Schoen Julie - Just Do Yoga: The Complete Yoga Guide To The Best Yoga Poses For Total Mind And Body Bliss

This book has been a long time in the making. I began practicing yoga when I was seventeen; just months after a serious accident left me with a broken body and a battered mind. Since my first class, yoga has become more than a hobby it is a lifestyle. It has changed how I think about myself, how I look, how I feel, and, most importantly, it has changed who I am for the better.

Not a day goes by that I dont thank that person driving the car nearly eight years ago for forcing me to take a good hard look at my life and where I was going. Today I am fulfilled and happy, two things I was starting to lose sight of on that fateful winter morning.

Yoga has taught me to slow down and enjoy the moment. As a new mom, there is no greater gift I could have received from my practice than learning to enjoy even the smallest (and sometimes most difficult) moments with my son, knowing that in life, as in my practice, nothing is permanent and everything is and will change. Being present for my life the past eight years has opened my eyes to the beauty of the world. I am reminded daily through the love and devotion of my family, friends, and students that no matter how much hate and evil there is in this world, the amount of love and kindness is always greater always.

Practicing yoga teaches you to accept what is, strive for something greater, and then laugh at the result. A great teacher friend of mine once described this as holding it (the results) lightly, knowing all too well that the journey is far greater than the destination. Each time I step on my mat I keep this idea in mind because it allows me freedom freedom from failure and success. Some days I kick up into a handstand beautifully, feeling weightless; other days I fall on my face, crashing like a ton of bricks. Either way, I smile and move on with my practice. In the end, what is important is that I tried and tried and tried. Dedication is a key component to both yoga and life.

The greatest thing about yoga is that it can be anything you need it to be. It is therapy, exercise, prayer, meditation, medicine, socialization, and education all rolled into one amazing practice. One day it can make you sweat buckets and the next it can be a shoulder to lean on. On lucky days, yoga is all of the above and then some. Whatever yoga is for you is exactly what it should be. Over time your practice and your yoga might change, but today you are exactly where you are and that is perfect.

Every day when you step onto your mat to practice, take a moment to remind yourself of the story of the musk deer. Musk deer search their whole life for a sweet smell that has been with them since birth. Unaware that the smell is actually being emitted from them, they wander their whole life and, at the end of it, have spent its entirety searching for something that was always with them. Most people are like these deer, searching for happiness and fulfillment in the world rather than looking within. You already have everything you need to live a wonderful, healthy, happy life; you just have to learn how to see it, how to tap into your own greatness, and to finally allow your body and mind a chance to rest from the search.

Over the past year I have been working on compiling this book, highlighting just some of the many benefits yoga has offered me. I wrote with as much honesty and integrity as possible, hoping to evoke the greater wisdom of all of the teachers that have come before me. My wish is that this book, even if just in the smallest way, helps you tap into the power of yoga and learn how to allow yourself to be present so that you mind, body, and spirit can heal, rest, and grow.

Know that when all else fails, Just Do Yoga.

Many blessings on your journey!

Love,
Julie