When I first arrived to yoga I will admit I had zero idea what I was getting into. And, I was in my twenties and… acted like someone in their twenties. Reckless. Out to prove something. Trying to figure out where I fit in this huge world.

So, when the instructor said, “Push, push, push,” I push, pushed, pushed. 

I pushed myself into the shapes. I pushed myself to keep going. I pushed myself to never give up, to reject all forms of water until the end of class, and to never, ever perform the cardinal sin of leaving class early… or for any reason whatsoever.

Even if my hair was on fire, I would have stayed and done another Cobra Pose.

Now, here I am close to twenty years later (holy crap!) and I am in the business of breaking every single one of those rules. 

I am at the age where going out dancing in a club where you can’t even hear another person talk is a huge no for me. And likewise, stepping into a yoga session where the focus is on aggressively posturing is just not interesting to me… at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I love an intense yoga session. I love unlocking the potential of the human body and mind.

But, I do it because it’s joyful to me to achieve new postures and new depths within my practice.

And, I teach in this same way… there should be some joy there. On your mat. In your body. Learning new aspects of yourself.

There’s nothing wrong with modifying a posture to best suit where you are at the moment.

And, I love a good prop. Give me a block and I will use it to support me in ways that I cannot without it.

We tout kindness. We all say we should be kind. That we wish the world was a kinder place. But, what if the kindness we all yearn for has to show up in kindness to ourselves first.

I believe the best place to practice kindness and self-love is on your yoga mat. It’s such a great place to begin.

So, if you’re still pushing, pushing, pushing, I’m here to tell you that you can stop. AND, you can still, and probably will a little sooner, achieve the goals you have for your practice.

When you a see a bud about to bloom, you don’t force it open demanding the flower it has yet to become. You wait for the unfolding.

Your practice is the same. Let it unfold as it should. Work towards your goals with compassion. And, be kind always to your Self.

Let it begin with you.

Sending you love and hugs,

Tori

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