One Year at Gaze

For most of 2020 and halfway into 2021, I was not in a place to work on clients. Besides the early days in the pandemic when I couldn't imagine how you'd socially distance while doing massage, I was also deep in my own grief from the loss of my Dad.

Grief to care for anyone else, including myself. But thankfully, that intensity faded over time and my own eventual efforts to heal through it.

In July of 2021, I had begun to go out into the world and desperate to begin exercising, I decided to rejoin Crossfit. On my way to that first class a thought appeared in my mind. It surprised me. Not only did I for the first time in over a year feel like I wanted to start seeing clients again, but I pondered the possibility that there'd be some place in my neighborhood that would be happy to have me rent space there.

The thought left my mind as quickly as it came in, but in that short time a seed was planted.

When I showed up to the Crossfit class, I saw my friend Charlie. We hadn't seen each other for years and delighted in catching up. While spotting me on the benchpress she asked if I was seeing clients. I said that I'm ready to start but need to find a place to work.

"You could probably work at Gaze Yoga. Wes isn't seeing clients but I'm sure there's space."

In that moment, Charlie changed my life. Her partner, Wes, owned that yoga studio and was a massage therapist though his yoga teaching takes up most of his time.

I wouldn't have even considered looking there for space.

I decided to show up for class later that week to meet Wes and talk about the space. He was kind, welcoming, and excited to have me there. After showing me around, we decided the best option was to have me set up in the corner of the yoga studio which was free most of the day until the evening classes.

It was perfect. I didn't really want to work in the evenings anyways and the thought that I could now work and stay for a yoga class was a dream.

It's a dream that I've been living for exactly one year now. I saw my first client there on July 21, in 2021.

Looking back, I can't imagine my life any different. That space has not only been a perfect home for rebuilding my massage practice, it's also gifted me with a sense of community I was so desperately craving for the past few years.

It's crazy to think how things would have been different if I hadn't decided to go back to Crossfit, or had never ran into Charlie there, or hadn't yet been ready to start seeing clients.

Being there has helped me to deepened my commitment to my own yoga practice and inner work. Those classes were instrumental in me building the resilience to get sober and go through a divorce. It's where I heard about the Thai massage training that I began in March this year, which is where I met my new love.

Today I'm honoring all the pieces that have fallen into place to bring me to the life I'm now living.

I'm so grateful that I listened to that little voice within me urging me to be open to a new way of doing my work in the world. I'm grateful for Charlie being a messenger about this space. I'm grateful for Wes and the whole Gaze Yoga community for welcoming me into this sweet family.

You never know how you may become the messenger for creating a life-altering shift in someone else's life. You also never know who may be bringing you those messages. Be open to this sacred act of giving and receiving.