soul quencher

i have been practicing yoga for about 6 years now. to say i love it would be putting it lightly. it's more of a need. i started with my aunt right about the same time my grandmother's cancer went from hopeful to holy shit!! it really helped me get through it, especially the loss.

most of my yoga has been through LA fitness. i had a groupon for unlimited 30 day yoga last year by my house in CA. i started classes then lost my job 3 days in. i took a positive out of a negative and used my time off to focus on me. the yoga i practiced there helped ground me, calm me down, breathe and appreciate things. i had some of the most beautiful classes there. one was even so emotional i teared up during most of it. i walked out feeling so light. like i was light.

i recently started another unlimited 30 day groupon. ever instructor is different. every class is different. you learn to stop expecting it to be a certain way. that then flows into other aspects of your life: stop expecting. just let it be. take the moment for what it is. be present in life. our minds tend to wander away from moments and we miss out on things.

i am not religious by any means. some years ago i decided that practicing yoga is my "church." the studio i recently started going to is my holy place. the owner is such an amazing woman. always greets everyone with a smile and is genuinely happy to see you. i always feel welcomed and wanted. although it is dimly lit, there is such a brightness to the studio. she always, as do most of the other instructors, thanks you for coming and thanks everyone for taking time to take care of themselves. they hug you after each class. not just a 2 second hug. a strong hug that you can really feel in your soul. the kind of hug that, before you receive it, you didn't even know you were missing. most of us go untouched so frequently that we forget the power of human contact.

the words that are spoken during each practice are positive and uplifting. encouraging and motivating. much different than the chaotic shit we say to ourselves and about other people all throughout the day. i sometimes find myself quietly apologizing to myself for the damaging things i say to my soul and the things i allow to happen that also damage, little by little.

practicing yoga challenges me to be a better person. strengthens me from the inside, as well as the outside. breath and consciousness are one. when your mind is calm, so is your breath. when your mind is excited, nervous, anxious and irratic, so is your breath. as i learn to focus on steady breath outside of yoga, i do so in effort to steady myself and my life.

as one of my favorite instructors used to close each practice: "i honor the light inside each and every one of you. namaste."

let's learn to honor the light that resides inside our own hearts.

namaste.