Getting personal

My coworkers ate lunch together in the lounge today and I told them I started this blog. Soon thereafter I realized some people don’t care about yoga. They don’t have anything against it; they just don’t care. Which means they don’t try to learn anything about it. Which really troubles me.

I know I cannot change other people. I know, I know, I know. And still, I struggle not to try. I can accept that my coworker has no interest, but I have trouble resisting the urge to explain why interest is warranted.

Because it is so clear to me that yoga can change the world, for serious. I have a hard time keeping this information to myself. I want to tell anyone who will listen, or at least let me talk.

But for people to listen, they have to care what I’m saying. And since one of my biggest goals with this blog and my future website is to communicate with people whose minds may not already be open to my ideas, I’m going to need a hook that isn’t exclusively related to yoga.

And that’s where it gets personal. My posts are a blend of fact and opinion, and for you to care about either it helps to know who I am. After all, everything is conveyed through a filter–that’s why it’s so important to be aware of who’s talking.

I believe I am a reliable and qualified narrator. I have a fancy journalism degree and a longstanding love for fiction, which equates to a deep understanding of how to tell a true story.  I am a writer and choose my words with care. I’m not sure I believe anything can be objective, so I don’t pretend that’s what I am. But I do my best to be aware of bias and to acknowledge it.

So, for instance, I know I am biased toward loving yoga. On a logical level I understand it won’t appeal to everyone, but I still believe that it could. I sincerely believe the world would be a better place if yoga were a daily practice for all humans. And I don’t see why every human couldn’t have a daily practice. It is truly possible, and I find that inspiring.

There is only one true truth, and the path to understanding it is necessarily personal. No one can travel your journey but you, and there is no single solution or cure-all for your pain. But yoga provides a universal access road, a structure and philosophy that will help you get where you are going, if you make an honest effort. Yoga teaches us how to rest our anxious and fearful minds, allowing grace and acceptance to flow through our bodies, out of our calmly breathing mouths, and into the world we create.

Interested yet?