Yoga Manifesto

Astavakasana on Arambol Beach

In an attempt to revitalize my passion for… my passions, I’ve started to revisit the past. Moments in time where I was exceptionally inspired and content, to counteract any overwhelming anxieties from my current reality.

The past few months have been tough. To think that only a year ago I’d returned from India after experiencing a life changing journey, and felt as if my whole world had opened up to limitless possibilities… well, it stings. Because I found myself back to where I’d been before all the soul-searching, mantra-chanting and back-bending. It’s a hard blow to take when you realize that after trying so hard to change, you haven’t really changed anything at all.

I had a rough spell. A very real health scare that I’d pretended was no big deal even though I was terrified, incredible difficulties at work that led to chronic spells of anxiety, and old habits that stifled progress I’d spent the past two years cultivating. So I’m going back to the basics. I recently unearthed the homework I’d been assigned during my YTTC course in Goa, India, and knew I needed to reconnect with the person I went there to become. The following is the “yoga manifesto” we were instructed to write for one of our teachers, explaining the reasons how yoga had inspired us in the past, and what we wanted from it in the future. Thankfully, it still applies.