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Yoga, Relatively Speaking!

Francesca Silva

yoga-with-cousins.JPGRecently, my husband and I got together with three of my many cousins and their husbands. We don’t live in the same country so we don’t get together as often as we’d like to.

My cousins and I grew up together and spent most of our youth in each other’s company, so there’s a deep connection that many outsiders don’t understand. You know the old saying “you can’t choose your relatives but you can choose your friends”? Well, that doesn’t apply to us. We’re friends as well as family. We care deeply for each other and, even though we can get on each other’s nerves occasionally, whenever one of us has a problem, the others will surge in to help – nurturing, cajoling, or even kicking butt, if necessary!

My husband says whenever my cousins and I get together we talk in a kind of shorthand. We reminisce and laugh about “remember when…,” finish each other’s sentences, and talk over one another – it’s great! Our long-suffering husbands used to be totally bemused by this but now they’ve established their own “survival shorthand,” which my husband says is almost frightening. (Thank goodness they get along well – I think it’s a “safety in numbers” thing.)

As usual, when we got together at a log cabin last week, we chatted and caught up with each other’s lives. “What are you up to these days?” “How are your not-kids-anymore?” Chat, chat, chat – with plenty of laughter thrown in. And don’t even ask about the noise level!

At one point, I mentioned that I’ve been blogging on a great yoga website – and one of my cousins immediately said, “Really? Are you doing yoga? I am too. I LOVE it!” Okay, so my cousins and I e-mail and call each other regularly so how come this never came up before? Then my other cousin (her sister) chimed in. “I’ve been thinking about taking yoga for a long time but haven’t known where to start. I’m always so busy at work and am exhausted by the end of the day – and yet I can’t seem to relax.

Restorative yoga,” my cousin and I responded together immediately (I told you we’re in sync), and I listened while my fellow yoga practitioner cousin patiently explained to her sister what it was all about.

My third cousin, not to be outdone, piped up. “Ahem – I’ve been taking yoga for years and actually used to teach it until recently.” Now, that really was news! “Well, what are we waiting for?” I asked. “Let’s clear some furniture and do some yoga now.” “Great idea! Move that over there and this over here. Oh, and maybe we should see if our hubbies want to join us.”

We turned to find that our “hubbies” had wisely left the cabin. The minute the conversation turned to yoga, they probably knew where it was heading and took off for manly outdoor pursuits.

Well, we had a blast. It took us a while to settle down and get into the yoga frame of mind, but once we started going through the poses, led by my cousin/yoga instructor – who is awesome – we had a wonderful time. There was no competition to see who could outdo the other, no feelings of inadequacy – just the camaraderie and joy of discovering something else that we could share and do together.

We’re back in our respective homes now but my cousins and I have been e-mailing each other and discussing yoga. I suggested they check out this YogaHub website and they all said they really like it. (I’m now trying to convince them – especially my cousin who used to teach yoga – to blog).

Isn’t it funny how we can sometimes be on the same path without even realizing it? Perhaps we’re so attuned to each other that our life streams are unconsciously aligned.

So, my dear cousins – if you’re reading this, I just want to say thank you for always being there for me. I cherish our relationship as family and friends – my life would just not be as bright without you in it.

[tags]family, yoga instructor, cousins, yoga at home, yoga blog[/tags]

2 Responses to “Yoga, Relatively Speaking!”

  1. Christina says:

    Okay all you Cousins! Please join us within our Site at MyYogaHub.
    You can set up your accounts and we can all get to know you better!
    Join in on our Celebration too!

  2. Francesca says:

    My cousins seem to be a little on the shy side! Perhaps they just need a little nudge from me…here’s hoping they’ll come on board this great site!

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