My So-Called Yoga Life

Welcome to the first blog post of my new blog, My So-Called Yoga Life! The purpose of my writing here is to share how yoga has infused my life in countless ways.  The way I eat, the time I wake up in the morning, the way my body feels, the way my mind reacts and benefits are all influenced by my practice. My posts might include anything from how a movie touched me to what my current yoga pose is creating within me.  It may sound strange, but these things all bring out the love and light that I think yoga is all about.

In my studies at university, I was most captivated by the grace and meaning found within Native Traditions. One story that touches my heart and really speaks to me is written below. When I first read this story I was awed at how the message it shares is really the same as what I see in yoga.

The Creator gathered all of creation and said, ‘I want to hide something from humans until they have fully prepared themselves for it. It is the realization that their essence is unity with Me.’

The eagle said, ‘Give it to me; I’ll take it to the moon and hide it there.’ But the Creator said, ‘No, one day they will go there and find it.’

Then the salmon said, ‘Give it to me; I’ll hide it in the bottom of the sea.’ ‘No,’ said the Creator, ‘they’ll get there too.’

Well, the buffalo said, ‘Give it to me; I’ll bury it in the plains.’ The Creator said, ‘No, they will get there. They will cut into the skin of the earth, and they will find it even there.’

Then Grandmother Mole spoke, she who has no physical eyes to see the outer world but has spiritual eyes to see the inner world, said, ‘Put it inside them; they’ll never find it there until they have prepared.’

And the Creator said, ‘It is done.'”

Our goal in yoga is to open our spiritual eyes to see the effulgent light that streams through all living things. Of course, the path that leads us in this direction will be filled with twists, turns, bumps and obstacles.  We are able to catch glimpses of the light and that is what keeps us working, moving, seeking and ultimately living. When I think about this connection that we all share, I feel truly humbled by the exquisite beauty that resides within us all. Our capability to feel far more deeply what the universe confides to us in whispers is innumerably  more profound than that which words can utter. Keep looking and we will all find it together ♥