All in Yoga
I was once labeled a drama queen. Okay, if I’m being honest, it was more than once - and not in the queen-who-wears-the-crown-because-she-was-voted-on kind of way. In college, an acquaintance bluntly told me I loved drama. I was literally appalled.
Yoga isn’t about simply stepping onto your mat, but rather turning inward, quieting the chatter of your mind, and finding peace in the midst of a chaotic world. So when I began to beat myself up for not keeping my commitment to a yoga challenge, I decided to take my yoga practice off the mat and into my world with these 4 simple lessons.
That’s the proverbial question that seems to be on everybody’s mind when they see me. As I mentioned in this Instagram post, I didn’t have all the answers when I first returned. In fact, I still don’t. However, I have a very clear direction of what I want and how to get there. I’d love for you to come along on the journey as I write my next chapter. What’s in store? Glad you asked.
“This pose is the hardest one you’ll face all evening,” I told them. “As gravity takes hold of your hips, the stretch will intensify. Notice your thoughts in this very moment,” I encouraged. Those thoughts in this intense moment say more about you than you even realize.
“If you close your eyes and ears, sit quietly, allow the mind to be completely silent and then listen within, you will hear God humming. God talks to us always, but we talk so loud we fail to hear.” Sri Swami Satchindananda, The Yoga Sutras of Ptanjali
Guess what? I cried for the first time on my mat today in what seems like forever. (Just so you know, I’m secretly loving telling you about all the times I cry on this trip.) While trying to get into a pose, my knee started to hurt. On the second attempt, I tried the pose and immediately got out of it. I laid on my mat as tears sprung in my eyes. You’re knee hurts. You can’t do this. You’ll never get this pose. Everyone else is better than you. You’ll never amount to anything. Why are you even trying? You think YOU can teach yoga? My thoughts began to snowball.
