Arriving in Montreal in the middle of a blizzard was not the way I anticipated meeting ‘la belle ville.’  Then, having the wrong directions (thank you Google Maps) from the airport to the hotel didn’t help matters. However, it did teach me an eternal truth which has helped to ground me in reality while encouraging me on my life long yoga journey.  The truth is “that you must know where you are coming from, in order to get where you want to go.”

Our map you see, for some reason, which shall forever remain a mystery,  located the airport, in Vieux Montreal, the old historic section of the city close to downtown. However, if you’ve ever been to Montreal you know that Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport is definitely NOT anywhere near Vieux Montreal. So as we set out from the airport we took the wrong freeway through a white out. Only after getting out the old fashioned AMA map and figuring out the exit numbering system were we able to turn ourselves around and make it slowly and carefully, top speeds of 60 km/h (35 mph) on the horrendous roads, back in the correct direction to find our hotel.

As I thought about how important it was to know where we were coming from, I related it to the debate on how old is yoga that has been raging. See YogaDork, elephant journal and Lynda’s Yoga Journey. True in some ways it is inconsequential to know the exact historical advent of the practice. However, a knowledge and understanding of the history and teachings  of yoga is essential to moving forward with a personal practice and being able to comprehend the direction yoga is moving in as it gains popularity.

I think yoga is approached by most people in the western world as a physical practice when they are first introduced to the art. Making some major assumptions here so bear with me. They want a longer, stronger, more flexible body. Heck, its why I first started doing yoga. I was pregnant and my doctor forbade me from continuing with running. Well, fine, I’d find something else. Luckily there was a yoga studio down the street from my flat in Cape Town, South Africa. After one class I was hooked! I remember always coming out of class with more energy than when I walked in, removed my shoes, and grabbed my blocks, blankets and mats (definitely an Iyengar class). I had no idea what Iyengar even meant, but my teacher was fantastic! She challenged, taught, modified poses for my ever increasing girth, and introduced me to yoga in ways which I still strive to pass on to my students almost 14 years later.

During the intervening years I’ve delved a lot deeper into what yoga is and what it means. And luckily for me my yoga practice has changed over time: opening like a precious flower, to bloom in my life and make it more beautiful and wondrous. I know some of the history and continue to learn more. That has helped me to find my way and figure out what yoga means to me on any given day. Sometimes it is a vigorous Ashtanga Primary Series workout, others it is mindfully meditating and practicing pranayama each evening as I walk my dog. Yes, I am a YogaDork and admit it freely and openly.

Regardless of why we first begin our yoga journey, knowing where we are coming from will only help each one of us actually make it to our final destination. So don’t let the blizzard and terrible roads get to you. Break out the map, get going in the ‘right’ direction (one only you can decide upon), and enjoy your lifelong yoga adventure.

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