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Almost every day, I find myself on my yoga mat. It’s the moment when I ground myself and find the center of my balance.

Ashtanga yoga allows me to discover who I really am. I believe that this practice holds the key to rediscovering myself. Over time, it wears a revealing look. It helps me to know myself better and better understand who I am.

Being an Ashtangi means the ability to observe myself from the outside. This leads me to admit, however, that I cannot control everything. Quietly, I notice that my way of reacting to events softens over time.

Ashtanga yoga allows me to aspire to live a fully conscious existence.

It strengthens my reflections and gives me the power to welcome them with detached lucidity. Through diligence, I am able to understand that my limiting thoughts can create their own reality so that it is easy to be apprehensive about this uncertain future. This awareness is not enough; I must push my will to act further. In fact, only actions lead to change. By being on my yoga mat day after day, I start to perceive the present moment and try to stay focused on it. When it is difficult to breathe in a complex posture, I have the feeling, at that precise moment, of having the freedom to be exactly who I am, without a mask.

To be Ashtangi is to go against established norms.

Ashtanga yoga means moving away from popular beliefs. It means not limiting myself to what society imposes on me, what I should look like, or what I should do with my life. It means not constraining myself to what others might expect of me. I challenge the status quo because I try to find and follow my own path, at the risk of hurting or displeasing.

Yoga means union.

Union with ourselves. It promotes unity between what I am on the inside and what I project on the outside, the intrinsic agreement between my body and my soul. It is the self-connection that we often forget, but yoga has the power to bring us back inside.

Life teaches us that our only true possession is ourselves, and this awareness can help us find ways to better manage our relationships and try to be a better version of ourselves. Thanks to yoga, I realize that I am free and sufficient just as I am. I can then become confident in my solitude.

As an Ashtangi, my habits have not changed; I do the same things as before. Work hard, hang out with my friends, and deepen my passions.

I can practice Ashtanga yoga without artifice.

>> It is not required to wear the latest fashionable clothes.

>> It is not necessary to idolize gurus and lose yourself in their truth.

>> It is not necessary to expose yourself on social media by mimicking perfect poses.

>> It is not necessary to become a yoga teacher or to give up everything to travel far away, even though it is a path I want to explore.

I am not obsessed with the latest objects that I must absolutely possess. I am exploring the feeling of stopping comparing myself to the status or successes of others. What matters is not what we have but how we behave toward others. Yoga allows us to perfect the flexibility of accepting others with kindness and as they are.

On the train this morning, I realized that the more I am diligent in my practice, the more I find the answers to my questions. Being an Ashtangi allows my eyes to shine and focus on the beautiful and true. This new perspective creates an abundance of opportunities, and I will continue to find myself on my yoga mat, day after day.

I am convinced that happiness is in movement.

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