Because we’re authentic. Not authentic in the all-natural, all-organic, we’re better than other brands out there. At Purple Lotus Yoga we’re real–and honest. We are real humans with real problems simply wanting to make the best of our lives. Plus we do it as honestly as we can so long as it isn’t harmful to another….that’s ahimsa and satya in action. We don’t pretend that yoga fixes everything or that yoga will solve all the world’s problems…..although it’s my personal belief that if more people practiced the ideals of yoga, the world would be a better place.
Each person who has participated in a Purple Lotus Yoga event knows that yoga is the best way to face his or her own problems and to live the best life possible. Participants know they can be human, make mistakes, mess up and not be perfect AND still be able to live their best possible life. As a teacher, I am not perfect and I give my students permission to not be perfect. As a teacher I work, practice and make mistakes all with the goal of living my life to its fullest possibilities. I show my students that life is a work in progress and through living my own life, try to demonstrate that mistakes are okay–even if they might be embarrassing or humbling.
Don’t take my word for it. I’ve only been doing it for about 12 years, and guess what? In those 12 years while practicing yoga, I’ve made some crazy mistakes. I’ve made decisions I wish I could take back or undo. I’ve experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And each time I took a mis-step I shared that experience with my students. Not all teachers do this. Not all teachers want to show the chinks in their armor. But how can I advise my students to live authentically if I hide all my flaws from them?
And since I’m real and honest, I’ll tell you I haven’t practiced asanas everyday on my mat for the last decade. My physical practice has ebbed and flowed with the fluctuations of my body and my life. Sometimes I have found clarity and calm in meditation or in research and reading. Sometimes I found solace in doing nothing or simply listening to my inner voice.
Yoga doesn’t magically make the problems and bad decisions disappear. What it does is gives you the ability to understand much faster that you’ve made an error in judgement. Yoga gives you the ability to cope with the stress that comes from a bad decision. More importantly, yoga gives you the space to figure this all out.
