Whether you are new to yoga or have been practicing for many years, we all have a “moment.” A moment where something shifted and our practice allowed us to see ourselves and the world around us in a different way. A moment where we fell out of a pose and laughed and it was everything. A moment that showed us we’re stronger than we realized. A moment where we finally kicked up into headstand on our own and couldn’t believe it. A moment where we could finally let it all go and just be.
That “moment” is different for everyone and this summer we want to celebrate YOUR yoga moments. We also want to acknowledge the many yoga studios all over the world that make so many incredible yoga moments possible. Want to share your yoga moment with us? Here’s how.
This week’s Yoga Moment comes from Christina Romano during her practice at Satya Yoga Shala in Farmingdale, New York.
“My practice of yoga began four years ago when I found myself broken to pieces over another “failed” relationship and at sorts with my distressing emotional and physical state. Deep down I knew that if I wanted different results in my life that serious change was inevitable. First, was accepting that I would never have a healthy trusting relationship with anyone if I didn’t have it with myself. This led me to taking time for myself, trying new hobbies and eventually to the mat. In the beginning it was the simplest poses that continuously made me aware of the pure fact that you are in full control of every aspect of your body and mind. At some point in my life I gave up this control and made myself the victim; possibly because it’s easier to place blame of your failures on someone else. When you own the responsibility of your actions, you are the only one who can be held accountable; an empowering notion to live by. Through my beginners practice I also learned that if you want your body to move and twist in a certain way, you simply ask it to do so – chances are you’ll be surprised at what you are truly capable of, things that you probably never imagined were possible.
Moving forward to a lovely afternoon this past summer, the warm sunlight was shining through the window at Satya Yoga Shala in Farmingdale, NY or what I like to call a little slice of heaven (thanks to the illuminating Maria Yakkey). My yoga moment came in the form of camel pose. As I leaned my head back, expanding my heart and settling into the pose, I found myself so overwhelmed with emotion. I was swept by the actualization of how far I’ve come from being that sad lost soul on the yoga mat a few short years prior. How with hard-work, perseverance and the love of yoga, I reconditioned my mind and my body. How I was healthy and happy, and how in a week’s time I would be on a beautiful island beach marrying a kind, brilliant and incredibly (and at times inappropriately) funny person – whom I would not have met if I didn’t believe in myself and the power of change. I knew at that moment that every step before has led me to exactly where I was meant to be. And that sometimes in life, we need to go upside down to become right-side up. “
