A Steady Diet of Yoga

The consensus of expert opinion regarding a regular yoga practice is fairly unanimous: it’s good for you. It provides clarity, strength, longevity, and, for some, an overall feeling of synchonicity. For me, it ‘s just enough that I don’t feel like crap.

I am not a model yogi. While I do have a regular practice, I do it in jeans and, often, with a cup of coffee. When missing my practice in the morning, I’ve been known, at times, to do my practice in the evening with a nice full glass of wine. I prefer a black beret to a white turban, skull and cross-bones to an Om symbol, and Radiohead to Ram Das. Even though I do it in unconventional ways, my practice has all the reverence, fortitude, and discipline of any more “traditional” means of yoga. I meditate, breathe, pray, give thanks, and move mindfully with great intention.

Lately, as life’s challenges have mounted, my practice has gotten stronger and more profound. I slip into it with the same natural effortlessness with which I make my coffee in the morning. Each day, as the intensity and vigor of my practice grows, I find more of the essence of my practice spilling over into the rest of my day. I can stay with the breath even in traffic. The confusion of having three jobs is becoming as simple as chopping wood, carrying water, and contemplating my buddha nature.

For a time, with this steady diet of yoga, I find myself able to manifest and digest what I always remind my yoga classes about:

When the yoga practice ends, the real yoga begins.

Go Home… and do yoga

I have spent the morning resurrecting my favorite yoga workshop which I will teach tomorrow: “Deepening and Developing a Personal Yoga Practice.” Yes, it is a very long name. I have thought about changing it to “Go Home!… and do yoga,” since that is the working title for the book I am allegedly writing on the same topic. But that seems just a little too in your face.

Creating a personal practice is somewhat of a contradiction since we are trying to create a habit of something designed to break us of our habits.

This is a revolutionary idea at a very important time. The financial benefits are clear. Doing yoga at home is free. The workshop is free. However, it is more important is to make sure your mind is free. Too often we feel caged in our own thoughts, obsessions, and obligations. It seems pretty well documented that it takes constant vigilance and tenacity to maintain connection to the divine, but, the good news, is that it is free and constantly available.