Dear Yogi friend, I think it would be fair to say that most of us have ups and downs in life. Yesterday I received an email from a friend and within it she said: "Like us all, I'm sure you have your times feeling lost and struggling, but sometimes other people think you have the perfect life and are always in control. If only they knew." OH YES, I thought. It made me reflect on the world we live in now, where lifestyles are pitched as perfect through slick reels and only our best moments are shared with followers—and even our not-so-best seem somehow contrived. In reality, no life is perfect, no matter how it might look so in a photo...
At the beginning of this summer I moved into a rented house for a time because I was utterly exhausted with constantly moving on. Some health niggles and at times, a feeling of complete apathy for life, direction, dreams, forced me to face myself and revaluate, which concluded with relenting to stillness. YOGA is what helped me make this decision. YOGA is what compelled me to sit with myself. YOGA is what holds me as I do this necessary inner work. And I know that YOGA is what will allow the next chapter of my life unfold just as it is meant to. Because Yoga is not just asana (the physical postures), it's a way of life; a way of being. And no slick reel can convey that because it's something felt within... Bhagavad Gītā 6.20: यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया । yatroparamate chittaṁ niruddhaṁ yoga-sevayā When the mind, restrained from material activities, becomes still by the practice of Yog, then the yogi is able to behold the soul through the purified mind, and he rejoices in the inner joy.
Movement | Mantra | Meditation These are the practices that soothe and guide me as I surrender to this life experience. These are the tools I hope will help you, too. 🧘 My online Restorative Yoga Class begins WEDNESDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER @7pm (UK). First class is FREE for all, after which those who have the means and inclination are welcome in accordance with dharma to voluntarily give an honorarium or donation of their choice, as per tradition (guru dakṣiṇā). 🍂 Permission to Slow, a seasonal self-contained offering of lovingly-created practice videos, journalling prompts and reflections will release some time in September. 🕉️ And if you would like a gentle challenge focused on yoga on and off the mat then I'll be re-releasing my 'Five Days, Ten Minutes a Day' series on my YouTube channel this weekend. My invitation is for you to subscribe and leave a comment if you're in! I hope you'll mark your diaries, make space for yourself and join me in a quiet corner of this sometimes crazy online world, so that we can navigate the ups and downs of life together. With love, Alice 🙏🏻
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