For the past few weeks I have been able to re-center myself in my practice. For many of us yoga itself is an act of surrender, for those of us that teach, it becomes an even greater struggle at times to let go of the reigns and allow someone else to steer the car. To be a great teacher you also have to be a great student, we never truly stop learning. I’ve had the joy to be able to workout with some amazing yogis through my life journey, and as of recent I have found some great teachers at my local gym. Many here in the city feel the only way to get a great yoga workout is to join a high price studio, to purchase the fanciest equipment, and to have the coolest pair of yoga pants in class, or to do a hybrid of yoga and power movements. Stepping into unfamiliar territory is the what I love most about yoga. Hearing the powerful Sanskrit names, moving into pretzel like postures, holding each one until if feels like the world itself is going to end, then relaxing deeper into the internal space of our mind. Many of us view the world only through the external. Yoga (whether you want it or not) is designed to also connect you into that internal part of being. Each asana is an action of meditation, and when we connect this way we are surrendering to yoga itself.

One of the worst things we can do as instructors and practitioners is to become complacent in our practice. I am guilty of this from time to time. We can sometimes feel like we are just going through the motions, or we skip out on our practice all together. This was part of the drive that got me back into the gym, and back into class as a student. It has been amazing surrendering to someone else. To let them guide me deeper into my own practice. If you ar finding that you are growing tired of your practice to not be afraid to step out of the bounds of comfort. Try something new! Take a hot yoga class, try acro- yoga, if you are a fast flow yogi–try slower restorative classes, try power yoga, the idea is to dip your toes in new waters. Each time we attempt something new the ripples echo out into ever aspect of our being, our practice and our connection to our paths.  Yoga is an action of surrender. Surrender can be a foreign word for many of us, let yoga be your guide. If by chance yoga is not your thing, the same rules apply. Shake up your life a bit, get up, get out, and move–find your flow, and breath in all this life has to offer. Each moment a is a gift, don’t waste it.
Mahayogi Das CFT CSN MAT PAT
http://www.michaelbrazell.com
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