Hey, remember way back when, when I decided to do that 7 week challenge of bringing yoga off the mat and into your life? The Living Your Moksha Challenge? Well, I realized I still had two more weeks to tell you about! As you can see, Erin and I had lots and lots to write about. We’ve been busy! But now that I’m doing “less” yoga and other things and running more, I feel as though my stories are not as exciting as they once were. But that’s totally not true.

Let’s be honest, yoga is exciting. And so is learning!

And that’s exactly what pillar number 6 of LYM was: Live to Learn. Learning is a wonderful thing, you can never be too old or too young to learn. Anything. Coming from a family of teachers education was the one thing forced upon us, but also the one thing my family valued most. I remember at a very young age, my uncle coming to house to chat with my Dad — no, he wouldn’t offer treats or hugs — but would test my multiplication tables and ask what I was learning in school. And learning those valuable life sessions, I would bike to my Nanny’s house for, such as licking the bowl and spoons clean after making a batch of cookies. This and sewing buttons or just being at Nanny’s house were indeed essential life lessons for me to learn.

My grandmother was a very special lady, and even though she’s no longer around, I’m still learning from her everyday. After her passing in July, the week Live to Learn really struck a cord with me. She was a lady who value knowledge and the power to think for yourself more then anyone I know. She’d test your opinion, not for argument, but for the importance of forming one. My Nanny is someone I admire so much and find myself wanting to be like, more and more each day. And one of those ways, specifically, is her love of learning. It’s amazing how much this Living Your Moksha challenge has stuck with me, even after a month since it’s been over.

Reflecting back on the week itself, our challenge was to read for 30 minutes each day (2 hours on the weekends) outside of your work or everyday reading. Pick up a book, grab the newspaper, google a blog worth checking out, and really dive in and digest it’s contents. What is the author or character really saying? That part was easy, I had my book (The Night Circus) on the go and would read voluntary for hours before falling asleep. But reading wasn’t always an enjoying pastime of mine, especially during high school and my university days. But we grow up and we change, and now I’m learning to be accepting of the grown up I’m becoming. I’m learning to be okay with not doing yoga everyday or being okay not following my running training to a T (okay I admit this still bothers me a bit). It’s weird to think we how different we were only a few short years ago. Or even weirder the thought of the even more grown up, grown up we’ll become.

I took the living to learn theme to the next level that week and enrolled in a Beginners Spanish class for the month of July through the Ontario Continuing Eduction Program. I came away still knowing zero Spanish, but this was one thing on my bucket list. It still is, I have much more to learn. But I don’t know what was harder leaning proper enunciation of verbs or CrossFit’s proper squat and rowing technique!

The super challenge of the week was to take a walk and get lost in nature. Look around your environment with no place to go in your mind. Sometimes getting lost is the best was to find yourself. Although I didn’t go for a walk everyday, I feel as though I’m going through the super challenge right now, figuring our my life ahead and new challenges to face. One being this half marathon! Let’s take my life lessons, one step at a time. Thinking back to week 6 is helping with all of that, I just have to be paitence and accepting of certain struggles. Something I’m still learning, as I said before.

Now, to really explore the meaning of live to learn – Dave Roemmele, Moksha’s Studio Development Director tells his meaning to live to learn: