Today I drove into Frankfort to pick up some night crawlers
for my son’s fishing addiction. I
walked into the bait & tackle shop and was greeted with a friendly “Hello!
What can I help you with?” This
big, burly, teddy bear of a guy steps up and grabs me a container of night
crawlers, opens them up and inspects them. “Yup! They look
happy!”
As I thumbed through my wallet for cash, he must have read
my Funk Yeah yoga t-shirt. He
asks, “So where’s the yoga hothouse?”
“Grand Rapids!” I say, with a smile. He asks me if I’ve been to yoga down the road, which I
hadn’t. He explains that it’s
above the bakery/deli, then contemplates what day of the week it is … “Today is
Saturday, so tomorrow yoga is at 9:00!
You ought to try it out!”
He folded his hands and placed them heart center in true yogi style and
said “Hatha Yoga”. Then this big old teddy bear of a guy says “I can’t WAIT
until things slow down here so I can get back there!” He taps his forefinger along side his head he says,
“Gotta get outa my head!”
This just made my day!
When you think of a yogi your mind may conjure up some stereotypical
youthful, fit, zen-like figure. I’ve
been a yogi for less than a year, and I know that yogis come from all walks of
life, but for some reason this guy took me by surprise. A pleasant surprise.
Yoga is for everyone, not just for the young, the fit, the
“enlightened”. Yoga is good for
the soul, no matter your age, size, gender or religion. It takes you “out of your head” so that
you can use your head with clarity. I recall hanging out in downward facing dog
one day during practice and my instructor said, “Drop your worries, your stress,
and all that garbage in your head… I’ll mop it all up after class!”
I love yoga, and I love yogis. Try it, you’ll love it!
