Yoga

Confession: I am an addict! I'm addicted to yoga. For nearly 3 years now, I've been practicing yoga on a weekly basis and I'm convinced it is life transforming. Yoga is so simple, yet extraordinarily complex. In its most basic definition, yoga is the learned art of simply being. That may sound easy, but trust me, it may be the most difficult aspect of yoga (of life for that matter). Think about it... simply being and not doing. Being as you are, who you are, where you are in the moment you are living. We are a society of doers. If we are not doing, then we must be lazy or unsucessful! "Being" requires us to be uniquely in touch with body, mind and spirit. Deeply enough to be in tune with our physical (strength, balance, flexibility, alignment), our mind and emotions, and our spirit - all in the moment in which we are breathing. It is not how strong, upset or prayerful we were this morning, or how we plan to feel after our yoga practice ends, or how well we multi-task, but having clarity about our whole being in a specific moment in time, and accepting and respecting where we are right now.

How many times do you catch yourself thinking about what you will say next, or making a to-do list in your head while you are interacting with someone else? We all do it. While I practice yoga I try to stay in the moment each and every moment of that hour. Do I succeed? Not 100%, but it is a goal and it is something learned with practice. I find it ironic too, that if I am true to yoga teachings I can not scold myself for failing to stay in the moment (or not having the perfect Forward Bend) because yoga also means accepting my body and myself the way I am. When you think about that, it is great! I can have a goal for which to strive (maybe for years), but I'm not allowed to beat myself up if I don't achieve it. For us perfectionists, that is the ultimate freedom.