I'm going to ask you a question - why do you come to yoga? Let me guess the answer: 'because I want to be more flexible...' or 'because I want to loose weight and get more fit...' or 'to help me with my anxiety and to relax more...' But these are not the reasons why you come to yoga. These are your results behind your reason.

Confused? Let me give you an example...

I started practising yoga in my early-30's because I 'should' do some kind of exercise. I have scoliosis and I hate the gym. This was my 'original' why (or original 'reason' I should say). I instantly fell in love with the physical asana practice. But I soon realised that I kept coming back to yoga for the mini philosophy talks of yoga that quite often is peppered throughout a yoga class...and it was the philosophy of yoga that develops you off the mat, in your life, more so than the physical yoga we practice on the mat.

It was this mental side of yoga that I wanted to learn and understand more and drew me into doing my yoga teacher training, and it was here that I really found my why...'to be strong and confident on and off the mat'. Strong and confident on the mat - maybe doing a tricky headstand and not falling over - ok cool, so what big deal, right? Strong and confident off the mat - with all my life decisions, beliefs of who I am and the drama that life can throw at me: buying my first home and signing the mortgage only to loose my job 2 months after moving in (aarrgghhh!!!), taking a part-time job 2.5 hour drive away, launching a range of yoga clothing and investing into it, committing to the decision NOT to go back to full-time employment and finally have a healthier and happier work-life balance I was seeking, nursing and looking after my late mum with enough strength and confidence to handle the big change that life was about to throw at me. It's these things that are all part of my why. And it's my whys that keep me coming back to yoga - to be strong and confident on and off the mat...in anything that life throws at me.

In my classes, we take ownership of our ‘whys’ and celebrate them - using them as a driving force to keep coming back to yoga whenever life gets too much for us to handle. Your why becomes your intention for the class. Your intention becomes your driving force. And your driving force changes your life. Your why is a reminder whenever you may find a yoga pose too challenging, you come back to your why and focus your mind...because yoga is ultimately the balance of mind, body and soul, which helps to change your life.

Not so long ago, before Covid-19 hit us all, in one of my Sunday classes, I had a student who wrote down her 'why' on our whiteboard, and then half way through the class, she allowed herself to get up and add more why to her 'why'...how AMAZING is that! Her yoga practice, her moving meditation that is yoga, helped her to enlighten her life's why with more clarity and more purpose. You couldn't ask for anything more than that! That right there is why I love teaching yoga...it is to help you off the mat as well as on the mat. To help you outside the studio as well as inside the studio. Yoga is life. You can easily find 'zen' for the 1 hour class that you go to - but what about the other 23 hours of the day? How does yoga help you then? By connecting to you why.

#whatisyourwhy

#flamingoyogamaya

#marjorietheflamingo