Yoga Hour vs. Wasted Power

Hi.

I am Jasmin and I try to live in the present moment, no matter whether I am meditating or cycling through the city on my folding E-Bike. Alternating moments of absolute quiet and dynamic movement define my day, when I move from one Yoga Studio to the next.

"I enjoy the freedom of doing everything the way I like."

I discovered Yoga 17 years ago. After a sabbatical in 2015 I did not want and simply could not return to my well-paying job in the pharma industry. So, I started teaching. Within only a single year I managed to establish myself as a Yoga instructor that I could make my living off of it. For this I am endlessly thankful and am always telling myself "Wow! How lucky am I to be able to do what I enjoy so much."

"Our time is limited"

A blow of fate in my family was what brought me to a turning point and I asked myself: "What is life really about, what is truly important? Work, work, work?" We spend huge amounts of time with our jobs, more than with our family or good friends. Even if the job really pays well, what for is all the money? It only enables me to buy more and more expensive stuff but not makes me happier.

"Time means living in the here and now."

Time is the only thing I cannot buy. For any one of us time is limited and I can only implore to use the time as responsively as possible. To enjoy every moment and to do things that bring happiness. This should not mean to stress out about making every second something special or exciting. It's just as important to have downtime, simply doing nothing, relax and stretch out the soul.

"Yoga taught me to take a break."

There is no pressure with Yoga to succeed, it is not about achieving a skill. It is more about to listen in on yourself and to develop a conscience about oneself. When I started out, everything I did was very powerful and dynamic. It was on my Yoga path when I learned to accept a gentler pace for myself. Today I enjoy both, to really power through and feel myself with all intensity and to consciously calm myself down though mediation and relaxation.

"I have no fixed, daily routine."

I start the day with a little ceremony, a comfortable breakfast, a walk with the dog, a couple stretching and breathing exercises, before I ride to my first Yoga course on my folding E-Bike. From there it really is different every day and I try to stay in the flow, even if I have to improvise at courses from time to time.

"Cycling has something meditative."

On my bike I can relax the same way as I do at Yoga. I can escape and find myself because on your bike you are totally in the here and now. There simply is another quality to riding your bike. You experience the city from a different perspective, see places you usually don't notice. I never know stress when I ride across town on my bike because I am never stuck in traffic, need to fill up on gas or find a parking spot. I can simply fold my bike and take it with me into the studio.

"Cycling gives me time."

I am in the happy situation that I can run all my errands on my bike. Going to one or two studios I could take the car but I actively chose not to engage in the aggressive road traffic and the ensuing sensory overload. On my bike am faster anyways, so cycling really does save me a lot of valuable time.