You Know You've Become a Yogi When

In a few weeks I will be another year older and will be turning 5 years old (I go by the yoga calendar).   I remember the first time I experienced the practice.  It wasn’t love at first sight as you’ll read on most yoga teacher bios.  It was painful.  My body surged with strange sensations and I didn’t know my up dog from my down dog let alone be told to breathe in a strange way.   Then one day, something happened.  I don’t even remember.  Some how, at some point I became a yogi…

You know you’ve become a yogi when…

1.  you own more stretchy pants than jeans.

2.  you own toe spreaders and they’re not used for pedicures.

3.  (ladies) you stop wearing bras because you live in tank tops with built in self bras that hold your babies in place even perkier.

4.  you know what it means to “melt your heart, open to grace, spiral your inner thighs, foint your foot, lengthen and expand.”

5.  you fork out more than $60 for a yoga mat, have a matching yoga mat carrier, and yogi toes towel.

6.  breathing is no longer just in and out, it’s about the ujjayi, kapalabhati, nadi sodhana, and shitali.

7.  you’ve tried at least 3 or more styles of yoga:  ashtanga, yin, kundalini, power, vinyasa, jivamukti, anusara, iyengar, bikram.

8.  you sing kirtan in the car.

9.  at some point your diet consists of being some type of “-arian” that probably begins with the letter “V.”

10. you start owning mala beads, a neti pot, chakra posters, things with a lotus on it and carry an extra yoga mat in your car.

11.  your vacation involves a yoga retreat.

12.  (parents) you start giving your kids an option to have a “time in” instead of a “time out.”

13.  you decline a night out with friends or loved ones because you have to get up early to practice.

14.  you would rather surf youtube for yoga videos instead of going to the movies.

15.  your stack of books to read include the yoga sutras, self help books, and yoga anatomy.

16.  you start taking pictures of yourself in yoga poses in public.

17.  you sign your emails with namaste, love and light, or hugs, peace and joy.

18.  you carry a reusable water bottle with you every where you go.

19.  you’ve dedicated your life to some 30-60-90 day challenge.

20.  you follow a yoga blog

And finally you can laugh at this list because it’s so “authentic.”

If you enjoy my blog, please vote for me for 2012 Most Fascinating Yoga Teacher Blog Award.   Thank you to whomever nominated my blog to be part of this amazing list of nominees.  

Voting is done with Google+.  

- Click on the graphic below.  
- Scroll down to “2012 Fascination Awards – Yoga Teacher Blogs” section
-  Click on the 61 comments section to expand the list of blogs
- look for liveloveyoga.wordpress
- click +1 to vote- voting ends June 25th, 11:59pm EST

Start a conversation… When did you become a yogi?

With much love, light, and gratitude.  

Namaste.

Nikki