To me, yoga means many things, on and off my mat. It means being kind to myself and to others, even when (especially when) it's hard. It means noticing and appreciating the first blooming bud of that magnolia tree on your walk to work.

 

Yoga for me means finding moments of joy in the midst of a chaotic month. Practicing yoga is practicing letting go of the way I thought life would unfold and trusting in new paths. With grace. This is what it means to be truly flexible.

 

Yoga is my journey of living less out of habit, and more out of intent. Yoga is being present in every moment so that years later you can remember the exact taste of that fresh coconut on that Senegalese beach years ago. It is remembering that hard lessons are necessary too. 

 

Ultimately, yoga is the courageous choice to remain soft even when life wants to harden me. If it sounds hard that's because it is. But that's why they call it a yoga "practice." And your practice doesn't care whether you show up put together or if you are a mess. You've just got to show up.

 

Yoga is the union of the mind, body, and spirit. It is the exploration of your body, of your thoughts, of learned knowledge. We are all explorers and students, no matter how much we "know." Some of the most important spiritual growth happens outside of meditation or a yoga class.

 

This is why I teach and write - to bring that awareness to others' lives so that they can feel what it's like to be fully ALIVE. I'm still getting there myself - but the ride itself feels pretty damn good.

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