om body
acceptance. If you feel like you’re not fit
enough to do yoga, not young enough to
do yoga, not flexible to do yoga – this is
exactly why you should do yoga! In yoga,
nothing needs to be pushed away. It’s a safe
place to explore all these false stories we tell
ourselves. Once we begin to realise that we
are perfect for yoga, we begin to discover
other stories we’ve been telling ourselves
that are also not so true and might be
holding us back in other areas of life.
The modernisation of yoga has been
great for yoga – it’s everywhere! That’s a
good thing because we want people to be
curious about yoga. The down side is that
magazines and social media can’t portray
the feeling accurately – it is very hard,
impossible. They portray what you can see,
what sells and gets likes – which is the tip of
the iceberg, the often very complex postures.
But there is so much more to yoga – but you
have to come and feel it for yourself. And if
you don’t feel encouraged and supported in
class, try a different teacher or a different
style of yoga or even studio. I believe that
with so many studios and teachers there are
in London, there is something and someone
for everyone.What do you do when not doing yoga
I teach yoga and meditation and practice
in a very will-driven and ambitious city.
I realised within my first year of being in
London (harsh change of pace from living
on a small island in Indonesia just before)
that I was constantly feeling fatigued. I
was working very hard at transforming my
awareness, and sharing my discoveries
with students, but giving little attention to
relaxation and integration. I remembered
reading a quote once that said, “Sometimes
rest is the highest spiritual practice.”
When I am not teaching yoga, or doing
my daily practice, I try and rest now and not
‘talk yoga’ or start goofing around with an
arm balance when someone’s trying to have
an actual conversation with me. It’s easy to
be swallowed up in the ‘teacher image’ and
become engulfed into creating a persona,
like an entertainer would. When I am off the
mat now, I try and be off that mat, and be
fully immersed in my life, conversations and
activities. And actually, that’s the ‘real yoga’:
being present with the people you love.
Being present.Find out more about Mona Lisa Godfrey at:
monalisagodfrey.comYoga photos: Rich Goodwin (yogatoday.com)Headshot: Linton Productions (Lindsay Linton)