I've been quite fortunate in my yoga path to have had opportunities to train and take workshops with some amazing teachers like Baron Baptiste, Craig Villani, Tiffany Cruikshank, and Kathryn Budig. Eventhough I really appreciate their talent and skills in teaching, none of them is my Guru. My real-life guru is not a human being at all but a very much spiritual being - my 5 year old parson russell terrier Nana.
Nana came to my life in a time when I was going through some sort of spiritual crisis. I had just come out of a relationship where I had witnessed how an intelligent, life-loving, wonderful man fell in the trap of religion (fundamental type), losing the real message of spirituality and closing the tender whispers of his own heart. I felt tremendeously sad and frustrated and powerless. Not one real-world woman could ever compete with the love of God and promised mansions of the amazing afterlife. But, when we face obstacles there is always an opportunity for growth. When my anger and frustration subsided, somewhat rebelliously I decided to start doing things that had been labelled as 'satanic'. This wasn't very hard since pretty much everything outside the teachings of this one little church were included. It was time to re-introduce myself to yoga (labelled as VERY bad so it offered some extra solace to my hurt pride and ego.)
When I was in my mid twenties I had started ashtanga yoga practice which I very much liked and followed for two years. I remember a moment when I had a crystal clear thought: 'Yoga will be your life in the future, but you need to live first.' This realization was so clear that I dropped the practice and went on living my life of ups and downs until my spiritual crisis brought me full circle back to yoga. But, I had had enough of any too constraint form of thinking, so instead of ashtanga I chose the 'black sheep' of yoga and registered to a bikram yoga class. Breathing and bending in the 105 F and listening to the steady flow of words that the teacher was repeating, I fell in love with the practice then and there.
Hot yoga in it's different forms is still my favourite practice and I now own a hot yoga studio. This practice has healed me a lot and I love the fact that it's stripped down to focus on the physical side of yoga. It's by no means a non-spiritual practice if one chooses to see it that way, but spirituality is not something that is stressed or expected. So no gurus in the hot room, but somebody had heard my cry for understanding spirituality and my real-life guru was on her way.
Nana the Dog came and conquered my world and heart with one sincere gaze from her hazel-brown eyes and with her ever wagging tail. She keeps my reality in check by living fully every single moment of each day, one breathe (and usually a hop) at a time. She doesn't well in the past or plan the future. She takes life as it is. She forgives quickly and her love is always accepting and unconditional. She's not focused on the form of people but sees the spirit. She's not prejudiced but gives everyone equal chance with complete trust to their good heart. She spends many hours of the day playing and being curious. She's always in a good mood unless she's sick - then she quietly let's the body heal itself, but doesn't feel like a victim. She rests when she needs to, and literally jumps to seize every opportunity to experience something new. She stretches her body to perfect updog and downdog and then walks on without pondering over how it went or if the dog next door does it better. She has given herself a job as the-head-of-security, watching the yard from the window - a task she takes very seriously. No squirrel, cat, dog, bird or a stranger will get pass her ever watchful eyes and they are greeted with a high bark. When she rests, she does that with equal passion, complete stillness and relaxed body in a perfect savasana. She can be quiet and still for a long time, just staring in the air, reminding me the importance of meditation and quieting the mind.
Her most precious teaching is her way of being - her ability to embrace life fully with joy and happiness, to welcome every day with renewed trust and enthusiasm. She has hands down the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met in my life and she's not afraid to show it. In her I see a spiritual being, equal to any human, a teacher who knows how this life should be experienced to gain happiness. My dog is my Guru and I feel happy about it. Next time you meet an animal, take a moment to connect with them. They have a message to us humans and it's one of love and presence - something we are too quick to forget. Namaste (and a woof!)
Nana the Dog keeping guard (while wondering where to hide her precious bone - another daily task is to change its hiding place.)
