Finding my Yoga Path

“Yoga is 99 percent practice and one percent theory.” Sri Pattabhi Jois.

Many will claim that the majority of people find their way to yoga after some sort of suffering. My parents divorced when I was six years old. Innately, I knew there was something wrong with their marriage. I distinctly remember as a little girl secretly leaving my bedroom at night, tiptoeing down the stairs & peeking around a corner as my parents would argue. My mother collected these porcelain figurines from a brand called, “Precious Moments”. My mother would be throwing & shattering them in her rage. My father, trying his best to keep grounded and composed. He is the tree in the night while a tornado is ripping and curling around him shaking the leaves on his branches. And I am on the outskirts of the storm watching & observing.

My parent’s marriage ended, but the pain and anguish permeated through our family. The circumstances of every little aspect of my parent’s relationship caused ripples in the mind, heart and body of my sister & I. This is my first real memory I have of experiencing suffering. It was another fourteen years before our family dynamic began to heal and emerge from a shadow.

Why is this first account so important? It was shortly after that when my father began dating again. The first relationship he had was with an energetic single mom in her late twenties. She liked to belly dance, play volleyball, do pilates and yoga. She was always smiling and optimistic. It was refreshing having someone like her come into our lives after such heaviness. I was about seven years old and she introduced me to yoga. The very first pose she showed me was Urdvha Dhanurasana (full wheel pose). This is a huge heart opener and a very important pose in Ashtanga yoga. To be able to hold this pose comfortably requires an immense amount of flexibility and strength. Today it is one of my favorite poses to practice. It was the asana I needed to be shown at that age. My parents divorce and everything that followed in my adolescent years was the perfect recipe for shutting down and closing myself off from the world. The universe provided me with a way to stay open.

Lastly, I’ll bring up the person that was a very important stepping stone to starting my yoga journey. My stepmother started taking me to classes when I was in high school. She was already taking me to Pilates classes at the YMCA and one day asked if I’d be interested in taking a yoga class. From then on I would join her for classes, follow along to DVDs, rent books from the library and eventually find my way to different studios until I found a yoga home and became certified as an instructor. Twenty years after my first experience with yoga, I am now a dedicated practitioner that has accepted the practice as a medicine to the mind, body & soul.

I have particularly resonated with the Ashtanga lineage due to its very nature. It is an eight limbed path that focuses on getting in tune with the deepest parts of the self. Every practitioner must start with the first series and create a regular practice to truly experience the benefits it has to offer. At various moments in my life I chose to run from my reality. Ashtanga is a daily practice that asks you to show up and be present. It is a practiced philosophy where revelations occur over a long period of time. It cannot be rushed or cheated. It is a reflection of how you live your life. When I’m being lazy, it shows up on my mat. When I am being too hard on myself, it shows up in my practice. If I feel lost, it helps me find my way. The familiarity of the poses and their interconnectedness to my childhood creates nostalgia for me. I could go on about how the structure and organization of Ashtanga yoga has provided those same qualities to my life and why it is a positive thing. Step on your mat today and embark on the journey for yourself!