Why Yoga is like Golf, and I'm like a Jehovah's witness.

On a recent holiday, I found the praises an old friend was singing about golf resonating with me. “You find out a person’s true character on the green. The best thing is that you are only competing against yourself. Once you start, you’re hooked,” Gavin told me, extolling the virtues of a game with a bad rep (it’s for old, unfit, businessman) which he’d only just picked up.

A Yoga-vangelist

Why did his sentiments strike a chord? They were identical to my feelings about yoga. Our passions, his for golf, mine for yoga, both bordered on obsession. I often joked that Im a Yoga Evangelist, because somehow, in every conversation with every person I manage to sneak in some way to talk abt yoga, how it s changed my life, and how they should try it because despite the misconceptions (“no, you don’t need to be flexible, I couldn’t touch my toes ‘til a year ago!”) its just plain wonderful.

Gavin is convinced that if I gave golf a chance I’d be surprised by how much I enjoy it. I am convinced that my role is to inform every naysayer that yoga isnt just stretchy-stretchy-breathy-breathy, but can be a workout so tough that one hard-bodied male first-timer in my vinyasa asked the teacher midway through the class for a time out. (“When’s the break?” he panted, arms wobbling in our 10^th plank position)

Bordering on Jehovah’s witness in our ardour, we had nothing but good intentions. We’d found something so wonderful, we could not help but want to share with our friends the positive changes we’d experienced first-hand. From our respective passions we’ve seen improved focus, a greater understanding of ourselves, and most importantly: the belief that nothing is impossible physically as long as all is possible mentally. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. (except don’t because tobacco blocks your chakras)

Why I'm a junkie

Yoga has made me feel stronger, leaner, longer (improved posture=more height) than ever before, but also more in control of my emotions, and better at managing my own stress, nutrition and hormones. It’s the means by which I challenge myself to progress physically and spiritually. But most of all it’s given me faith in the power of my mind. The importance of connection with myself, nature and the higher power. I mean, I can barely contain myself from sharing the news when I find a great teh tarik, so how could I possibly keep quiet about this? Wouldn’t you want to shout it from the rooftops if you were me?

So here I am, running Yoga In The Park, my way of bringing the joys I found in yoga to my friends.

My final sell to Gavin: “Yoga will improve your swing.”

;)

Perhaps we’ll trade addictions.

S