When we’re struggling to hold onto a balancing pose or blissfully resting in savasana, we can sometimes forget that the tradition of Yoga is incredibly old, deep and varied. Yoga has been around for many thousands of years and the spiritual tradition from which it comes is likely the oldest in existence. “Old” does not always mean “better,” but it seems that in this case it does mean that Yoga is proven and can be trusted.

The next topic in the series “Rules of Yoga, Rules for Living” is to Trust the Process. We all started out as beginners who didn’t know how to place our limbs in a yoga pose, much less remember all the names of the poses or understand the philosophy that runs through the whole system. Yoga is indeed a system that touches every part of our being—body, mind, emotions and spirit. It also gives us guidance in how to live, how to die, and everything in between.

But the beauty of yoga is that you don’t have to follow all the parts of the system in order to be part of the yoga community. Whatever aspects you enjoy will bring blessings to your life and there is never any pressure to do more. You can practice the poses, breath practices and meditations. You can explore the chakras and how yoga shifts your energy. You can study the philosophical concepts that stretch the mind to see the world, others and your self in new, surprising ways. You can walk the path of ayurvedic healing to strengthen your relationship with your body and nature.

Here are some ways to trust the process of Yoga:

• Work with a teacher you can have confidence in, one who is farther along the path than you and respectful of your abilities and interests

• Check out other aspects of Yoga that interest you by reading a book or some articles or by attending a workshop

• Begin to see Yoga as a life-long journey, not just another activity you do occasionally for fun

• Affirm the ways that Yoga informs your life even when you’re not standing on a yoga mat or sitting on a meditation cushion

Wow! Trusting the process of Yoga is very much like trusting the process of life. We are born, we grow, we make choices that take us to many different places, all of which prepare us for the quieter years at the end of our lives when we make sense of everything we have said, done and experienced. Every moment of life presents its own choices and opportunities; it is up to you to decide the next step you will take.

Several years ago I was in Dallas taking training from Judith Hanson Lasater who has been a yoga teacher and physical therapist for over 50 years. One of the participants asked her, “Judith, how often should we practice yoga?” She replied simply, “Only practice on the days you want to feel good.” Sneaky teacher, that Judith, because she knew what we were all thinking: “I want to feel good every day!”

This brings us to our next installment of “Rules of Yoga, Rules for Life.” Let’s look at “Practice regularly,” by which we mean practice daily. I know, that seems to be a lot of ask, that we would practice yoga every day. But that’s only because we think that yoga requires us to leave our house or office and go to a studio for a 75-90 minute class. Most of us don’t have time for that every day, and fortunately this is not required of us.

Of course, spending time in the presence of a well-trained yoga teacher is important because we each need someone to watch our form and answer our questions. I still haven’t found an internet teacher who can do that! And this is what we receive in those longer in-person sessions: movement of the body in multiple directions while recruiting many different muscle groups, intentional and revitalizing breathwork, quiet meditation and reflection, and deep relaxation. While we may not be able to remember the sequence or exact cues, our body remembers how we moved, our energy systems remember the balance we achieved, and our nervous system remembers how to power down.

Now all we need is 15 minutes or so on the other days to reconnect with those feelings. Would you be able to find 15 minutes? You could

-Pick a pose or two to explore, such as Cat/Cow and Down Dog
-Recreate the breathing exercise your teacher taught this week
-Meditate on the breath for 5 minutes and write about it for 10 minutes
-Set your timer for 15 minutes and lie down in savasana

After all, yoga is not a class or a pose, but a way to approach life with presence, focus and balance. Whenever we can approach life in that way, it becomes much easier to say “I feel good."