I’m on my back on my mat. Eyes closed. A blanket of warm air holds me as my mind’s eye walks me along a path through a forest. Peace.

But let me take you back about a year and a half.

I walked into a Modo Yoga studio in hopes of getting a “good stretch” to compliment my workouts. This came on the heels of my doctor (in my earlier, shall we say, more physically robust days) asking me to try yoga as a means to simply move my body. I was immediately drawn to the setting of the studio and the greeting I received. I made my decision then and there to take advantage of the intro month offer. I was given minimal instruction: Shoes off, no talking and a hot room – perfect. Of course, words never fully prepare one for 100+ degrees, now do they?

That first time (do any of us ever forget our first time?), I simply laid on my mat, closed my eyes and imagined I was on a beach in the tropics. The heat disappeared. I was meditating and didn’t even know it. Every week I found myself on the mat more and more. Breathing deepened. Mind cleared. Heart opened.

You see, it turns out that all of my life had been spent in some sort of yogic state. It wasn’t so much that I had an “a-ha” moment about yoga as I had the “a-ha” that it had always been a part of me.

What began as a physical practice quickly became mental and quite spiritual. For while it seemed that yoga was always very prevalent within me, practicing Modo yoga with guides/teachers…angels, if you will, provided the missing focus. It was this focus that changed everything. It was this focus that allowed me to essentially “unfocus” everything and allow me to see and feel with incredible clarity. To allow me to live more fully. To open me to love my wife and children deeper than I ever imagined was possible. And that’s saying a lot.

I have smiled, giggled, and even laughed out loud in class. I have wept, sometimes openly, during my practice. Sometimes I knew why, and other times it was a complete mystery. Each time it was incredibly therapeutic and cleansing.

This will not be everyone’s experience. But it has been, and continues to be mine. For some, yoga will be a time to ‘get a good stretch’. That doesn’t make the experience any less or more meaningful. We are individuals with different needs, wants, souls and realities.

Looking back, I’m not sure if I found my mat that October day or my mat found me. I’m just so very glad that we found each other.

Start YOUR journey today!

With Love from our friend,
Steven Levitt