When I was in my mid twenties I went back to England to visit  my roots, my mom’s side of the family.  My Auntie Sue’s  house was my first stop.   She lived in Farnham, Surrey which is not that far outside of London.   Auntie  Sue was very active and always enjoyed sports.  She must of been right around forty.  While my cousins were at  school she asked if I would like to go to a “stretch class”.   Being of open mind I said yes, not knowing what it was  going to be like.   It turned out to be amazing gentle yoga with a meditation at the end.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and never really gave it much more thought.

A few years later I changed  directions  in my career from being a bond trader to a financial advisor.  I was not sleeping at night thinking about the craziness of the market and other peoples money.  In my training class they told us, we had more than a 50% chance of becoming an alcoholic, drug addict and married several times.  The job was just not easy.   Oh brother!!   Since addiction can be hereditary I needed something else. A colleague of mine  Jayne and I was were talking and she said she was taking  yoga and that it helped her cure insomnia.  That was my motivation.  Little did I know that it would change my life for the better and in ways I could have never imagined.

Let me just say this yoga can be for everyone.   I am not even that good at it.  What I love about yoga is the instructors tell you to go at your own pace.  That it is not a competition. To listen to your body and if it does not feel good Stop.  My kind of sport. Life can be hard enough.    Yoga to me and for many is about the mind, body and spirit connection.   My mother used to tell me I have two  speeds Fast and Stop.   Still probably a little bit true.   Yoga is one of the only things I can do to get outside of my head and  I have to pay attention to participate.  The classes are guided and each instructor changes the flow.   Yoga does for me  what running used to, but it is not as hard on my body.  Yoga is my filter.   I truly cleans up my life… physically, spiritually and mentally in the practice.

So lets talk about the physical part of yoga.  I take hot yoga and love it.  It makes you sweat.  Somehow you become addicted to the feeling of letting go.  Stretching is so good for you.  The best athletes in the world stretch before they compete.  Yoga cleans the body internally.  It brings more oxygen into the blood and cleans that too.   If you practice yoga you will get to know your body.  That may sound strange but it is true.  You will be more aware as to what is going on inside.  The postures are like meditations on a particular body part.  It creates awareness.   It is creepy sometimes when I have skipped for a while.  I go  back to class and it is sounds like  snap, crackle, pop.  Your  body does talk to you, if you slow down enough to listen.  Sometimes when we are stressed we hold our breath without realizing it.  Pay attention the next time you get in or out your car. do you hold your breath?   Reaching high for something same thing.   Many times with do not realize we are cutting off are own life force… our breath. Yoga has been credited for reversing the aging process.  Not everyone wants their body talking to them,  I would rather my body tell me something than a doctor.

Yoga for the mind…. is not as easy to describe but it is magical.  When you show up on your mat, it is like you gave yourself permission just go inside.  There is no speaking, it is all about the flow.  I have worked out  so many issues on my mat.  That is where it is suppose to stay… on the mat.   When you finish a 90 minute class you have more clarity and you feel centered and connected.  There is no real interaction with others in the class. All you need to do is listen to the instructor and literally go with the flow.   You witness people struggle and people that are at ease. I have experienced both, mentally and physically.  In yoga the instructors tell us we store our emotions in the body.  Many times I will rush to a yoga class just to get the feeling.. that I CAN slow down.   It is not something you can buy, it is a gift you give to yourself. Focus, breath, clarity.

Yoga for the spirit.   Our spirit is always there for us.   I find it, where else… on the mat and in nature.   When your mind and body are in the flow the magic happens,  you free up space inside you.  Here comes the witchy woman in me… you connect to the higher self.  A self awareness occurs.  There is no way you can do a yoga on a on going basis and not feel the connection.  Yoga classes are usually taught by people that have been on a spiritual path.  The teachers truly believe in the mind, body, spirit connection.   Yoga to them is more than a job,  it is a spiritual path.  Spirituality is not a religion, it is a feeling inside you that connects you to something bigger than your self.   Some people call it the Source. It is a healthy addiction,  kind of like breathing.   Oh and by the way it is calorie free and good for you. When the mind, body and spirit are connected life flows easier.

 

I  remember a class from years ago when Jimmy Barkan was teaching and Dan Marino was in the class. He was the star quarterback of the Dolphins and doing yoga right in front of me.   It was so hard to focus.  Dan was really into it.  Jimmy has a gift with athletes.  He has taught plenty of them. They credit yoga for helping them in their game.    I have seen many times very stiff people transform their lives right before my eyes.   I started my practice with Jimmy in 1989, I have witnessed his passion turn into an international business.  Barkan’s  passion for his love of yoga is felt the minute you walk into his studio.  It does not  surprise me that he is now known  around the globe.  Good job Jimmy!

 

 

So why do something that your not really good at for almost 3o years ??Because every time I get on the mat I know I will walk away feeling better.   Like any sport there is a connection of physical to the mind. .  Thirty years ago yoga  was much less popular than it is today.  I am happy it has gone mainstream.  You can not be on the phone in yoga.  You have to UNPLUGG. We all need to unplug so we can connect to the real world . Our World.  Not the digital world.  Our current state of conscientiousness around the world is one that is connected  to an artificial world made up in the social media and digital artificial intelligence.  I would rather live in a real world, where birds sings, flowers bloom and dogs bark.  The world needs self reflection and self awareness.   Yoga has been around for thousands of years for a reason.  It works.

 

Namaste.

Namaste-  The light in me shines to the light in you.