“Don’t
pretend yourself beyond your evolution.” Byron Katie
I
thought by now I’d be calling all poses by their Sanskrit names. I
thought I’d be vegan, dressed in earthy-bushy-leafy colors and
hemp cloth, sprouting sprouts, and drinking water from my own well.
I’ve
been at this yoga practice for almost two years, and my current
thought is that it ain’t gonna happen.
Sometimes
you approach what you are by learning what you aren’t.
As
far as I can tell, I am not a disciple, one of the solemnly
eight-branch earnest. I do not see yoga as the one and only path for
all. I’m not interested in quoting the sutras the way others quote
the Bible or any other religious text as an ultimate authority.
Although I’m impressed by yoga’s longevity, I feel no obligation
to do it the way it was done 2,000 years ago.
Nor
am I one of the Lululemon movement, on a modern marketing train, doing some
miraculous hybrid of the old and the capitalist/activist new. Kudos
to them for being the reason so many people my kids’ age will love
yoga. And for making so many bums look good in yoga pants. Not my thing, so far.
Where
am I, then? So far, it’s all about feeling great. I like yoga because it feels deliriously good, inside and out. My greatest belief is that we should all pursue whatever makes us feel this good.
I
love what makes me feel at home in my body and on the planet. I love
feeling strong and increasingly peaceful. I love meeting myself
during practice every day. I love following the kind of practice that
makes me feel most alive.
I
suspect, bottom line, that yoga is the best vehicle for taking me where I’ve been
headed all my life anyway.
This
is not to disparage yoga in any way. Rather, I’m wary of setting
yoga up as the be-all and end-all, the great savior. I’m not
interested in worshiping yoga. I’m interested in questioning her, learning from her, spending time hanging out with her. I’m interested in her
companionship.
So
that’s where I am. Yoga as friend.
I’d
love to hear your thoughts about what you are and what you aren’t. About where yoga fits in your life at this point.
Thanks
to yoga for being so roomy, so multifaceted, and so generous.
Thanks
to you for the conversation,
kristin
Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario. Join her on the web,
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and on iTunes.