For years yoga intimidated me. I was
a runner and my aching legs were in need of help. Many friends
recommended that I take up yoga, but the mere thought of a downward facing dog
seemed so far out of reach. The whole concept of yoga seemed "out
there" and unattainable ... too hard. I had a mental block about
stretching. I think deep down I had a bigger mental block about slowing
down and pausing in life because I was fueled by GO GO GO.
In the spirit of GO GO GO I ran my first
marathon in July of 2010, at which point my legs told me "NO MORE ...
please let us heal." Serendipitously, the week following my marathon
I had enrolled in a weeklong intensive class of movement/dance therapy, wherein
I experienced the power of movement in healing my physical pain. It was
magical! And movement healed more than physical pain.
My whole being was opened ... little parts
of me that had been unknowingly locked up were unlocked and released. I
felt a literal shedding of junk that I'd been holding on to. It was if a
lid had been lifted off the top of me allowing light to flow into me.
Everything felt different. A most delicious state of being came to be and
I felt alive like I never had before. And thus was born The
Opening. I felt a connection to my Self that I had never known was
possible. I was FILLED ... WHOLE ... AWAKE. In an effort to keep
that Opening alive, I began to intermittently delve into a practice of
yoga. Through yoga movement I connected to The Opening. My
intermittent delving progressed to daily practice as a means to connect to
something/somewhere deep inside me that fills my soul and leaves nothing
lacking.
I resonate with these words of Bhole
Prabhu in which he defines and speaks to the purpose of yoga:
"Yoga defines itself as a science--that is, as a practical, methodical,
and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty goal of
helping
human beings to become aware of their deepest nature. The goal of
seeking to experience this deepest potential is not part of a religious
process, but an experiential science of self-study. Yoga does not contradict or
interfere with any religion, and may be practiced by everyone, whether they
regard themselves as agnostics or members of a particular faith.
The most important teaching of yoga has to do with our nature as human
beings. It states that
our 'true nature' goes far beyond the limits of
the human mind and personality--that instead, our human potential is
infinite and transcends our individual minds and our sense of self. The very
word 'yoga' makes reference to this. The root, 'yuj' (meaning 'unity' or
'yoke'), indicates that
the purpose of yoga is to unite ourselves with
our highest nature. This re-integration is accomplished through the
practices of the various yoga disciplines. Until this re-integration takes
place, we identify ourselves with our limitations--the limitations of the body,
mind, and senses. Thus we feel incomplete and limited, and are subject to
feelings of sorrow, insecurity, fear, and separation, because we have separated
ourselves from the experience of the whole.
In the modern world we have become quite successful in our external
achievements--we have created powerful technologies and a variety of products,
we are obsessed with accumulating power, wealth, property and objects--and yet
we have not been able to create either individual or social peace, wisdom, or
happiness. We have only to look around and see the destructiveness of our
weapons, the emptiness of our pleasures and entertainments, the misuse of our
material and personal resources, the disparities between rich and poor, and
above all, the loneliness and violence of our modern world. We see that amid
all our success in the external world, we have accomplished little of lasting
value. These problems will not be solved through new technological
developments. Instead,
the resolution to these human problems will come
only when we discover within ourselves that for which all of mankind is
searching--inner peace, tranquility, and wisdom. This attainment is the goal of
yoga, for yoga is the practical science intended to help human beings become
aware of their ultimate nature."
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-meaning.htm
My current pursuit includes yoga teacher
training at Bodhi Yoga in Provo, UT where I teach three classes each Tuesday at
no charge (http://gobodhiyoga.com/provoyogaclassesutah.shtml) as an opportunity for fellow seekers to open their awareness to their
Self, and tap into inner peace, tranquility, and wisdom. Join me on this
journey through attendance at class, or by following my thoughts on this blog
as I move forward through this next phase of connecting and reconnecting.
Namaste (The divine within me salutes the
divine within you...)
~Kalli
www.gobodhiyoga.com
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