Hard to believe I have already completed one full week of my 3-week yoga retreat! Seriously, where does the time go? I guess maybe its all the back and forth of my kid’s activities, managing a home, and building a business that makes time tick a little faster these days. All the more reason to really slow down and focus on being present and intentional each day.
This journey so far has taught me a little something everyday. I have really loved the slower pace of practicing yoga and I feel that this slow pace has given me the time and the space to examine my heart in a way that usually doesn’t happen when I am focused on higher intensity exercises.
Perhaps that is somewhat of a crazy thought, that exercise can create a space for us to examine other aspects of our lives, but that is exactly what I am feeling as I reflect back on this last week of my yoga only diet.
I have never completed a yoga program nor have I ever been a consistent practitioner of yoga. Usually I would only turn to yoga as a last ditch effort when I felt stressed or like I was holding tension in my body somewhere and needed to slow down and smell the proverbial roses. I guess you could say that I would use yoga in the same way many people use prescription drugs– to treat the symptom and not the problem.
This past week has shown me that yoga is so much more than what happens on the mat and that my yoga practice trickles into every aspect of my life, and that ultimately my yoga practice is a way of life, a way of being. Each day, I have found that the instructor has had a little nugget of wisdom that clearly relates to both yoga and life, but like many other precious, fleeting moments I will miss those nuggets if I am not 100% present.
When I think about the other ways I like to stay healthy (weight lifting, sprinting, high intensity training) I think about being assertive and even borderline aggressive in pushing myself to achieve more and be better. Yoga on the other hand also creates strength, but in a more silent way. Yoga calls me to lay my ego aside and surrender…sort of like a peaceful protest I guess. I have loved discovering the hidden yogi inside of me, and I am feeling challenged in ways I would have never thought possible from this kind of movement.
I am looking forward to seeing what the next two weeks hold, and what other life lessons I learn through my daily practice. What is one lesson life is teaching you right now? I’d love to hear from you, leave a comment below and let’s connect!
Alisha Carlson | The Strong[HER] Way 