Student Corner
2018
I remember my first Nobby’s yoga class at the Riverfront Cultural Society. Laying on the floor I remember asking Nobby, “Is this the right way to do it?” He just said to try it out. How that phrase has stuck with me over 11 years doing yoga with Nobby and his community of learners. Yoga to me is not having to do anything one way or not having to do anything at all. Living the questions is important in taking care of ourselves. After yoga class I feel like I have given myself a massage and I always have the best night’s sleep. Learning Tai Chi Fundamentals from Nobby this past year has also given me another practice that is done daily to help get my mind and body connected and relaxed. Thank you Nobby for being the teacher who learns along with his students. Your classes and teaching continue to bring me much joy through helping me focus on the moment of living and being.
Becky Forristal May 8, 2018  Photo by Margie Manne
I believe this to be true… Latest AH-HA moment: My time with Nobby over the last 10 years is my most important life lesson. I carry with me everywhere, everyday and every minute so many AH-HA moments they become part of me. Yoga is part of me. easier, softer…slow down…keep it short and smell the flowers. Be present to the pose-in the pose and enjoy “you might not be there yet” after the pose. Nobby’s Yoga leads me to the “smile”. Nobby loves and lives love with his yoga community.
Community |kəˈmyo͞onitē| noun (pl.communities) 1 a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common: Rhode Island's Japanese community| the scientific community. • a group of people living together in one place, esp. one practicing common ownership: a community of nuns. • a particular area or place considered together with its inhabitants: a rural community. • a body of nations or states unified by common interests: [ in names ] : the European Community | the African Economic Community. • (the community) the people of a district or country considered collectively, esp. in the context of social values and responsibilities; society: preparing prisoners for life back in the community. • [ as modifier ] denoting a worker or resource designed to serve the people of a particular area: community health services. 2 a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals: the sense of community that organized religion can provide. • [ in sing. ] a similarity or identity: writers who shared a community of interests. • joint ownership or liability: a commitment to the community of goods. 3 Ecology a group of interdependent organisms of different species growing or living together in a specified habitat:communities of insectivorous birds. PHRASES the international community the countries of the world considered collectively. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French comunete, reinforced by its source, Latin communitas, from communis (see common) Margie Manne April 7, 2017 so much more to my yoga practice...
I began taking Nobby's class about 10 years ago, and mainly started to try to decrease my lower back pain. Little did I know there would be so much more to my yoga practice with Nobby! I am happy to say that after 4-6 months of diligent practice, I found the lower back pain relief that I was seeking, but I continued class for so many other reasons. Nobby's joyful demeanor is one. His willingness to explore and be a student himself is another. Through his insights and encouragement, I found a quiet self-confidence to trust my body. I learned to listen to my body and I was able to do many poses that I wasn't able to at the beginning. That self-confidence carried over to many areas of general living outside of the yoga mat. Then, about four years ago, I had to stop going to the once-a-week class due to family and work issues. Unfortunately it was all too easy to stop my private practice too. I tried to keep many of our class yoga mantras in mind, but without a regular practice I lost touch with that sense of connectedness that I'd gained. Fortunately I was able to go back to the weekly class about a year ago. I've gained strength and flexibility again, and I'm relearning my - now older - body's signals. I'm not able to do some of the poses I once did, or go as deeply into a pose. At first I found this frustrating, but with Nobby's gentle reminders, I have realized a blessing in this condition. Namely, that to find a path to where I want to go, I need to honor where I am at currently. I find this to be a powerful lesson that I can take to so many other areas of life. Thank you Nobby for your guidance, your acceptance of what is, and your example of what can be. Not only on the yoga mat, but in our hearts too. Katie February 2018
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