The big three lessons I’ve learned from yoga

Greetings, my astral companions.

Yoga is a lot of things. It offers a different kind of healing force for every person. For me, though, it has always been a matter of life philosophy. What gets me up in the morning, and what keeps me going?

First off, as a reminder to my fellow yoga students: the word Yoga in Sanskrit means “to unite”. It is so much more than just the postures or asanas we learn in a yoga studio. Of course, these are important, but it’s just one of many (eight) facets of Yoga that make it a complete science.

I have been studying Ayurveda for nearly three years now. I started my private apprenticeship with my mentor, a seasoned Ayurvedic physician and doula, in the spring of 2021. Let me be the first to say… I was the wooorrrst student. I smoked cigarettes, was nearly always stoned, drank craft beers 3-4 times a week, was extraordinarily irritable, and had crippling anxiety that took so much of my energy away on a daily basis that I barely had enough left in me to actually study. And last year in 2023, I had to take an entire YEAR OFF from my studies because of a mental health crisis. I consider it a goddamn miracle I was even accepted into the program at all, let alone got to be initiated into this lineage, and expected to live as an example of Ayurveda. Literally, I was a joke.

I did the best I could with the tools I had at the time, which weren’t many. But over time, I learned the art of svadyaya, self-study, which coincidentally enough was the biggest cornerstone of my training. My mentor never shamed me for any of my bad habits. She would simply remind me to notice how everything I did, and everything I consumed, made me feel.

There are so many lessons I’ve learned throughout my education. I could write multiple books on the subject of Ayurveda, and Yoga science as a whole. But I want to touch on the most influential concepts I’ve taken away from my time as an Ayurveda apprentice. Keep in mind, that I am still an apprentice, and I am learning new things every day. But no matter what, I keep coming back to these three pillars again and again.

the three big lessons of yoga:

1. Some people need poison to function, and that’s okay.

This is undoubtedly controversial, but it’s soooo fascinating to me. Because of all my beloved substances (nicotine, THC, alcohol, caffeine, sugar), my mentor taught me this very important lesson early on: that not all medicine is supposed to heal you. Sometimes it just has to get you through the night, and that’s okay.

This concept is called Shadow Medicine, a term we use in Ayurveda to refer to any substances with properties that are not medicinal, but that serve a temporary soothing purpose. This is important to note as practitioners, because we cannot expect people with addictions to quit cold-turkey and be okay. This is unethical, and if you’ve ever experienced withdrawal, you know it’s just downright ineffective.

Instead of pissing people off by saying “just quit!”, teaching them to reframe a bad habit as “self-soothing”, rather than bad and shameful, can actually have a profound effect on how the individual relates to their illness. It improves their ability to practice svadyaya, and reflect on their everyday choices simply based on how things make them feel. The theory is that once someone is committed to an Ayurvedic wellness plan, they will eventually not need their shadow medicine anymore, because it will be replaced by true high-vibe healing. But this is a serious process that takes time and dedication, both on the part of the practitioner as well as the patient themselves.

I don’t smoke cigarettes every day anymore, but I do still partake in the occasional blunt rotation or a fancy little cocktail. And it’s hilarious (and disturbing), that since I no longer rely on these things to feel okay every day, they have a tendency to throw off my vibes now. But at one point, they kept me alive.

(Coffee and sugar still keep me alive today, okay??? I’m working on that. It’s tough not to have them when you work in a cafe.)

2. When someone brags about their knowledge in yoga, chances are, they know waaay less than they let on.

It can be so easy to get intimidated in the New Age world, even in your local Vinyasa class. There are soooo many flowy, lighthearted, ethereal-looking yogis, energy healers, and shamans out there. They claim to have all the answers and know all the secrets of yoga because they can do a perfect handstand. Oh, and they’re a Reiki master too.

Don’t let these types get in your head. Yoga is a lifestyle, to be sure, but that does not mean it is an AESTHETIC. There is no one body type for a yogi. There is no one ashram on the planet with a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training better than all the rest. There is not a skin color, hair type, diet type, minimum number of facial piercings, or amount of branded activewear in your closet that will make you a better yogi than anyone else. You don’t even have to wear patchouli essential oil. I know, shocking!!!

So drop the illusion now. Unfollow the skinny vegan influencers. If I’ve learned anything from my training, it’s that the very best teachings will always come from the masters. And by masters, I mean our elders: living teachers who have walked the path of yoga for decades because it is true for them, not because they can get online engagement for it or make a million-dollar business out of it.

And chances are, you probably know way less about these master teachers. Why? Because you don’t hear them brag about how much they know. They aren’t trying to sell anything to you. They literally do not care whether you know who they are or not. Because they’re too busy LIVING yoga!!! Seek out the masters at all costs. Your knowledge as a yogi will depend on it.

(Please reach out to me if you would like to know the teachers I have had the honor of learning from).

3. your breathing practice is more important than anything… even your meditation or asana practice.

If you’ve ever been in a yoga class (or any workout class in general), and you forget to breathe, then you already know how difficult it becomes to move and stay present.

That’s why breathwork is THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. practice in all of Yoga science, for so many different reasons. Primarily this is because, well, if we stop breathing then we literally die. Like, how much more obvious can this be???

But beyond simply staying alive, practicing breathwork is the gateway to energy management. When you learn to control your breath, you learn to control your emotions, and later, even your thoughts - since every pattern of breath is neurologically linked to every feeling and activity we experience on earth.

If I don’t make the time to practice my asanas or do a traditional meditation, I let myself off the hook, because I know I can take my practice “off the mat” with me. Just three deep breaths is scientifically proven to reset your awareness. Try it. I can guarantee, you won’t be disappointed.

Conclusion

Yoga is expansive. It has enveloped my entire life. It’s a philosophy, not just a workout. And I barely even scratched the surface of Ayurveda - there is so much more that I can say. And I will. And now that you know what keeps me going every day, you don’t have to wonder how I have so much energy. I only have Yoga to thank for that. It has truly saved my life.

Remember to take your practice off the mat.

Love you,