Who is a Yogi?

By Jeanne Heileman, Yoga Teacher Trainer

When the practice really is off the mat…

In Sanskrit, Sukha means good space, sweet, happiness, delight, joy, comfort, and pleasure.

It is these qualities that were found in a four-legged friend who was rescued last Saturday afternoon. A pit bull that could appear fierce was in fact the most loving ball of warmth that gave hugs to most of us. He truly broke the heart of anyone who met him in the days that we rescued him, got him to the vet and got him a foster mother. I was really overwhelmed by how many people got involved (more than there’s room to name) to help me help this dog. While the media has news filled with negative stories about people, I would like to send news that this dog’s plight brought out so many wonderful souls together in an effort to help a four-legged friend. Our vibrations of kindness positively affect our environment and that only brings more good news.

What’s so funny about last weekend was that while I was trying to rescue a dog and pack for a month away and get my home in order for a house sitter, and finish so many things, I kept trying to find a way to get onto my mat and do some yoga. I had to surrender that with everything that was happening around me, my “practice” as I understood it was going to have to “go.” And then I looked at all these amazing people who went beyond their busy schedules to help me help this darned dog, and I realized that they were doing yoga right in front of me. They were my teachers. And then I realized that all of my practices, which sometimes isolated me from connecting with others “so I could go deeper” were flourishing right in front of me.

We practice devotedly so that we can let our practice flow through us in our daily encounters, which sometimes take us away from our mat and zafu. And for those moments, those are the real practice of yoga shining in radiant form. May the rest of your summer be full of awareness of each yogic moment, on the mat and right in front of you.

By Jeanne Heileman, Yoga Teacher Trainer