A Co-op Farewell from Meera & Johannes
Meera & Johannes at their last teacher-owner meeting this past Saturday
A note from Meera
As many of you know, I am pregnant with my 2nd child! My partner, 4yo kiddo, and our pocket pitbull are so very excited to welcome a new member to our family. Teaching while pregnant has been such a lovely and humbling opportunity to embrace and listen to my changing body. In fact, I feel that it’s helped me become a better teacher; I have been more present than ever with you in class and that in and of itself is a gift.
As my November 26th ‘due date’ draws near, I have a contingency plan starting October 30th in case my baby comes early -- if you no longer see my name on the schedule, you’ll know why! My last official classes will be November 20th at 7:15am and November 21st at 8:30am -- I really hope I can continue to teach up until the very end of my pregnancy, but I’m also trusting and surrendering to the timing of however things are meant to unfold.
In radically accepting how this new, precious life will impact not only my postpartum body but also the day-to-day logistics of keeping another human being alive, it is with great bittersweetness that I will be leaving the co-op as a teacher. I started teacher training when my kiddo turned one, excited that I finally had some brain cells and bandwidth to redirect back to myself. I joined Manny’s mentorship program at the co-op shortly after and from there taught community classes, then onto subbing, to becoming a co-owner.
A lifelong student
My journey has felt evolutionarily organic; the decision to leave feels the same, despite teaching being such a fulfilling part of my life. I am so thankful to be in community with such a magical group of teachers, and words can’t describe the gratitude for each and every student that has come through my classes: your growth, intuition and dedication to your yoga practice is inspiring.
During my classes, I tried to embody what it means to be a lifelong student, and you have no idea how much you have taught me. I will carry all of your affirmations, your kindness, and your grounding & uplifting energy with me into this next chapter of my life and will miss the Collective Yoga Co-op community dearly. I will return in due time as a student, and maybe again someday as a teacher, delighting in whomever’s paths I cross when the time is right.
Continue to be of service to your community. Be a vessel of truth and action for the oppressed. May your yoga practice be a seed in liberating your mind, heart and body. Share your gifts and light with others.
In solidarity and with much love,
Meera
A note from Johannes
Dear Co-op Fam,
It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to connect! As you may know, I’ve been on leave from teaching at the co-op for a little over a year to focus on grad school while working full time as a nurse. And I’m glad I made that decision, because finding peace and balance in my life has been harder than ever. With that being said, I wanted to let you all know that I won’t be returning to the co-op as a teacher. It’s a difficult decision, but I know it’s the right one for me.
"Listen to your body and give it what it needs."
It’s a mantra I’ve often offered in my classes, and it’s one of the simplest yet most essential lessons yoga teaches us. Still, it was difficult to accept that my body was telling me it was overwhelmed. It needed to do less. It needed more time for stillness, recovery, and solitude. I decided to step back from yoga teaching to find that time.
For most of my life, I believed that my worth depended on my ability to do more, give more, achieve more, be more. That belief informed my decision to become a nurse practitioner, and yes, even a yoga teacher. I convinced myself that was the “next step” for both of those paths. Yoga helps me understand that there doesn’t need to be a “next step.” It’s ok to just stay exactly where you are, or release something even if it feels like you’re moving backwards. That can be your path.
I might come back to teaching someday. After all, impermanence is another truth yoga helps us embrace. Endings and beginnings are often cyclical. Paths can twist and turn and end up where they began. Part of the journey is learning how to ride that uncertainty with grace. But if there’s one thing I’m absolutely certain about, it’s that teaching yoga helped me grow in ways I could have never imagined. I am so honored to have had the opportunity to teach you, and that experience will undoubtedly shape my future work as a nurse practitioner. For now, I look forward to taking my place on the mat beside you, and continuing to create spaces of growth and healing together.
With love,
Johannes
