Finding the Yoga-Culture in Yorba Linda

It seems that the coolness of a city is determined by the quantity (and quality) of its art galleries, tattoo shops,  retro clothing boutiques, and, yes, yoga studios. Where I live in Yorba Linda, California happens to have, um, none of those except two notable yoga studios on either end of the city.  And this is a new thing.  Yoga is now popping up in the suburban sprawl of north Orange County and I'm a proud owner of one of them- Full Circle Yoga: it's the little studio that CAN. 

Anyways, this city is rapt with youth sports and education, which is awesome.  Education, in general, is awesome.  But it seems that once the parents settle down and have kids, they have long forgotten about their own personal growth, their inner child, their playful, creative, and artsy self.  They attend PTA meetings and team meetings, Back to School Night, and awards ceremonies, busy, busy-- all for their kids. And I think, but I could be wrong here, that some of them used to do cool things to enrich their own lives.   I think having children just zaps you of your creative energy; as they ARE the greatest creations of our lives! But can't we find time to be ourselves as separate from our children?  Where did OUR inner child go off to? Where's OUR sense of self? Why do we have to wait until they move away to find ourselves?

So, I feel the culture in this city is geared toward parents sacrificing themselves until the children are grown, at which point they are far into a state of disrepair and dis-ease.  Can't we talk care of ourselves and the family at the same time? This is what the yoga culture is about-- taking care of ourselves in each day, finding peace in the home and within ourselves.  Because no manicure or hairstyle can cover up years of bodily and spiritual neglect. 

In addition to poetry, my blog here, and some amateur painting, yoga is my way of finding my true self.  Every day I come to the mat, I find kindred spirits who are also enjoying the journey of self-discovery.  They are out there. The yoga culture in Yorba Linda right now seems small to me (mainly because the majority of people who say they do yoga, are doing it at the gym, which just kind of ruins it) but I hope to find more right here in my city of Yorba Linda.