love and yoga...

love is defined as:
-a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.

yoga is defined as:
-union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.

so in essence what is the difference? when teaching i instruct my students to utilize the breath while moving into and through the poses. with each inhale we have the opportunity to elongate and open and with each exhale to contract and go deeper. this is what love is all about; stretching ourselves, moving inward, strengthening, opening, and going deeper.
yoga is my connection to the divine. love is my religion.
and here is where i digress...from my true self that is...because as of late i haven't really been on point.
i have settled for what was given. not to say that i haven't had moments of unabashed love...because i have...but truly when sitting with myself i realize that my expectations while existing in the realm of human experience are deeper than what i have been and am presently engaging in.
it's laborious to get to this space...like yoga, love can reach parts of you that you didn't know existed and create discomfort...and so we breathe into these places...stimulating the (nervous) system to allow the changes to take place...we learn to appreciate the pose for the ways in which it shifts our physical, spiritual, and mental reality...
...or, as it is in so many cases, we hold the breath, come out of the posture, and say, "i can't do that"...
...and remain stiff, fastened, and disconnected...

back to my digression...presently and as of late i have entertained relationships of the specious nature...and without really realizing i've compromised not only what i receive but also what i can then give...
...allow me to explain...
in the act of yoga (asana) my expectation for myself is to breathe and center myself so that in each moment i can go in to the full expression of the posture...so that the movement comes from my core...and remains dynamic though the execution of conscious inhaling and exhaling...
...and in love...i desire the same...the allowance to engage in the full expression of the posture...and to place my mat beside someone who is willing to do the same...

[...but, he hasn't been...and i've allowed him time and space to try to connect the breath to the pose and even tried to show him the right alignment for the pose (i am a yoga teacher after all)...but instead of relaxing into it and maintaining that connection, he resists...and sometimes i could swear that he abhors my ability to get to that place with ease...there are moments where he admires it too...but still...]

and still i am...
...left with only the thews, faith, and resolve it takes to move on and the clarity of my subsequent desire:

to practice love (and yoga) with...

...egos aside, vulnerabilities visible, hearts open, with the willingness to stay in the pose and breathe our way through the toilsome moments, and love...really love with the tenacity and fervency that is necessary to cultivate and integrate the beauty that comes from this depth...