Why I have not written about such a big part of my life sooner, I am not sure; but it is appropriate for me to now write a bit about yoga.
Yoga has become massively popular recently and is growing in its trend around the world. While I sense that it may become saturated like many things do when the masses decide they want to jump on the bandwagon and ’embrace’ it to the point of becoming a yoga instructor or labeling themselves a yogi, I want to be clear that this is NOT the case with me. Perhaps this is even part of the reason why I have not written about it sooner.
Union or yoke is the meaning of yoga. Union and yoke with the world, others, the universe, the self (conscious and subconscious). Yoga is not just a fitness activity – though some use it for such. Yoga is a way of life and a pathway to letting go of the self (ego). The benefits of yoga are health, flexibility, calm, compassion and peace in believing we are all where we should and need to be in this moment.
When I see posts or videos of bikini yoginis (female practitioners) or flexible yogis (male practitioners), I am actually put off by the yoga movement. This is NOT what yoga is about. Those who study yoga philosophy and practice with true focus do not wish to show the world what one is capable of – for that is the ego showing off – defeats the number one belief of yoga: ย to let go of the self.
On the other hand, I am in some ways joining the market saturation as this is my new business. I am becoming a yoga instructor, life coach and wellness trainer. Although I may need to post some pictures of poses or write some posts on my business site about these topics, it is definitely not to show off. My Instagram account will not be filled with me doing all the crazy advanced poses possible (by the way, I am not there yet anyway!), but rather with basic poses and tips to encourage people to embrace the way of life so that the world is spread with more compassion, peace and contentment starting with the individual.
Soon I will share my business site here as well, but until then remember not to get sucked in to all this yoga hype! Find out for yourself what it really means and then give it a try for at least 3 months to see what it can do for your own health and well-being.
Sunshine & lightness!
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Day 11: ย What holiday are you grateful for?
These are good general questions leaving room for interpretations. Holiday can mean an official one or ‘school’ ones, right (i.e. spring break, summer, etc.)? I am going to go with an American official holiday called Thanksgiving. After all, I am American, right?! Besides, we are not the only country with a Thanksgiving (Canada). While we could argue over the origins of the holiday and discuss the dirty politics of how it ever came to be – again, let us just skip over that to the happy thoughts! ๐
Having been away from my family on this holiday for so many years I cannot really count, I always make a point of celebrating Thanksgiving proper American-style each year. One reason for this is to give thanks to those in my life who become my family abroad. Since many, or shall I say most, of my friends are not American, it is also a chance for me to share a piece of my culture. Thanksgiving in my house has always been a close family affair. I have enjoyed it more than Christmas! I mean, who wouldn’t want to eat over getting gifts??? ๐ So, it is even fitting to say I am grateful for Thanksgiving as a holiday….
~T ๐
