International Yoga Day falls on June 21 every year, making for a perfect time to remind yourself to breathe, stretch, and find some tranquility in your day. It is recognized on a global scale and is a day dedicated to our health, wellness, and mindfulness. Who doesn’t want to celebrate that?
I find myself reflecting on my personal journey with this ancient practice that has been both my sanctuary and my solace. Yoga entered my life as a form of healing, a path to physical and mental strength after a lifetime of battling hip dysplasia and numerous surgeries. It was my lifeline, guiding me toward a future where motherhood seemed possible, even with the challenges my body had faced.
READ: Just Breathe: How Yoga Changed My Life
Through retreats, workshops, and teacher trainings, I delved deep into the teachings of yoga, finding not only physical resilience but also inner peace and confidence. Teaching yoga and meditation became my new calling, a way to share the transformative power of this practice with others. There’s nothing I loved more than teaching others to love themselves as they are and inspire them to live life as their best selves.
When motherhood embraced me, I thought my love for yoga would only grow stronger. However, a shift occurred within me, a subtle change that left me feeling disconnected from the practice that once defined me. The pressures of caring for another life clouded my passion, turning something sacred into a routine task.
I found myself questioning the authenticity of yoga in a world where social media flaunted a distorted image of what it should be. You’ve seen it: Male or female yogis scantily clad in over-priced Lycra yoga gear, doing inversions and arm balances giving full crotch-shots “for the ‘gram” in front of a waterfall or on a mountain top. The Hot-Power-Goat-Glow-Flow Yoga class wasn’t doing it for me. I was over it. I was bitter and sarcastic. Trendy yoga wasn’t for me.
It was a moment of reckoning, a realization that my judgment and resistance were not aligned with the core principles of yoga. In a practice that preaches acceptance and non-judgment, I had lost my way, my roots, allowing external influences to tarnish the purity of my own experience.
Yet, amidst this turmoil, a new understanding emerged. I learned to embrace the evolving nature of my yoga practice, to accept that it may not always look the same or serve the same purpose. Just as I had taught my students for years (funny how that works). I discovered the beauty in finding stillness within, away from the noise of expectations and comparisons.
Today, as I navigate the ebb and flow of my yoga journey, I choose to honor the essence of the practice that first spoke to my soul. It is no longer about performing flashy poses or seeking external validation, but about nurturing a sacred space within myself, where acceptance and authenticity reign supreme.
So, as I step onto my mat on this International Day of Yoga, I do so with a gentle, renewed sense of purpose and self-compassion. I carry with me the lessons of my past, the struggles, and the triumphs, as I continue to rediscover the heart of yoga in its purest, most genuine form. And in this epiphany of rediscovery, I find peace, gratitude, loving-kindness, and a deep sense of belonging.
Namasté.
