“Let go,” “release,” and “undo,” are terms loosely thrown around by many yoga instructors. Are we really spending $20 per class to have someone tell us to relax? No wonder I can’t get rich! The theory goes that if you are able to momentarily step away from the outside world placing it on hold and turn your attention inward that you will finally tap into that inner child that you so dearly miss. As a yoga instructor I agree with this theory only somewhat because then there are those of us who “do” in order to “be.” Somehow through all of this “doing” or “undoing” (which is still doing something) you will supposedly find your true creative spirit.  Isn’t going to your local yoga studio and practicing yoga in and of itself doing something, even if you are laying in Savasana (Corpse Pose)? My point is we cannot NOT do.

Most of us work to live. We work to sustain our families and ourselves. Then there are those who live to work. The act of being is in the doing. For many, myself included the perpetual motion of doing is what sustains us. Perhaps this is why I’ve found it extremely difficult to move past the pratyahara stage of the eight-limbed path. Making to-do lists and organizing things and moving my body is the only way I feel alive. This is not to say that I am some attention deficit disorder statistic, rather the constant going, coming, and doing are integral to my mental focus. I am living my yoga through my daily activities (and not to mention my job as a professional ballet dancer). I DO! That’s what I AM. I am a DOER. My boyfriend thinks I am nutso with the constant cleaning and organizing I do; however, such activities keep me sane. There are plenty of type-A personality types in yoga classes (just check out Vinnie Marino’s classes at Yoga Works in Santa Monica) and their constant need to DO is simply another level of meditation, which is unattainable for most. For people like us, doing defines our existence.