I Came to Yoga for the Poses. The Rest Found Me Later.

I found yoga when I was 12 years old.

Or maybe it’s more accurate to say yoga found me.

Somehow, a copy of Richard Hittleman’s Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan came into my life. I don’t remember exactly where I found it or how I got it. I just remember opening it, following the instructions, and doing the poses.

I still have that book today.

At 12, the poses were all I knew. I didn’t know about yoga philosophy. I didn’t know about the Yamas or the Niyamas. I certainly couldn’t have known how important yoga would become in my life.

Looking back, I believe that little book may have saved my life.

The philosophy found me later.

And when it did, yoga became so much more than the poses.

The Yamas: Yoga Beyond the Mat

The Yamas are five principles that guide how we move through the world and how we relate to others—and ourselves.

Ahimsa — Non-harming
Choosing kindness and compassion, including toward ourselves.

Satya — Truthfulness
Living and speaking from what is true.

Asteya — Non-stealing
Trusting that there is enough and noticing the ways comparison can steal our contentment.

Brahmacharya — Wise use of energy
Being intentional about where—and with whom—we spend our energy.

Aparigraha — Non-attachment
Learning to loosen our grip and let go of what we no longer need to carry.

Simple ideas. Not always simple to live.

I wish I could say that after all these years of yoga, I have them figured out.

I don’t.

And maybe that’s the point.

We call yoga a practice because we keep practicing. I return to these teachings again and again, especially when life gets messy. They remind me that yoga isn’t just what happens during the hour we spend on our mats.

It’s how we treat people.
How we treat ourselves.
What we hold onto.
What we let go of.
Where we put our energy.
And how we choose to show up.

Wear the Practice

That idea is also behind the Amae Yamas Collection.

I created five necklaces, one for each Yama, as small wearable reminders of these teachings.

Not because any of us practices them perfectly.

Because sometimes we need a reminder to come back.

Jewelry for the practice of life.

And if you’d like to explore these teachings more deeply, I’ll be teaching a Yamas & Niyamas Workshop, where we’ll talk about what these ancient principles can actually look like in our very modern, very imperfect lives.

I came to yoga for the poses.

But maybe yoga came looking for me.