Lessons of Yoga

Yesterday I walked into a new yoga class and was reminded of how rewarding yoga is...and also how humbling yoga can be.  I was unable to make my usual class so I decided to go to a class that I had never been to before.  After scanning the class I was a little disappointed...most of the woman were a lot older than me and i quickly made the assumption that the class was going to be extremely mellow while I had been hoping for a rigorous, high energy flow class that day.

I couldn't have been more wrong.  The class kicked my butt.  It was strongly focused on alignment and holding challenging poses which allowed us to slow down and really examine our bodies in each posture.   And the older women who I immediately dismissed as fragile and novice were amazingly strong, flexible, and energetic...proving again that yoga does not discriminate and that people of all ages, shapes, backgrounds, etc. are on an equal playing field when it comes to yoga.

During the first downward facing dog of our class the teacher came over to me, the young and cocky one :), and made adjustments to my down dog, the first pose you learn in yoga!  It was humbling, which was just what I needed at that moment.  I love that about yoga, as soon as you get too confident it puts you back into place.  And it always seems to know just what you need at every given moment.

There are so many lessons about life to be learned through the practice of yoga.   So put your ego aside, open yourself up to the unexpected, and each time you step onto your mat practice humility as if is your first down dog.  Because its easy to forget that its not about getting there but all about the journey!