Living on the Edge

I will never forget my first yoga class.  I didn't really want to go.  I thought yoga was for wimps and weirdos.  I saw no need to relax when intense physical activities could reduce my stress and OM-ing seemed just a little too...out there.  You know, like the girl in this video:

While visiting my dear friend in Boston during the frigid month of January, my arm was twisted.  She had been going to the Baptiste Studio in Cambridge and was obsessed.  So much so, she had even purchased several books by this dude Baron who created this style of power vinyasa yoga.  She claimed it was changing her life, so I was intrigued.  She also mentioned it was in a 90 degree room -- sounded delightful on that cold day, but also a little scary.  Extreme heat can make me irritable and claustrophobic (so naturally, I chose Charleston to call home).  I like to live on the edge, so I put on my running clothes and took the mat towel she insisted I would need and pushed all fears and doubts aside.

The next thing I know, I'm in a room mat-to-mat with strangers, swapping sweat, movin' and grovin', and having the time of my life.  I can't recall a thing the teacher said, but if it was anything about experiencing detoxing, opening, centering or freedom during the practice, she was spot-on.  I walked out of that room feeling lighter, happier, and ALIVE.  Plus, that class kicked my booty.  I worked muscles I didn't even know I had.  Turns out, yoga can be physically intense.  Good thing I was open-minded (yoga would teach me about that later) too lazy to run that day.  The high I was on could not even be stopped by the extreme shock of sweat-drenched clothes and hair meeting the harsh bite of the Boston winter winds.

Immediately upon returning home, before considering a much needed shower or electrolyte replenishment beverage, I was online looking up yoga studios in NYC (where I lived at the time) and ordering a green yogitoes towel that represented the heart chakra in honor of my new love interest.  Turns out, I'm a weirdo.  After showering and chugging a gallon of water, in my new-found zen state I got cozy with one of those books: Journey Into Power by Baron Baptiste.  I flipped through the pages reading an excerpt here and there, but then threw it aside in favor of wine and cheese.  

image: baronbaptiste.com

My yoga practice never stopped after that first class, but I was not reacquainted with the book that would truly inspire transformation my life until I participated in Yoga Teacher Training at Baptiste Affiliate Studio Charleston Power Yoga (an amazing experience I can't wait rave about another day).

In the book, Baron discusses his "Eight Universal Principles for Stepping Up to the Edge."  He says these principles will "do for your mind what a map does when you are lost on a road."  You may be wondering what the big deal is about living on the edge or think that sounds dangerous.  Personally, it's my favorite place.  It's staying in a pose when your legs are screaming at you to come out of it.  At the edge, we build strength.  It's showing up to a yoga class for the first time, even if you don't think you want to be there, and falling in love.  At the edge, we find serenity.

Image via Liz on Pinterest

Over the next eight posts, I will be discussing each principle in detail to help guide you on a journey to your own personal edge.  Whether you are a beginner or experienced yogi, these principles will speak to you.  Even if you've read them a thousand times before, as you grow in your life and practice, they will find new meaning.  In the same way that every time you show up for a yoga class, you get something different out of the experience.  If you've never done yoga before, you'll just have to trust me on that one and get to Charleston Power Yoga downtown on King Street to believe it for yourself.

See you on the mat,

Liz (lizabramsyoga.com)