What is Yoga, according to me?

I was first introduced to Yoga when I was 17 and I attended a Yoga asana (physical practice) class. For a long time, I believed Yoga was only about challenging yourself to bend into weird and wonderful shapes for a photo opportunity or bragging rights. My career in the fitness industry had always led me to believe Yoga was only based around how physically flexible or strong you are. At this point I hadn’t been introduced to the other areas of Yoga teachings and my perspective was purely from an asana point of view.  

Whilst I was working in Vietnam a few years ago, I found a local Yoga studio offering a variety of classes and elements of Yoga I had never heard of. For the first time in my life, my thoughts about Yoga had completely changed; I was introduced to pranayama (breath control) and meditation. In Sanskrit ‘prana’ means life energy and ‘yama’ means control. 

I attended many different classes and retreats meeting many wonderful, experienced instructors along the way. Over the five months I was there, I began to have a more personal experience with my Yoga practice. I was starting to realise more things about myself, my past self and what I wanted from the future- just from Yoga!? 

At times I felt myself having very out of body experiences that I couldn’t explain. It was as though in each class I learnt something new about myself and it became a real journey of self-exploration, which was opposite to what I had experienced before.  

As an instructor from the age of 20 I had always found myself trying to impress my clients and as a participant trying to compete with the person next to me.  

However, since learning and exploring the different areas, I was able to achieve more focus on my body and mind and remove the distractions around me. As much as I enjoyed attempting more challenging poses, I began to focus and recognise what I needed from my practice as opposed to what I ‘could’ do.  

I now practise and teach differently with the view that you must practise for yourself, remove any expectation, and focus your energy into what best serves you each time you come to the mat.  

My view of ‘what Yoga is and what it means to me’ has now shifted to a more therapeutic ritual that I need in my life.

It provides clarity I can’t get elsewhere, and it continues to offer a space for learning every time I read, practice, teach and meditate without the need for expectation or validation.  

What does Yoga mean to you?