For as long as I’ve been teaching yoga, I’ve fantasized about having a work space at home, and it’s hard to believe this January will mark my ninth year of teaching. When we moved into our new house in June, just days before my due date, I wondered if the paint-splattered art studio behind our garage would be a viable option for my business. The walls were painted dark grey and purple and the floors needed to be either covered up or finished. Students would have to park in my driveway and I wondered how many I could fit. There are two bathrooms in our home but none in the studio and given the fact that we have a septic system, the cost to install one would be prohibitive. All of this is to say, there is no perfect space and we make the best of what we have. The studio I currently rent has been a wonderful, fruitful space for four years. I love the paint color and light and central location, but again, it has its drawbacks: the building is old and moldy and regulating the temperature of my room is a huge challenge given the fact that the hall is unheated in the winter and sweltering in the summer. It’s on a busy street so it’s loud sometimes. The landlord is unavailable and the parking lot unplowed and unlit making winter treacherous. But imperfect spaces reflect the rest of our imperfect worlds and lives, reminding us to soften a bit into the parts we can’t control, and to appreciate what is good and working within the big picture. Sometimes, even though we resist, we’re swept up in a tide of change. It often happens whether we initiate it or not and most of the time staying inside our comfort zone, as seductive as it is, isn’t in our best interest. The writer SARK says, “growing can sometimes be uncomfortable, loud and unfamiliar”. I know this to be true. It can also be exciting and energizing.

Two months ago when I finally learned about my son’s nursing issues and became ever more resolved to exclusively breast feed him if possible, it became clear that working from home would enable me to feed him in between classes and clients. I knew I would miss my homey familiar Concord studio space but I strongly felt it was time for a change. Swiftly, sooner than I anticipated originally, preparation to move was underway. First we had to clear out the furniture and boxes we’d overflowed out of our storage unit, finding places for things as we’re still in moving progress. Chris and our friend Nick patched, primed and painted the walls and Chris custom made trim to go around the windows. He rented a floor sander and sanded for two days straight in the August heat, after which he applied an environmentally sound, water based pearl finish, showcasing the wide pine floors’ natural charm. This weekend, with help from my mother and friends, we purged, packed and moved the entire contents of my Concord studio into the garage where it will be organized into shelving. Otis napped on the floor and on Meg’s lap and spent time in his carrier as I carried boxes. I am so grateful to Chris, Nick, my mom, Craig and Meg for making this move possible. A great deal of change has been underway in my life this summer- moving our home, having our baby and now moving my workspace. Having Otis makes decisions more clear and evident; motherhood a galvanizing force bringing new definition and clarity.

The new space is larger, with high ceilings and lovely views of nature and natural light. It is now clean and white with soft, golden wide pine floors. It will be far more quiet. It’s only fifteen minutes away from my former space. It’s all mine. I will save considerably on rent which will enable me to work part time as a momma. I am so grateful we found this gorgeous house with a built in workspace. When I was pregnant last winter, my friend Lois told me she pictured me working out of a different space. I balked at the idea, having no possible way at the time to imagine an alternative. This April, after feeling discouraged during our house-hunt, in a miraculous turn of events, we found our beautiful house with it’s lovely perennial plantings and sweeping yard and potential workspace. Spring quickly became intense with late pregnancy, mortgage application, and packing… As I stood in my driveway preparing to move the studio, I thought of Lois’s prediction and what a testament this is to unanticipated turns in the road, the shifting and blessings we can’t imagine until they careen into view. In between nursing and diaper changes, I’ve been able to capture a few snapshots of our yard at this house that is turning more and more each passing day into a home.

02 Sep This entry was published on September 2, 2014 at 7:44 pm. It’s filed under home studio, working mother, yoga and tagged studio, working mother, yoga. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.