The longest journey begins with a single step.

— Lao Tzu.

Where it all got started.

Yoga!  We have all likely heard of it and maybe a good handful of us have even attended a class.  Maybe we like it because at the end of a class we feel grounded, or love it because we are fortunate enough to have immersed our lives in it, or maybe we’re frankly not interested at all because we think it is just a bunch of stretching and the “namaste” part of it isn’t for us (Husband, that’s you but I haven’t given up on you yet, I know you’ll love it someday!).  

My first exposure to Yoga was in the early 2000s through a typical class at a typical studio.  I was sort of into it.  I liked the bendy stretches and since I was good at them (I was a gymnast as a child) it made me feel confident.  Throughout the years I managed to try various instructors, studios, styles and lineages and for the most part enjoyed them all.  My dedication to attending classes waxed and waned over the years and to be honest still does today because of other life commitments (I am not perfect, I remind you of that again below).  It was when I caught myself returning to the same evening class that I reflected on why I had become so drawn to the practice, it was as if Yoga started to become more than a place to stretch and build strength.  It was in those evening classes, after a stressful day of science courses or work on the weekends that the most productive part of my day or even week was when the instructor would turn the lights out at the end of each class as we laid on our backs and tell us only to get up when we were ready.  Here I could stop thinking. 

What was this Yoga thing, it was different than any other workout (turns out it’s not really a work out in the traditional sense) and it made me feel strong both physically and mentally.  In 2016 that I decided to sign up for a 200 hour teacher training, admittedly so for selfish reasons.  I wanted to “deepen my practice”, know all the poses, their names and of course nail my form and if I made new friends and got more of that mindful goodness I had minimal exposure too along the way I would be cool with that too.  What I did not expect was to look at my life from a new perspective, form incredibly close bonds with others going through the same experience despite our vast differences, to be humbled beyond what was fathomable, or to have the opportunity to learn and grow in ways I couldn’t imagine were possible without becoming someone else.

That is what I learned from Yoga! 

How do I apply what I have learned.

My desire to master the poses vanished as I learned Yoga was more than being the most flexible in the room and although my life was busy with a career I am passionate about, the sacred time I chose to dedicate to my family and friends, and the other thousand things I love to do I knew I couldn’t lose my connection to the many facets of Yoga.  I realized I did not have to give up everything else I loved in order to surround myself with it, I found ways to reap the benefits by incorporating its elements into my everyday life (Yes, I engage my ujjayi breath at night to simulate that fuzzy noise that calms my baby and yes it calms me too after a long day).

How I will share it with you.

The lessons and tools I have acquired and am still learning will be transposed through my lens into stories, personal and professional experience, insight and curiosity for this blog in an effort to allow the good stuff that applies to you to be extracted.  There is a reason I am willing to share this with a broad audience and it can be credited to my peers and those that have taken my Yoga class (the true teachers) as they have given me the confidence that my words can impact others.  If any one post resonates, inspires, comforts, moves or allows a single person to learn something new then my time here was well spent. 

Although I cannot predict how the content will unfold as I start this new venture I can assure you the quarks of my personality, sarcasm included, will not be forfeited in my writing.  I just hope it is more entertaining than humiliating but I’ve learned to find comfort in humility and I hope you can too (there is that Yoga again).  I should also confess I am not an expert, I am a student of Yoga and anticipate to learn a lot through this journey of sharing, so thanks for joining me!