When I stepped onto my yoga mat the very first time, I had no real understanding of alignment. I just wanted to stretch and work-out. I quickly became a vinyasa flow practitioner. One pose to the next without a lot of thought if I was really doing the pose safely and properly. I didn't realize the importance of alignment to create a free flowing energy. I was just doing the poses, I wasn't becoming the poses. I didn't understand the difference.
I felt good. I was becoming more flexible, stronger, but something was missing. With this repetitive misalignment I wasn't and I couldn't feel fully connected. I'm certain I was headed toward injury because parts of my body were stuck. My mind also felt stuck.
One day I walked into an alignment based studio and my life changed. Little by little the meaning of yoga revealed itself to me. Through hard work, my body began to change and open. Then my mind began to open, and ultimately by aligning my body and mind my soul slowly awakened. I began to see more clearly. Choices were easier to make. I felt a sense of freedom as I let go of trying to control life and instead allow life to unfold naturally.
I love teaching a steady musical flow, but first I teach alignment. I can't stress enough the importance. Once our bodies become the poses then I teach how to transition from pose to pose with alignment and moving with grace. I incorporate the use of my Jevins (yoga alignment prop) to help us find full expressions of ourselves without possibility of injury and embodying the pose without sacrificing our alignment.
When we align ourselves, body, mind and spirit and breath, our practice becomes one of moving meditation.. a moving prayer.... freedom....