Thursday's Thought

A new session of my yoga and fertility workshop series began this week. On Tuesday night, a group of strong, brave women gathered to share their stories, take refuge in community, and start down the road toward accepting where they are on their journey and charting a course forward. But it almost didn't happen.

In the days leading up to our first class, registration was low. It looked like we wouldn't have enough students to move forward. These things happen from time to time for a variety of reasons, and in the past, I have moved on and turned my attention to other offerings. This time, however, I found myself resisting the idea of calling it off.

When the studio manager reached out to ask whether we should cancel the workshop, I asked for a few more days. On Monday, the numbers remained low. I reluctantly agreed to concede defeat, but something didn't sit right. Moments later, I received a note from a student who had waited until the last minute to register but was anxious to join. An hour after that a student I had worked with in a previous setting reached out to ask whether there was still room. Later in the day, a third student expressed interest. And just like that (thanks to the behind-the-scenes wizardry of our studio manager), we were back up and running.

It would have been easy to let go of my plans and call off the workshop when attendance looked poor. It would have been less complicated to allow things to remain cancelled than to do the work of resuscitating the offering. But something persuaded me to persist. And as a result, another group of women are coming together to find support and healing during a difficult time, and I am blessed to be part of their journey.

Sometimes we need to set our agendas aside and respond to what we see in front of us, but when our hearts tell us to stand firm, we are wise to listen. Just because you are facing resistance doesn't mean you need to give up. Listen to your heart - and find the courage to stand strong.