My Teacher of Life

The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’. It means to join or unite – ‘union’, in short. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras centers the meaning of ‘union’ around chita vritti nirodaha, which is ‘to calm the fluctuations of the mind’.
Nature as our first teacher teaches us that grass is green, and with dark clouds come rain. Parents are teachers to the critical years of their children’s early life. And at school, tutors and professors guide us through college and university.
A lot of us are left to our own devices after graduation, and I am no exception. I was restless and lost for the majority of my early-twenties, dying to be somebody until I found the teacher of a lifetime – Yoga. An amazing teacher that continues to inspire me every day.
One of the first things yoga taught me was my body. It was difficult to navigate it. I knew where my arms and legs were, but it was a challenge to align my limbs and torso correctly for poses, especially since I had YouTube as my main instructor (whom I confirm is not the best out there). Through self-practices I began to have more awareness about my muscles and how they come together for movement and posture. And better posture exudes greater confidence, which was something I needed.
I learnt about focus, to tune out distractions and maintain a steady state of concentration. To focus in a world of distractions is not an easy thing. During practice sessions at home, I’ve learnt to ignore the dogs barking from the apartment below mine. To focus on my breath and movement, and ignore the frustrating thought that my neighbours must not feed their pets very much. At work, I bring this focus to complete matters at hand by their deadlines and ignore the complaints about how slow our photocopier machine is.
One of the greatest things I’ve learnt was patience. I have often been told that I am impatient, wanting to accomplish things immediately. Since attending the Yoga Teacher Training course, I have realised and come to accept that great things are accomplished through time. It takes time and a lot of patience with myself to achieve a mission-impossible pose such as Kakasana, just as how it takes time and patience to discover myself and be the somebody that I want to be.
A great man once said,
I have never ceased to be a student.
I have never ceased to learn.” – Mr. Lee Kuan Yew
Learning is a life-long process and I am very glad to have found Yoga as my teacher of life.
 
Jo-Lynn
200Hr YTT (Vinyasa Flow), Weekend