Pure and simple…what is this yoga thing all about?

As I watch Wall Street in the background whilst checking my emails, I am finding that less is more and what is one man’s trash is indeed treasure to another.  Saucha is the focus for my teacher’s classes this week. Purity and cleanliness are two lay translations of this niyama (spiritual observation). After cleaning out my room today in preparation for the move north, I did feel lighter as a result of more physical space. And of course cleanliness isn’t just a physical thing, but nor is it a fanatical thing for that matter.

After my evening yoga class, I shared some of my Francsco riesling with my flatty. On appearances, not that I’m trying to justify, this choice of beverage may not seem the most pure.  However, on a Sunday and as a gesture of sharing, to me that does have connotations of cleanliness, as it allows me to clean my slate of greed.  Sharing lets people in and what a gift this is. Not more than two minutes after we agreed Wall Street was a waste of time, I received an email about an upcoming yoga workshop in Melbourne next year – and this is where the greed bit steps in.

I am a reformed workshop junkie, which is one of the reasons I have had many a Carrie Bradshaw moment of being the woman that lives in her shoes. But rather in my case, it was the woman that lives in an asana session, notebook in hand and mind often wandering to the next workshop on my agenda. And I had this sense of having to do it all now and then I’d feel dirty for selling myself out by working extra to pay for my greed. And the thing is, the sense of uncleanliness starts to creep up on you, as you realise that you are not digesting anything, You are merely moving from one place to the next, without rinsing off the mud so to speak.

So having the voice of my Radiant Light teacher in my head, I was able to look at this flier for what it was. Testing, tempting, but ultimately tiring. I am so blessed to be given the gift of yoga teaching. As I drove to teach restorative tonight, I listened to Akash’s voice and it at many a time brought a tear to my eye. For the immense sense of wow that I am where I am. For the ‘wow’ response from a new student with a background in cross fit. How ace is yoga that it can offer such profound transformations!

Akash also talks a lot about dharma and of not straying from our path.  So for me that means spending a moment to myself before I go to sleep. To remind myself to listen and to allow. To slow down and breathe. And to do what I tell my students to: be kind to myself and others. So yoga is many things to me, but most of all it is home. And I don’t have to be a workshop junkie anymore to find that; but rather just find my own mat.