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I recently graduated from studying a 200HR Yoga certification with YogaRenew.
Firstly I just want to say this was something super outside my comfort zone. My yoga journey has been one full of healing and I truly have so much gratitude for the practice. I started practicing from a fitness point of view about 4 years ago (for flexibility and to try relax) but then after hitting a low point in my life I dived into yoga and it became a healing tool. That was about 2 years ago and when covid hit, yoga became part of my daily morning routine and often gave me something to focus on when I felt low, stressed and disconnected. Now it has become a bigger part of my lifestyle and I am so happy to share what I have learnt with others.
Yoga is a tool to help you learn about yourself, your mind, body & soul all through this healing sense of movement and breath-work. It also encompasses so much more than what people generally think, it’s not just about going to a yoga class and doing poses (asanas). It’s about living with a grateful and open heart, flowing with life and learning to move with purpose and patience.
Biggest misconceptions:
- You need to be flexible - I started yoga with VERY limited flexibility (I have never been that flexible) and with consistency I have seen a huge transformation in something that for most my life has been a struggle. If you want to work on your flexibility – yoga is a great tool to help you!
- Yoga is just stretching - Restorative yoga often does include lots of stretching which is beneficial for the body – but there are many variations of types of yoga you can do, and it can be challenging and more than ‘stretching’ that help give you strength & power.
- Yoga is boring – well for some it might be, but have you aerial yoga ? Hot yoga? If you have an open mind you might just enjoy being present with yourself and learning about your mind, body & soul.
Some lessons from yoga:
Yoga is a spiritual path – it’s not just about your time on the matt in or out of a class, it’s a mindset, it’s a value set, it’s a moral principle guiding your life – see below for more on history of yoga.
Yoga has taught me to honour my body, connect deeper with my breath, the present moment and feel good from the inside out.
Yoga helps teach you patience. Learning to be patient with yourself and accept and love yourself where you are in every breath and movement, small or large, is so powerful.
To go with what flows. In life in every way, if something isn’t flowing, yoga helps you make the habit of taking a breath and moving with what is flowing in life.
To de-stress and live freely. Yoga is an instant body relaxer, it calms your SNS Sympathetic Nervous System and increases your PNS Peripheral Nervous System, resulting in reduction in heart rate and blood pressure which really does decrease anxiety and release a calmness into your life.
Ideas on how to get into Yoga:
Contact me for classes - I offer one-to-one and group training options for all levels.
Find a local yoga studio – there are so many studios I adore and this is a great way to build your community and share the energy. Some of my favourite local studios include: Studio 3 for Aerial Yoga & Yoga Flame – for hot yoga.
Look at online – YouTube free classes is another great way to build your confidence and practice anytime anywhere! Favourite online classes include Travis Eliot and Michelle Goldstein.
Just start where you are now, there is no better time than to deeper connect with yourself than this present moment.
My favourite inspiring Yoga Quotes:
“We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.” -Helen Keller
“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.” – Aadil Palkhivala
“Yoga is a light which once lit will never dim, the better your practice the brighter your flame.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
“Yoga must not be practiced to control the body: it is the opposite, it must bring freedom to the body, all the freedom it needs.” - Vanda Scaravelli
“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.”– Aadil Palkhivala
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” – Etty Hittlesum
Key History of Yoga:
• Yoga arises from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other religions with it’s earliest known writings found in the ancient Hindu spiritual texts known as the Vedas, which originated in 1700- 1100 BCE.
• Yoga means "to yoke" or "to make one" - the intended yoking is that of one's mind and the divine.
• Meditation is the principal tool the Vedic seers describe in the Rig Veda (the earliest of the Veda texts). The primary form of meditation was through mantra which is the repetitive song of certain sounds.
• The Upanishads were written in the first millennium BCE - it's here we find thorough explanations of yoga practice which are still focused on meditation. The Upanishads held forth the belief in a universal spirit, Brahman, and an individual soul, Atman.
• The Bhagavad Gita or Song of God explores the mystery of the mind, providing a set of guiding principles through conscious action. In this text, three types of yogic paths are explained.
1. Karma yoga - the yoga of service
2. Jnana yoga - the yoga of knowledge
3. Bhakti yoga - the yoga of devotion
• The Yoga Sutras by Patanjali was composed around 200 CE. It is a set of 196 aphorisms that many consider to be the basic text on yoga. The Sutras explain how to cultivate one's path to Samadhi, a blissful state of oneness with the divine.
• Many students and teachers of yoga are surprised that the Yoga Sutras do not discuss or describe a single asana or pose.
• The Sutras include a set of guides, the 8 Limbed Path which help an individual reach the state of Samadhi.
The 8 Limbed Path includes:
1. Yama: Moral Discipline
2. Niyama: Positive Observance
3. Asana: Posture
4. Pranayama: Breathing Control
5. Pratyahara: Sense Withdrawal
6. Dharana: Concentration
7. Dhyana: Meditation
8. Samadhi: Enlightenment
• The Yamas are a set of five ethical standards on how we treat others in our lives.
1. Ahimsa: Non-harming
2. Satya: Truth
3. Asteya: Non-stealing
4. Aparigraha: Non-attachment
5. Brahmacharya - Use of sexual energy
• The Niyamas are a set of five ethical standards on how we live our lives.
1. Saucha: Purity
2. Santosha: Contentment
3. Tapas: Self-discipline
4. Svadhyaya: Self-study
5. Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to higher power I hope this helps encourage you to go on your own personal yoga journey.
To learn more about yoga contact me. Wishing you all the best in your journey!
TM
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