Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

For many years, the practice of yoga was learned by dedicated students taught by their guru. Students learned yoga from one teacher or lineage and then either taught those same teachings or continued to study and live life. Today, when we read texts about how to learn yoga, you will always find a statement about the importance of finding a teacher. Presented as fact, this statement leads aspiring yoga practitioners to believe they indeed need to find their “guru.” An ideal of the guru is romanticized and categorized in the minds of many as an “if-then” statement — if I find a guru, then I will become enlightened. The problem with this dichotomy is that the student becomes disempowered by the notion that she can never find success on her own. Students are unable to progress in the true practice of yoga when this idea of the guru guiding practice becomes all-encompassing.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde. I love this spot-on observation by one of the most outlandish “livers” of all time. It seems to perfectly express the epidemic anxiety felt by most yogis, artists and seekers, i.e. those wired for more than the status quo. For us that have the taste buds for exhilaration and real life, nothing less will do. And when that fullness of living feels in any way out of reach, angst and frustration are the natural resultants.

Intuition is a phenomenon of mind, where the mind acquires knowledge without a use of reason. Intuition is seen as greater knowledge, knowledge beyond intelligence, opposite to our rational thinking. It is the ultimate state of humanity, as animals rely on their instinct, we humans have intuition. In Hinduism, intuition is referred as the glimpse of higher and wider self-knowledge. Connecting with our intuition, is an experience of coming into contact with Brahman, the ultimate reality in the universe. The eternal truth and bliss.

I have always been one to follow my intuition. Not a strategic plan … an intuitive knowing. And to be honest, it’s drove a lot of people close to me crazy and in some cases, away from me. And that’s fine by me because honestly, I can’t live any other way. I’ve tried and it hurts, it physically hurts to live outside of my intuition.