Just Say Yes!

This summer, I was invited to teach yoga to what I assumed would be a small group of baseball players at Mission Bay High School, which is conveniently close to our home and, more significantly, Doug's alma mater.

I became a certified yoga teacher in 2019 when I completed a 200 hour program with our dear Karina as our guide. Even though I mostly took the course for my own knowledge and quite frankly so that I wouldn't injure myself as I continued to do yoga in my later years, I set an intention for myself to teach at least one class, preferably more.

Little did I know that I would learn so much more than the proper alignment of poses from Karina and the four other students in our class. I might have been drawn in for the physicality of the practice but I left with knowledge that was far reaching and way beyond my mat. The path of enlightenment was the greatest gift of all and it shows up in the most unexpected ways.

A few years later, a friend at Mission Bay Yacht Club, where I have been a member for over thirty years, asked if I would be interested in teaching some beginner classes.

That's not exactly how it went - it was more off the cuff - 'woah, you are a yoga teacher, well then maybe I could do yoga' as they assessed that I wasn't a 20 year old pretzel in human form. I took that as a compliment and from that point forward I was the poster child for middle aged women to embark on an adventure on their mats.

It was actually hard to teach those four classes. Partly because I was new and therefore nervous about leading others through a simple flow. Mostly I was mindful to avoid any injuries for both me and them. We weren't youngsters and the idea of having something go snap, crackle or pop was a healthy fear. It ended up being a fun round of four Fridays together and I was glad that I said yes.

Fast forward to 2025 and my realization that I was going to pick this back up for the baseball players at MBHS was fresh. Doug and I were still on our road trip when I made the commitment and that gave me some time to think about 12 different classes, an overarching plan and specifically begin to create some flows for the team. I was excited about the fact that I still say Yes and also questioning, 'why did I say yes?'

We returned to San Diego and a couple of weeks later - I was headed to the baseball field to meet what I thought was my small group of players. I felt butterflies in my belly and was going over my planned flow, over and over in my mind.

When I arrived and stepped onto the field, I saw not just a group of 10 or 20 players, but over 40 players. They were all lined up on their mats, looking at me with a curious "now what" expression.

Oh my! My stomach was a flutter with a thousand butterflies, and I wished I could just twitch my nose like Tabatha from Bewitched and vanish. They picked the wrong person for the job... my imposter syndrome was really at its peak! Gulp... I found myself at a mental crossroads, thinking, "This could turn out to be amazing or who thought hiring that old lady to teach us yoga was a good idea?"

Never let them see you sweat was a motto that I was raised with. Not so much in the spoken word but by watching especially my Dad pull off all kinds of jumps from learning how to ski to being a self made man in his electronic field. I can do this, it's all about leaning in Shari, lean in!

'Hello....' I said with the calmest, strongest most centered voice I could muster 'I'm Yogi Shari and we are going to share the joy of yoga today.' Just keep going, don't stop now, don't show your fear, just keep going and eventually you'll grab a gear' - as my dear husband Doug says.

I started with a brief introduction about yoga, followed by everyone taking turns to answer a question I posed. I managed to get through that, and everyone remained on their mats without any chaos. Next, we moved on to some breath work, which I really needed at that moment. Once we finished our breath work exercises, I looked around and saw a group of kind faces who were respectful, attentive, and enthusiastic.

I reassured myself that I would make it through this jump and everything would be alright. I took a deep breath and told them, "Thank you for being so kind and attentive. Now that I've gotten past the initial leap, I have to admit I was really nervous. You've all made this experience so pleasant with your warm and welcoming nature."

Onwards and upwards as Karina would have said. Let's learn Sun Salutation A now. And off we went getting our flow on. They were much easier to lead than 4 old ladies (said with love) at the yacht club due to their athletic abilities and youth. I wasn't worried about someone throwing out a hip or rolling their ankle.

We concluded our class with a meditation session that, to my delight, was more appreciated than I had expected. This experience brought me great joy and reinforced the importance of simply saying Yes!

That next weekend Doug went to watch them play a game and was stoked to see them doing Sun A as part of their warm up before the game. Then, during the game when someone made an amazing play someone would say, 'how'd you do that' and the other players would reply 'Yoga!'

The other 11 classes were even more delightful, as my feet were now firmly under me. More often than not, I would be dealing with an emotionally challenging day with my Mom, who has Alzheimer's, or experiencing stress from changes in our business that affect our daily lives. The players likely don't realize that I gained just as much, if not more, from our time together than they did. For that, I am filled with gratitude.

It was an activity I eagerly anticipated, a means to escape my own thoughts and contribute to others. I truly enjoyed guiding them through a sequence of asanas, gaining insights into fascia, and improving stress management. Every week, it seemed like it was exactly what I needed to learn as well.

Midway through the series of classes, they collected signatures on a card for me, along with some money as a token of gratitude. I've kept it aside because I don't want to waste it on things like coffees. I want to choose something special that will last and remind me of this unforgettable journey.

I am so grateful that I took time for myself to become a certified yoga teacher and then more so, that I had the inclination to just say yes! This has been one of the high points of my year and those players will always be a special part of my yoga path.

So, the next time that someone asks you to do something that makes you feel out on a limb - but in the best of ways - do yourself a favor and simply say Yes.

Namaste, Yogi Shari

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