My first yoga class was in  1994 at the neighborhood YMCA, and the Iyengar teacher was calling out poses in Sanskrit.  I had no idea what he was talking about, so I looked over at the girl next to me and just followed her. While holding poses he chanted phrases from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, in Sanskrit and then in English. At least I understood some of what he was saying now. When we rested in child’s pose he would tell crazy stories of being in India with Mr. Iyengar. Speaking Sanskrit, Yoga Sutras, and go to India– It was all greek to me!  Honestly, I thought this guy was a bit coo-coo. Still,  I found myself returning to his class again and again.  The yoga hook was sinking in, and I was beginning to understand the strange sparkle in the eyes of these mat-carrying strangers as they faithfully poured into class each week.

After a few months of yoga, I felt something waking up in me that had been fast asleep and snoring loudly. Like a hibernating bear coming out of her winter cave, I was hungry!  I had a strong urge to nourish myself with the offerings of yoga.   Even though I was fit and religiously   attended step aerobic classes that played thumping 1990’s music, I found yoga was more rich and satisfying than anything else I had tried.

Seeing me now, you might  guess that my early days of yoga were smooth and easy,  but they  weren’t.  My triangle pose felt more like a trapezoid, I lost my balance in tree pose (especially during finals week), and pulled my hamstrings because I was tying to be like the gumby girl next to me.  One time at the end of class the teacher lead us through a quiet breathing practice, and the room was so still you could feel the breeze of a fly buzz by.  I started to feel anxious and thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest.  I took a deep breath in and then gasped loudly. Twenty pairs of eyes popped open and shot straight at me in surprise. I was embarrassed, yet I returned to class the next week for more.

The following year I  started and stopped doing yoga many times. It was a rough start.  However, I noticed that when I did yoga I felt more grounded and connected to myself, stronger in my body, and steadier in my mind.   Simple poses such as downward dog began to feel like home.  As soon as I hopped on my mat I could feel my body release and my bones settle towards the earth. My breath softened and flowed with little effort.  My mind slowed and I felt at ease.   Nothing else in my life that had the same effect on me.

Occasionally in college I drank beer to help me feel relaxed. Unfortunately,  it also  made me feel disconnected from my body and a bit  numb and spaced out. Yoga allowed me to access a state of relaxation and alertness.  Through the practice of yoga I learned how to deepen my focus and awareness while holding postures in class.  I glimpsed a true and natural state of being that felt complete and sublime.

The journey that began eighteen years ago continues to deepen and feed me in innumerable ways, so if you are beginning or returning to yoga, I applaud you!  I clearly remember how daunting it is to begin or to return to a practice that seems foreign, out of your league, or just for skinny women in their 30’s. The path of yoga  curves and spirals– It is not a straight line.  A times you  might feel awkward, and  your mind or muscles will not do what you ask.  I encourage you to stay with it! Yoga  can move us in a direction that feels like home. It teaches us to be at home in our bodies, and in the present moment through our breath.    There is a good reason yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and by millions of people.  Most of us are yearning for happiness, a fulfilling life, and a connection to something greater than themselves. Yoga offers that.  But unlike instant tea, it takes time to steep.  After years of practice, I am amazed at how the fruit of yoga continues to ripen and get more sweet by the day.

Love and infinite gratitude to spirit and all of my teachers.

By, Sienna Smith RYT

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You can sleep walk through your job or even a downward dog, taking commands blindly from your boss or  teacher, but that creates robots instead of lively and awake human beings. Wisdom comes from your direct engagement with life and in a practice like yoga that is designed to bring awareness.  In class while you are in a pose notice your state of mind, bodily sensations, and your quality of mind.  Watch, listen and feel with a playful curiosity that is free of judgement and intuition and information will arise. Be presence and alert to catch it and harness its power.  Allow this knowledge to feed you morsels of delicious wisdom that you can use to direct and guide your life for the better.  At first, the inner wisdom fountain may feel like a trickle.  The flow increases with practice  as you learn to connect and trust yourself.  With time  your confidence grows because no one knows you better than you know yourself.   You are the one relationship that will last your entire lifetime– it is worth your love and attention.

Of course yoga has been shown personally and through medical studies to increase flexibility, strength, energy and vitality. Less than five  minutes into a class and I can feel that already.  However, I was curious about the deeper transformation that yoga can offer. I have always been a skeptic.  I want to know things by my own experience not by someone else telling me what to think.  I stepped on the yoga path 18 years ago, and my personal inquiry into why I do yoga has evolved over time. Through accidents, illness, and  heart break; my experience has shown me that the best healing salve I have ever applied is yoga.  Yoga is a love and truth illuminating practice that calls for nothing but my honest effort and full presence.  That is it!  Everyone can succeed in yoga with only a willingness to try and desire to cultivate a steady presence. This is the key to accessing an unwavering, inner wisdom that continues to astound me.

It has the power to transform self defeating habits into divinely aligned choices that benefit not only myself, but my loved ones and all beings everywhere. I have witnessed the powerful transformation it has made in my own life and the life of others.  Yoga has helped me discover my own truth, root deep within my soul, and connect to the universal energy within me that is luminous and always present. Keep asking why…and your relationship with yourself will deepen allowing you to show up as your own best guide through life.

Namaste, Sienna

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