Note: This essay is written by someone from Indonesia where English is not their first language.

I have been practicing yoga regularly for the last 7 years in my life. During those years so many tremendous benefit to my body, and totally so amazingly yoga has transform me to become a stronger and happy person. Since my friends around me noticed the different in me because of yoga, they begun ask me to teach asanas to them.  And slowly slowly I got some private regular class at the gym also.

Now I give up office job and start deepening my knowledge in yoga. However I have not get international yoga certification, and when I read this opportunity I try to take part in this contest. I have no interest in other job since I am doing this part time yoga teacher. Besides teaching in the evening or early morning, in the mid day I have time to practice myself and do my meditation.

Many great teacher I have met like Fayec Biria, Stephen Thomas, Thomson, Twee Merrigan and many great master like BKS Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Shiva Rea, they are my idols, but the teachers that inspired me a lot was my basic yoga teacher, Dedi, Yuni, and especially  Nilesh Tiwari that they really set a good foundation in my yoga life.

In this contest may I present this article to join in the SHAKTI SPIRIT YOGA SCHOOL, which I believe that this school emphasizes the balance of asanas and inner well being and spirituality.

My plan to make an impact in the world as yoga teacher, just start from my community where I live right now, and may I could inspire more people to practice yoga and find their true self and manifesting each their own quality from practice yoga.

I hope everybody else can experience too how yoga actually the basic need in our human life, and so this precious human birth will not go waste at the time of our dying time. Many people work hard prepare all the occasion in their life such as, wedding, birthday party, new born baby, and so many celebration in life, without being prepare for the most important moment at the peak at their life, to die skillfully. At the time of our dying time consciousness leaving our body as the dissolution of the element of our body cease to function. After that unconsciousness take control of our mind. How we can make the unconscious become conscious only through how much we practice meditation in our life time. At this level for a yogi there is no fear of death, death is only a process of continuation of our mind that is eternal.

Base on my experience it was very hard to meditate in the beginning, my mind running wild and very difficult to concentrate and calm the mind even for one minute. After I begun practice yoga asanas I succeeded to do short sessions meditation, until now with asanas practice my meditation becomes steady. As been told by the masters, TAME YOUR BODY TO TAME YOUR MIND. It is true that we have to work on our body first to penetrate our mind.

I am very sad about some religion are against yoga because its origin was Hindu. But if those people do research they can discover the scientific aspect of yoga and how it can boost the body immune system, sharpen the mind, and mentally make someone a stronger person. As said by the masters, that body is the horse, and mind is the rider, if the horse sick, the rider will not get to the destination.

Likewise if the rider sick than he will run the horse wild and both horse and the man will go to the jungle of confusion. For example we cannot laugh when our mind occupied with sad things, and we cannot cry when our mind filled with joy. Mind and body always works together and that is the reason why yoga which its derived from Sanskrit word yuj means union of our mind and body.

Everytime I practice yoga I feel very much in tune in the present moment. Preparation to do the pose, doing the pose, holding the pose, and releasing the pose, all these sequence introduce me to my own body. As a result, I now more sensitive of what my body wants, for example I do not overeating if my body says enough. I think many people suffered obesity because they lose connection between what their body need and the mind so much occupy with confusion. I do not see any other method better than yoga to bring people to recognize their own body, and finally to recognize their own mind.

At the end of my essay I would like to share that one time The Dalai Lama was asked what surprised him most about humanity, he answered, “Man sacrifices his health in order to make money, then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present. The result he does not live in the present or the future, he lives as if he is never going to die, and finally dies without having really lived.” (editors note: that about sums up humanity!)

Dear all fellow who read my essay  take yoga as the breath of life and lets practice to make our unconscious mind become conscious, make use our precious human body to the maximum, find your jewel within.

Sincerely Namaste,

2012 Yoga Scholarship Essay

By: Go Jesslyn

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