What happens when you drift away from yoga

Life has been a bit strange for me lately, and I've found it difficult to start making even a partial living from teaching yoga. One of the things an entrepreneur needs to research is how many others in their area do what they do/want to do. Same for any business. This is a Western/logical step that's all-too necessary in these times.

And once you've had a good taste of yoga, your body and mind react to you letting it slide out of a daily practice. Or any regular practice. Here's what I've seen in myself:

1. Physical issues/troubles get worse.
I got into yoga because I was carrying too much tension. I've found that I store it more readily since I allowed myself to drift away because of other life concerns. Anything that was bothering my body seemed stronger because of that, and the stress enabled some new symptoms.

Once I addressed some of the causes, the newer symptoms went away. But the older ones? Only got a little better. There are good reasons to at least keep up with some yogic stretching - no matter what.

2. Your mind is harder to calm.
What is yoga but something that makes it easier to slow our mind's frantic pace down and let things be - even just a little? You don't have to meditate to find this. A practice that hits what your body needs is a calming force in and of itself, and that becomes your break from how our world is urging us to live our lives.

With the body relaxed, the mind doesn't feel like it has to work as hard to keep us going. It can recharge, kinda like a battery.

3. Emotions get the better of you more readily.
I can't begin to think of the number of times recently that I felt little annoyances build to the point where I thought they'd drive me crazy. It's happened in all sorts of areas in my life. Which means it's been harder to tell myself to just breathe and see whether I can let it slide right by me.

Meditation may be the best help here. Of course, not all of us can be okay with looking into ourselves. The best we can do is learn to see our thoughts as clouds that are just drifting by - and learn to not grasp at them.

(sighing) Of course, writing this post is a step back on the path of better living for me. Start clearing my mind by reconnecting with why I developed a yoga practice in the first place.

Let me tell you: it's a surprisingly powerful feeling of relief...

Habit 1: Be Proactive - Choosing to Polish Ourselves

While reading to boost my writing imagination, I stumbled onto something that reminded me of an idea that several yoga teachers have impressed upon me over the years: Yoga is about peeling away the walls and layers that cover up who we really are, and letting our true self shine through our actions and appearance. I often heard talk of polishing the gem, the idea that the work we did in yoga class as removing the grime and other impediments to just being ourselves and being at peace.

The idea came from http://www.amazon.com/Inspiring-Creativity-Anthology-Practical-Successful/dp/0976737108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232862198&sr=1-1, which is an anthology of discussions on aspects of creativity and harnessing it. This idea came from an essay titled, "Self-Appreciation: How to Star in Your Own Life," on page 141. Put simply, we fixate on celebrities and such because we are not yet starring in our own lives. That stuck with me, resonating deeply within. It's a powerful thought: if I am the "star" of my own life, then I am comfortable with who I am and what I do.

Does it seem weird? Yes, at first. It's about deciding to draw contentment and excitement from within ourselves, and then from those close to us. I feel that I've come closer to achieving this since I feel I could do completely without gossip shows, tabloids, and their kin in all media. I'm still working on internalizing this; I believe that being Proactive takes serious acceptance of being your own "star."

How do you think you could become your own Star? What steps - mentally and physically - might be needed?