Gifts from my 30-year yoga practice

As someone with a lot of interests, I was afraid when I was young that I would be perceived as ‘flaky’ or ‘all over the place’. Maybe that’s why marking significant milestones is important to me. Doing something consistently for a long time means that I am committed beyond the fun part, engaged and passionate, and reliable. Far from flaky!

My first novel took 12 years to write. My coaching practice has been thriving since 1999. And this month marks 30 years of practicing yoga.

Those three practices – writing, coaching, and yoga – go well together. They require humility and constant learning. Just when conscious competence is reached, there’s a new skill to learn. But that’s okay. The passion I have for these disciplines will carry me to my grave.

It’s hard for me to write about yoga and its effects on me. I’ve written articles for Yoga Journal, and I wrote an essay about how yoga helped me during my leadership training. I wanted to write something for you enumerating 30 things yoga has given me, something beyond the clichés like ‘flexibility’.

May you see yourself in this list of benefits yoga has given me. May the things you are dedicated to give you lots to work with and grow from.

This is a long essay, but 30 years is a long time. It will take much less time to read than all the hours I spent in yoga studios, 3-5 hours per week, for 30 years.

30 gifts from 30 years on the mat

1. I recognized right away that yoga would be a lifetime practice, shoring up my well-being and longevity.
2. There’s always someone ‘better’ or ‘worse’ (more skilled) than you. So what? With yoga, there’s no competition; instead, a clear sense of we are all in this together.
3. All hail the beginner! I love seeing someone obviously new to yoga. The sweat, the struggle – to me, these people are heroic and courageous, trying something new. I want to be that brave.
4. I am open to new experiences – silent disco yoga in Golden Gate Park – yes! But naked yoga, goat yoga or yoga in the hot sun – no thank you. Okay, maybe a little nakedness and sun in Portugal:

   

5. It’s not about looking good. Like most arenas in life, no one is paying attention to you anyway, and it’s not because you’re old. It’s because everyone is up in their own head about their own stuff.
6. Let the body lead. The body is always in charge. Actually, jet lag taught me this, but yoga affirms it. This may be the most important thing to remember in life, hands down.
7. Your body can bear more intensity than you think. It took a couple decades, but I came to like the pressure of holding chair pose for longer than 30 seconds. This translates off the mat, where I am more able to sustain discomfort in writing, business, and life.
8. But forcing the body is always a bad idea. I remember how sore I was from my first class – stretching and pushing too much! Never push. Never force.
9. Our minds love to limit us. Our bodies can do so much more than we think.
10. Yoga is not about winning, but sometimes a challenge can reveal our limitlessness. I learned this in a silly yoga competition in 2010 where I pulled off an unbelievable yoga feat.

    

11. The nervous system needs its own regular practice. I’m beyond thrilled that restorative and yin classes are now packed with people ready to regulate their nervous systems.
12. Even after a break from travel or illness, it’s easy to get back into the flow. No muss, no fuss; after a break, just get back to it. This applies to writing.
13. Sometimes I don’t ‘feel like’ going, but I am always glad I showed up for yoga.
14. Practicing yoga while traveling is fun, refreshing, and a way to connect with people. Thanks to the studios in Lisbon, New York, London, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Lancaster, and other places I’ve laid down my mat.
15. Magic is possible! You can indeed meet your future spouse at yoga, even when most of the other students are yoga twigs.
16. Not judging the playlist or the teacher is the yoga.
17. Every yoga class offers a clean slate, just like every day.

    

18. Yoga has not made me skinny. It has made me strong, flexible and confident.
19. A consistent yoga practice is a stealth asset for any physical activity such as dancing, rock climbing or long-distance walking.
20. There’s no age gate on yoga nor on most things in life. The 80-somethings who practice at my studio assure me it’s possible.
21. From yoga I have learned how much I like rigor and challenge. This has helped me in writing, relationships, and work.
22. There’s great peace in being in a room with other people and not having to chat.
23. And, I am delighted that I have made good friends in yoga class.
24. It’s never what you look like; it’s how you feel.
25. Even in a class, we have to follow our body’s wisdom. This is what I teach my clients – develop your own inner compass.
26. Taking a break is almost always helpful for creativity. Insights always, always come during yoga, when I am away from screens and work.
27. I’m not super mellow, Zen or some kind of perfect person from all the yoga. But people often say they like my ‘energy’. A result of yoga?
28. Lots of cross-lateral poses in yoga have added to my whole-brain health. I believe this has helped me be more curious and also more coordinated both physically and mentally. We use cross-lateral movements in my QEC coaching to help the brain absorb new information.
29. No other physical practice I have done feels like a physical, mental and emotional cleansing like yoga does.
30. It’s always right to acknowledge our lineage. Thanks to the boyfriend yogi who got me into yoga. Thanks to Richard Hittleman’s 28 Days of Yoga book that got me started. Thanks to Gove belly-dancer yoga teacher, Brenna Hatami, Richard Freeman and all the teachers at the Yoga Workshop, Kindness, Samadhi, my teacher Carlos in Lisbon, the teachers in all the cities I have practiced in, and their teachers too. And anyone I have forgotten. You are each in me when I show up to the mat.