Lately I’ve been contemplating about what it means to be a yogi. It’s a word often said in yoga classes in reference to our community. And when I really stop to think about it, it’s one of my favorite words. To me, a yogi is the embodiment of the practice and lifestyle of yoga. One who is not only aware of the qualities that are in accordance with the lifestyle, but one who practices them as often as they can. So I’ve spent some time thinking about what these qualities are and how the look in action. Presently, I’ve landed on 4 things: mindfulness, intention, surrender & acceptance.
The first thing yoga asks of you is to become aware of the happenings both within you and around you. Once you choose to live mindfully, observing each moment as it happens, you are asked to carry that same awareness into your thoughts, spoken words and actions. This is to operate from a space of intention. When we choose to live a life of intention it can be difficult to separate our feelings and reactions to the result of our intentions. So we are asked to practice the art of surrender, or non attachment. To not allow something outside of us to determine that which is occurring within us. Once we are able to detach from the things we are unable to control we learn how to sit, to accept, to be simply present with what is.
Although I fall short of these 4 principles many times each day, I’ve chosen to incorporate them into my life as often as I remember to. When I forget, I come back to them. Yoga doesn’t judge. It doesn’t beat you up and put you down when you fail, instead it meets you where you are, with open and loving arms. Ready to embrace you in every state. This is why I continue to find my mat, why I choose to as often as I can be an aspiring yogi and why this practice is truly the greatest love of my life.
Ultimately, a yogi is someone who leans into the changes of life without holding onto what was or what they want to be. With a realization that we are all far more similar than we are different, we can connect more deeply to those around us, understanding that we are all one. Peace, kindness, and forgiveness are vital characteristics to someone who is trying to live a yogic lifestyle or to align with the 8 limbs of yoga.
