Inspired People: #Spanking A-Z Blog Hop Challenge

I think most of you know how important yoga is in my life, yes? I've blogged about it a bit and talk about it now and again. I've been practicing for almost ten years, taught for a few of those years and am back to being a student since moving to Holland. I'm lucky in that I've found a studio and one particular teacher here whom I completely adore, who inspires me, who loves what he's doing and from whom I get energy. He could teach the same class twenty times in a row and I'd still feel like "Wow! That was amazing!"

The style I practice is Jivamukti although my training is Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga. They're fairly similar physically but Jivamukti has the added chanting and, to me, a more spiritual practice. I still get my ass kicked in class (especially when I forget I'm attending a higher level class when I go on an off day), but at the heart of practice is spirit.

And so we get to inspired people - my post title. This week, my teacher has been talking about the things that, according to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, can cause you to truly succeed in yoga. Oh, real quick, yoga means union and the point of it (for me at least although I think it might be the same for many), is to stop seeing things as separate and seeing all as one. I'm not sure I can explain that better. I understand it for myself as more a feeling than words. So, the Pradipika talks about surrounding yourself with inspired people. I love this because it's true, I want to always be around people who uplift me, who make me think, who make me feel and learn and grow, who are curious and want to engage with me. When I say this, I don't mean only saying what is positive and never sharing pain and suffering. Pain and suffering are a part of life and a powerful tool to finding that thing that gives substance to life, that adds layers or takes them away - depending on how you look at it - and just makes life beautiful. Through pain and suffering, we can find connection and we can help each other. That's what we're supposed to do I think. Always. It's easy to forget sometimes...but that's where forgiveness comes in. More on that another day.

I'm rambling and lost my thought. I should probably mention I'm writing this after a class where we did do quite some back bending which truly is like walking by a coffee shop (pot cafes in Amsterdam) too slowly and inhaling too deeply! It's a wonderful feeling - the back bending high I mean. Ok, I really lost my thought now. Hold please while I re-read my post and wrap it up.

OK, I'm back. So - inspired people - I love them and I hope I am one to my friends. How about you? Do you surround yourself with inspired people?

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