I sound like a broken cliche’ recording, but I say this all the time:  Variety is the ‘Spice of Life’!

Sometimes it’s the zest of Cayenne Pepper and sometimes it is more like Parsley.  We can say the same for Yoga.   There are various flavors of Yoga, and even the same type differs from instructor to instructor. 

Years ago, I had a gal come into a class and ask me what ‘style’ of Yoga do I teach.  As the word ‘Hatha’ flowed my lips she turned around and started to leave the studio.  It took me a moment to realize what was going on, but I followed after her and literally begged her to stay.  Wow!  To get dressed for class, drive to the studio, then have a complete change of heart and leave based on one little word… ‘hatha’.  Wow!  I don’t know about you, but when I have the opportunity to attend a class, you can’t pull me out of there with a crane (no pun intended).  So for this lady to want to leave bothered me tremendously.  I was able to convince her stay; reminded her that if she wasn’t feeling the groove she could always leave at that point… After all, she WAS already there.  She stayed for the entire class and we had a wonderful conversation afterwards.  As it turned out, she loved Hatha Yoga, but just didn’t mesh with her previous experience.  This is a common occurrence, we are different people with different tastes.  It’s okay.  We simply have to find the seasoning that suites us best.

Whether we try Vinyasa, Hatha, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Bikram, or any other glorious flavor of Yoga, each experience is going to have a different taste.  Maybe it’s an acquired one, kinda like sushi.  First time, edible, but not particularly our favorite.  Then after a couple of tries, we begin to salivate at just the thought of it.  Or perhaps, it’s more like chocolate… love at first bite.  Of course, there is white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate…. again, all chocolate but very different.   Just like Yoga.  Whether your experience is equivalent to raw fish or sugary sweet, it is always going to be a favorite for someone.  Continue to practice, enjoy the Yoga Buffet, and remember to add a pinch of cayenne and a dash of parsley.

Bon Apetite and Namaste’

Carrisa