At the end of every yoga class I teach, I conclude with a prayer.
It sounds a little different every time. But I usually say,
“Begin to slowly awaken, noting the symbolic journey from death into new life: from the pose of the corpse, savasana, into this shape of new life, the fetal position; how we all entered this world. This is symbolic of the journey of the death of ignorance — feeling fractured, unwhole, anything less than divine — thanks to the journey of yoga. And here now, we emerge into new life: the new you, the true you, the whole and yoked you. That is yoga. Remember that today is not yet over. That you always have an opportunity to begin again, to start anew, to be you, to choose your Self and be unapologetically you.”
And I finish with,
“Until our paths cross again, may the journey be good to you. Please be good to it. Until next time, stay unapologetically you, and always, always shine on.”
It’s those few words, “Be unapologetically you,” that seem to resound the loudest.
They always have.
I’m not sure when I started to say them — let alone, when I started believing it.
The phrase isn’t “mine” by any stretch. In fact, I love how personally people interpret it. How it rings like a hymn in people’s ears. How it seems to hum in perfect tune to the heart of so many.
As early as April 2012, the mantra of Be Unapologetically You started to emerge. I wrote a piece on my blog called Please, Never Apologize for These Things.
The highlights?
Never apologize for what is true and right for you.
Because what’s right for you, I trust, is right for me too.
It’s the best advice that I can think to give — the most honest, genuine and authentic belief that I can try to embody.
Whatever I want for myself — to be whole, to be true, to live well and move as my spirit calls — is what I want for you, too.
Even if I don’t know where you’re going, or why.
Even if a choice you make seems unsure, illogical, improbable.
Deep down, I get why you’re choosing it.
In my heart, I understand why you’re called to try.
To journey. To venture. To explore.
To trust your Self and make no defense for it.
Choosing yourself is enough.
It’s always more than enough.
So, until next time…
May the journey be good to you, and may you be good to it. Stay unapologetically you. And, always, always shine on.
