Four years ago, if you stopped me on the streets and informed me that someday I’d be writing for a new age magazine about yoga, I would have laughed at you….hard…really hard. I’m talking about one of those bellowing blahaha’s brought on only by the disbelief that absolute absurdity can breed. In fact, I would have wagered my soul against the most meager reward if only due to how confident I would have been that this moment would never arise. See, in those days I was an alcoholic rock star more concerned with raging into the night than making sure that my mind, body, and soul was properly aligned. Simply put, I wasn’t the type; and any part of me that perhaps once was, had fled from the path I was walking at that point in life long ago. Being brutally honest, I was a lost soul screaming out for salvation. But I guess that’s the most beautiful thing about prayers, mediations, or set intentions, you never know what curveball the universe’s cure may be.

It’s not that I wasn’t into physical fitness throughout my life, because I grew up as an athlete who excelled in several sports. I lived for the rush of competition and worked out year round. Still, I grew up in the era just before yoga had yet to be accepted by mainstream society. Though yoga is an ancient art form, we here in the states have waited quite some time to let this lotus blossom bloom into our day-to-day lives. I, like many others did at that time and still do to this day, looked at yoga as something used by ballerinas, gymnasts, and circus performers to improve their balance, or a new age fad sure to fade fast from the ranks of hippy moon children who proclaimed that contorting their bodies like pretzels brought them some form of inner peace. I can also admit that I bought into that notion that yoga was somehow “girly” and I could never see my masculine side ever giving up pumping iron for poses with names like downward dog and sun salutation. Boy, was I wrong.

I’m not quite sure when my change of perspective happened, but I know a pivotal moment was when I quit drinking and started paying attention to my overall health again. My alcoholic days ended quite abruptly as I awoke in a jail cell. My last memory was being on stage at my own show the night before. Obviously, it was time to enter a new era of life. I returned to my roots and routine of hitting the weight room as often as possible to replace the negative addiction with a more positive direction. Yet, almost instantly, I began to notice the added need for the pre-workout stretching I had found so annoying as a youth. It turned out my 27-year-old body needed a little extra love and care before I could tear into the dumbbells and bench-press I used to relieve stress. *At this point, I believe somewhere within me a seed was planted.

The next step in my evolution toward embracing yoga in my daily routine came 18 months later when I met my current girlfriend and personal yoga guru, Shelby Lafrinere. Shelby is an ERYT (Experience Registered Yoga Teacher) who has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and teaches at some of the best schools in Southern California. From certifying new teachers at Yoga Well, to giving private lessons to lawyers, to instructing public classes at Pilgrimage of the Heart, Shelby shares her knowledge, gifts and talent with individuals from just about every walk of life. But here’s the twist; Shelby may be my yoga guru, but I am most definitely her rebel renegade student. Since day one, I was resistant not only of yoga, but also of the spiritual dogma attached to it. Though I’m an adamant believer in spirituality, I’m also one who holds very close to my heart the notion that each of our paths is very unique and personal. It was going to be hard enough to convince me to slow myself down long enough to focus on my breath and these abstract forms of stretching and strengthening, let alone subscribe to any philosophy that claimed to be the best way to achieve enlightenment. Then Shelby said something that changed my perspective forever. She told me to make yoga my own. In an instant, “Vinyaaron” was born.

Now, at this juncture, I should probably introduce and explain just what “Vinyaaron” is. Seeing that I’m a person who enjoys and embraces life’s simple truths, I’m going to do my best to keep this as basic as I can. Now when Shelby told me to make yoga my own, whether it was her intention to or not, this immediately released me from any spiritual baggage I may have attached to yoga in the past. It reminded me that with any philosophy or religion, it was my choice to take what I needed. I could relate to each doctrine and leave behind anything that didn’t sit right in my heart. Shelby told me that if nothing else, I should take at least several moments a week to reground myself and focus on connecting with my body. I was somewhat skeptical, but I still had no sound counterargument. Thus, I began making my old high school sports stretches part of my workout routine, even on days I wasn’t going to the gym. *The seed has now broken its shell and is beginning to break through the top soil.

After several weeks stretching, I had begun to see some fairly amazing results. I was more energetic, uplifted and outgoing than I have been in years. Still, my practice had very little to do with what most people would call “yoga”. That’s when Shelby informed me that doing inversions and headstands could help me with an old back injury I had suffered years ago in a freak diving board accident (that’s a long story set for another time). I was intrigued. Her suggestion seemed like a challenge that not only satisfied my curiosity to try some forms more directly related to traditional yoga, but also my inner manhood, which needed a feat of strength to feel fully satisfied. *The seed is now a plant, with roots racing into the earth.

Little by little I began mastering the balance needed to maintain this difficult, yet playful pose and the strength to sustain it for prolonged amounts of time. I instantly fell in love and found myself doing headstands at the most random times and in the most random places. Even when I wasn’t thinking about it, I began to see myself doing yoga as a fun pick-me-up. It was an instant high available at a moment’s notice. Better yet, it began to relieve pains I thought I would live with forever, and I was granted a new lease on life. *The plant is now a strong adolescent, sturdy and proud, craving more nourishment to grow.

At this time, “Vinyaaron” became a fully conceptualized idea as I introduced more and more yoga poses into my life. But like I said, I like to keep it simple. The main form of yoga that Shelby teaches is Vinyasa, and “Vinyaaron” is just a combination of that form’s name and my own. After all, if my practice was to be mine and mine alone, then I needed to give it my personal signature. I’m the only person on the face of the earth that can practice “Vinyaaron”. It’s all mine. No one can tell me it’s right; no one can tell me it’s wrong. Even to this day, many of the poses I do are my old sports stretches only modified by an extra emphasis on breathing. Some would say this isn’t true yoga, but I would beg to differ.

“Vinyaaron” isn’t a new form of yoga; it’s a new philosophical outlook on the culture. Then again, maybe “Vinyaaron” is what yoga was supposed to be about all along. Making yoga your own empowers each of us to incorporate this incredible beneficial tool into our lives as we each see fit. For instance, “Vinjessica” may be going to three yoga classes a week to help her tone up for the swimsuit season, where as “Vinjames” may be practicing to a video every few days to prevent sports injuries. “Vintiffany” may be preparing to enter a teacher training program to study the craft all day every day, where as “Vinyaaron”, my practice, is, at the present moment, going to the beach at 7am every morning to center myself and prepare my mind and body for another day of artistic madness.

I plan to cover every angle imaginable in moving forward with this column – classes, seminars, private lessons, schools and anything else I find interesting with the hopes that everyone can find an angle to incorporate this invaluable resource into their lives. My aim is to show why yoga isn’t for any one kind of person. Yoga is for everyone. The key part is making yoga your own.

For more information about Aaron Evans and his many forms of self-expression, please visit:
www.aaronevansimagination.com

Photography by: Alexis Embrey Photography