A Virtual Thanksgiving

I’ve got over 1,000 followers on Instagram. One of the most unexpected things of 2015 is this virtual group of strangers worldwide whose lives have randomly interconnected on purpose with mine. It a collection of people who share losses, struggles and successes. Not just a scroll, click, like, scroll, but for some of us, conversations and words of encouragement all united by a love of yoga. We celebrate accomplishments, commiserate with losses, and cheer for each other’s happiness. There is a sense of helplessness when someone disappears from our feed and because we’re virtual. Someone who last posted 20 weeks ago, leaves us with a feel of angst, did something happen, how would we know?

This holiday when asked, what I’m thankful for, to my surprise, the answer is Instagram. The challenges have deepened my yoga practice  and this virtual group of people are my community. The handstand press, that I have never seen in class,  I see daily on Instagram. While I rarely see a black yogi in class, I am connected to a worldwide network of yogis of colors on Instagram. Thanksgiving is a celebration of a harvest and things to be thank you for. For me, that harvest is a worldwide community of yogis of which I am thankful for.

Note: The artwork for this post is from an Instagram Twining Challenge. I am on the left.  I am posing with someone from Instagram. For two weeks, we sent photos  for the pose of the day and edited them to showcase the challenge of the day. This was one of my favorites. https://instagram.com/bous_yoga/