Paddle Board Bliss, What does this mean to me? It’s a moment in my life, where I chose to take a risk and fly to a new place and meet a whole new group of girls to follow our dreams. I don’t even know how to describe the beauty of this training.
The day I found Taylor, I was sitting in a hospital bed at UC Davis dealing with a deadly lung disease known as Cystic Fibrosis. I was about ready to start my yoga teacher training course in Reno, NV. For some unknown reason I felt this pull towards paddle board yoga. I had tried it once before on my home lake Tahoe and I had fallen in love.
I was looking at all of the paddle board yoga schools in California and for some reasons Paddle Board Bliss just stuck in my mind. I just remember hearing back from Taylor, she was just nice and laid back I just KNEW this is where I needed to go. For some reason above my knowledge this course landed on my one weekend off in three months from my other yoga school course. So, I listened to the forces bigger than me and signed up!
I thought the weekend would just be learning how to cue yoga on a paddle board, and the business of paddle board yoga. Boy, was I wrong. From the second I stepped foot on that board, I KNEW that this was my calling.
I have lived my life always searching for my passions and I knew yoga was a part of it, but the moment I stepped foot on the board I realized something. Paddle boarding isn’t just a work-out, it’s a complete representation of one’s life. You never know the waves that might come and knock you off your balance. You never know the storms that might be brewing and how you will react when they hit. You just have to go with the flow!
Some days I wake up very sick, other days I feel completely normal… so this training really hit home. You can think you have everything under control and that you know what will happen tomorrow. You are so wrong, you never know.
Yoga is my life. That much I know. The Monday before I flew down to meet everyone I had a lung function test that came out at 100%, one year ago it was at 45%. The salt of the sea, the tight bond that everyone has at Paddle Board Bliss, the new family I created, is something I will never forget. In three days, my life changed. I realized that I was independent and didn’t need anyone any one in my life that was destructive. I had met all of these beautiful, funny, strong women who were just amazing. We all came from different parts of the world, at different times in our lives and found each other.
The crazy thing is now I’m looking for homes in California. There’s a wonderful quote from Jacques Cousteau that says “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
So here is my tip for you. Follow your dreams, they may be scary but its WORTH IT. YOU are worth it! Come meet this team of beautiful souls. They will change your life.
Ashlee Skow recently completed Bliss Paddle Yoga teacher training in San Diego. Her story touched us all. Read more on her blog you can find here.