State of the Studio: Reflections from Marit

by Owner/Director of Inner Fire Yoga, Marit Sathrum

“I can confidently say that it is Love that drove the creation of Inner Fire Yoga, and it is the love of many hearts that comprise and sustain our wonderful yoga community - for 18 years.”

This was the second to last sentence in the blog entitled “Inner Fire Yoga and Me” that I published on May 29th, 2020, just 2.5 months after the pandemic shutdown. The blog was a play by play of my experience at the beginning of the pandemic as a small business owner, and as a human being. Having just reviewed that blog, it definitely brings back some painful memories. But also, it’s clear that we’ve come a long way, yogis! 🙌👏👏👏

I remember laying on the grass at The Owl’s Nest, which is now my residence, on that April 5th day when I decided to move there to save the farm, needing grounding and support from the earth, gazing up at the blue sky to rest my tired mind. I pleaded to the Universe to fast forward two years because I just knew this was going to be a LONG HAUL and a very difficult mountain to climb. 

And now it’s two years later. Yay! I feel like Inner Fire Yoga is just beyond the upward climb. Like an Original Hot 90 yoga class: after the apex pose of triangle, exactly halfway through class, it’s still going to require lots of effort, concentration and steady breathing to make it to the end, but it somehow seems a little easier from this point on, until reaching the final destination of final savasana. 

Point being, the efforts of those at the helm of Inner Fire Yoga continue the climb, but we have hit the summit and are over the edge. We will continue to work with effort, intention, diligence, and a sense of obligation to our yoga family: ourselves and our Inner Fire Yoga community.

I love our tagline: Reach Higher - Burn Brighter. It illustrates the Inner Fire Yoga vibe on so many levels: we work in a disciplined manner, always trying to do our best in a mindful way, moving ourselves forward so that our spirits can not only shine brightly from within, but can also co-mingle to create a loving, healthy, luminous community. 

What I see when I walk through the doors of Inner Fire Yoga is exactly that: a magnificent, beautiful community of like-minded yogis. It’s stunning! It’s an energy that is palpable. I know that you all are feeling it too - I can see it in your faces and I hear so many wonderful comments. It seems as if we are all grateful for so much and we aren’t taking things for granted. It’s lovely, and perhaps it is one of the silver linings from the suffering of the past two years.

I think I can fairly say that all of us continue to work through and to experience so much more than we could have imagined. The pandemic continues, which weighs heavy on my mind as the owner, inflation is real which affects everyone, a terrible war is being waged in the name of Democracy, and so much more. 

So yogis, keep practicing, keep introducing yourselves to each other, don’t hesitate to strike up conversations (of course quietly while in the yoga rooms), and keep being KIND, COMPASSIONATE, HUMBLE, and INCLUSIVE (see Inner Fire Yoga’s values) when you are walking through the world with a BRIGHT spirit, choosing LOVE 💖

With immense gratitude and love to all of you,
Marit

PS Happy 20th birthday, Inner Fire Yoga!