You Start At The Beginning

YOU START AT THE BEGINNING…

Where to start? That’s the most common question I get. Well, tbh, it comes in the form of, “I’d do yoga, but I’m just NOT flexible,” or, “Oh man, I definitely need to stretch…I’m so inflexible.” Some sort of explanation as to why you (and in that, I mean, everyperson) hasn’t done more yoga in their lives. Let me start by clearing one thing up. We can ALL do more yoga. What the world needs now is more mindfulness based attention to physical, emotional & mental well being, read that as ‘yoga’.

DEFINITION OF YOGA

However, where would we begin, but the beginning? There is, literally, nowhere else that we could. And when we begin to talk about yoga, we are ALWAYS talking about beginnings. Those moments that begin in this breath (inhale your hands, over your head…) and then the next one. It is LITERALLY (I’m liking the caps lock today) the definition of yoga. To begin, again, in this moment, as if it was, as it always has been, the ever-present now. This is the yoga.

YOU ARE YOGA

One think that I love about teaching yoga is the freedom I have to tell a story (like this one) while I’m casually dropping in Warrior II, Reverse Warrior, etc. Slipping little anecdotes in between grueling and heart opening experiences is my forte. I’ll distract you with camel pose and explode your heart with a five-finger-hand-palm quote. But that’s just it, and, I’ll make my third and final point, yoga cannot be defined by language and time, and, therefore yoga is 100% EMPIRICAL experience through the only experience vector you have: you.

I’d love it if you’re cool with that sinking in for a second.

Let me explain. No, let me sum up. Whenever you start, that’s the beginning, and, that’s exactly when you should start, at the beginning.

Thank you to Emily Farthing @ Eat Pray Bike!