Are you thinking of picking up yoga, but are in need of some motivation to start?
Well, here’s something to kick start your interest—the
Instagram of yoga teacher Kino MacGregor.
Scrolling through her account, you’ll find MacGregor performing jaw-dropping yoga poses against stunning backdrops of beaches, cityscapes, and other beautiful locations.
“I want to inspire people to practice, to become true spiritual seekers along the inner journey,” she told
Huffington Post in an interview. “I want people to see that they have the power to change their world to a more peaceful place through the power of yoga. I want people to recognize their own strength and power and then use the practice to experience it.”
MacGregor has been practicing ashtanga yoga for 14 years. She currently has over 631,000 followers on Instagram.
Check out more inspiring yoga photos below, or visit her
Instagram account for more.
Yoga is everywhere, or it can be if your heart and mind are open to it. Some people think I'm a show-off and an exhibitionist and they've got a point, there is a performer in me somewhere and in another life I might have been on stage (maybe in the circus 😉). I believe that you can experience deep connection and inner peace even in the most chaotic and crazed places. Yoga does not belong solely to a private place where you can control all the variables, it's a part of life, where you have no hope at controlling all of the variables. You don't know when your heart will crack wide open, so be prepared. You don't when an angel is going to visit you, so live your life with integrity every day. You don't know when everything is going to fall apart, so be strong and equanimous so that when it does it won't break you. Yoga happens not just on the mat but in random moments throughout your life. Yoga happens when you think outside the box of normal just long enough to let the extraordinary song of your own joy and happiness reverberate through your whole being. #practiceyogachangeyourworld #onebreathatatime Wearing @aloyoga Photo by @ashtangayogacenterbkk
A photo posted by Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga) on Mar 6, 2015 at 3:55pm PST
"Patience, young grasshopper." Who can guess what movie is the origin of this quote? Yes it's a cheesy American movie, but I absolutely loved it as a child. I have always been inspired by martial arts. Something you might not know about me is that when I started yoga I did so out of a desire to live a more peaceful life and lift myself out of a deep darkness. I remember thinking that I would like to study either Aikido or yoga in an effort to redirect my life and after much consideration I chose yoga. I have deep respect for anyone who devotes themselves to a physical discipline that requires a deep mind body connection. And I have a deep reverence for the ancient spiritual traditions of the East. In another time, in another life I might have easily followed a different path, but I am thankful every day for the yoga path that I've followed towards a more peaceful life #onebreathatatime Photo taken in Hong Kong by @michalgarciaisawesome from @theanello Wearing @aloyoga
A photo posted by Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga) on Mar 2, 2015 at 4:28pm PST
You can't please everyone, nor should you try. Sometimes your best intentions are misinterpreted and you're judged harshly. Or an attempt at humor is taken the wrong way and people get offended. What do you do? Fight back and defend yourself? Change to please the peanut gallery. No, none of the above. Take time to reflect, see if the negative feedback has some truth to it and if it does then make some changes. But if it doesn't then just be exactly who you are without apologizing for who you are to anyone. That doesn't mean you won't get bummed out about it, but it does mean that you'll be strong enough to survive it. #practiceyogachangeyourworld #OneBreathAtATime #bestrong Wearing @aloyoga
A photo posted by Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga) on Feb 28, 2015 at 3:50am PST
Be strong without losing your softness. True strength is both steady and compassionate. If you find yourself being punitive towards yourself in your physical training, forcing yourself to hold poses too long, speaking harshly to yourself or others, or doing anything really with an unloving intention or vibe then it's not the true spiritual strength of the yoga path. What is sometimes hard to understand is that flexibility is often the foundation for strength, sort of like an open heart is the foundation for courage. Physically you can't reach the vertical line in handstands if your shoulders aren't open enough. Emotionally, you cannot fully embrace life and surrender if you're locking down and protecting yourself from the possibility of getting hurt. And you cannot live a peaceful life if you're so focused on your goal that you're unaware of the potential negative impact your actions might have on others. Being strong is not about holding the pose at all costs. Life is not about winning at all costs. Be strong enough to be kind, be generous, be compassionate, be peaceful, be loving. #practiceyogachangeyourworld #OneBreathAtATime Photo by Coni Hörler / www.chphotography.ch Wearing: @aloyoga
A photo posted by Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga) on Feb 22, 2015 at 3:27pm PST
There are signs all around you. If you see them clearly you will be lead down the straight and narrow path with little effort. But disregard the signs and wander far off course and suffering awaits you at every wrong turn. Just think about how many times you have ignored a fateful sign thinking that it will be different this time or that it's not so bad as it seems. Practicing yoga makes your vision clear, your powers of perception sharper. Then you need to be strong enough to follow the signs when they are revealed to you, especially when it goes against your personal preferences. #bestrong #practiceandalliscoming #OneBreathAtATime Wearing: @aloyoga
A photo posted by Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga) on Feb 16, 2015 at 2:24pm PST
Be flexible in body and mind. For some people bending the body is the easy part while their minds are stiff and rigid. Other people have a happy go-lucky attitude inside of tight body. You might not believe it but I've been both tight in the body and stiff in my mind. I used to be a big planner and exert massive effort in the futile attempt to control all the aspects of life from food to my environment to other people. And don't think the first time I did yoga I was flexible--I couldn't touch my toes at my first yoga class!! The more I practice the more I realize that the practice is about letting go of attachments and expectations while trusting the higher power that guides my life. Being flexible means being adaptable, being open and vulnerable open moment while being strong and setting boundaries the next. But it's only possible through complete surrender. Surrender yourself and all that think you know so that you can be open to receive a divine and transcendent wisdom. The deepest truth, the highest knowledge comes from God. It is humility to surrender into the recondition that we don't know it all, nor can or should we. Stretch your mind, open your heart, let light seep in through the cracks. #practiceyogachangeyourworld #OneBreathAtATime #beflexible Wearing: @aloyoga Yoga mat: @liforme
A photo posted by Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga) on Feb 8, 2015 at 4:45pm PST
[via
Huffington Post, images via
kinoyoga]