Which Path to Choose

To choose the path of yoga is to choose honesty, authenticity and compassion. It is choosing to know yourself in the deepest of ways and to accept, without judgment, your unique way of experiencing the world. Any and all yoga practices teach us to honor all that we are – from our physical blue prints of imperfect bodies to intense emotions of joy and grief. These are the reasons we love our practice, because we trust with unwavering faith, its ability to transform our lives

However, with new yoga studios, workshops, classes and styles surfacing around every corner, it can feel utterly overwhelming to choose that path that is right for us. I know well this all-to-common dilemma.

Ten years ago, when yoga was not yet popular, and not yet deemed cool, I found myself at a cross-roads. I had heard people speak of “being on their mats” and “loving themselves a little more”, and I grew curious as to how I could experience this in my life. Having been an avid athlete, I first found yoga at a gym in Seattle. At that time in my life, quick, intense vinyasa classes spoke to me; my body craved the fast movements and dripping sweat. A few years later, yearning for something a little sweeter and more spiritual than 25 chaturangas in an hour, I ventured my way into Bikram and Ashtanga classes. And again, years later, I made my way into a yoga teacher training program that was founded on the heartfelt principles of Anusara yoga. That following summer, with an injury, I deemed myself the non-asana yogi and practiced through nightly readings of the The Bhagavad Gita. Today I embrace it all. Some days my body wants only to dance and delight in a vinyasa flow. Other times the simplicity and alignment of a Hatha class ground me in the ways I need, yet resist. At times, despite the beckoning of my ego, I attend a restorative class and savor the long, restful moments in savasana. It is all yoga.

The beauty of every type of yoga is that it provides us with the insights, awareness and compassion that we need – in that moment. In truth, every form of yoga and every teacher can offer us what we need to experience, so long as we are being honest. As a yoga teacher and student, I continue to believe that the most dedicated yogi is the one who listens to and honors his/herself – who listens to and trusts the inner guidance of the body, mind and heart. Just as the nature of the world is change, so are we: from the cells in our body to our every wayward emotions and our need for a gentle Hatha or intense Ashtanga class. Allow yourself to choose the path of yoga, in a way that is honest, authentic and compassionate.