Thoughts on yoga – Bali

It’s interesting the way yoga is perceived at the moment, those of us that love it, and have been practising with our hearts, watch in dismay, while yoga becomes a spa day or a holiday selling point.

Yes, it is lovely to practise, while you are away, 

Yes, it is lovely to rest,  in its massage, jacuzzi, swimming pool, relaxation experience.

Yes, it is lovely to be led, guided, into that peaceful state.

However, yoga is there to help us reduce the suffering in our lives wherever we are, it’s easy to find peace and joy in an external way, when the surroundings are right.

But the practise is at its most helpful when they are not.

When your world has gone crazy, and you need to find, internal peace, not external.

And when you need to find it on your own, for yourself.

When the teacher isn’t there, when the surroundings aren’t beautiful, when there is only you facing your fear, your challenge, only you and your circumstances.

When you have to become the teacher, and need to practise what you have learnt on your own.

The hardest part is when we face something that seems  insurmountable, this is where we can turn away from our practise and forget what we believe in, and our view of the world.

This is when we need to have sraddha, faith, this is when we need to practise more.

On the mat, off the mat, we need to remember what we believe.

We can’t lose our peace because the world isn’t stable, it never has been!

We can’t lose our peace because life is hard, it always has been!

We can’t lose our peace because everything changes, that’s guaranteed!

These are the times we find our peace, because our peace is always there, we only have to stay still and look.

So, yes, a holiday in Bali would be nice, a relaxation, spa, massage, yoga experience.

But give me a crowded room, where I can still feel space.

Give me a bad day, that I can meditate on.

Give me a heart wrenching, gut churning experience that reminds me to stay present.

Give me adversity, that helps me to practise the tools I’ve been given.

I’d go for that every time.