What is Yoga? I would always begin Yoga Certification trainings with this question. At the end of the 200hrs (9 months) I would pose this question to the soon to be graduates once more. What is Yoga? It was always a wonderful marker of how their perception of Yoga had been transformed. A Course in Miracles defines a miracle as a shift in perception; I was humbled to witness this miracle occur with each group of trainees. So what is Yoga? A sample of a formal definition would go something like this; Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word Yuj which means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as union or a method of discipline. I recall a philosophy teacher describing what was being yoked was the oxen to the cart. Whoa? Oxen? Cart? Actually, that is very accurate as one can imagine a few thousand years ago just how crucial it would be to be able to yoke (unite) your oxen to your cart in order to travel to other villages. This was necessary to be able to sell or barter items as well as to spend time with others and exchange ideas, news, etc. So without the union of the ox and cart there would be a lack of connection, isolation, thereby limiting ones experiences.

Today we are less interested in uniting oxen and carts and instead look to unite Body, Mind & Spirit. Yoga invites us to experience union with our deepest selves in order to reflect upon the experiences that have knowingly or unknowingly created barriers in our lives. We crave richer relationships, less judgement, healthier friendships, and find that Yoga is just the prescription we seek.

My experience with Yoga began almost 30 years ago. I had suffered a traumatic loss which, with the guidance of a friend, led me to my first Yoga class. I experienced an immediate shift.  I can recall laying on the cold, hard, dirty school cafeteria floor in savasana and feeling as if I was floating above my body looking down at myself. I felt lighter, less burdened, my grief had paused if even for a few moments. I  raced home to call my sister and share the experience. “You have got to try this stuff! It’s like getting a massage from the inside out!” I continued taking classes and practicing on my own for the next 10 years.

Finally, craving deeper connection (yoking) with liked minded beings I began inquiring about Yoga teacher training. It was new and there were only two schools on Long Island at the time. I was accepted to the program and began what would be one of the most transformational journeys of my life. When the training concluded, I didn’t know what to do. Teach? Go back to being a stay at home Mom? I was overflowing with this new experience and all the shifts that had occurred during the year long certification. I decided to teach, renting space in a dance studio until finally opening a small basement studio in Massapequa. I had no idea what I was doing but I knew the power of the Yoga teachings. I had Faith in Yoga.

Tao Porchon Lynch visits our humble studio

Students came to class mainly out of curiosity, as we were the first Yoga studio in town. That will change over time as Yoga’s popularity will grow and there will come to be studios and teacher trainings on every corner. Or so it felt. We were the Yoga studio that could. Growing slowly, no bells and whistles, no massages or fancy offerings. Simply Yoga, meditation, philosophy and the building of a sangha (community) & connection (yoking). We eventually moved to a street level studio where my husband installed bamboo floors, an Iyengar rope wall system and a beautiful altar. Each space was special and students would comment that it felt like home. The smells of sandalwood incense & the lavender essential oil used during savasana permeated the air. The dark brown curtains offered privacy from the street and gave the students the feeling of being cocooned as they entered the sacred space. Warm tea and sweet offerings were a staple as were all the props you could possibly imagine. There were no computers, no phones, no fancy apps to sign in with. Just a book & a pen. Payment was cash placed in a wooden box on the desk or if you had purchased a class pass (which were printed by yours truly & had hand written Om symbols to count the classes) they were clicked with a hole punch as proof of attendance. All done on good Faith. Many students would bring their smiles and their tears to this space, myself included, over the years. We would be blessed with visiting Lamas, wonderful Iyengar teachers, as well as the amazing teachers that held the space for students on a weekly basis. We were humbled to spend the day with the incomparable Tao Porchon-Lynch, an experience I will never forget. It was a magical 15 years.

And then came Covid.

In Spring of 2020 the world would be forever changed. We will be put into lockdown and begin to use language we had never heard before. I committed myself to offering free zoom classes in March as a way to feel less helpless during such uncertain times. Om Tara Yoga Studio held on until the summer.  I always knew that when the studio was to be no more, the Universe would make the decision for me. We gathered for a beautiful closing ritual where there were many tears as well as hugs which were rare during the early days of the pandemic.

The biggest lesson I have gleaned from this time is that Yoga is held in the container of the Soul and the Soul exists everywhere. It’s all Yoga. We are not bound by walls, limited ideas of ourselves, labels of any kind. We are Divinely created beings with pure & limitless potential. Our essence flows wherever we go & our ability to serve others is our greatest asset. My wish is to continue to live the teachings of Yoga, to stay connected & yoked to all beings everywhere and to share my gifts wherever I am called.

Yoga is not something we do, it is a state of being. Following the words of Rumi “I looked in temples, churches & mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart.”

What does Yoga mean to you? I’d love to hear your perception of Yoga as well as your personal journey on and off the mat. If, on your path, you found yourself in the sacred space of Om Tara Yoga, I would love to hear your story.

In Light & Love Always,

Jacqui