like i know.  and like you know either.  though it seems there are plenty of experts out there, ready to offer their opinion.  nothing will tie me up in knots more than to have you tell me what my yoga should be.

and what it shouldn’t. 

go ahead, look down your nose at me because i happen to think yoga IS physical.  i’m a heathen, you say?  have you ever SEEN a sun salutation or ever hovered in a chaturanga?  you don’t call that physical?

i get it.  someone sees me in a handstand and all of a sudden i’m one of those tricksters that has no idea the meaning of life.  but if you think you have all the answers, i'd be glad to come down so you can explain.

yoga is about quieting the mind … but kind of hard to do when your back is screaming and your shoulders are all jacked up.  like my friend, who did the unthinkable – she went to a place affectionately nicknamed the “torture chamber” and did 26 very physical postures and two breathing exercises (yes, they have the audacity call it “exercises”) and guess what?  her back pain is gone and she can move her neck. 

and suddenly the noise in her head just went down ten notches. not yoga, you say?

i came to yoga for strength.  pure and simple.  i’ve never hidden the fact that madonna’s chiseled arms was the straw that broke this camel’s back.  i had recently come out of an unhealthy relationship and before i could even think about this place of zen and equanimity – i needed to rediscover the power i had hidden, the strength i had yet to tap.

and in becoming a warrior on my mat – i was able to become the champion of my own life.

my body got strong ... then my mind came along for the ride.

judge me all you like - because while getting your foot behind your head may not bring you enlightenment – you will sure as hell learn patience and tenacity trying.

last sunday, a student did her first headstand in the middle of the room.  this is a student so capable and strong - but with a fear even stronger.  yet this past sunday,  with a leap of faith, she sent her legs up and discovered what i knew all along – she could totally do it.  the courage that took – the sense of accomplishment that brought – was something she will carry off her mat, and into her day. 

you wanna tell her she was doing something wrong?  you wanna explain to her how that that physical lesson was insignificant and “not real?”

handstands bring us back to our youth, make us smile, and teach us it's ok to fall – especially as we learn to land on our feet. 

forward folds can teach us the sweetness of releasing our tight grip on our legs … perhaps even on our life.

headstands show us another perspective - while balancing on one leg reminds us to stay grounded in a forever shifting and frenetic world.

backbending teaches me to trust each and every time i’m there  - and my warriors and chaturangas have made me strong.

so please … PLEASE, don’t tell me what my yoga should be or shouldn’t.  it shouldn’t matter what brought me to my mat – my quest for strength, a cure for my back, a quiet mind, or a headstand in the middle of the room.  the important thing is that i’m there.

every day.