3 October 2013
Dear Yoga,
A little over a
year ago I was introduced to you by a now former friend. Oh, I had seen you around for a long
time. I had even tried you out a
couple of other times, but something, this time, stuck. I found myself really enjoying
the difference you and I were making together. Maybe it was the help of my incredible yoga
instructor, Sam; maybe it was just that the time was finally right for me to begin
a practice. Maybe it was a little
bit of all of the above.
Before last year, I
had a working knowledge of “Downward Facing Dog” and was familiar with terms
such as “Mountain” and “Tree”, but beyond that, I was a clean slate. I had no
idea what a Drishti is. Now I know
that it is a focal point. I had no
idea what Bandhas. Now I know that
they are energy locks. Now
I’m familiar with a wide range of terminology and can do some positions that I
could never have imagined.
Yoga, there are
people who have misconceptions about you. They think that you are some sort of spiritual
practice which is incongruent with Christianity. That’s simply not true. While you are a spiritual practice, and certainly the spirit
is enhanced by practice of yoga, religion is not the focus. Yoga, I’ve found is
incredibly physical, but not overly demanding. We listen to our bodies and just take ourselves to the edge
of discomfort. Yoga is not about
contorting the body into freak-show quality positions; however, some people do
attain the ability to move into incredibly difficult positions. Yoga is about surrender. It’s
about forgetting all the struggles of the day for a period of time. Yoga is about breathing and
moving in synchronization. Yoga is about life.
Here’s my
confession: After almost a year of yoga (give or
take, and there have been weeks I haven’t gone to class), but when I am
dedicated to the practice, I see nothing but positive changes in how I feel
about myself, how far I have progressed, and, indeed, how far I have left to
go. I think the beauty of
yoga is that there is no end the progress. While I don’t ever expect to be limber enough to twist
myself into the shape of a pretzel, I won’t discount the possibility. For the only limits I truly have
are the limits I place on myself.
I am a yogi. It has been
said that you can’t leave a yoga class unhappy. I have to attest to the fact that it’s true. Yoga is for every single
person—regardless of physical limitations, athletic ability or any of a myriad
of “excuses”. You practice
at your own level. It is the most challenging physical activity I have ever
done, but I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I am finished. Yoga, thank you for the things
you teach me.
Namaste!
rkt
Namaste!
rkt
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