Why Yoga?

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