Yoga – Beyond the Physical

“Up dog, down dog, take a big breath in and bend your knees.   Find child pose “. We can all relate to these common words in a yoga class. We are drawn to yoga for the physical, the poses, the sweating, and the strength. If you were very active as a young adult yoga will sing to you as soon as you begin to move on your mat.

I found that we are drawn to the physical aspects of yoga but as you dive into this ancient practice you begin to awaken in ways you never thought possible. Your breath becomes bigger, fuller and it has purpose. The mind begins to find clarity and you discover that you have “issues in your tissues ” that you didn’t even know you had.

Yoga is beyond the physical. Why? The breath, the mind, and emotional feelings become the focus and you begin to realize the poses are just tools.

Breath: Yoga is a breathing class. We breathe all day long but never breathe consciously. Every yoga class has a particular pranayama or breathing technique. It becomes your focal point, it becomes your teacher, your guide because your breath dictates how we feel inside. When we move in yoga, the breath bridges the mind and body.

Mind: The average individual has monkey mind or fluctuation of the mind. We become attached to the over 50,000 thoughts we have a day. Yoga teaches you to observe the thoughts and not become them.

Emotions: There are 5 main enemies that interfere with our personal growth or the life we were meant to live. They are sloth, agitation, fear, anger, and doubt. These emotions get stored in our body, day after day, year after year and they begin to cripple us mentally and physically.

When we begin to understand that the physical poses in yoga teach us to breathe with intention, then we move with purpose. When we are coming from this place of authenticity, love, and acceptance, the monkey mind quiets down.   Your story becomes more clear and less shadowed so you can become your true self.