The Power of Yoga
Submitted with love and light by: Josie
I recently had the incredible opportunity to study intensely with Darren Rhodes and Christina Sell in Tucson, Arizona. Other than it being an incredible way to escape the frost in December and February, it was also a hugely inspirational and transformational experience.
Darren is best known as literally the “poster boy” for Anusara Yoga. You can see him in the poster From Tadasana to Savasana at the studio. Christina is best known for her raw and revealing book, Yoga From the Inside Out, which discusses the difficulties of body image, and the effect yoga has on the way we view ourselves.
It was humbling and wonderfully informative to be in the presence of such great teachers, and I was overwhelmed by the synchronicities I found within my chosen teachers. Darren overcame incredible odds with his body, repairing an extreme case of scoliosis, which is the reason I got into yoga in the first place. I too had to battle with physical misalignments, and have worked diligently for many years with my yoga practice to open and realign my body. Christina also dealt with many physical issues that were linked to the mental image of how we should be physically represented in society and chose to write about it. Her blog and her gut-wrenching personal story within her book inspire me with my writing pursuits. It helped me link the necessity of my practice with my creative passion.
During these yoga intensives we worked to understand the link between all the effort that we put into our yoga practice and what we are moving towards, what is our dharma, or path. B.K.S. Iyengar describes dharma as “that which sustains and withholds that who may have just fallen, are in the process of falling, or will fall.” Meaning, the idea of having a path that is unique to us will support us during the lows. The Bhagavad Gita, a well-known yogic spiritual text continues by saying, “on this path no effort is ever wasted, no gain is ever reversed, even a little of this practice will shelter you from great sorrow or the greatest fear.”
In these tumultuous times, it can sometimes be more difficult to inspire and empower oneself, be it on the mat or off. I found a solace in the openness of my teachers, and their acceptance of their own vulnerabilities and difficulties along their path. If I wouldn’t have suffered physically or struggled mentally, I would not have embraced my practice, and would not feel the strength and power I feel today. “Our afflictions are our doorway to service,” said Christina. They are what actually uplift and empower us, even if it is just to step up from having fallen, or to stop from falling again.
Subscribe to comments