Linda's Blog

As I mentioned in a recent newsletter, my morning Tuesday and Thursday schedule will change soon due to the addition of a new venue, Anytime Fitness at the corner of Burnt Store Road and U.S. 41, next to the new Publix.  This has presented me with a wonderful opportunity to have more classes close to home, but it is also bittersweet as I will be giving up my Tuesday 10am Yoga class at Franz Ross, my Thursday 9am TRX class at Franz Ross, and my Thursday 10:45 Yoga class at Bayfront. I am still keeping my Monday classes at Bayfront, both Yoga and Meditation, so I am hoping to see many of my dedicated students then.

Marcelle Kouhana will be assuming the Yoga classes that I am giving up.  She and I have known each other for several years and she is familiar with my teaching style, so I feel that she should be a good fit for these classes. All change is difficult, and this decision has brought me much trepidation, but it seems to be the right course of action for me to take at this time, and I hope that I can continue to count on the support of my friends at the YMCA.

We returned last week from a delightful vacation in Iceland, eager to start our summer schedule, when Tropical Storm Colin intervened.  All Charlotte County YMCA locations are closed today even though the storm is due to pass comfortably north of us, we are still getting a lot of rain with the possibility of some flooding and perhaps even some spin-off tornadic activity.  It's always wise to be prepared for the worst, and an excellent day to stay off the roads as much as possible.

At this time on a Monday I am normally setting up for my 10:20 Yoga w/Props class at the Bayfront YMCA, followed by a half-hour Meditation class from 11:30 until noon.  Today I will do my yoga and meditation alone if Pedro doesn't have time to join me.  This afternoon was to be the launch of my Summer TRX class from 4:15 to 5:15pm at the Franz Ross YMCA; we will now need to launch next Monday and schedule a make-up day that is convenient for all of the participants.  I am hoping that the rest of the week will be unaffected; I am looking forward to the launch of my new CCPS Summer Yoga class at Meadow Park Elementary this Wednesday from 4:15 to 5:15pm.

I am just thankful that we are not going to be directly affected by this storm, and I hope that those who find themselves in its path are well prepared.  The major lessons I learned from Hurricane Charlie are that weather science is inprecise, storms are very unpredictable, and you never know when it could be your turn to experience violent weather.  I also learned how to cope with the storm and its aftermath, and gained confidence in my ability to deal with difficult conditions.  While I would not wish this experience upon anyone, I acknowledge and appreciate the strength that I gained from it.

I began my career as a yoga instructor in a small, friendly yoga studio where we welcomed any student wishing to share our love of this ancient wellness system.  Since then I have been fortunate to teach in many different settings and venues, but they all have limited access to only their members, residents, or employees.

So I am changing my schedule slightly to try a new venue, Isles Fitness in Punta Gorda Isles, open to anyone.  I am starting with one class, TRX/Yoga, and I hope to add more classes there as demand increases, including a full-hour yoga class and a full-hour TRX.  These are the practices that I feel have contributed the most to improving my personal wellness and fitness levels, and I am honored to be able to help others achieve improvements in their own quality of life.