meditations from.

One of my all time favorite yoga teachers, Rolf Gates, wrote a beautiful book many years ago that I still return to over and over as a reference, a guide, a remembering. It’s called Meditations from the Mat.

Rolf came and taught at IBY a couple of times. I often go back and review my notes from the work I did with him. It is timeless. Even though it was over a decade ago, so much of what I learned, still inspires me.

Yoga is funny like that - it never goes out of style and the what we learn from our efforts on the mat, is timeless. Your yoga practice is an investment in your whole life - not just today and tomorrow.

Sometimes yoga calls us back in order to go forward. This morning, I went back to my notes, my readings, my studies with Rolf - to remember. Here is a nugget of beauty I stumbled upon:

“We are not practicing to take the edge off. The asanas (poses) are not an ancient and time-tested alternative to Valium. We are practicing asana to realize our divinity, enact it in this lifetime, and share it with all beings. By dedicating our practice to this end, we are affirming big, believing big, praying big, and allowing big things to happen”.

Thank you Rolf. I am still learning.

Big love,
Tammy