the grey area

Ah... the age old question that so many ponder and discuss.

In this day and age, we are answer-seekers. Often times, we want concrete proof to believe something is true. In yoga, there are no black and white answers. In yoga, you define your own truth. Yoga doesn't give us all the answers, but it does continue to ask lots of questions.

In the state of MO, we've been asked to define yoga. Is it fitness or a spiritual practice? The state wants to put yoga in a specific category, so they know how to tax the sales of classes. The hard thing about putting yoga into a category is that it fits into every category. My teacher always says, "You can make anything spiritual, if you have the right intention behind it. Everything you do in life can be a spiritual practice, if you want it to be."

Like many things in life, it's hard to understand yoga without experience under your belt. Think back to the first time you did yoga on the mat. It's common for first timers to walk away feeling clam, yet energized. It's that yoga euphoria people talk about. Yoga helps us get to know ourselves. To get inside our own head and our own body. It builds awareness.

In my experience, yoga encourages me to figure out how to be the best version of myself. Its tapping into the divine nature that lives not only within me, but within all things. Yoga is everything to me and everything is yoga. To some, that answer seems far fetched, and maybe even hard to believe. However, its not my job to convince others to have my experience. It's my job to simply invite others onto the mat to have their own experience.

So, the grey area is where we start finding the answers. Not the black or the white.

What is yoga, to you?

happy bending,
Brigette