I've been practicing yoga since I was a teenager - mostly at the gym off-and-on for many years - and I was just doing it for exercise, stretching, and a little meditation. I didn't know why it made my body feel good (and I didn't really care, to be honest) but I kept coming back to yoga because it was like pushing a reset button on life and I always felt better afterwards.
About five years ago, I started going regularly to a yoga studio in my town and the practice of showing up every week was the beginning of a healthy shift in my life. What I eventually learned while doing my yoga teacher training is that yoga is more than stretching, breathing, and trying to do a handstand. The principles of yoga can be applied to so many aspects of my life.
The book Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater is a quick and easy read and showed me that I didn't have to go to a yoga retreat in order to deepen my relationship with my true self. When I am struggling to show up to my mat in order to maintain + preserve the benefits of my practice, this book gives me simple suggestions on and off the mat to bring me back to a mindset of balance. It touches on topics like faith, control, fear, and greed that makes me more conscious of how I'm reacting to my surroundings. And it reminds me that even when things are going well and I don't feel like I "need" to do my yoga practice, there is still a benefit to showing up for myself on and off the mat.
With love,
Ming-Wai