The Practice Is the Path

Book excerpt: Internationally known yoga teacher Tias Little shares powerful, inspiring wisdom from a lifetime of practice. For over 30 years, Tias Little has explored yoga as a spiritual path. In this book he offers key teachings from his journey that will resonate with anyone who has dedicated themself to a mind-body discipline. In short, accessible chapters, Little shares his struggles and joys as a yogi and chronicles the transformation of his understanding and practice along the way. There are many physical and emotional trials that come up in yoga as a spiritual practice: the urge toward perfectionism, the desire to get it all right, the way we push ourselves in the practice, being with "not-knowing," and the many ways some people use yoga as a sedative. To help the reader embody and experience each theme, Little includes companion practices at the end of each chapter including poses, reflections, meditations, and explorations.