It’s All Yoga

My friend always says to me “It’s all Yoga” and we have a laugh. Not because it is particularly funny, but because it is true. Yoga is everything and nothing all at once. It is this dichotomy that we find so amusing. It is complex and rich in depth while also the simplest of things. I find in my own life, that Yoga is both the glue that holds my life together and also something that is merely a piece of who I am, that I can tap into when needed.

Let’s start with what Yoga is. Yoga is a sanskrit word that translates in english to mean “to yoke.” To yoke something is to connect one thing to another. In the context of Yoga, it is implied that we are working to connect the “mind, body, and soul” or to be more specific, we are connecting the surface experience of a human life with something deeper or bigger.

The beauty of Yoga is it provides a structure or framework for you to discovery what this means for you. It is not telling you the answer, but rather providing you with the guidance for you to explore for yourself. You are able to take what you need, when you need it. In the simplest of ways, Yoga can be a physical practice that you move your body through or maybe you don’t move your body at all and Yoga can be present there too.

As you dig deeper into the practice and teachings that are Yoga, you might find the depth of what is there for you. To hold you as you dive deeper into the make up of what and who you are. It can feel complex with the sanskrit and the layers of voices guiding you along the way. However, as you make your way through the complexity and out the other side, there is a rediscovery of the simplicity of it all. A realization that everything we do is part of the process. It truly is all Yoga.

One of my favorite parts of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali (one of the cornerstone books of modern Yoga) is the very first line.

“Atha Yoga Anushasanam” yoga sutra 1.1 which translates to “Now, the instruction or study of Yoga begins.” On face value it would seem that Patanjali is welcoming his students to class or school. However, in sanskrit there is more connotation held within each word than we can capture in english. When we look at the word “Atha” we find that this word holds the feeling of, “Now, all of the work you have done in this life time and past life times comes together to create this auspicious moment.” And, each moment is exactly that. A moment that builds on the past moments and is uniquely auspicious for you to take the next step.

With the first word of the Yoga Sutras Patanjali sets up the idea that “it is all Yoga.” Because no matter what you have done, whether you feel like it is Yoga or not, it has been the preparation for you to become who you are in this moment to now learn and know that it is all Yoga.

The Wild Freedom of the Year of the Fire Horse

If you have been around me lately, you have undoubtedly heard me wax poetic about the lunar new year and our transition into the year of the Fire Horse. I’m sure my husband could do with a little less of me on this topic. But I have been so excited, absolutely lit up by what we are going through as individuals.

We have been in a year of the Wood Snake. Meaning that we have been doing the hard work of growth, of shedding layers and the things that no longer serve us. The wood aspect of the year shows up for me as this deep foundational growth of our roots. The things that are going to support us going foward in a way that will be safe and grounded. The snake is the beauty of seeing what is ending while also opening us up for what is to come in the rebirth.

On February 17th, we usher in the year of the Fire Horse. It is an energy that is rapid and action packed. Imagine a wild horse running free through the plains in pure joy. It is not running from something, nor is it running to a destination. It is simply feeling the joy that comes from using it’s body for what it was meant to do. For me, this year is about finding a new level of depth, of authenticity, of knowing who I am and showing up as simply that. Not running from something or to anywhere in particular. Just showing up as the best version of me that I can be in this moment and knowing that it more than enough. There is a deep freedom in letting go of becoming something or anything other than you are in this moment.

That strength that the horse possesses, is a deep self-knowing. It is strong enough to run free, while also able to hold it’s own to heal others. It can carry our burdens (literally carrying us on their backs) and regulate our nervous systems (think horse therapy). It is strong enough that it can be all of these things in one single body, choosing when to show up as what version of itself. There is no limit to what it can be, holding all possibilities at once and highlighting or expressing itself as it pleases.

As excited as I am about the transformations that are happening at a personal level, I also hold the heartbreak about what is happening at the collective level. Tapping into the personal evolution that is happening helps me to view our world and local events through this same lense. This past year, the snake brought in death and destruction of our structures and beliefs. While much of what is happening right now is not how any of us envisioned change to happen, whether we like it or not, change is happening in this unimaginable way. We have moved out of the foundational beliefs that we once held and a world order in emerging that many of us never thought and hoped wouldn’t be possible. Yet in this dismantling of many of the tenets that were the foundation of our country, it has spurred us all to take a deeper look at our beliefs and morals. What do we find acceptable? How far will we let the violence and oppression get before we take a stand? What does taking a stand even look like in today’s world?

These questions that we are being forced to ask ourselves and face are the questions that are feeding the growth. The wood elements comes in regrowing our roots, re-evaluating what our foundation truly is. This growth is not flashy. Roots grow underground, unseen to the eye. We, as a collective and society, are growing and changing in ways that we cannot see now. That may not be obvious. But what comes from that growth and change in our foundation is going to be something big. A tectonic shift in how we engage with each other and hopefully a new found respect for all people. A dismantling of many of the horrible things our country was originally built on and a rebuilding with equity and compassion.

So while I hold the heartbreak, I also hold hope for our future. That the year of the fire horse will help usher our collective into something new. That it supports us as individuals to take bold action. To know where, what, and how to change our world for the better.