How Practicing Yoga Can Remove Obstacles In Your Life
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali says that the long-term practice of yoga can help remove obstacles in your life.
Of course, this does not mean that you will no longer face challenges in life just because you’ve started doing yoga. But it does mean that you can be unaffected by it, thus avoiding suffering as much as you usually would. This might sound too good to be true, though, right?
Well, I am Yoga Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, and Yoga Therapist. So, I have been practicing, teaching, and sharing my knowledge of yoga for many years now. In addition, I have been running Florida Yoga Academy in Cape Coral, Florida, for more than 12 years. So it is safe to say that I know yoga and how beneficial it can be in your life.
Using Yoga Amidst Turmoil to Form a New Beginning
In 2020, my yoga school was facing quite a big obstacle that we all know as the “pandemic” or the “coronavirus outbreak.” Fortunately, with my persistent hard work and some luck on my side, I was able to change this unprecedented situation into an opportunity for a new beginning.
As you probably know, the pandemic began on March 15 of 2020. During this time, I came back from my studies in India. Within one week of returning home, Florida Yoga Academy had no students coming to its yoga classes. Although this is understandable and expected, a yoga studio is still a fragile business because it is based on altruistic ideals to help community members heal, rather than being a large business with big profit goals.
Yoga helped me to keep fighting and maintain hope
As you can imagine, I was facing great difficulty due to the pandemic, and I was at the risk of losing everything. Teaching yoga is my passion, my love, and my life, which is what makes me a dedicated yoga practitioner. Therefore, I apply its philosophical teachings throughout my daily living. And this is especially the case in times of challenges or when facing difficulties.
I remembered reading from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali about how “we are suffering because of our mind.” This passage means that fear of loss is only in our minds and that there is a solution to all things, even in dire situations like the pandemic.
Despite this strong belief of mine, though, I was still very skeptical about teaching yoga online. However, there really was no choice in my current situation but to transfer group and private yoga classes, workshops, and Yoga Teacher Training online.
Being a naturally sensitive teacher to student needs, I also offered technical support to those who needed it. Ironically, I had students that were very skeptical about online yoga lessons as well. But I made sure to have long conversations with each student so that I could encourage them to continue and persist in practicing yoga, even if it was online.
Yoga is a discipline to overcome obstacles
It is normal to be scared of the unknown, but this is precisely why practicing yoga is important. Over time, this discipline will begin to reduce the obstacle of fear that so easily besets us. With everyone quarantined at home, the opportunity that allowed my students to see their friends online and chat with each other through my yoga classes brought a relieving feeling of happiness to all. By this alone, the suffering of isolation was already reduced, thanks to yoga!
Taking Advantage of Online Technology to Teach Yoga
The idea of transferring Florida Yoga Academy online certainly guaranteed a steady income and released the heavy weight of big financial responsibilities, such as rent. So, I was again free to live the life of my dreams – to travel and teach!
I was ready for the next step of transforming and improving my yoga studio. As I began to settle down and things were going well, I decided to travel on the fourth of July for Portugal. In this venture, the Florida Yoga Academy students traveled with me, although from my computer. Nevertheless, they were all very excited about the upcoming adventures we were about to embark on together.
Traveling in style with my online yoga classes
During my four-month-long trip to Europe, I recorded live streams and filmed beautiful videos. My students were able to see some very unique and rare places, such as how empty airports can be and how it feels to fly during the pandemic. It indeed was a magnificent experience for those who were stuck at home.
At the same time, everyone still practiced yoga with me from different parts of the world. They were able to hear stories and saw recordings of my adventures. It was a joy and pleasure for them to be part of this trip. Of course, there were obstacles and challenges during this journey. But, despite this, the trip gave me wonderful opportunities to explore, learn, and grow.
By the end of October, Europe was nearing the end of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, so I flew back to Florida. My Yoga students were finally ready to get out of their homes and excited to request yoga classes from me in person. Florida Yoga Academy offered outdoor classes, so we were able to accommodate for outdoor lessons. Sunday beach yoga at Cape Coral Yacht club and Friday Jaycee park yoga sessions felt rejuvenating and peaceful. It was also safe and fun. It was definitely an incredible sight to witness when all the students were happy to see each other in person after months of being isolated.
Final Thoughts
I learned that living life with the flow of the universe can bring infinite opportunities and support. While looking for a rental space for my indoor yoga classes, for example, I found “Paradise Events” in Cape Coral. The big room was perfect for safe yoga classes because students could still keep the social distance policy. Now, every Wednesday, I’m able to meet with my loyal Yogis, dedicated yoga practitioners who went with me through this journey of transformation. These are those who also supported me, not just financially but by continuously paying monthly memberships. And most importantly, they were open to doing things differently and were forgiving if anything went wrong.
My students gave me the strength to continue my life’s dream as a yoga teacher, and they no doubt became a strong yoga community. I don’t know where life will take me and Florida Yoga Academy in the future. But I will always be thankful for the obstacles and challenges that came. These trials are what helped me learn to move forward, grow, experience, and adjust my life for the better! Sage Patanjali was right, after all, in saying that the practice of Yoga can remove obstacles in your life.
