How did you first come to end up in a yoga class? What brought you there, were you reluctant and how did you feel after your first class?
Yoga was on the periphery of my life for a long time before I ever practiced an asana… Kind of like the movie where the kids go to school together but barely know each other, take a convoluted path through life, and end up falling madly in love. Except with yoga. Anyway. My mom did a bit of it. A friend of mine in high school urged me to try it but in conflicted with my theatre class. It floated around University but I was too busy organizing demonstrations and writing articles about injustices in African countries.
I remember with absolute clarity the first time I tried to practice yoga. I was in a small village near the Cameroon-Nigeria border, staying with a friend who was doing his Peace Corps out there. It was a remote place, and not one I felt comfortable jogging on my own, so I was going a bit stir crazy. This friend of mine had Iyengar’s “Light on Yoga”, and he suggested I give it a go. I was 21 I think, or 22.
I can see perfectly in my mind’s eye that small, simple room with the woven mat that I placed on the floor, the morning sunshine white and the day still cool. I remember that particular smell of the smooth, unpainted concrete walls and floor. I remember being completely enthralled with the Introduction to the book, and after some reading I began to attempt one of the asana sequences outlined in the back of the book. Tadasana. Seemed ok. Forward fold. I can’t touch my toes, but that’s ok. Now, what’s this? Chaturanga dandasana? Ok, sounds simple enough… And of course I face planted on the floor. This Yoga was hard! Like, really hard!! And I loved it.
I can still taste the sensation of having found something that FIT, having found something right. I loved how my body felt, and my mind. I loved that I suddenly felt a sense of purpose – waking up in the morning and doing yoga in the early light. I loved then all the things I still love now, loved how Yoga was more to me than just an asana – it was a lifestyle, it was a step in the right direction. It was waking up early, eating healthily, exercising my body, breath and mind. It was everything I thought I wanted to live and never yet had the discipline to achieve.
After that, I moved to London to do a master’s, and signed up for a beginner’s course in a nearby Yoga studio. But those few weeks with my book were my first real yoga classes and I will never forget them.
Tell me a little about your life before yoga. How is it different now you practice regularly.
My life before yoga? It feels almost like a different life! I had an unhealthy lifestyle, bad self-body image, I suffered from the highs and lows of depressive cycles. I talked a lot to cover my insecurities. I binge drank with friends and then regretted it the next day. I fell briefly and madly in love with people who were completely wrong for me, and then obsessed over them for months until the next one came along. So, pretty much your average teenager!!
Now, I have learned to value silence. I have learned to love and respect my body. I have gravitated towards a healthy lifestyle, with lots of sleep, nourishing food, little alcohol. Does any of this have to do with yoga? Yes, and no. Without yoga I might have gravitated towards the same things!
One thing that I know for certain is that Yoga has made my scoliosis more even. Just a little bit of yoga can relieve pain in my body. And Yoga also makes my emotions more balanced. If I’m cranky or uninspired I step onto the mat, and by the time I step off, I am back in a centered place. So yoga brings me a satisfaction that’s more than physical. It clears my mind, and every day my body and my spirit feel stronger and more balanced. So while I’ll never know what my life would have been like had I not come to yoga – I can certainly say that yoga is an integral part of my life.
Also – I have this great blog community! 
What style of yoga do you find yourself drawn to practice (and teach if you are a teacher)? What teachers and other mentors have influenced you along your path?
I am completely drawn to vinyasa or flow yoga! I love the activity of this type of yoga, the emphasis on the breath. When I get into the flow, everything evaporates and all I can hear is the soft, smooth sound of my breathing, taking me through the poses. It’s magic.
I also love Yin Yoga, which might at first seem to be the opposite of vinyasa! But it’s equally focused on breathing. I find it deeply meditative and the stretch it gives me is absolutely amazing. I affectionately call it “yoga with pillows”, and I can’t get enough of it!
Because of my lifestyle my teachers have been few and far in between, and a lot of my practice has been at home. But my YTT teacher was truly amazing. His love for yoga and philosophy, his modesty, good humour and spiritual quest continue to inspire me daily even though I haven’t seen him since my training. His classes were phenomenal – we would all leave a 2 hour session with huge smiles on our faces, and begging for more! If I could teach like anyone in the world, it would be like him.
Every yogi has one favourite and one least favourite asana. Tell me a bit about yours.
My favourite asanas are a bit like my favourite colours – they change over time, as I change. At the moment, though, I am infatuated with the 3 Supta Padangusthasana series, which I wrote about recently as a guest post for this blog! These 3 poses together are like a bit of therapy for my back, hips and hamstrings!
My least favourite pose at the moment has to be Navasana. I make myself do it, as it’s super for strengthening the core, but it’s hard hard hard!!
How do you live your yoga off your mat, every day?
I try to live my life with grace. I try to live free from fear, from the Ego’s whisperings in my ear. I try to live a life with patience, generosity and compassion.
I try to integrate the Yamas and the Niyamas into my life in practical ways – by not acting or saying things that will harm others (ahimsa), by telling the truth always (satya), by not clinging to material things or imposing my ideals on others (aparigraha). When I get emotional, I try to breathe through it and not project it on those around me.
But most of all, I practice. Practice Yoga, practice self-acceptance, practice breathing, meditation. Practice compassion, practice patience. Without judging, just practice. I may not be perfect, life may not be perfect, but in spite of it all, I practice. And that, for me, is yoga.
LaGitane (Bree) has been practicing yoga for 8 years and teaching for 4. She is a certified Vinyasa instructor in the Ashtanga tradition but harbours a not-so-secret passion for restorative and therapeutic Yoga. A lifetime nomad and development worker, she blogs about yoga and life over at YogaGypsy from her present base in Dili, East Timor, where she lives with her beautiful partner and their very fluffy cat. When not doing yoga, she enjoys wine, cheese, sailing and scuba diving, although not necessarily in that order!
