In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 2:

Congratulations!
You’ve made up your mind.
You’re off to start Yoga!
Not sure what you’ll find.

You have yoga pants on.
You have feet on your mat.
You can bend yourself forward,
and slightly bend back.

You feel a bit nervous, the teacher throws you a wink.
Okay, not so bad. “I can do this,” you think.
Now the temptation is there, to look left and right.
Particularly to the student, in the pink yoga tights.

But stick with your drishti, your steady soft gaze.
It will help you find clarity, and get out of your haze.

And you will get mixed up at first,
when you first start to flow.
But just stay with the practice,
and feel how it grows!

Now the teacher will say things
that at first seem confusing.
A lot of new words,
you will find yourself consuming.

Ujjayi and Udiyanna. 
Just yoga tools we are given.
A little sukha and sthira.
So we can find balance,
and not just be driven.

And when that starts to happen,
resist the fight or flight.
Everyone starts somewhere,
trust the process,
you’ll find the light.

And the understanding will come soon,
these words are not really so scary.
Effort without tension.
A little breathing, don’t be wary.

And then you will find,
it’s not so much about bending.
In this case it seems, to be
about breath never ending.

Somehow you’ll move away
from doing and thinking.
You’ll find that yoga zone,
without even blinking.

And oh! You will flow!
You will, the flow grows!

With steadiness in breath,
and a firmly built foundation.
You will flow through the poses,
give yourself a meditation ovation.

Oh! The poses you’ll do! There are flows to be done!
There are photos to be taken! Airbrushing to some!
You will be #instafamous! A yogi rockstar!
A Yoga Journal cover! The dreams will go far!
You will be the best yogi!
Of Instagram fame!

Until your mat falls out from under,
your ego down in flames.
And back alone you will be.
Just your mat and your self.

That unbearable sound of stillness,
where you will really find some wealth.

You see…

We can’t be bad at yoga, but we also can’t be good.
We can’t do it with ego, I can’ts or I shoulds.
All we can do is just practice,
the process the key.

Put the tools to work,
and we will find what we need.
And it won’t always be easy,
this yoga path way.

When times get a bit rough,
you might think “nah-I’m-not-gonna-stay.”
But practice you will
on days you feel blue.

Practice you will
when friends don’t seem true.
Practice you will
because it’s the only way through.
Practice on some days
might need a few tweaks,
your arms might get sore,
yoga mat just might squeek.
Some practices, of course,
might start with distraction.

But a trust in yourself,
will find mindfulness in action.
So on the days that feel, you have nothing inside.
Step onto your mat, and just go along for the ride.

Make each movement matter,
and each matter glow.
What you can’t do
doesn’t matter,
contrary to fact.

Practice
helps us all,
with Life’s Great Balancing Act.
And will you succeed?
Well, my friend here’s some news!

There’s no #winning
in yoga!
Trust the breath,
you can’t lose!

All you can do is practice,
and soon you will see,
all will be coming.
99 percent guaranteed!

So…

Let go of your doubts,
it’s a new practice each day!
Mountain Pose is waiting.
So…just get out of your own way!

 

Relephant:

If Dr. Seuss had Been a Yogi.

 

Author: Lyn Gerfin Kehoe

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Author’s Own