It's strange. I'll admit it. People have been requesting my time of late to ask about yoga.
I find this strange for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a private investigator. I spend my work days tracking down witnesses and interviewing people. I work with citizens accused of pretty heinous crimes - murder, assault, rape, robbery, etc .... I'm not - on the surface - the first person from whom one might seek counsel about the ways of yoga.
Second, I'm not a yoga teacher. I'm an educator, just not a yoga teacher. I lecture regularly about investigative skills and methods. But I'm a young and learning yogi. I don't have a ton of experience in the ways of yoga.
I have started the process of yoga teacher training. I've completed level 1 and a couple of the workshops required to become a certified teacher. My intention is to finish my training this year - hopefully by mid year. But that won't make me qualified - in my mind - to teach anyone else about yoga. I see it more like a pilots license, It's a license to learn.
In spite of my misgivings about sharing my yoga journey, I happily sit with friends and talk about it. I encourage. I reassure. I share.
A life long pal, a guy I've known since second grade, called me the other day. He's been going through a pretty shitty year. Without details, he's now grappling with raising a teen girl on his own. He called to ask me about yoga. He wants to find an activity he can share with his daughter. He and I talk regularly, once a week or so. Have done for 30 years or so. I was thrilled to point him towards my home studio and the lovely lady who runs the joint. He's taken several private lessons, he and his daughter together. This makes me smile.
Another friend, a young lady who is a bit of a fitness junkie, called me about a month ago. I say young woman, because she's younger than I (most are). She's been dealing with some injuries associated with being not-as-young-as-we-once-were. I happily sat with her an told her my yoga story. She committed to a 30 day challenge. That was over 50 days ago. She's still maintaining a daily practice. This makes me smile.
I stumbled onto the practice of yoga several years ago, reluctantly at that. My wife had been taking in practice twice a week and asked me if I'd like to join. I'm a stubborn person. I like to think the idea is mine. I don't -generally speaking- like to be told to do or "encouraged" a thing. I resisted.
I had some pretty wrong impressions about yoga. It's just a bunch of stretching. It's too woo woo. It's just a bunch of rich white ladies. It's just ... It's just ...
After my first class (one in which I - like pretty much everyone on earth - let my ego get the best of me) I spent the next two days sore as fuck. It was way more than "just stretching." My practice was hit or miss for a couple of years. Then something clicked. I found a groove. It still took a few years for me to get my head around the idea of daily practice. Thank god I did. I was able to find the groove and settle into a regular practice because some pretty amazing people took the time to sit with me and talk about yoga.
When friends ask you about your yoga practice, please, take a few minutes of your time and share your experience with them. It's an easy gift to give.