"I was expected to be an obedient daughter, protective sister, caring friend, productive employee, & supportive significant other: while flourishing myself. I was also required to get married, buy a house, & start a family before turning 30. I felt overwhelmed, stuck & doomed for fail"
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"Then came yoga. Yoga not only gave me the movement that my stressed body craved, it also gave me space to do something solely for myself. There were no rules or requirements for yoga. Best of all, yoga accepted me for who I was
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But there was still something missing. When the yoga ended, my worries returned & I was back to my grim reality. How could I face reality?
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The answer came in the form of meditation. Meditation was - is - the glue that connected everything together 🙏
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I will never forget the analogy my meditation teacher made. She held up a piece of paper in front of her face. “This paper represents worry, anger, grief, & any other intense emotions you may have. It’s hard to experience anything when these emotions are present. It’s like trying to see past this paper in front of my face.”
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Then she brought the paper to arms-length in front of her. “Trying to distance these emotions may allow you to experience more of the world around you, but there is still a part of the world you cannot see. Constantly distancing your emotions is also tiring. My arms are tiring from holding this paper at arms-length.”
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She finally placed the paper in her lap. “Instead, we can simply notice our emotions & allow our emotions to be present without being attached to them. Then we can fully perceive the world around us. We don't try to get rid of our emotions, but now we have a clearer view.”
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MIND BLOWN. 🤯🤯🤯
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This was the missing piece I needed to take my yoga practice off the mat
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Yoga taught me that there was relief to my emotions & meditation taught me how
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Together, they continue to be the keystone of my holistic health. And now I'm a teacher 💚
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