Nicola Jane Hobbs - Strong, Calm and Free

GREEN TREE

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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This electronic edition published in 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in Great Britain 2021

Copyright Nicola Jane Hobbs, 2021

Illustrations Ann-Kathrin Hochmuth, 2021

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Contents

Introduction

The Gift of Yoga

NOT LONG AFTER MY 18TH BIRTHDAY, I found myself sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat at the back of a local yoga studio. The smoky smell a potent blend that reminded me of Christmas spices was slowly diffusing around the room and there was gentle, uplifting music playing with lyrics in a language I didnt understand. I had never practised yoga before. I thought meditation was for monks. And mindfulness was yet to make it to the mainstream. But I was finding the intense pressure and machine pace of modern life overwhelming and I was willing to try anything to take the edge off the ever-present anxiety that hummed beneath the surface of my life.

The yoga teacher instructed us to stand at the top of our mat and asked us to silently set a sankalpa, an intention for our practice: why had we come to class today? Who would we like to dedicate our practice to? How could we make our time on the mat sacred? I felt awkward. Uncomfortable. Vulnerable. In my mind, yoga was like aerobics or spinning a workout, a way to get fit and let off steam. I wasnt interested in the spiritual stuff. But, by the end of the class, something deep within me had ever-so-slightly shifted softened, opened, released and, after years of feeling anxious, overwhelmed and exhausted, I felt different. I felt strong, calm and free. I glimpsed what it was like to be fully present, fully in my body instead of stuck in my head judging it from the outside. And, for a brief moment, the coppery voice of my inner critic faded and I touched an inner peace that I had forgotten existed. It was as if I had spent my whole life holding my breath and now I could finally exhale.

Yoga is a practice that saturates your whole life. It is a compassionate, flowering adventure towards a more peaceful, joyful way of being in the world. Towards becoming fully and completely who we are.

I went back to class every week after that. Learning how to breathe again. Learning the poses and their funny Sanskrit names. Learning how to be in my body in a way that was nourishing and not destructive. Learning how to be present instead of always striving towards the next goal. Learning how to be strong. And how to surrender.

A couple of years later, I booked a flight to Thailand to train as a yoga and meditation teacher. And Ive been sharing the gift of yoga ever since. Both my practice and teaching have changed a lot over the last decade. In the early days, the advanced poses the fancy arm balances and extreme backbends were the goal of my practice. But, over the years, I have discovered the poses are just the beginning, an entry point to a practice that will, if you let it, transform your entire life.

Most people come to yoga for the poses and it is these poses that modern, fitness-based yoga largely focuses on but they are just a tiny part of a deeper, richer, more beautiful journey that has been travelled for thousands of years as a path to health, happiness and wholeness. It is this wholeness that I would like to share in this book. Because, when you sense the sheer lavishness of the practice, you will begin to see how yoga is not a workout or a tool for self-improvement. Nor is it a way to relax before jumping back into the busyness of everyday life. Its not something you do once a week or whenever you have time. Instead, yoga is a practice that saturates your whole life. A practice in letting go, loving deeply and living fully. It is a compassionate, flowering adventure towards a more peaceful, joyful way of being in the world. It is a journey towards wholeness. Towards freedom. Towards becoming fully and completely who we are.

I have written this book for anyone who feels called to explore the universe of yoga for those of you who are totally new to yoga or new to teaching yoga and also for those of you who would like to deepen your practice and recommit to this spiritual adventure once more. Yoga is so immense, that, even after a decade of practising and teaching, I still see myself as a beginner. And I find myself beginning my yoga journey again and again, year after year, breath after breath returning to the same pose over and over again, each time with a heart that is a little more open and a little less afraid.

The 18-year-old who first set foot on the yoga mat all those years ago was an anxious, ego-driven, achievement-orientated perfectionist, rushing through life and chasing after goals that didnt really matter to her in an attempt to prove she was good enough. If I could speak to her now, I would remind her to slow down and breathe deeply and listen inwardly for what her heart has to say. I would reassure her that her struggles can be the very source of her awakening the very places where joy, wisdom and love can flourish. I would encourage her to keep practising, to keep returning to her yoga mat, to keep creating a sacred space where self-awareness and self-respect can blossom.