Just ask the question and then dive deeply within. Seek for the answers and let the journey itself be enough.
This is part of an on-going series we are developing that explores what yoga mean to each of us.
There is no right or wrong answer, it’ s all about what we each find to be our own quest.
Yoga is a practice that can take years of study. But the moment you want to start, just get on a mat and keep practicing. You don’t need to be strong or flexible to start with. In fact, the less natural you are at the practice, the more you will have to learn. I wasn’t naturally good at any of the poses—I just kept practicing for 10 years and never gave up. Everyone can really do the same, we just need to believe in us.
For the last ten years I practiced six days a week. I practiced when I was feeling great, and also when I was feeling down, or sick, healthy, strong, weak, injured, happy, sad, angry, anxious, bored, and everything in between. I’ve practiced constantly, without break. For me, more than being disciplined, devoted and determined, I consider yoga to be an act of kindness to myself.
I’ve noticed that when I practice, I think kinder thoughts and I say kinder things and engage in kinder acts. Somewhere in every practice is a door that leads me to peace. It’s magical, sacred and holy. For me, my practice is a space of listening and worshipping, and, even on the days it’s difficult, there is always an element of transcendence, a kind of movement beyond the physical that brings me into the realm of spirit. Every practice changes me a bit, just a little bit. It really is like a ritual of love.
Until I found out that practicing yoga was an act of kindness and compassion, I understood that my rebelling against the monotony of it was all wrong. It is during the praxis of yoga that I drink from the source, a deep inexhaustible source of the purest energy. Of course, I want to return to that space every chance I get. Wouldn’t you?