In my public classes, I always end by finding gratitude for two things – for the choice and for the ability to practice yoga.
Each time that we chose to walk through the studio doors, and to step onto our mats, we are making the choice towards spiritual growth. We are choosing not to watch TV, to go on a hike, to go grocery shopping, or to spend time with our families. Instead, we chose to spend that time quietly listening in. We chose to reconnect with our bodies, our breath and our hearts, through this always-liberating and sometimes-frustrating practice. It is a hard choice to make, but for most of us, it is essential because within it we begin to appreciate all of those other parts of our lives a little bit more.
To me this choice is important but it is not the only part of my gratitude for this practice. I find my greatest gratitude in my ability to practice. Every time that I step into a beautiful yoga studio, and I lay out my mat I am reminded of the millions of people who have had to learn to find their grace in other ways. People who live in the slums of the world, people quelled by strict governing laws, people who use cardboard as their bed, people bound to wheelchairs or to their beds.
These people are not without yoga, they simply practice in a different way. They practice yoga by surviving, by moving forward and by finding joy in their daily lives. They practice yoga in their hearts. When I step onto my mat, I practice for these people, so that I might see myself in them. Because in the end, I know that we are all striving for the same things:
love, health, & peace.
www.shantibeanyoga.com
Each time that we chose to walk through the studio doors, and to step onto our mats, we are making the choice towards spiritual growth. We are choosing not to watch TV, to go on a hike, to go grocery shopping, or to spend time with our families. Instead, we chose to spend that time quietly listening in. We chose to reconnect with our bodies, our breath and our hearts, through this always-liberating and sometimes-frustrating practice. It is a hard choice to make, but for most of us, it is essential because within it we begin to appreciate all of those other parts of our lives a little bit more.
To me this choice is important but it is not the only part of my gratitude for this practice. I find my greatest gratitude in my ability to practice. Every time that I step into a beautiful yoga studio, and I lay out my mat I am reminded of the millions of people who have had to learn to find their grace in other ways. People who live in the slums of the world, people quelled by strict governing laws, people who use cardboard as their bed, people bound to wheelchairs or to their beds.
These people are not without yoga, they simply practice in a different way. They practice yoga by surviving, by moving forward and by finding joy in their daily lives. They practice yoga in their hearts. When I step onto my mat, I practice for these people, so that I might see myself in them. Because in the end, I know that we are all striving for the same things:
love, health, & peace.
