammates cheering from the side of the pool. Parents sporting team shirts and hats in the stands. Coaches offering encouragement. Swimmers celebrating one another's successes and being there when things didn't go quite as planned.

Everyone was working toward something that mattered to them individually, but they weren't doing it alone.

And somewhere during the weekend, I realized how much that reminded me of the community we create when we move together.

In Everyday Yoga, we all come to the mat together.

But we aren't necessarily there for the same reason.

One person may want to improve their balance.

Someone else may be hoping to move with a little less stiffness.

Another person may be rebuilding confidence after pain or an injury.

Someone may simply need an hour at the end of the day to slow down, breathe and reconnect with their body.

And those goals can change from one week to the next.

There isn't a finish line. There aren't medals. And there certainly isn't a stopwatch.

But there is something powerful about being surrounded by other people who are also choosing to show up for themselves.

Maybe that's one of the things I've come to appreciate most about moving in community.

We don't need to have the same goal to support one another in working toward our own.

And success doesn't have to look the same for everyone, either.

Sometimes success is doing something you couldn't do before.

Sometimes it's noticing that you need to do less.

Sometimes it's choosing a different option than the person beside you.

And sometimes success is simply getting yourself there.

That's what I want Everyday Yoga to be.

A place where we come together—in person at Grandview Heights Community Hall or virtually from home—and each have permission to work with the body we brought to the mat that day.

Together, but not all doing exactly the same thing.

Part of a community, while still having our own individual experience.

If that sounds like the kind of movement community you've been looking for, I'd love to have you join us this fall.

Everyday Yoga returns September 17.

Stay well and happy moving,

Lisa

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Supporting you in your physical activity journey.

​www.lisaworkman.com​