LexiYoga

Living Daily Yoga

Written by Cathy Geier.

Living Daily Yoga was written by Cathy Geier about her personal experiences with yoga and how it shaped her life.

living daily yoga

Good day my friends, yoga practitioners, colleagues and mat mates. I delayed and played with this article idea for longer than I care to admit. Yoga has run like a river through my life, sometimes churning, swirling and flourishing in swells and others a thin stream or a bubbling creek, another time barely bubbling through sand.

I am blessed to have taken yoga classes for over 30 years; some years in a very regular fashion from a studio or in a health club, others in my living room and/or in many ecstatic and freeform dance classes. Some years I didn't do much yoga, but I kept my yoga mat in a special place. I took master classes from internationally known instructors and classes at more than 12 studios in Seattle as well as at Breitenbush, in the Tri-Cities, in Peru and Costa Rica. I went on yoga retreats to Maya Tulum, Doe Bay, Manzanita Beach, Breitenbush and Bainbridge Island.

Last summer I was faced with a 2 page form to document my yoga training and experience as entry to a trial yoga class. I am a Virgo, a documenter, a rule-follower; a good form filler-outer! I complied. I was late to my mat and to get setup. I had so much to write; to validate; to rejoice in; to give credit to teachers, both local and famous, international and and new; and so many styles. I have taught yoga, offered it, led school kids and had a yoga club in an elementary school. Hatha, Vini-yoga, flow, Bikrams, ashtanga, bhakti yoga, anusara, joy-yoga, my own personally developed waveyoga, 8 Limbs, danceyoga, yogadance, tri-yoga and more.

Listing it all made me late! Sometimes when I skip doing yoga or I nap instead of doing a little flow or a bunch of poses or when I spend hours on the internet researching a YTT program I feel guilty or 'less than' my counterparts who are right this minute! doing a headstand or whipping out a fantastic chaturanga! Or continuing in their personal practice of 30 hours in 30 days! Something seems wrong about being late and feeling 'less than'. Yoga is primarily for what? Joy? Spirituality? Perfect handstands? Body alignment? Having a 200 hour certification? No! It's about living it. It's about doing yoga and remembering many important features and lessons and recalling each when one or another applies to your life and challenges as you grow and go along the path of life.

Yoga is not for feeling bad! Yoga is for feeling good! Practicing yoga can help you bring out the best of yourself. Yoga is for living each day as we can. Yoga essence includes physical postures and definitely practice but most importantly yoga is about rejoicing in life daily.

The daily life we lead may take us away from the mat and downward dogs, but we may never stop breathing or thinking or having opportunities to act with peace, compassion or patience.

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