Ashtanga is this amazing practice that throws us into a face to face encounter with ourselves. There is no hiding, no escaping. The journey feels arduous at times as fear, anger, arrogance, doubt, laziness, instability and other obstacles are uncovered and revealed. We show up day after day, humbled, with faith that buried beneath all this psycho-somatic confusion is the burning light of truth, love and compassion. We practice to wake up, to live fully, to experience everything as it is and not otherwise. Amazingly, the practice itself fosters the strength and ability to do so.