Yoga with Kerry

I recently read an inspiring quote from my new book "Meditations for women who do too much" titled "Awareness".
When I read this quote it seemed that the different things that I was teaching, practicing and doing in my life all came together. These actions became unified, or “yolked” which is the heart of the definition of Yoga. To “yolk” together, unite, unify as one. I sometimes refer to this definition of Yoga in my classes as a reference to unite our breath, body and mind as we practice. However, in this situation, the unity came a little deeper. In this sense, the unity was referring to the heightened sense of self-awareness to see our own true beauty, our own true potential and develop a sense of personal empowerment. In this quote the author, Anne Wilson Schaef writes “We keep ourselves so busy and so overworked that we do not have time to see that we are in a fog and searching for something of great importance.”  Schaef continues “When we leave ourselves, we are more vulnerable to outside influences and less aware of what we really need.” This sentence in particular made me stop and think of all the youth I have worked with, and continue to work with and some of the choices they have made. As well, I see adults suffering from this vulnerability and sense of lack of control when it comes to addictions and/or cravings, relationship struggles, and personal struggles. In this way I see Yoga as serving a purpose beyond the physical, beyond the superficial and as a way to gain a greater sense of self-awareness and therefore a greater sense of personal empowerment and inner strength. The final line in this powerful quote reads “How exciting it is to begin to see the fog lift and to know that that for which we so desperately search has been there within us all the time. What I am looking for is not “out there.” It is in me. It is me.”

When I complete my yoga classes I finish with my interpretation of Namaste,  “The light in me sees the light in you”. Where the light can represent whatever it is you may be searching for in your life; grace, compassion, forgiveness, happiness, bliss, joy, contentment, peace, understanding, serenity…. These qualities already exist within you. They are already there, waiting for you to recognize them and open up to them. However, these qualities may be hard to find, it may be challenging for you to go on that journey, start to clear away the mental and physical blocks and clutter that are masking these positive qualities. This is sometimes referred to as “Dukha” or a certain state of mind in which we experience a limitation of our possibilities to act and understand.

It is within our grasp to become more courageous and brave to begin this journey of self-discovery and self-awareness and begin to truly see our own potential. Allow your practice to be a time for healing, tuning into to your body and mind, increase self-awareness and cleanse your body of the physical and mental blockages that may be holding you back.

“I honour the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honour the place in which is love, truth, light and peace. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are one.

Namaste