(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Wednesday morning, 14 September 2016)

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of a loving God,

Throughout high school and college I participated in track and field, specifically the throwing events. Practices and workouts were always focused on being as quick and explosive as possible. As I’ve gotten older and further removed from my college days, I’ve been searching for different types of exercise that are less taxing on the body and more holistic in nature. This led me to yoga. I’ve only gone a handful of times so I am definitely not an advanced yogi who is doing headstands; my skill level is still very basic.

So last week when Ms. Frega and I were looking for a way to relax a bit after the busyness that comes with the start of a new school year, we decided to go to a yoga class together. We hit some traffic on our way over to the downtown yoga studio so we ended up arriving just as the class was getting underway. As soon as we walked into the room, my heart skipped a bit. My hands started sweating and I felt a ball of nerves form in my stomach. The only available spots left in the room were in the very front.  This terrified me. I am always one of those people in group exercise classes that likes to be in the back or on the side so I can watch other people to make sure that I am doing the correct move or exercise. So as I walked into the yoga class and placed my yoga mat down in the very front of the room, I was feeling very, very far out of my comfort zone. I knew that I wouldn’t have anyone to look at when the instructor called out different poses, especially since there are no mirrors in this studio, so I started to doubt my abilities.

When the first pose that the teacher called out was “cow pose” it took all I had to not MOOO-ve on out of the room and head home. But I knew that I should stick it out. I had already paid for the class and I was Ms. Frega’s ride so I knew that my only option was to try my best and hope that I would be able to calm down and relax a bit. Thankfully as the class got going I quickly realized that most of the other people were beginners as well, so the instructor was descriptive when calling out poses and I ended up feeling pretty confident by the end of the class. I was definitely thankful that I had stuck it out… I left feeling relaxed and more confident in my abilities. So much so, that Ms. Frega and I are planning to go back again this week.

Now the purpose of this prayer is not for me to share a story about my new affinity for yoga. But rather to remind us that it is good to try things that get us out of our comfort zone. It is normal to feel some sense of nervousness when you are trying something new, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. The beginning of a new school year always brings lots of opportunities for us to try something for the first time. There are new clubs, sports, plays, service opportunities, bands…. the list could go on and on. There are so many different activities for you to get involved in… even if it means trying something out of your comfort zone. This could even be something on a smaller scale… like raising your hand in class or sitting with someone new at lunch. We may feel some butterflies in our stomach at first… but then they will hopefully go away and we can enjoy all the opportunities that La Salle offers.

And the great thing about all of this… is that if we try something new and it doesn’t work out… God is always there to catch us when we fall. He will be there to give us the courage and support that we might need to feel confident in our abilities and talents.

Let us pray,

Loving God, help us to remember that we were all created in Your image and likeness. Therefore, we all possess special talents and gifts that we should explore through the different opportunities that are available to us. Please help ease our nerves so that we can have the confidence to live fully and faithfully. Amen.

St. John Baptist de La Salle…Pray for us.

Live Jesus in our Hearts…Forever.

Megan Carey–Mathematics Teacher