My yoga journey started about 20 years ago when I had my first yoga class in Guam. I enjoyed the stretching and holding of asanas, and viewed yoga as just one of the classes offered at the local gym, much like aerobics and pilates. This initial brush with yoga ended in less than a year when my motivation to go to the gym dwindled. In 2007, I suffered from a right frozen shoulder and underwent physical therapy but couldn’t regain my shoulder’s full range of motion. I was alarmed that my body was very inflexible that I couldn’t even touch my toes. I was surprised that I had this disease which I thought only affected the elderly in their eighties or older, not someone half that age! I moved to Korea in 2009 and after a couple of years later, I found an Eastern Medicine doctor who introduced me to a regimen that was beneficial because my frozen shoulder gradually healed. It was in 2016 that I felt that the universe opened up the chance to get reintroduced to yoga through two teachers. Chris Willauer, my colleague at Chadwick International, offered free classes to the faculty at school. I joined the classes because I hoped that yoga could help me regain flexibility in my body. Classes started at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and it certainly entailed commitment on my part. Later that year, I had one more teacher, Angela Higueras, who conducted classes just a few floors down from where I lived. I began to have a better appreciation of yoga and enjoyed my new-found flexibility. Before Angela left Korea summer of 2018, she taught a small group of her students a way to maintain yoga practice at home even in the absence of a teacher. The yoga routine Angela taught worked for a few months, but it was difficult to remain consistent without my two guides. I knew I needed a teacher and sought out Vu Hong Hau. I was content to get back in the routine of attending classes at GCF and at Asteya Yoga. However, my contentment was short-lived when she mentioned that her family planned to leave Korea by the end of this school year. I was saddened by the prospect of losing another yoga teacher. When Hau mentioned that she was offering Yoga Teacher Training Course, I grabbed the opportunity despite my fears about being unable to do the difficult yoga asanas and passing the test. I had a gut feeling that it was now or never to take the path of deepening my yoga practice. Little did I suspect that this decision would affect every aspect of my life, including my faith! Yoga is so much more than the asanas and holding the perfect pose. When we did research on and discussed the Eight Limbs of Yoga from the Yoga Sutras, especially the Yamas and Niyamas, I was struck by the extent to which these moral injunctions and observances have parallels in my Catholic faith and in what I believe to be important in relation to myself, my God, others and the environment. My faith exhorts me to love my neighbor as myself, to do good and not harm others, that’s ahimsa. My faith encourages me to be truthful to live an authentic life, that’s satya. My faith tells me that just like the lilies of the field, God provides for what we need, therefore, don’t steal from others, that’s asteya. My faith urges me to live in moderation and self-control, that’s bramacharya. My faith teaches me to store up treasures in heaven by not being attached to material things and by sharing what I have with others, that’s aparigraha. I believe that purity or saucha, in our thoughts, words and actions allow us to see our true nature and see God. I believe that what we experience as “bad things” turn out to be blessings in disguise and that in true contentment and appreciating what is, or santosha, lies the key to lasting happiness. I believe that my purpose in life is to be disciplined, or to practice tapas, to press on until we reach the price of knowing our Lord. I believe that we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and that the study of scriptures, or swadhyaya, enable us to embrace this truth deeply. I believe that as a deer longs for running streams, so my soul longs for God, thus, we all need to devote ourselves to a supreme being, or ishwara pranidhana, in order to experience fullness in life. Practicing yoga is, in a sense, practicing my faith. In the 5 weeks since we’ve started the YTTC journey, I have become more of an observer of my thoughts, emotions, and actions, and not judging myself. I have learned to notice my breathing and how I can practice mindfulness in all that I do and in the wanderings of my mind. When I was growing up, my parents instilled in us, their children, to always do our best. That’s what I’m learning to do without being too self-critical and attached to the results of my actions and decisions. With each new day, I am learning to let go and be free. I sometimes revert back to old habits and still have my fears and uncertainties about conquering difficult asanas and passing the test, but I do what I can and pray for strength and courage because I know that I am not in this alone.
