Dear Homegrown Yogis,
A social media challenge spread in 2019 asking yoga teachers and practitioners to share how old they were when they began yoga as a way to encourage teachers and parents to introduce the concepts of yoga and meditation to children. Obviously – my mom, Freida and I jumped on-board to share our experiences!
Had I started yoga at 4 instead of 24, I always joke that I would have avoided a vast majority of the mistakes I made and suffering I created for myself. When I say that, I think people assume it’s because yoga gives you techniques to self-soothe and handle stress (which it does!); and cultivates strength and balance in your physical body and mental state (which it also does!); and tends to bring you into communities and experiences that promote growth and healthy choices (yeah – it does that too!). Yet when I say yoga would have saved me from mistakes and suffering, I’m not even referring to any of those reasons.
I know that looking back and thinking how things could have been different may not be very “yogi of me” because I know, I know – each experience has brought me where I am today. BUT =) if I were to reflect on some things I just might have done differently, they all have one underlying theme – during those moments, I ignored my inner knowing and intuition. During those moments, I didn’t say what I knew to be true to me; I didn’t do what I knew to be true to me; I didn’t listen to what I knew to be true to me.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always known in my gut and heart what is true to me (and whether you recognize it or not, I guarantee you do too). Yoga, however, has helped me to more clearly hear that inner knowing: first, by identifying what my knowing is versus what I’ve just picked up from others, and second, by turning up the volume of my knowing by showing it that I am indeed listening to it. I’m still working, growing (and often struggling with) the courage to take action with what my knowing is telling me. But believe me – my intuition is on-point these days. My ability to act on it – still very much a work in progress =)
If I could gift one thing to Freida through this practice of yoga, it would be that – to listen to what she knows is true for herself and to let that knowing guide her life’s choices. Coming up this weekend, we have our first Kids Yoga event happening in our outdoor Macon studio as well as plenty of programs and opportunities for us “grown-ups.” So if your inner knowing is telling you to come check something out with us, I say listen to it – I bet you’ll be surprised at how smart that knowing truly is! Happy New Year, and I hope to see you on your mat soon!
With love,
Rachel