My Yoga Journey
In honor of International Yoga Day 6/21/20.
I first discovered yoga as a med student. I then I became mom and doctor and I stopped practicing yoga. I also stopped pausing and being present "being. I rarely if ever took a deep breath. This lasted for almost 20 years.
I came back to yoga and mindfulness a few years ago, at a difficult time in my life. Through yoga, mindfulness, and coaching, I healed myself-- and then totally transformed myself.
I started by starting- with just one deep breath.
The goal of yoga is NOT the handstand or even the yoga pose. It is to create space where you are stuck, make peace with who you are, connect with your authentic self without judgement, and move forward with attention and intention.
I teach yoga as a form of healing and an opportunity for personal growth. Yoga is not just about the class, it is about how you choose to approach your life both on AND off the mat.
Coaching informs my yoga. Yoga informs my coaching. They both inform my parenting, my marriage, my doctoring, my health, and everything else in my life.
They REMIND me to:
Pause, be present, and BE.
Listen to my body and my inner wisdom.
Stay grounded, centered and in touch with my priorities, when the world is swirling around me.
Connect with and notice my limitations. Both my bodily limitations and my limiting beliefs.
Accept and allow what is. I don't have to like it. But always fighting realities of nerve damage in my right arm, a spouse's depression, COVID-19, racism, ADHD, the woes of our healthcare system etc uses up a lot of energy. This doesn't mean I don't intentionally work and advocate for change but I try not to waste energy or time trying to change the past and feeling like a victim. I focus on what I can control. My voice, my actions and my thoughts.
Breathe. Take deeper breaths in moments of challenge, strain, fear, frustration.
Breathe in nourishment. Breathe out what is not serving me.
Let go, breathe deeply, and be intentional to purposely create space in my life for things that matter most.
Find balance between being and doing, ease and effort, and rooting and stretching. And realize that these are not in conflict with each other- they are all just part of the whole.
The goal is never perfect. It is practice. And attention and intention are a beautiful way to move forward.
SO MUCH GRATITUDE FOR YOGA. It has brought me so many incredible moments. So many amazing connections. And improved health and happiness for me and hopefully so many you that I have been lucky enough to share it with.
In this last year since I wrote a post in which I shared my first yoga bio as a "Real yoga teacher" at my local studio yoga has bee a constant and powerful thread in my life. . Last week I taught 5 yoga classes on zoom with participants all over the world. I taught at a colleague's meditation retreat (thanks Jill Wener), a class for the Mindful Healthcare Collective and 3 classes for my local studio. This past year I have taught yoga at multiple medical conferences and retreats for physicians in awesome places such as Green Gulch Farm, Lake Tahoe and even Bora Bora.
I am beginning my next year of yoga with attention and intention. I will be moving forward in sharing both my coaching and yoga more broadly. And I will remain completely open and receptive to see what else manifests. A year ago, I truly never expected my life to look like this.