Yogi life

A long time ago I had to choose a class for a gym credit at Queensborough Community College. And that is how I became a yogi.

Of course at the time I thought that it was a glorified nap time, and I would just show up in sweats and curl up on my mat and that'd be that.
There was no way for me to know that the hour and 15 min I spent once a week in that sweaty annex in QCC would be life changing.

I never really had any ideas about yoga aside from thinking about yogurt every time I saw the word. No really, I did and honestly still do.
So what happened next was amazing. Actually the next two things were amazing. First amazing thing? I showed up. In those days I wasn't prioritizing my education to put it gently. In lay mans terms I was fucking shit up seven ways to Sunday. Until that day that I showed up.

To be frank, I couldn't tell you the instructors name for a million dollars. But she was old, round and flowed like a spring breeze through a meadow of flowers. Her strength that carried her through an enviable on all levels practice impressed me enough to do my best.

BOOM! I fell in love with yoga. Perhaps it was the gentle flow of my own practice, and the innate ability for my body to go from down dog to plank- and then the clumsy "hop up to the top of the mat" that makes me smile everysingletime...That was 15 years ago.

My practice is still sporadic, but over the past ALMOST HALF OF MY LIFE I have taken with me the knowledge that yoga isn't always about the asana (position). It's a spirit of love, it's Namaste (recognizing the light, divinity that resides in you, resides in your fellow Earth dwellers) incarnate. It is how you flow through life, and not just how you flow through a vinyasa that is your yoga practice.
Since having my son, getting time on the mat is precious and rare. The time away has taken a toll on my once impressive strength and balance. So when I waiver, I smile and remind myself- that it's ok. On the mat I'm in love with my soul. I'm in love with myself. By giving myself that love, I can radiate it out to others. I dedicate my practice to the lost and hurting. Almost every time. Sometimes that means me, or a friend, or sometimes it's a general contribution to the love out there.

I'm excited to carve more time out for my practice and look forward with anticipation to grow within it.

I've been lucky enough to practice in some great studios, in addition to my home practice. The last really exciting classes for me were in Queens, where one of the most lovely classes were taught by my friend Sarah. She was gracious enough to answer some questions for me and I'd like to share them here. I'm going to put her answers in bold.

1) When did you begin practicing yoga? Do you remember your first class?

I feel like I always knew about yoga somehow. 
It was always something that interested me long before I even know what it really was. But my first experience with the practice was in high school. When an older friend came back from college on a break and taught me a sun salutation and seated forward fold. I was totally drawn in. I came back to yoga in college and then stated a real regular practice in 2008 when a patient of mine recommended Vitality studio. After 3 years of regular practice there I went though teacher training and started teaching immediately after.



2) What do you think is the biggest misconception about yoga?

I have found that a common misconception about yoga is that it's a) girly or b) not challenging. Once a person takes their first class both of those misconceptions get blown out of the water! I find that many people are misinformed that way. Then there is always the misconception that yoga is only a set of physical postures. I thought that too, until teacher training. That's really when I learned about the entire philosophy that yoga is a part of.

3) What would you say to somebody who says "I'm bad at Yoga"?

I would say there is no such thing, and maybe they've just not found the right teacher or style. When you enter the yoga practice, the options are endless. So many styles, so many forms.

4) How has yoga changed/inspired you?

Self awareness, self awareness, self awareness. The practice shows you your patterns of thought, behavior and living.You naturally start to sort out the patterns that you wish to continue and those you wish to stop because of the positive or negative impact they have on your life and the world. Regular practice has made me want to make better choices for my body too, in terms of nutrition and exercise.

5) Favorite asana/sequence?

I think about this a lot actually...If I was told I could only practice 3 yoga poses for the rest of my life and nothing else, I would have to pick anjaneyasana (a.k.a. the low lunge or crescent lunge) because you can vary it so many ways to get a backbend, shoulder stretch, hip stretch and/or side body stretch. Trikonasana (a.k.a. triangle pose) I just love the pose and feel like it softens all my tension. And supta baddha konasana (a.k.a. reclined bound angle or butterfly pose) because it's the ultimate way to relax, unwind, calm down and open up all at the same time. 

I would like to thank Sarah, an amazing yogi, teacher and friend- for allowing me to share her insight with you.

And I will close this blog post with an ::::::::::::OM::::::::::::      .




Namaste :).