Yoga as a Path

I’ve been thinking about this quote lately by Rumi: “It’s your road, and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” Yoga is a place to practice this concept of walking our own road, and also walking it with along with others.

Community, friends, and fellow yogis make the journey easier. Being in a yoga class, and having someone next to you in class, can be supportive, even if you don’t know their name!

In the early 2000’s I attended quite a few Yoga Journal Magazine conferences. These events were a place to take yoga classes with popular teachers during the weekend. I remember being in Shiva Rea’s trance dance at the downtown San Francisco Hyatt and having a long savasana at the end of class. It was also the last class of the conference and I was so tired and fell deep into my relaxation, I barely noticed anything that was going on around me!

When the class was over, a woman that had been practiced near me, came up to me and said, “thank you,” and promptly left. Since I didn’t get a chance to talk to her, I don’t know exactly why she was thanking me. But I had a feeling she was thanking me for sharing the energetic space together.

I felt grateful for this gesture of being seen and appreciated while I was far into my inner experience. As the quote from Rumi above shares: we walk the road on our own and others may walk it with us. I hadn’t been trying to influence or reach out to anyone in class, but being present for my own practice had made an effect on someone else. And in turn, their experience had made an impact on me.

How do you walk on your yoga journey? Have you had times when your presence alone created a shift in the room? Have you felt influenced or supported by someone on your path?

3 reasons why you won’t regret signing up for online yoga

I was skeptical too. How can online yoga be as good as in person? But what I found is that online yoga is different…and better than in person in some ways! I’ve been teaching and practicing online since March 2020. I’ve seen the students that attend my online classes go deeper into their yoga practice — in ways that weren’t possible in person. My personal practice has also gone to another level by attending online recorded classes and practicing on my own. I believe, having in person and online will always be a part of my life now. If you’re new to online yoga— Here are 3 reasons why you won’t regret signing up for my Online Yoga Membership:

Consistency: When people sign up for my online yoga Membership, I sure see a lot of them! You see, it can be easier to turn on the computer or ipad, than it is to get in the car and drive across town. I’ve noticed that people stick with the Membership and people show up. I also have seen this in myself! Since I started practicing at home in 2020, my practice is way more consistent. It’s rare day that I don’t do a yoga class. Being able to practice at home, saves a lot of time. On most days, no matter what I’m doing, I have at least 30 to 60 minutes to dedicate myself to the practice.

Creativity: I’ve found that online yoga can be a creative space because people have more chance for exploration. You can modify a pose, do a different posture, stay in a posture longer or come out of pose—This allows more freedom of expression of what self-care means to you on that day. I’ve noticed in myself, that I’m more tuned into my body and my practice. Doing classes online has given me more initiative to create a practice that suits me best in the moment. I feel more in touch with myself doing online yoga.

Community: My online classes are small, and we get to talk more than we would in a larger in person class. I also get to connect to people through emails and text messages, and get to know people in a different way. Through my online teaching, I feel I connect with people more. We keep in touch and check in. Being online also gives us access to create communities—my chair yoga classes are attended by people that don’t live in my town. It’s given a way for my family members in different cities to attend my classes, and then invite their friends in different areas. The online yoga space gives us a chance to create our own communities!

Teaching online yoga and taking online classes has opened my world, and expanded my teaching and my practice! I bring all this up to let you know, I understand if you have some doubts about practicing yoga online. I did too, and now I’m so happy I took the plunge and started online learning! You can join me in the AcuYogini Online Membership and try it for yourself! I teach 5 classes a week of Yin, Chair, and Gentle Yoga, and you can attend Live or watch the Replay. I’m offering a new student special this month—CLICK HERE to sign up and use coupon code: FREEMONTH at check out for a free month of yoga!