It has been a little bit more than one year since I have started to practice yoga regularly. I used to practice it once in a while, but I was more of the dance and weight lifting kind of person. The change of mind came last year, when I went through a really strong flu that left me pretty weak. I will write about my health journey in another post, but since this experience erased one big part of my ego by making me realize how weak my body had become, it made me slow down and expect less from myself in a very positive way.
The very first thing I did, was to search for exercise videos that were not too intense. I intuitively knew I had to refind the connection with my body that had weakened throughout the years. I was in shock every time I tried to do something I could easily do when I was younger, and could not do anymore. My body was stiff, heavy and I could not feel the freedom of movement I used to feel. That made me realize how neglecting I had been with it and how obsessed I was with my mind.
In those days my first Ashtanga Yoga teacher in Costa Rica came to mind, and even though I had only taken a few classes with her, she planted a seed in me that kept dormant for years, waiting patiently for my ego to dissolve a little bit more, and have the strength to start growing. I then typed on Youtube ‘Introduction to Ashtanga’, and a video popped up. The video was from a teacher called ‘Fightmaster Yoga’. Her voice and her rhythm matched with my vibration so much, I decided I was going to practice only with this video until I could master it. It has already been more than one year, and I have not mastered it yet, but it has changed my life.
For a person who has always been impatient to grow and learn like me, deciding to stick with this one video has been a very positive transformation. It has given me patience. It has taught me that everything needs time to grow. That the body also needs time to heal and learn. That making the mind-body connection is also slow, but that slowness is very positive. Slow forces you to ground yourself. Slow makes space and builds a strong foundation. Slow takes you within yourself and makes you more mindful and sensitive to pay attention, and have the language to communicate with your whole Self.
I still do not have the vocabulary to externalize all the miracles that this practice has brought me. But what I can say is that, it is making me healthier, more stable emotionally and mentally, and it has given me a sense of wholeness and connection. It is also teaching me to let go. As I make the poses and learn to keep them in a relaxed manner, I am also learning to let go. This might have different meaning for different people, but for me I am learning that I do not have to be able to do it, and that the more I am fixed on the idea that I have to do it, I can’t because fixation is tension. But when I am relaxed and mindful, everything flows and my mind and body have plenty of space to learn and make that connection.
Yoga and meditation should be taught to everyone on earth. I now understand why people say, Yoga is the path to peace and happiness. You do not even have to call it Yoga if your belief is that this is a religion (which is not). But, give it a try and stick with it long enough to start seeing its miracles.
Have a beautiful day 🌞
