"It's Just Yoga"

"If you want to rule the world, you must keep it amused." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I like to teach my yoga classes in a very lighthearted style. There are times when it's okay just to stop and laugh during your class. It actually happened this afternoon while I was teaching. Many times yoga can be serious business. People can bring a lot of issues to their yoga mat and certain emotions seem to come from out of the blue. It's one of the great aspects of yoga, bringing certain feelings and emotions out in the open for us to address appropriately. It's just one of the many aspects that separates yoga from other "fitness" categories.

I use the phrase "it's just yoga" many times in my yoga classes. If I feel like someone is getting upset about not being able to do a certain pose or if I sense someone losing their patience with their yoga practice, I remind them "Relax, it's just yoga." Reminding them that ultimately, it's not the end of the world if we can't touch our toes. You can at least smile at yourself for attempting.