Why All This Yoga

A very nice gal asked me what inspired me to do my yoga teacher training.  I start my training shortly, and am thrilled! Thanks KB for the motivation behind this post.

So lets starts from the very beginning, a very good place to start (said Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music).
When I graduated from University and began working full time, I had some trouble adjusting to the whole 9-5 work day.  As much as I enjoyed it, I couldn't shake off the redundancy.  Wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep, and repeat.  Thankfully I had my wonderful beau Vinny Slick and kitty Roxanne to come home to.
One day I was sitting at my desk and realized that I wanted to make the most of my lunch hour.  It was that one hour out of 8 that was designated for me time.  Kind of out of nowhere I thought to myself, "Hmm, I should sign up for a yoga class". Just like that I googled my way through local yoga studios, and found a great place that offered lunch time classes.  From the first day I stepped into that studio, I loved it.  I went, and continue to go, on a regular basis. 

Now here is where my practice took a turn...
At first, going to yoga was about me. It was about my time and about how it made me feel.  It was a way to break the redundancy I was attempting to get used to, and it worked.  I would walk back to the office feeling refreshed.  But then something else happened that drove me to keep practicing, and to practice deeper and deeper.

A really amazing woman whom I loved very much was diagnosed with cancer.  It was hard to see her go through it, and just as difficult to see her family and friends suffering at the thought of losing her.  But you know, she would smile through it everyday, and shine light on every situation and diagnosis.  She carried such a joie de vivre throughout it all.  I always admired her for that- words can't describe the wonder.  So in addition to going to yoga because my professional life was hard to adjust to, I now had a big twist in my personal life as well.  By going to class, I felt as though I was able to cope with the terrible face of cancer.  I was able to be more positive for myself, for her, and for everyone surrounding us.  I felt like I was able to be more present.

The Wednesday in April she passed away, I did three things as soon as I found out:
1. I called my parents.
2. I called my hairdresser (I have a thing for getting what I call Emotional Haircuts- it seems silly, but it works for me)
3. I went to yoga. 
I was still in shock when I got to the studio, and felt slightly numb, but I knew it was where I wanted to be for the next hour.  I dedicated my yoga practice to her that day, and every now and then still do.

So when I think to myself "Why yoga?" so many things come to mind.  It calms my mind, my body, my soul.  It is a way to feel at one with myself and everyone and everything around me. It is a driving force that is continually pushing me in the right direction. It is not only a practice, but also a passion, that enables me to handle barriers in a clearer way. It has helped me cope with stress, anger, sadness, grief, and it has heightened my sense of love, compassion and generosity.

Everything yoga has taught me ties in to why I want to do my teacher training.  I am at a point in my life where I still feel like I have a lot of room to grow and to learn. Though I am no longer a student, I still find myself enlightening my mind with new experiences. I do not need to be in an educational institution to continue learning. Now, life is teaching me my lessons. Yoga has been such an important part of my life in the last year or so that I am striving to learn as much as I can about it. I want to go beyond the postures and the breathing techniques. I want to learn about the history, the philosophy, the anatomy, about everything behind this tradition. I want to dedicate more of myself towards yoga. I feel like I am still blooming, and I know that I want to devote myself more to yoga for as long as I possibly can.  By doing the teacher training, I feel like I will not only grow personally, but I can help others around me grow as well.  I want to take everything I have learned, and will continue to learn, and share that with other individuals.  I want to one day learn more about the therapeutic effects yoga has on cancer patients.  Yoga has been so wonderful to me.  I have found myself smiling a lot more and embracing life in an innovative kind of way. 

Namaste,
Lady Lotus