This week I started the journey of Power Yoga Teacher Training through CorePower Yoga. This is something that I have been waiting to do for years, and I finally said yes. For our first assignment, I was asked to write an essay on what yoga is to me and why I practice. In the spirit of vulnerability, something I'm constantly working on in my life, I wanted to share what I wrote with you guys. So, here it is.
“The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
When I first started practicing yoga back in 2010, it was merely for the physical aspects of the practice. I loved how it would stretch me out but at the same time make me feel strong. I felt graceful and fluid in C2s, and I took Sculpt to kick my butt. Ultimately, yoga was a great way to get in and stay in shape.
I still practice yoga for those same reasons, but my relationship, understanding and appreciation of all that is yoga has evolved quite a bit since. Now, yoga is many things to me – a teacher, a practice, a mindset, a way of life. It is a reminder to greet each day with a grateful heart and to appreciate the gift of every moment. It has reignited the student of life in me, and shown me that it is an endless journey that will never fail in revealing something new around every corner – there is no final destination. It is a safe, sacred place where my mind, body and soul come together to create the fullest, best, most alive expression of me. When I’ve found myself lingering within the bounds of my comfort zone a little too long, it catapults me right back out. When I’ve been tangoing with imbalance and stretch myself too thin, it reels me right back in. When my ego tries to take the wheel (which is like, all the time), yoga shoves it right back into the passenger seat where it belongs – sometimes even the trunk – and humbles me. It makes me feel strong, worthy, infinite and ultimately whole. This is what yoga means to me and why I practice. Why do you yoga?
Namaste, bitches. xx