Why do I do Yoga?

Near the tail end of a thoroughly powerful yoga class, the teacher told us to sit cross legged and put our hands to our hearts.  Silently meditating, cooling down, we held that position quietly for many moments.  During that time the teacher said,

“We may not be burning lots of calories or getting more toned at the moment but fitness is so much more than that.  And that’s why you’re here [at the yoga studio].  You all came here initially due to your health.  It would be irresponsible of me to NOT teach this class if you’re here for fitness and health. And the magic of Yoga is that it’s one of the only exercises that requires you to quiet your mind.”

That’s all I wanted to really share, but I’ll share a couple other things…

When people are in a challenging pose, it’s common for people to have a look of terror on their face.  So occasionally, you’ll hear the teacher make the suggestion to smile.  That works very well, because once you start smiling it takes all the seriousness out of the equation and makes everything immediately lighthearted.  I’ve also heard a teacher said, “Soften your lips!”  You don’t kiss people with stiff lips, do you?”  That was a great suggestion too.

There was this one pose when people were lifting their heads up excessively and instead of telling us to straighten our necks, the teacher said, “Get the wrinkles out of your neck.  Where do you think the wrinkles on your face come from anyway?”  That was pretty awesome.