My teacher told me to put my books down for one week. I thought it would be easy.

It wasn't. Without my concepts, I had to feel what I'd been studying instead.

What has your body taught you that books couldn't?

#yoga #embodiedwisdom #teachers
#rishikesh #spiritualpractice #movementasmedicine
#yogaretreat #guruwisdom #bodywisdom

You don't become someone who doesn't grasp. You become someone who notices the moment the hands curl.

That gap, between grasping and releasing, is where the sutra actually lives.

Where do you notice the moment your own hands curl?

#yogasutras #aparigraha #yoga
#yogaphilosophy #nonattachment #mindfulness
#spiritualpractice #embodiedpractice #yogateacher

For years, I thought being disciplined meant punishing myself when I failed.

A teacher asked me, 'Why are you at war with yourself?' I didn't have an answer.

Have you confused discipline with punishment?

#sadhana #compassion #discipline
#yogaphilosophy #innerwork #spiritualpractice
#selftalk #meditationpractice #consciousliving

Confession: the most spiritual thing I do most days is wake up before I want to and put on my running shoes.

No cosmic moments, just cold air and one foot in front of the other.

What does your practice look like from the outside?

#sadhana #yoga #morningroutine
#morningrun #spiritualpractice #dailypractice
#yogalife #mindfulmovement #contemplativepractice

For three years I called it discipline. Yoga called it grasping.

I ran with data for years, a bad split unravelling the whole morning. My raised shoulders knew before I did.

Have you ever mistaken grasping for discipline?

#yogasutras #aparigraha #yoga
#yogaphilosophy #nonattachment #running
#mindfulness #spiritualpractice #embodiedpractice

My teacher said four words. It took me six months to understand them.

'You are holding your future.' Six months later, I finally understood.

Has a teaching ever arrived for you months or years after you first heard it?

#yogasutras #aparigraha #yoga
#yogaphilosophy #rishikesh #yogateacher
#nonattachment #spiritualpractice #embodiedpractice

On day seven, silence broke and I heard my voice.

It sounded smaller, a woman was crying, a man protecting his silence.

Have you ever returned from an experience knowing something changed permanently, even if you couldn't name it?

Read more

https://medium.com/@clarainsweden/what-the-himalayas-whispered-4e0b51998b2c

#silence #meditation #transformation
#mindfulness #spiritualjourney #innerwork
#spiritualpractice #contemplativelife #presence

For three years I called it discipline. Yoga called it grasping.

I ran with data for years, a bad split unravelling the whole morning. My raised shoulders knew before I did.

Have you ever mistaken grasping for discipline?

#yogasutras #aparigraha #yoga
#yogaphilosophy #nonattachment #running
#mindfulness #spiritualpractice #embodiedpractice

What drew me to yoga wasn't flexibility. It was breath - my scattered mind anchoring in my body.

Yoga promised presence, studios offered performance.

What first drew you to yoga - and does your current practice still honor that?

#yoga #breathwork #mindfulness
#yogaphilosophy #spiritualpractice #presence
#contemplativelife #embodiedpractice #yogawisdom

I'd forgotten to breathe for three poses while comparing my wobbly warrior two to the woman beside me.

Came seeking quiet, left feeling inadequate.

What's your experience with yoga studios - do they help or hinder your practice?

Read more

https://medium.com/@clarainsweden/how-to-practice-yoga-when-you-hate-yoga-studios-6c641508cbf9

#yoga #homepractice #mindfulness
#yogaathome #embodiedpractice #yogaphilosophy
#mindfulmovement #wellness #spiritualpractice