Why I do Yoga?

Do what makes you love yourself.

Why I Do Yoga

I’ve been doing yoga for over 15 years. It started during my Ph.D. time at NYU. My first class was the 90 minute Bikram, 105 degrees and complete suffering. But I loved it immediately. Maybe it was the sweat or just a way to burn off Ph.D. anxiety. Whatever it was, I kept going.

After I moved to California, yoga grew from a habit to a ritual. Every birthday, as long as conditions allow, I give myself the birthday gift of a Bikram hot yoga. I took a picture of myself after the class as a personal tracker of body, mind and growth.

Lisa’s Question

In a particular class, my teacher Lisa asked everyone: “Why do you come to do yoga everyday?”

Some people answered. I didn’t, because I genuinely didn’t know. I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I had never really thought about why.

About halfway through, I was lying on the mat in Savasana, that recovery pose between the standing and floor series. Completely still with heart rate coming down, out of nowhere, a voice talked to me in my mind.

I do yoga because it makes me love myself. So I can love the universe unconditionally.

I was shockingly surprised by this answer. Whoever said that in my mind, truly understood Harold.

Why yoga offers me self-love

Yes, yoga makes you flexible, keeps you healthy and calms your mind. Those things are real.

But those are the means to the end, which is self-love.

There are actually two moments where this self-love shows up. The first is the effort itself. When I dragged myself after work, drove to the studio, and walked into a 105-degree room to do the work, that choice of doing the hard thing makes me proud. Self-discipline is a form of self-love.

The second moment is when I walk out of that studio, soaked and tired physically but blissed with clarity mentally. What a treat for myself! Self-reward is a form of self-love.

And from that place, I can focus better, give more, and love more freely. That energy flows outward to the people around me, the work I do, and the world I live in. When we give ourselves abundant pleasures, we can make others feel good.

What other things make me love myself?

This realization inspires an introspection: what other activities make me love myself?

I used to love playing video games, it was fun but I felt drained.
I used to love buying new things, it was fun but the excitement quickly faded.
I used to love going out, drinking, clubbing, it was fun but it did not give me fulfillment.

This is the moment I realized, things that were fun at the moment do not always make me love myself.

So what truly makes me love myself? Here is a list.

Working into flow state on a meaningful project
Fulfilling my curiosity about something
Reading an inspiring book
Talking to an expert about their field
Working out hard to feel the muscle sourness
Breathing in the forest or the ocean
Eating my mom’s food
Having an afternoon nap
Thinking about the universe when elevated

I will keep adding new things to the list.
And I will remind myself to do those things often.

Self-love is the foundation for social harmony because we can only give what we have.

What makes you love yourself?