Why Going to India Won’t Make You a Better Yogi – and What Will Instead
Laurel donning sari right Eileen of Yoga Moves Australia headed to Sharath’s wedding.
Early on in my yoga career, I went to India.
Nowadays, we see yogis and yoga teachers heading to India en masse, for yoga tourism. Some make the journey because they are driven seekers; others want to look legitimate in an increasingly competitive yoga market.
When I went, I wanted to be a stronger, more dedicated and proficient yogi. I truly wanted to learn and grow. And I wanted my teacher’s blessings to open the first dedicated yoga studio in Columbus, Ohio.
Which I got.
I also secretly wished that my practice—and the discipline (tapas) to do it everyday– would get easier.
But it didn’t.
There I stood on my mat staring at the shala (yoga school) wall painted half maroon, half maize yellow, half way around the world.
Laurel outside the yoga shall after an early morning yoga practice.
In a flash, I hit me like a ton of bricks:
No one was going to do my practice for me. No one. And
being in India didn’t make doing it any easier.
It was what you call an AHA moment.
One of the greatest challenges of yoga —and its gifts — is establishing a daily personal practice.
Daily.
Without this, progress is elusive, even frustrating. And it’s difficult to begin the real work of yoga, which is to learn to listen intently to your body, as if you were having a conversation with it.
The good news?
The quickest way to become a better yogi is to start a personal practice. And you can begin with just 10 minutes a day.
Get my Zen Ten mat video and handout. Yours free when you click on the link below.
After you give it try, jump on over to my blog, and let me know how it’s going!
Love and brilliance,
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