To Live is to Fly

Greetings and welcome to my first ever blog! The day is November 3, 2009, and I’m sitting on a couch in Houston, TX, with a Golden Retriever named Tag, a half-full cold cup of leftover morning coffee, and the sun shining in through the vertical blinds covering the windows of the apartment I’m at, on what has been and is sure to be a beautiful day! So. What do I have to blog about anyways? I’m not entirely sure yet, but those of you who know me, can attest to the fact that I’m never at a loss for words. =) I titled the blog “Get Yogafied“, the name of my personal budding yoga business, but I know the topics will vary based on whatever’s on my mind at the time.

So. What is yoga anyways? I guess that’s as good a place as any to start. To those who haven’t read about or studied yoga, many think it’s just exercise and stretching, akin to Pilates. Yes, yoga involves stretching, but in reality that’s but a tiny sliver of what yoga really is. B.K.S. Iyengar, credited with having brought yoga to the West, describes yoga as “the rule book for playing the game of life…” Light on Life, by B.K.S. Iyengar, p. xvi. He says this because he, like the rest of us yogis (those following the path of yoga – correct female term is actually yogini), has read the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali (considered the father of modern day yoga, written approximately 2,500 years ago).

In the Yoga Sutras, Pantanjali lays out guidelines for a happy life, and ultimately self-realization, awakening, enlightenment, etc. – your choice. Not a religious text, but more philosophical and practical, it is accessible to those of any, or no, religion. The text is broken down into eight main categories:

1. Yamas – moral practices, how we deal with others (things not to do)
2. Niyamas – personal observances, how we deal with ourselves (things to do)
3. Asana – postures (here’s your stretching)
4. Pranayama – breathing exercises
5. Pratyahara – control of the senses
6. Dharana – concentration and perception
7. Dhyana – meditation
8. Samadhi – bliss, union with the divine (whatever that means to you)

Never fear, I’ll delve into all these topics and more, ad nauseam, down the road, but that’s a brief snippet of why I figured “Get Yogafied” would work out as a blog title. Cause the truth of the matter is, once you start learning about what yoga really is and what it has to offer, you realize it encompasses everything. I bring my yogic tools into everything I do – whether it’s running my law firm, interacting with strangers or loved ones, or even eating cold leftover nachos for lunch (they were tasty, but soggy). It’s really all about love and presence. In everything we do. To live is to fly.

Peace,
Shana