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Guest Affair // Summer Dien – How I came to Yoga

14. März 2016
Gastbloggerin – Summer Dien – Ashtanga Yoga – World Traveler

2016 makes six years of a dedicated yoga practice!

I remember when I first started doing yoga. It was in 2010 and I was teaching English to kindergarteners in Doha, Qatar. I loved the kids but I couldn’t say the same for my principal or the school. And to be quite honest, I didn’t like myself very much either, because if I would have had the same amount of self love that I have now, I wouldn’t have treated myself or others in the manner that I did.I was in a dark place in 2009-2010.

Yoga shoot at the beach, Koh Samui, Thailand

My time in Qatar before I discovered yoga can be summed up like this: the waves were going in one direction and instead of learning to ride the waves and go with the flow, I went against the tide, every single time. I always went out of my way to make life harder on myself. There was this huge dark cloud looming over me. I was depressed, upset and angry. I took all my negative feelings out on myself and others.

Then one day, someone suggested I try yoga. And so I did. And I loved it. It came very naturally to me, like my body already knew what to do, like my body remembered.

Yoga shoot at the beach, Koh Samui, Thailand Yoga shoot at the beach, Koh Samui, Thailand

Yoga felt like coming home to myself

It was the only thing that made me happy in those days. I looked forward to each class. I came out feeling refreshed and revitalized. Yoga healed me.

And now, like Richard Freeman says, yoga has ruined my life! In the best possible way. After it healed me and showed me Who I Really Was, it started to bring up my „schtuff.“

Richard says that the yoga eviscerates you. People think that yoga is all „la Di da. I’m so happy and life is perfect“ but if that’s where you are, you haven’t gotten to the real yoga yet. It’s not always pretty and it can be painful. It’s a lifelong learning process which requires your sincerity and dedication, during the smooth parts and definitely during the bumpy parts. Yoga is tool for cultivating better self-awareness. It teaches you how to be the best version of yourself and then you can offer that up to others.
This is where I’m at after six years: allowing the yoga to go in there and bring up ALL my demons, so that I can deal with them properly and get rid of them, once and for all. After each clearing, I feel lighter. I just keep peeling back the layers, going deeper and deeper.

Yoga shoot at the beach, Koh Samui, Thailand
Let the yoga take you on a journey. Let it take you inside yourself. Into the Inner Space. Where you can experience the Truth with a capital T. Find out what that means for you.

For me, the Truth is Love. And love is all there is.

Here’s to another six years that will be just as memorable and transformational. Thanks for joining me on my yoga journey. This girl is going places.

Love

Summer

© Photos: Yasmijn Tan Photography

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