Learning to Live Yoga Off the Mat: An Introduction.
I, like many others, was introduced to yoga through the physical practice (Asana).
As a 19 year old university student I joined my school’s Yoga Club as a way to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as get some exercise.
It didn’t take long for me to begin to sense that yoga was much more than just moving the body through a series of fancy poses on a rubber mat. If you’ve practiced yoga before maybe you’ve felt this too!
Personally, I will never forget when my perspective on Yoga changed forever.
It happened 7 years ago when my friend and I arrived at our regular Wednesday night Yin Yoga class. Before the practice began we were informed that the regular teacher was away, and that someone new would be filling in.
“Yoga can lead us to liberation and freedom when it is practiced in its traditional form”
When this new teacher walked into the room you could tell that she was rooted in something bigger than all of us. As she started to guide the practice she spoke about the depths of yoga and the ways in which yoga can lead us to liberation and freedom when it is practiced in its traditional form.
At the end of that practice my friend turned to me and said “Wow! You can really tell that teacher lives yoga.”
“Wow! You can really tell that teacher lives yoga!”
I stopped in my tracks. How does one live yoga? I had heard teachers talk about taking our practice “off the mat,” but I hadn’t yet grasped what that really meant. I needed to learn more.
Over the next few years I went on to practice yoga more deeply through meditation, and eventually wound up taking my Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training online with Anuttara Ashram. It was through this more in-depth study of yoga that I really began to understand how to live yoga in my daily life.
Now that I find myself guiding yoga asana and meditation practices for others I can see the limitations that a 1-hour studio practice has on allowing us to explore the more intricate layers of yoga. The layers that allow us to truly take our practice off the mat and intigrate it into our everyday lives.
Through this blog I intend to share my journey as I continue to learn how to live yoga off the mat. Day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute.
In no way do I pretend to know everything, or even a lot, about the ancient practice of yoga. My journey into the heart of yoga is ongoing. This journey has no destination. I will never be able to say I have reached the end. Living yoga is a lifelong endeavor. One that I know will allow me to live a more fulfilling, authentic, and peaceful life.
I share my learnings and understandings here with the humble hope that my experiences may resonate with others and encourage them to begin to look more deeply into their own hearts to discover the truth of who they are and their own unique purpose for being here.
It is incredibly important to note that Yoga is an ancient practice that has been passed down from generation to generation by dedicated yogis, rishis, saints, sages and seekers for thousands of years.
“Yoga is an ancient practice that has been passed down from generation to generation”
Honoring the lineages of yoga and the people and lands from which this practice has come is essential to protecting the depth of this practice.
I am deeply grateful and honoured to be able to practice, study, and share the rich tradition of yoga. Anything that I share is not my own, but has graciously been passed down to me by my teachers and their teachers before them. I honour the long lines of yoga practitioners who have safeguarded and maintained this ancient practice, without whom I would not be.
As we begin on this journey of living yoga off the mat I will provide references to the teachers, books, podcasts, and videos that have helped me to gain a better understanding of these sacred practices.
If these words resonate with you I welcome you on this journey too.
May we always continue to learn how to embrace yoga and through its practices become more deeply rooted in the heart of our being.
Welcome friend, thank you for being here.
Hayley
Link to Anuttara Ashram’s Online Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training: https://www.anuttara.org/200hr-teacher-training
