Walking the Path

Every now and then a tendency to want to practice yoga the way other people do sticks its head out. At the beginning it feels like a jolt of invigorating energy to my practice but later on it might not turned out to be too good for me. The way other people practice may be great but if we are not ready for it or it is not the way we are supposed to practice then we run into trouble. My teacher once said that it is better to walk our path imperfectly than to walk somebody else's path perfectly. In the first instance we are learning what we are supposed to be learning, it is our path. In the second instance we are learning somebody else's lessons that we might not need to learn.

 Walking your path requires a period of exploration to see what works for you. I remember when I first started practicing yoga I practiced many different styles until I found the one that work very well for me. I'm very happy I found it because ultimately it is good to commit to one path. If we are endlessly in an exploratory mode we never go deep enough on anything. It is like looking for water that we know is deep within the earth but only digging shallow holes all over the place. We may even find some moist soil but never water.

To find one's path one must be clear on what the intention for our practice is. There is no right or wrong intention but we must be completely on board with it. Some people come to yoga for physical strength and flexibility, others for stress release, others look for peace of mind, others want to really now themselves through this practice, others enjoy the philosophical part of it, and the list goes on and on. Whatever your intention is it helps to be clear about it because it makes it easier to find your path or the way to practice yoga.

I look forward to seeing you in class.

Blessings

Jorge Nihāl