The practice and dedication found in Yoga is a devotion that gives the yogi a purpose, a deep sense of self that is controlled, strong, understanding, patient and humble. Yoga is powerful as it shows each individual their body’s abilities, it gives them a space to self-demonstrate the power within. It sounds too good to be true and I, a person who wanted to get fit and be free of neck pain had no idea of this powerful layer until I was about 3 years in. I’m sorry to report it isn't instant, but you wouldn’t appreciate it if it was, trust me.
The practice gets deeper as and when you devote yourself to it. When I say devote I simply mean practicing regularly, the devotion in Yoga is to yourself, finding the time in your life to be quiet, contemplative and humbled by the body's capabilities on any given day. You allow the body to move in a way that creates space and balance for the mechanisms of our physiology to work better.
Every pose is connected to the lines of the body, the organs and the flow of energy. This can be interpreted in many ways but for someone new to yoga think of it simply as improving circulation so the body gets blood to all the parts that sometimes miss out if we are sitting all day. A living organism needs movement and yoga is one of those movements where the body is filled with happy oxygenated blood. There are, many other benefits but if you are new to it you can let the layers of goodness come to you in your practice not in a blog. You will need to feel the rewards before you become truly curious about where and why they happen.
In our current world, we need contemplative practices, such as Yoga more than ever. We are so glued to our phones, that we barely know how to have conversations with others anymore let alone how to sit quietly by ourselves. This ancient practice may have been gifted to us by the ancestors but it might be that it has never been needed as much as right now. If you are guilty of a slight social media addiction, think of it as a time in the week when you turn your phone off, you are liberated from it for 60 minutes. It will help you to see that nothing bad happens when you are taking time for yourself, if anything you are a more patient and loving person after a yoga class.
I have said it before but having someone direct you from pose to pose as you feel through the class unburdened by whatever has happened that day is something you will never find in a device. You will learn from these teachers, know that all the skills learned on the mat can be taken into everyday life, breath, strength, patience, balance, don’t you want a little more of these in your everyday?
Try it, go to a few classes and see what you think.
