Along the path...

I was flipping through the new yoga journal yesterday and came across an article on yoga and our relationship to food. It immediately took me back to a time in college when I was running a support group for other college students struggling with eating orders and low self esteem. At the time I had been practicing yoga for a couple years off and on and I knew the profound effect it had on my life and how I related to and thought about my body but I didn’t feel in a position to recommend it to others (plus living in Bellingham, Washington there weren’t many yoga studios to choose from at the time (I believe there are now)). Now, as I teach yoga and watch people become more and more in touch with their bodies I know that a yoga practice can help change our relationship to our bodies. As we open our shoulders and hamstrings in Adho Mukha Svanasana and move through our Vinyasas there is time to appreciate the power of our own bodies. As we surrender to the earth and relax completely in Savasana we give in to the present moment, where and how we are right now. That accepting of ourselves as we are (while often times very scary at the beginning) is where transformation can truly begin…

For me, and I think probably for most people, this transformation is a life long process. Every day is different and the way I feel about my body is different. All in all though, when I look at this particular journey of mine over the last ten years or so it has been a powerful one. The trick is, I think, being able to go with the flow and meet myself in this process wherever I am, which isn’t always further along the path but it is a place that is honest and open with myself. My daily practice helps me to come to that place and I am ever grateful for it.