How I Came to Yoga - Awake, Now What?

Now that I was having huge metaphysical experiences in meditation and even on city buses regularly, what was to be expected from me? Was I supposed to shave my head, give them all my money, and live in a forest? Was somebody going to try to tell me what to do in my life? In May of 1997, I went to one of my teacher’s ashrams in New York to find out a little bit more. Honestly, I was overwhelmed with the energy of the place. Everything and everyone sparkled with light. My heart overflowed with happiness and love. The people were kind and funny. The food was delicious and vegetarian. The teacher seemed to be everything that she should be. I felt like I had come home. At the same time, I was still concerned of what was expected of me in return.

Over the next several years, I came to understand that a truly enlightened being wants absolutely nothing from us. If we give over a few dollars in offering or scrub the floors for free, it is actually for our own benefit and ultimate freedom. It is like in any other sector of life, the more you give, the more you receive. For me, that does not translate into money, necessarily, though I do give a monthly offering. Mostly, it has been about slowly, slowly giving more of my heart, trust, and time to God. It has been about becoming a more giving person in general. It has been about giving me the space to do the inner work to free myself of issues that block my potential. It has been about making time for a few minutes of meditation.

So, the spirituality of the yoga tradition appeared in my life first. Apparently, it was what I needed the most. Over the next 13 years, the contemplation and philosophy aspects of yoga led me to clean up my mental house more deeply and even become a life coach. Then, two years ago I took a hatha yoga teacher training, and the magic of yoga took the 10-15lbs I had always carried around (plus some self-esteem issues) away from me. For me, yoga totally works. Like my brother says, if it works you’ve got to buy the t-shirt.