"There are some things that can't be rushed."

I'm sure you've heard your yoga teacher say that more than once, but it's true.

If yoga teaches us anything, it is that most things in life - the best things - take time. The accumulation of wisdom is one of those things. No matter your age, you bring your experience to your yoga mat with every practice. My guest today on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast is of this wiser generation whose inspiring life experiences are leading her on her own unique yoga journey.

"Where have you been all my life?" is what Smadar asked after her first yoga class. At 56 years old, she admits to being a little more than frightened of her first yoga practice.

Coming from a non-yoga world, Smadar is an accomplished pastry chef who owned and ran her own business for nearly a decade. She experienced a very tumultuous financial journey that ultimately led her to practice yoga, something she never considered before.

Smadar shares on this episode what it feels like to give up on one dream only to find another. Owning her own business was a dream she lived to fulfill and even managed to maintain amid the 2008 financial crisis. Maintaining her dream challenged her in ways she never imagined, but these experiences inspired her to realign her values.

When you almost lose everything, you're able to gain new insight into what truly matters to you and your happiness. It's a very interesting place to be.

Smadar discusses what it feels like to be in that space between loss and forgiveness. Giving up on a dream is not a sign of failure. In fact, "giving up" is the wrong way to describe it. Rather, one door closes so that Smadar could open another that leads to a new way of living, a new way of thinking, and a brand new way of being.

Smadar learned a valuable lesson at that first yoga class. She shares that lesson with us, and I hope it inspires you to get on your yoga mat today. I value wisdom and experience, and I truly believe that our yoga mats are a laboratory for our real lives. When you bring your personal experiences to your yoga practice as Smadar does, they can lead you on an inspiring journey of self-realization and self-acceptance that will stick with you long after yoga class is over.

If you're a practicing yoga student with an inspiring journey, please share a bit of your yoga journey with me and my listeners! Send me an email at [email protected] and tell me - what does yoga mean to you? You could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast with Kino MacGregor!

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