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Monday Sept 7, 2020 (author: Mary Lou Cerami)
Sometimes I’ll run a word through a stockphoto site, and see what kinds of photos come up – words like ‘zen’ or ‘love’ or ‘yoga’.
I’m a graphic designer after all, and spend quite a lot of time searching through stock photography sites for my client’s projects.
Today I searched “Transition”.
It’s what life is right now. Transition is defined as the period of changing from one condition to another – and it describes perfectly the constant push and pull we are all going through.
My hope is to embrace this constant state of flux – and continue to share what it is that moves me most – safely & conscientiously.
For this reason I am offering a new class – Outdoor Yoga & Full Body workout at the park – using weights, cardio drills, kettle bells and definitely Indoboards! Our first date is scheduled Sunday, 9/13 at 1030a. I hope to add more dates as interest grows.
I also miss seeing my friends and students in person. True interaction is very much needed right now, as long as all protocols remain in place to deter the spread of covid in our community.
Class sizes will remain small – and there will be plenty of space to spread out to work out.
If you’re interested – Register your space to attend.
~mlou xo
Sunday Aug 2, 2020 (author: Mary Lou Cerami)
Classes are back on! Last weekend I was felled by a medical emergency and cancelled my slate of classes while I took this time to recover.
For all those who reached out – Thank you! I am feeling much better, and am offering my regular weekly Bootcamp classes starting Monday 8/3 on Zoom.
To recap what is happening with paddleboarding classes this summer – I am transitioning my most popular classes – SUP Yoga, Intro to SUP and SUP with your pup, to the north suburbs of Highland Park on Lake Michigan. Registration is now open. Reach out directly to schedule your private or small group classes this month.
Requirements are: you must be 18 years or older and able to swim. Paddleboard equipment is included with each class. Masks are required (not while on the water).
Today, just getting on the water again for a long leisurely paddle was my heaven on earth. Being away from the lake was hard. But losing my sense of health and well being was incredibly difficult. I’ve learned one thing from my harrowing experience in the ICU – drink more water!! Unbeknownst to me, My paddling adventures were leaving me chronically dehydrated, which created a set of very painful kidney stones that decided to move out last weekend.
Some lessons in life are very very painful.
Looking forward to seeing you at the beach! Or via Zoom twice a week – every week. 🙂
~mlou xo
How it all began ..
by Mary Lou Cerami
I believe we all deserve the opportunity to make a living doing what we love. It’s not the easiest thing to manifest – but with hard work and sacrifice, this idea can be a reality.
Me? Well, I’m living proof.
I started freelancing as a graphic designer not long after the dot-com bust – finding myself unexpectedly laid off after years with an incredible startup, and began that new day as unemployed.
I took my title, my small severance package and the skills I gained, and built up a comfortable freelance company, of which I am presently the sole designer for a nice mix of clients. Check out mloudesigninc on Linkedin.
Graphic design and the freedom it provides is wonderful, but sitting in front of the computer for endless hours can be lonely – and I yearned for more.
Ultimately I discovered yoga, and in 2009 I became a registered yoga instructor. But the story doesn’t end there. Actually yoga for me was just the beginning.
Yoga opened my world up. My life before yoga centered around training at the gym, lifting heavy weights and setting personal records. Yoga taught me true strength lies not in the body’s muscles, but in our hearts.
Teaching yoga and eventually Reiki as well, are the pillars from which I draw strength when life throws roadblocks my way.
More recently when my body seemed to betray me and chronic pain became my daily companion – for years – I continued seeking answers.
I never stopped moving. And I continued doing what I loved. Yes, I could have accepted a comfortable salary as Lead Designer at some corporate company, but I followed my heart, and kept on my path.
Today I lead yoga workshops and events in all venues, from standup paddleboard yoga on Lake Michigan to studio classes and events utilizing my favorite training tool, the Indo Balance Board.
I’m proud to promote Indo boards to anyone and everyone – there’s no other balance trainer on the market today that comes close to the Indo Board in balance training. I love it for its perfect simulation of paddleboarding – plus it’s fun!
I’m also a veteran presenter speaking on standup paddleboard safety, one of my biggest passions. Look for me at the next Boat show in Chicago, or this spring at Madison, Wisconsin – Canoecopia is notably the world’s largest paddling expo.
Through my website, EPIC Yoga Flow.com, I’m best known for my paddleboard instruction. Every summer since 2011, I am at Montrose beach leading Paddleboard yoga, Full Moon SUP Yoga events and a weekly “How to SUP with your pup” class at Kayak Chicago.
To put it simply, I live for summer.
Paddle boarding is so much more than a fun water sport to me – it’s my bridge to yoga in its purest form.
The poses are secondary to the experience of being on the water, free and open and blue, paddling out into the seemingly endless horizon.
The experience is truly epic, hence our name : “EPIC Yoga Flow”. Most people who have signed up for my course have had a SUP Yoga class on their bucket list for some time. Once you try it, it really is the most incredible thing you will do all summer.
Yet I’m also aware how intimidating it seems. Really the hardest part is taking that first step and signing up.
And yes, you may fall. But if we never get back up after the first time we’ve fallen at something we’ve first tried, well, we would not have accomplished much at all in life.
I’ve turned my passion into something tangible – something that gives back to others. We are not all teachers, but we all have a passion.
It truly is possible to unravel the complex balance of life and work. Why just work and live for a happy retirement? I say “why not work and live for a happy life?”
And as unrelated as it may seem, I also maintain my Etsy store, GoodVibes Butterfly, I create and sell vintage jewelry and one-of-a-kind finds. The first Sunday of every month in Michigan visit me at St Joseph Antiques on the Bluff where my brother and I have a booth for upcoming 2020 summer season!
good vibes!!
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Mary Lou Cerami is a level 2 SUP instructor certified thru the American Canoe Association (ACA), which provides one of the most thorough and safety-conscience watersport certifications in the industry today. Mary Lou is on the collaborative team for SUP Yoga Certification with the ACA and is currently offering paddle clinics for aspiring SUP Yoga instructors this summer.
She also leads workshops on chronic pain recovery at studios in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs all year round. Mary Lou is a Reiki Master Teacher and offers community Reiki circles & attunements several times a year. Her ultimate goal is inspiring healing and connection within our own bodies and the world in which we live and play.
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