At some point in high school, I bought a small “pocket” book about Yoga poses and started practicing them at home. It was the late 1960’s and Yoga was just becoming popular in our hip culture. I liked the challenge of learning how to do the poses and my young body easily bent and stretched as I followed the instructions on the series of poses that made up the “Sun Salutation.” There was no such thing as a Yoga studio at that time in my small hometown and no place to go where I could learn more. Besides, I had neither a car nor money for classes and had to content myself with practicing alone at home. For the next several years, I did just that.
In 1973, after graduating from college, I began working at a local medical center doing transcription. A co-worker there asked if I would like to join her and a friend who had just rented a small storefront as a place to meet and practice Yoga. I was thrilled to finally have an opportunity to learn more about it and practice with others, so I quickly agreed. The dedicated young woman who was to become my first teacher was really just learning herself but she was totally devoted to all things Yoga and instilled a love of practice in me that would continue for life. We met weekly in that tiny rental and then in her home, creating more space, and all the time more young women were joining us. Yoga was becoming mainstream!
After about five years, my teacher went on to take advanced teacher training and become accredited. For a while I considered this, too, taking some of these classes myself which were held in a large studio near Boston. With one mat right up close to the next, the classes were always jam-packed with people who had committed themselves to regular practice. It was my first experience with the mega business Yoga was becoming and I was excited to be a part of it.
During this time I married and my new husband and I bought a home. It wasn’t long before I became pregnant with my first child and my Yoga practice took a back seat as I adjusted to my new life as a homemaker, wife, and soon-to-be mother. Even during this busy time, I continued to meet with my Yoga friends and practiced throughout my pregnancy. Yoga had become a huge part of my life and I saw it only continuing into the future.
For nearly 50 years and through all of life’s ups and downs, I’ve continued to practice Yoga. There have been times when I’ve had to stop because of health issues but I’ve always come back, again and again. For me, coming back to Yoga is like coming home. There’s something so comforting and stabilizing in the practice, something that nothing else in life provides. And I don’t think I can adequately describe what it’s like because Yoga has to be experienced to be understood, and the experience is in the practice.
These days my practice is very different from the vigorous Hatha flow sequences of my youth. I’m fortunate to have a studio near my home where safety and well-being are encouraged and supported by a knowledgeable and dedicated staff. Because my body has changed with age and physical limitations, I’ve had to make changes in the way I practice, but I find this softer version to be even deeper and more rewarding. And it only reinforces my belief that Yoga can be practiced at any time and at any age. My teacher recently posted this quote which expresses it beautifully:
“When we realize that what we are advancing toward is not some physical form but an inward recognition of the truth of who we are, then we will not feel ourselves to be failing if we cannot attain difficult postures. “Advanced” practice is any movement that brings us closer to this recognition of our true self. .” ~ Donna Farhi
I hope I have inspired some of you to try Yoga or maybe get back to regular practice, and I’d love to hear about your experiences as well. Namaste.
For more on the remarkable studio where I practice, click on this link: https://abtyoga.com/
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