In other words, it’s easier to change when Yoga is your way of life. It happens naturally, over time.
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I’m putting these pictures up for a reason. Clearly it’s not because I have the perfect yoga body or can twist myself like a pretzel. It’s to illustrate a point about Yoga and the process of change.
For me, yoga is about acceptance. . . finding freedom in the body. . . whatever its condition. . . honoring the darkness. . . but looking towards the light. . . and coming to peace with the journey, in all its stages.
These pics were taken in 2004. 2 years earlier I was 20 lbs. heavier than I was in the pics. Today my entire body has transformed into a stronger, more flexible, more centered vessel for my spirit. I guess I need new pics. But there’s something deeper happening here.
It’s not about the weight, or the pics, or achieving the perfect pose. . . it’s about a journey of unfolding. . . healing. . . transforming. . . shifting from darkness into light.
Yoga is about the process, not the destination.
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Life is a journey. . . The only real destination is death. . . To honor the journey, is to honor Life.
The journey can be sacred or mundane. . . it depends on our intentions, and our actions.
Once you devote yourself to your practice, the Alchemy of Yoga begins working its magic from the inside out. . . and each moment in time becomes a sacred place, along a sacred journey.
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Where we’ve been, where we want to be. . . very rarely match up with where we are. So much of life is wrapped up in this inner struggle.
To accept ourselves as we are right now, is the beginning of a mystical journey, called healing.
Along the journey the heart softens, and we become stronger and more flexible. . . in body and mind.
We begin to see that all living beings share a basic desire to be happy and free. . . to experience peace.
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There is a saying that all of life is Yoga.
What we cultivate on the yoga mat, we can begin to take with us into our lives. . .
The awareness begins in the body, and then extends outward into every aspect of experience.
So the process takes time. . . but somewhere along the way. . . a shift happens. . . in the blink of an eye. . . and what was impossible before. . . is now reality.
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To sum up this alchemy section, I’ve been to about the darkest places a person can go and still live to tell the tale. To say I’ve been to hell and back would be an understatement.
So no matter what your story is, Yoga can unlock what’s blocking you and help you find your own way into the Light... whatever that means to you.
It’s not about me, or anyone, telling you what the path is.
Yoga will help you find your own path.
With love,