When I first stepped onto a yoga mat in Melbourne in 1994 I did so out of curiosity. It was one of the most popular short courses that we had on offer through the University of Melbourne’s Sports Center. At the time, I was an instructor and program manager there and so I had to see what all the fuss was about. In the beginning, I attended classes twice a week and found that having been a gymnast, many of the poses seemed accessible to me. I’d go to the practice, notice what came easily (strong standing poses and inversions) and what didn’t (anything related to hips such as pigeon poses) and would leave just a bit more curious than when I went through the door. Yoga had begun to gently sink its hook into my soul.
I then took a brief hiatus from practice as we relocated from Australia to the States. I got distracted by starting my own business, moving to a new city, finding my way, eventually getting engaged and married. But the hook never dislodged and became even more deeply embedded when we moved from Northern California to the desert of Southern California. One day, Ed (my husband) said to me, “I wish you taught yoga. As I’m getting a bit older, I’m also getting tighter”. My reply to this was, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll do a yoga teacher training if you promise to attend the classes!” He readily agreed to this deal and off I went to become a registered yoga teacher.
During the process, what was initially a hook and a simple curiosity began to envelope all aspects of my life. I was still teaching fitness classes and found myself infusing yoga into each session. My personal training clients started getting bits and pieces around breath, relaxation and self-care in ways that I was unable to offer previously.
I remember a distinct moment in that first yoga teacher training when we began to study yogic philosophy. In one moment, I felt I had come home. I felt I had just stepped through a doorway where my only perspective was this 180 degree field of vision of what I didn’t know about yoga and how old, deep, wise and transformative it could be. I became hungry for more knowledge and experience. The practice started infiltrating every aspect of my day and began to inform me on the deepest of levels as to how I wanted my life to look. It offered a framework to make the kind of choices that would enhance my life in ways I never truly envisioned…until then.
This turning point was just the beginning of my practice to live my yoga. Prior to that moment, it was just another way in which to move my body…how little did I know and how much did I want to learn? This process is continuing to unfold in a way that keeps me a perpetual student. Although I teach to many people, I feel there is always something else for me to learn and pass along. It’s incredible to think that 21 years after my first footprints were laid upon a yoga mat, that it continues to be fresh and interesting.
The other incredible thing is that the depth of the practice seems endless. Just when I think I’ve got something nailed, something else arises to remind me to stay humble, keep learning, exploring and opening my heart.
Now my practice is everywhere and in every moment. It hasn’t been saved for the times that I roll out my mat, but for all the other times that I’m off the mat. Our day to day activity offers countless opportunities to be in our practice. How do we interact with strangers? How do we react to uncomfortable or maddening moments? How do we nourish our body, mind and spirit? In what ways am I caring for myself? How quickly can I recognize when I’m out of balance? Is my first response one of compassion?
I trust that the practice will continue to provide challenges in ways I will never expect…just as it has over this past couple of decades. I have to say, I’m quite excited to see what’s lying ahead of me on this never ending yoga journey…it’s been an incredible ride so far!
