….. _________ . You fill in the blank.

I was internally prompted to write on this, and I found myself reviewing my trajectory of over 30 years of practice. I began with yoga asana, as many of us do, and discovered a wonderful grounding and embodiment of a sort I desperately needed. And I sensed there was a lot more.

So I explored philosophy for many years, first finding it impenetrable, yet I approached it as a practice, and begin to get some inklings of its profundity. It pointed me directly and repeatedly to meditation, and I was lucky to finally find a great teacher, Paul Muller-Ortega.

My meditation practice is the pinnacle of my journey, opening up my heart and life in ways I could not have imagined.

So what, of all these years of practice, is yoga? For me, if I had to encapsulate right now what yoga, it is these 5 things (moving from the outside in, then back out!).

1. a physical practice that keeps me embodied, grounded and healthy. My asana practice keeps my body nourished as I age.
2. An intellectual study of philosophy, of understanding a worldview I find compelling, and understanding the theory of the practice
3. MEDITATION. A daily practice of sitting to connect to my heart, the heart of everything.
4. Connection. Understanding and experiencing how everything is connected.
5. Acting/living on the basis of that connection.

So my working definition of yoga is: the practices that support, and the process of experiencing, the fundamental connective pulsation of the heart, and living from that connection.

Now, your turn. Yoga is …. ______________ .