I found myself praying:
"May I love and accept myself just as I am.”
- Tara Brach
Why Yoga?
Throughout my life, movement has always been a big part of who I am. Whether that was Netball, Athletics (I challenge anyone to race me at the 100 m sprint), Gymnastics, Horse riding, or my main love - Dancing.
I love to move my body — especially to music. I grew up with a true love for music, I was introduced as a baby and grew up on the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, to name a few. It formed who I was and who I am today. There's something so beautiful about the human body moving like water, effortless and pure. I’m mesmerised by it — sexually as well, It’s a beautiful thing.
So when I first started practicing yoga — about 7 years ago now, I loved how it moved my body. It felt sensual yet strong.
I started for the physical benefits as I didn’t then know what yoga really meant and stood for. To me it was another form of exercise — which in a way incorporated my love for dance.
I would practice maybe once or twice a week at the most and always enjoyed it — but never felt that connection that I now have.
Whilst travelling in Australia, I enrolled in a Bikram course. There was something I loved about the challenge of the added heat. I’m drawn to intensity in life, and I love it when there is an added challenge. So here I was, back to yoga on my Bikram course. I was going every day and I started to notice a shift in myself — out of the class, not just inside. What was this feeling I was experiencing?
It was then that I started doing some research into the practice and I found out the benefits it has for our minds and overall wellbeing - more so than our bodies.
I learned more about the deep spiritual side of yoga and how it was a ‘sacred practice’ which has been around for thousands of years. This connected to the spirituality in myself. It was this side of yoga that enticed me more than the asana.
Unfortunately, this fascination was short lived. Due to things happening in my personal life, I lost touch with my new found love of yoga. I had a lot of stuff going on that caused me to forget to make the time for my practice - It was actually then that I needed yoga the most when I look back at it now.
When I returned to yoga, it was fairly minimal - back to the one or two times a week practices, physical practice. I definitely felt great doing it, but I had almost forgotten about the true meaning that I had previously learned.
It wasn’t until about 3 years ago, that I found myself back on this journey, in India. But this time was different. This time, I was connecting back to myself, connecting to my spirituality, connecting to my breath.
I found my mind reaping the benefits and my practice was becoming more regular. It was here that I got the calling to teach. I still can’t pinpoint which moment it was that changed things for me, but last year, I went to Bali.
The rest is history.
Live fully, Love fully and sprinkle your magic
Em J
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