Sometimes we get so caught up in the drama surrounding an area of our interest that we begin to lose the true meaning or original purpose of why we do what we do in the first place.

When I first began my yoga journey over 20 years ago I never thought of yoga as a rumor mill or a gossiping, power-playing circuit.  Yet in all of our humanity, naturally all of this is inevitable—particularly now that yoga has taken on a super popular image and is a symbol of status.

Most disciplines when brought back to their basics bare their true inspirational essence.

Think of the protagonist in Rocky III who had to fall hard off his fame horse and go back to get the “eye of the tiger,” the Karate Kid, who had to learn his craft by constructing Mr. Miyagi’s garden, or even The Terminator who had to keep his basic human element to defeat the more advanced version of himself.

Take yourself back to that first yoga teacher you had, back to a beginner level class. Find out what it was that got you passionate about holding Down Dog for five minutes, what early realizations you had as you held chair pose in excruciating pain, and the sweet relief of the first time you fell asleep in Savasana (corpse pose) at the end.

There’s always that bit of sweet and sour mixed in to any yoga class, but as with all memories, thankfully, we typically relish only in the good ones.

When you have the humility to take a few steps back, most times your practice will shift exponentially.

The path of the yogi is a never-ending journey of evolution.  And since we are human beings in a body, that body will begin to break down eventually. So why not allow yourself the grace to step back into an alignment class? Or attend a studio you’ve never been to before? This will help you not only to age gracefully, but also to age into your practice with poise.

Think of the old adage, “When the student is ready, the master will appear.” You are the master of yourself.  So make a conscious choice now to have empathy with your body and you will see your yoga practice reach new levels.

Remember Neo in The Matrix was finally able to be the world’s savior when he realized that there was a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

Be the walker: go ahead, get yourself off to that class, get your passion back, get your peace back, get your breath back.

 

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Apprentice Editor: Jamie Khoo/Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wiki Commons