hebrew – mayah's site

yoga is more than stretching

Very few people truly understand why I go to yoga religiously. And for a long time I didn’t want to share why, because I wanted to define my own life and tried to micromanage the images others had of me. I have chosen to define myself my way, and I know now that other opinions of me are simply just opinions. So it’s time to get deep. I strayed away from talking about God, especially on my blog, because I didn’t want to be one of those people. But I am close to God (in fact Mayah means close to God in Hebrew). My relationship with God is just a little different than the “traditional”. I do yoga because yoga allows me to clear the blocks of energy that are blocking me from connecting fully and completely with God. I get guidance from God and my angels during yoga. Yoga is an out of body, in body and spiritual experience for me. I do yoga because it makes me soul so happy and I always feel full of love after class. I do yoga because yoga purifies and cleanses the energies that no longer serve me and allows me to help protect my energy. Everyone has their own reason to do yoga, but that is mine. I started doing yoga consistently in June 2016. I was going through a rougher patch- a relationship that meant/means a lot to me was going through a transition and I was scared, I was going to college and I was scared. My whole life was about to change and then I started doing yoga. I’ve kept going since then. I even did it once (which was super hard) while I was in Ecuador. Yoga is so important to me, because being close to God is so important to me. And it’s time I shared that.

summer camp

So I originally planned to do this documentary of my adventures inQuito in order but I decide to start by talking about why I’m here. So I am working at a summer camp, in the five to seven year old classroom with five other tutors. Our classroom is at the beginning of the school, and the older students and their tutors are up on the hill. All of the tutors are in college, but the tutors from our partnering university, University of San Francisco Quito are planning to be teachers. I’ve really enjoyed the teaching experience. At the beginning it was a little awkward mostly because it’s hard to understand little kids. But as time has gone on I’ve gotten very comfortable and created good relationships with the other tutors and students. I like the camp because there is a focus on education and teaching the kids but it’s a healthy balance between studying and having fun. Learning should be fun for children and my personal goal is that we all have a good time. The camp started on the tenth and will run until the twenty eighth. My focus in the class is the English lessons, along with helping other activities go smoothly. I have a picture from the lesson we did last week about english introductions! I also lead the morning song so that the kids will have a fun way to start the day. Normally I sit at the table with the youngest group of students, most of the, are five and a couple are six, so they need a lot of attention. It makes me happy to be able to help them. A bonus is that we ar at the point where they are beginning to remember my name! Little kids often don’t pay enough attention to remember names and because my name is a Hebrew name, it’s not a name that they are used to. But all is going well! Enjoy picture of our classroom!

names

Names are very important. I’ve always been big on researching names and figuring out what they mean. It is important to keep in mind that you are given your name for a reason and that was especially picked for you. My name has multiple meanings: close to God in Hebrew and great mother in Greek. I feel that I do personify my name. People who know me, know that I don’t always capitalize the first letter in my name. It is because I was inspired by feminist bell hooks, who doesn’t capitalize her name. I read about her years ago and the fact that she just renamed herself seemed so powerful. Whether you were named after your great-grandmother or your name just stood out to your mother, your name matters. It matters because you matter. Names are also important for self-identification, an important part of self-love (accepting yourself). Now while I’m not big into labeling, it is important to name what you like and do things that you like. You have to create the life that you want to life, by naming it first. I am currently finishing up the book the Law of Attraction by Michael Losier, who discusses how to attract things into your life by claiming (naming) what you want in your life. I recommend the book to everyone (I even got it for my best friend as her open house present). You truly have to name what you want and create a life for yourself. But the first step is naming, yourself and your life.