Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames. Mevlana Rumi
I was first led to a steady yoga practice about fifteen years ago by my quirky back. I was born with a vertebrae fusing my sacrum and lumbar region; by my mid-thirties I was experiencing daily pain. Western doctors robotically prescribed drugs and surgery, both of which I instinctively declined. But even a chiropractor predicted the problem was only likely to get worse.
Instead, I fled to the yoga world, figuring that stretching out the muscles could only help. Little did I know a life-long wild love affair was about to begin.
And indeed I saw that as long as I practiced three or four days a week my back was fine. Only when I took too many days off did the pain flare. Now it barely surfaces at all. And after a few months of practice I began to discover the countless spiritual and emotional benefits of yoga, far beyond my tweaky back. Now I look at it all as lucky body karma that tricked me into a disciplined practice. I shudder to imagine how my life might have gone if this hadn't happened.
And so, it was with real curiosity that I discovered a cool new program that launched in the last few months called Passport to Prana. The idea is so brilliant and simple it's surprising no one has done it before. You go their website, pay thirty dollars and gain access to one class in every studio in your town that's part of their network. Right now they're here in the Bay Area, as well as Dallas, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Boston. Soon they'll be adding Los Angeles, Boulder, San Diego, Seattle, and more.
While I've always had my favorite studios, for years I'd seen new places sprouting that I never had a chance to try. As my friend Janet says, "the Bay Area has more yoga spots than trees." So for the last month I've been having a blast romping around. Some unexpected delights have emerged that I would have normally never found (like The Pad over on Union Street, a perfect jewelry box of a place with dynamic, ecstatic, music-filled classes. Who knew?)
And if you're someone who's been on the edge of the yoga pool for a while waiting to dive in, the Passport is a perfect chance. You can explore an array of locations, taking each of their beginner classes and see what fits you best.
I don't know about you, but all of this has been my idea of a really, really good time.
And if you have a yoga salvation story of your own, feel free to share in the 'comments' section. I'd love to read it.
Comments
My path to yoga was similar. I had devastating migraine headaches, 10 or more a month. And western medicine just wanted to keep on piling on the drugs. Now I am nearly headache free. But with that, I uncovered a spiritual practice, and a community that I can thrive with. I can't imagine my life without it, even if my headaches were the same.
What a great idea! I'm going to look up the Philly ones. An ailing back is what drew me to yoga as well.
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