The Miracle Of Feeling and Being Our Best
Dear Inner Fire Yogis and Community,
Isn’t spring wonderful?! The intense green of the grass, the spring flowers bursting into color, and the birds singing, to name just a few reasons why joy bubbles up this time of year, even during a pandemic. Just looking out the window brings me a sense of wonder, a little bit of joy, and some peace.
If you are not feeling any sense of renewed spirit after this past devastating year, I send you deep love. I feel you. A year ago, it seemed like I was about to lose EVERYTHING that I had worked for over the past 18 years: my business, my community, my home, my hard earned retirement savings, my "self". I was devastated, as were many. I kept telling myself, “I have my family, my children, my best friends, my dog, my breath.” Even with that self-soothing, I was still deeply traumatized, moving through the stages of grief, starting with intense anger and exhaustion. Then I moved into depression, albeit a relatively mild depression. (I know it was mild because in my 20’s I experienced a severe clinical depression, and this was not that.) Yet now - what seemed impossible to me one year ago - I am feeling a strong sense of spring-fueled joy, hope and excitement for what lies ahead.
Looking back, I wish I’d had the foresight to see that “everything would be ok”. But alas, we are all human. We must be gentle with ourselves when things get rough. We must reach out to our loved ones and hug each other, support each other, and use soothing words such as “I love you” to help each other get through tough times (thank you, family and friends!). We must try our best to remember, and hold on to knowing - if that’s the best we can muster - that eventually the light at the end of the tunnel will appear. And we must do our best to keep ourselves as healthy as we can, even despite setbacks, trauma, depression, and unexpected terrible events. Why? So we can be resilient, so we can support ourselves and each other as best we can through thick and thin, and so we are ready to GO - to rise out of the ashes - when the time comes.
Now to the point: a regular, dedicated, disciplined yoga practice is, imho, one of the BEST self-care options out there. Notice the key words here: regular, dedicated, disciplined. The benefits of yoga will not manifest without a regular, dedicated and disciplined practice! Do you know why I dedicated myself to teaching yoga, then to making it my career? To help people; to help you.
My dedicated, regular, disciplined yoga practice was so incredibly and immediately relieving of the many ailments I had (some that I was not even aware of when I started) that I felt an inner drive to help others to experience the same amazing benefits. Even after my very first Hot 90 class I felt more alive, awake, confident, lighter, taller, and cleaner (albeit exhausted). In fact, in the first 3 months of daily Hot 90 practice, I lost 17 lbs, grew 1/2“ (stood up straight without having to try), smiled more, and stopped some of my destructive habits (not enough sleep, too much unhealthy food, occasional smoking, etc.) These benefits were and are real.
HOWEVER, these are “beginner’s benefits”. The most impactful benefits are slowly manifested over many years of regular, dedicated, disciplined yoga practice. These include feeling more authentic, powerful, youthful (I believe Hot Yoga is the fountain of youth!), resilient, clear-minded, content, healthy, strong and flexible (in mind and body). I only feel this way, however, when I practice regularly (minimum 2-3x/week, best is 4-6x/week).
My first teacher said, “Every time you take a yoga class, it’s like putting a deposit in the bank. Pretty soon you can live off the interest.” I have found this to be true. But this doesn’t mean I don’t have to practice yoga anymore. In fact I know now, more than ever, how important it is to keep up my yoga practice in order to continue receiving the extraordinary benefits it generously gives.
To be honest, without the interest I had accrued from my many years of practice, I think I might not have bounced back from the devastation of the last year. I attribute my resilience, and the fact that I was able to make smart, good decisions with determination and clarity over the past year - despite trauma and depression - to the benefits of a long term regular yoga practice, plus the support of my family and close friends.
We know, especially after the past year, how important it is to stay on top of our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and communal/relationship health. The joys of life, like the magnificence of spring, are intensified when we feel our best. The challenges of life, like those of enduring a pandemic, are more resiliently overcome when we are internally strong and flexible - when we feel our best.
To feel and be your best, I invite you to dedicate yourself to a regular, disciplined yoga practice. And I invite you to encourage others to receive these amazing, long-term, life-affirming benefits as well - it’s a great way to show your love.
Please let me know what kind of miracles arise in your life as a result!
With Love,
Marit
PS To all of you who supported us during the last year plus, THANK YOU! Much love to you from everyone at Inner Fire Yoga 💕 What a magnificent community of yogis! Hang on, dear ones... the ride is about to begin!