OGGI BE means BE TODAY

You've likely heard the word "yoga" but have you heard the word "oggi?"  "Oggi" is Italian for "today." Yoga is a word in Sanskrit.  If we are going to try on other languages, why not also incorporate one of my favorites, Italian?!  This is partially to demystify Sanskrit, it seems ancient and unfamiliar, but we don't feel uncomfortable ordering penne alla vodka! Eventually, words like asana and pranayama will be just as familiar as pizza and ricotta (when we meet, ask me how I pronounce ricotta).

Another reason I chose the word "oggi" is to decouple individual meanings/values/perceptions associated with the word "today" from what I mean when I say "OGGI BE" or "Yoga Oggi" so we can embrace a wider view with greater possibilities.  Below is some of what "OGGI BE" means to me. You might find during your practice that you discover more, personal meanings that arise for you! 
 

• Let's try it on today! 
   

• Don't feel compelled or pressured to start a whole new life and be a whole new person just because you are trying something new today. 
   

• Don't feel ashamed if you didn't follow your yoga therapy action plan, missed a meditation or a sit spot, or if you recognize you've been putting off trying on this work for a long time.  In this moment, you are only in control of the choice to do something today.  Might as well not worry about tomorrow either!   
   

• Yoga has a long history, and we honor and respect it.  However, we are engaging in yoga today.  I am leading practices for people living in the 21st century with different bodies, lifestyles, values, and worldviews.  My most important mission is to meet YOU, right where you are today.    
   

• The yoga I did when I was younger is very different from the yoga I practice today.  My relationship to yoga has evolved and I mostly focus on yoga therapy and rewilding.  Today, my practices are transformative.  They open me up to new ideas and possibilities.  I'm sure it will continue to develop and change.  I will always be in love with my practice today.   
   

You can do it!  It starts with a little bit of curiosity, a desire to find wellness and balance in some part of your life, and a tiny bit of courage... just enough to try it today, truly no strings attached.  You'll get through it one breath at a time.  Just one inhale..... and exhale.... you can handle that!