How Niki got her practice back...

I love Yoga. Years ago I was a dedicated practitioner, then kind of fell off the Navasana (BOAT pose, hahaha:)

Now I'm back, and almost every week my practice gets longer, stronger, and more frequent. Yoga keeps getting bumped higher and higher on my "Wicked Important Things I have to do Today" list. I'm extremely happy about that.

When Yoga becomes an integral part of your life, the transformation goes beyond the physical flexibility, strength, or stamina. There is a true mind-body-spirit connection if you can find the patience and control to direct awareness to and from all parts of your being, incuding the bases of your lungs, spaces in between all 10 toes, and even deep into your sentient intellect. I know this sounds ever so cliché, but when you are at the peak of awareness of yourself and all that both internally and externally personifies you, the greens become greener, the reds redder, and everything is crisper, sharper, and much more vivid.

Don't hate my profound philosophy! Try it, you'll see! If you're local to me and want to try a class with a remarkable practioner, let me know. The first class is always free...and here's the MOST IMPORTANT thing I can tell you about Yoga, and especially about Vickie's class:

It's not about your ability to twist into a pretzel, or how well your Asana stacks up to the guy next to you. It's about finding and testing the limits of YOUR OWN body, and loving and accepting your strengths...and weaknesses. It's about focusing your awareness internally, and using poses and postures to explore every inch of your anatomy, at your own pace, with your own body's cues to guide you. It's an indescribable feeling of control to experience the total mind/body connection that Yoga facilitates.

Another thing about Vickie's class...leave your ego on the doorstep. The OUTSIDE doorstep. This classroom is moderately sized, serenely painted, and dimly lit. There are no flashy mirrors on the walls, distracting techno beats, or blinding lights that make you feel like you're on stage accepting an Emmy. Get this: Most of us practice with our eyes CLOSED. Yep, closed. We don't care if the guy next to us has a better Setu Bandha Sarvangasana than we do! As Vickie always says: "I'ts about what YOUR body can do TODAY."

Seriously. Let me know if you want to go.

Namaste,

~Niki