Pilot Part 2 ~ My Yoga off the Mat story

In this episode, we explore the unexpected turning points that happen not in a yoga pose, but in the space between our thoughts. Our story begins with a book—“A Course in Miracles.” The moment it appeared, there was an instant pull. Even without fully understanding the text, something deeper was happening. The words on the page seemed to work behind the scenes, rearranging inner patterns, shifting spiritual alignment, and touching a part of the psyche that analytic thinking couldn’t access.Encountering “A Course in Miracles” felt massive. It offered the kind of mental training that wasn’t about discipline or achievement but about real transformation. Around this same time, Dorothy’s teachings entered the picture, helping bridge what was happening on the yoga mat with what needed to happen everywhere else—the off-the-mat practice.As Larry often said, “You’re only on your mat for an hour and a half a day—if you’re lucky. What happens the rest of the time?”This question opened the door to a new way of practicing: not just applying bandhas in a pose but using breath and presence throughout the day. But trying to be mindful from a place of doing—checking boxes, trying to be good—quickly felt impossible. The real work needed to come from a place of being: being more loving, more open to changing the mind. And this is precisely the heart of “A Course in Miracles.”The book defines transformation simply: a miracle is a shift in perception. A change of mind. Miracles happen naturally when we’re aligned with love. And suddenly, here was an authoritative, uncompromising voice saying, “You are not upset for the reason you think you are.”That one sentence became a lifeline. Changing the mind—really changing it—was often harder than a handstand. From here, the conversation shifts to the heart of the episode:Who is your teacher when you step off the mat?Yoga teaches:Now is the time for yoga.Yoga is the stopping of how the mind turns.Then the seer rests in their true nature.Most of us spend the day listening to the wrong teacher—the inner critic. That voice evaluates, judges, compares, blames, and condemns. It tells us we’re not enough or others aren’t enough. It speaks the language of separation.But both yoga and “A Course in Miracles” point to a single problem: the belief that we are separate—from the divine, from our creator, from who we truly are. When the mind is spinning in its habitual patterns, we can’t see ourselves clearly. The problem isn’t out there—it’s in the way the mind turns.Over time, another voice begins to emerge: the inner teacher. It speaks softly, kindly, lovingly. For many, it’s a voice unfamiliar at first. But once we start listening, everything begins to shift.Putting this into practice becomes a kind of growing up. It requires taking radical responsibility for our own thoughts and emotions—no more blaming someone else for how we feel. This is where the real off-the-mat training begins. And it’s here that yoga and the Course intertwine in a profound way.Today’s episode is ultimately about that thread—the legacy of teachers like Dorothy and Larry, the bridge between movement and mindset, and the inner journey that unfolds long after we roll up the yoga mat. It’s a reminder that the most transformative practice isn’t always visible. It happens in the quiet spaces where we choose, again and again, to shift perception, return to love, and listen to the voice that gently leads us back to our true nature.