The thought of Yoga generates either good thoughts or terror and nothing in-between. Yoga is very physical and regular practice develops your stamina and strength including your core! When committed to the practice on a regular basis, you experience and become aware of the spirit (energy) within and without. While it is primarily stretching (until you cannot stand it anymore) and limbering the body through challenging poses, the mental aspects of Yoga are amazing.
- The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga act as guides to help you find inner peace through love and compassion for yourself and others. It calms you down and gives you the ability to not over react to any situation.
- Yoga instills mental focus and mind clarity through the use of meditation throughout the practice. Meditation can be defined as the uninterrupted flow of concentration. By focusing on our breath and finding the “sweet spot” of each pose, we are able to push away any negative thoughts or thoughts about other aspects in our lives. I am here to tell you that when practicing Yoga, I am unable to think of anything else but breathing and the poses that I am trying to perfect. Nor do I worry about what I look like in the poses or that someone is looking at me and judging me. This just does not happen! It is the perfect way to re-start a negative day!
- Yoga helps people become more mentally and physically disciplined because you learn thru the practice of Yoga to control your thoughts and responses to all the outside influences in your life. You can begin to see the world around you is a constant source of energy that you can tap into to meet your desires instead of giving into self-sabotage.
For me, Yoga helps me live a happier life in the moment. The spirituality of the practice gives me the inner strength to manage difficult situations and keep my cool! Remember these things as you begin your Yoga practice:
- Learning to breathe through difficult postures can help you breathe through difficult times.
- Stretching in the yoga poses to your limit without comparing with another, can lead to an attitude to do your best in a situation and let go. This attitude helps in overcoming stress.
- Being physically flexible leads to mental flexibility. At the same time, being mentally flexible leads to physical flexibility.
At my age (soon to be 65), I plan to be able to do Yoga until the last day of my life. I know that continuing this practice will not only enhance my physical body but also allow me to really enjoy the rest of my life. I do hope that the day that I pass on, that I was able to practice Yoga that morning!
If you are thinking about Yoga as a part of your life, know that the real reason to practice Yoga is to be a more peaceful, happy and joyful person. If you do yoga for the health benefits, which are many, you will feel better and have more energy but you will miss the true depth available in the practice of Yoga.
For whatever is your reason to try Yoga…. Come on in…the water is HOT!
Bibliography:
- The Spiritual, Mental and Self Discipline Benefits of Yoga
Tammy Son, 12/22/2016 - Meditation, Contemplation and Spiritual AwarenessPandit, Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, 10/29/2018
- Why Yoga is a Spiritual Practice, Kino MacGregor. No date given
- Yoga and Spirituality-Explaining the Connect,Dana Kreshnan and Shiran Sarvothan. No date given