在辦公室工作十餘年載之後，因為身體健康因素及朋友極力推薦而開始練習瑜珈，在瑜珈館間來來去去地嚐試不同的瑜珈課程，最終不自覺地持續出現於Gladys老師的八支瑜珈(Ashtanga Yoga)口令課，每次練習完那舒暢的感覺，促使我不論工作如何繁重，都堅持持續回到瑜珈墊上。Gladys老師對Ashtanga Yoga流派的尊崇及對Sri K. Pattabhi Jois 大師的敬仰，興起了我極大的好奇心去探究Ashtanga Yoga的根源，對Ashtanga Yoga瞭解越多越沈潛深入練習的情況下，心中漸漸興起去Ashtanga Yoga發源地Mysore朝聖的念頭，內在深處掙扎著是否放棄職場上已建構十餘年載的人生藍圖，而隨著內心不斷呼喚的聲音去追尋那一塊無限寬廣的未知領域。

很慶幸地就在自己徬徨無助時，陸續接觸到Paul Dallaghan及Richard Freeman老師，潛移默化地開啟我瑜珈之路的大門，且無聲無息地加深我投入這領域的熱情，此時因緣際會下體驗了Akash的靈氣課程，瞭解不同流派所呈現的技巧與方法都來自於同一根源，同時十分幸運地得到Swami Veda Bharati及O.P. Tiwari大師的指引，讓我最終能夠毅然決然地遞出辭呈，將自己完全重新歸零地在印度不同的Ashram遊走學習。

每天清晨在喜馬拉雅山腳下的Ashram跟隨Swami Veda Bharati靜坐，在靜坐過程中，試著洗滌過往的自己、試著認出自身的Ego、及試著學習如何鬆懈自我枷鎖；在Sri O.P. Tiwari 的Ashram讓我對瑜珈這流傳五千年歷史的生命科學有更深的體悟而感受自身的渺小，接著到了尼泊爾Osho Ashram 體驗動態靜心的精髓及經歷了回歸自我中心的靜心過程，最後到了Mysore將這些轉化融入每天規律練習至今已滿六年。

Mysore 這Ashtanga Yoga的發源地，聚集了來自世界各地的資深練習者，每天將呼吸及凝視點融入每日紀律的體位法練習中，從每天相同的體位法內去體驗精進過程中不同變化的自己，培養建立自己和自己呼吸的細微變化的關係，自己和自己身體精質轉化的關連，進而較為清楚自己和別人及和群體的互動連結的關係，而中去學習體悟因果，進而不自覺地去播種善的因，自然而然就能收成善的果；很幸運地在Mysore跟隨R. Sharath Jois上師練習，大師關注每位紀律練習的學生在呼吸配合體位法練習中，所產生的困惑掙扎連結至身體與情緒上的弱點，進而及時給予修正與敎導，就像沙漠中的綠洲，夏日的甘露，讓我們繼續往前行在精進自己的路途上，感恩能持續回到Mysore和上師練習，在每日規律練習中一點一滴如滴水穿石地轉化自我身心，也恩謝Sri K. Pattabhi Jois 將一生奉獻於Ashtanga Yoga 的教學與傳承，讓我能有機會體悟這一流派的真善美。

今年初在Mysore得到上師R. Sharath Jois 的祝福授權，因此帶著感恩的心期許自身為一顆小小的種子，能分享自身練習Ashtanga Yoga所帶來的益處，讓有緣接觸Ashtanga Yoga 的練習者能因持續的練習而從中獲益，因為我相信，如Ashanga Yoga 的練習從上到下由裏至外全然療癒了我，那也能因在瑜珈旅程分享Ashtanga Yoga而療癒其他的練習者。

After a decade I still feel deeply grateful from the bottom of my heart that Ashtanga Yoga found me on the way of my recovery from the surgery. I had neither been a similar type of sporty girl since childhood nor been good at any kind of body movement until the connected to Ashtanga Yoga practice. During the 15-year city life period of long-hour sitting at office with an unconscious diet, I started to suffer from lower back pain and numb legs of mutual interference uncomfortably. Searching for the famous therapist or Chiropractor regardless of the cost had prioritized my time out of office, but to the extent of pain relieving did not make my body stay a good condition enough. Eventually my close friend looked for the yoga studio and persuaded me to sign up yoga course. I could not refuse her full of enthusiasm at all that becomes a turning point into the world of Ashtanga Yoga approaching my life transformation.

Since my first mysore practice from the year of 2010 at Mysore, I immersed myself in the healing process of practicing and stayed in India for three years. Our beloved Guru Sharathji keeps nourishing my practice, no matter how my attitude varies from the top of passion down to the dark bottom of doubt, then from doubt to uncertain, most between uncertain to certain, following from certain to trust, finally from trust to surrender to the practice itself as a step-by-step grounding method of self-liberation. It takes me a decade almost. The experience drives me to comprehend the inherent healing power of practice manifesting itself so profoundly and gradually penetrable into the layer of my physical, emotional, and spiritual level, in addition to how they utilized mutually relative to each other functionally. Without my Guru’s dedicated guidance, it seems not easy for me cultivating a disciplined practice to rebuild the integrated function beneath my figure form fundamentally, go through the unfolding journey faithfully, and maintain my energy balance stably. I have never anticipated my overall current status now much far better than before quite beyond my expectations. Therefore, I always try my best to make an annual trip back Mysore for showing my gratitude to my Guru Sharathji who has devoted his life to supporting the worldwide practitioners’ sadhana constantly as a shining example for us as his disciple.

I believe the authentic and virtuous benefits behind the practice of Ashtanga Yoga that not only manifests from how alignment show upon the advanced asanas but how aligned our body, heart, and spirit as a sincere human being, further how to connect the earnest souls for the better community we live. It is like what Sri K. Pattabhi Jois said practice, practice, practice, all is coming. Just do it then it will come.

• 八支瑜珈初級授權 Ashtanga Yoga Authorized Level I by R. Sharath Jois, KPJAYI
• 臼井靈氣三階 Usui Reiki III by Akash
• 瑜珈聯盟200小時師資訓練by Paul Dallaghan .Centered Yoga, Koh Samui, Thailand