When I was younger I dreamed of traveling the world. In college, I studied abroad and did a fair amount of traveling. After graduation, I moved across the country to San Francisco and got a job in the field I had studied at school. My career was going well and I was up for a promotion. On the outside, my life looked great. But on the inside, I was longing for something I could not quite put my finger on. There was an itch I was looking to satisfy. So I left my job and began exploring a new path.
In the midst of all of this, I found yoga – though it felt a little more like yoga found me. In any case, it was as if I had come home. Somehow I knew this was my path. At the time, I did not quite understand or know the depths of it. Looking back, I realize I had only just arrived at the doorway. I was seeking more than a new career, I was seeking my Self.
As someone who has experienced a fair amount of pain, injury, and limitation in my body, the physical practice brought me relief. I became fascinated with the human body and went on a journey to understand how it works. These discoveries were the combinations to open the closed doors inside me, both physically and emotionally.
Now I realize that what I was seeking was inside of me. The itch I felt was a dissatisfaction that made me look in places I might not have otherwise. It pushed me to dig deep inside myself and reclaim parts of myself I had abandoned. I know that I am not done learning and growing, there is always more. But I am happy to say that I feel comfortable in my skin and content in my life.
Asana practice is a spiritual practice. The physical practice is a doorway into the temple of the Self.
No matter why you come to the yoga mat – whether it is for exercise or the desire for flexibility, or because you have pain, injury, and stress – yoga will help. But these are beneficial side effects of the practice. The physical practice invites you to exploration. It is a process of peeling away the layers that culture, family, and society have placed on you. The hope is that in this process, you uncover your authentic Self and find more contentment living in a human body and on this planet.
It may not seem like it, but yoga is a journey. It is a beautiful journey. I am so grateful to have found this path and each of the teachers who have guided me. And I am grateful for the opportunities to offer my knowledge and experience to you. It is the community that gathers in each class, training, workshop, and retreat that brings me my greatest joy and fulfillment. Thank you for being a part of it.
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