Yoga is...

Do you remember the greeting cards which started ‘Love is…’ and hundreds of different ways to define love. For some reason I always remember the one that ended ‘never having to say you’re sorry’ which must have mystified me at the time and the only one I have retained in my brain! When people ask me to define yoga, I always remember the dot dot dot of the love is cards because every day it could mean something different to me in relation to my teaching and my life. The usual definition is to ‘unite’ the mind, body and spirit; yoga is to connect to nature, yoga is not purely exercise but a spiritual practice – it is a question that I am asked often and my answer is never the same.

I have just been working with one of the most inspirational teachers, Donna Farhi who defined yoga as …’being intimate with life’ - beautiful, simple, food for thought indeed. When I work intensively with yoga, life seems a little bit easier, things seem to run more smoothly, there is a spring in my step and lightness in my heart - yes, more intimate with life and living fully. How would you define yoga and how does it affect your life?