One of the voices I hear in my head....i.e. An Amazing Instructor

Senior Amrit Yoga instructor Eric Walrabenstein or "Yogi E" has been an inspiration in my ever expanding yogic journey. Please visit his website after you read these words of his that I found inspiring:

"Zen Master Dogen once said: “Practice as if saving your head from fire.” And in this, he was half right. The unfortunate truth is that for many of us, we practice ardently and with the best of intentions, all the while making strident gains in the wrong direction. The problem is that the ego stands perpetually ready to co-opt the practices that were originally intended to set us free—digging us deeper into the pit of the sense of a separate self.

I practice diligently; I am a good meditator, I am at peace, I am compassionate, I am humble, I am pure divine bliss, I, I, I, I, I. To become free, we must get clarity regarding who or what this “I” is—and not just intellectually, but experientially. Our practices were not conceived to make us calmer, more compassionate, or more pleasant; they were created to ultimately set us free from that which is capable of being calm/agitated, compassionate/greedy, or pleasant/irritating. They are offered for the purpose setting us free from the ego, not to spruce it up making it the shiniest, friendliest, and most spiritual ego on the block. In other words, it’s about freedom folks."

While at the Amrit Institute I was fortunate to be taught by Yogi E. The clarity in which he describes the practice of authentic yoga allows me to focus my intention of connecting with my Truth, so that I may teach others from this experiential space. His teachings inspire me to stay present with what is and let go of the rest, allowing my Self to be revealed which is the greatest present that I could ever (but would never) ask for.