Do you Yoga?

I've been practicing yoga for a few years now & quite simply it has changed my life. I came to yoga out of a deep knowing that it was a way to connect with myself and with the Divine. What brought me to yoga was quite simply a force that compelled me to begin a practice. I was shy initially & uncertain if I could even do the poses. But, as soon as I began everything about yoga felt so familiar & so easy. My body knew the poses before my mind knew them. 

How has yoga changed me? Physically I've noticed all sorts of things. First of all, my body feels lighter. After doing yoga I feel as if I float on air, which is a pretty nice feeling. And other things began happening with my body too. I swear I've grown taller since practicing yoga. But, what really has surprised & humbled me is how strong my body is. Through doing yoga I've found I have a stamina & strength that I never knew. When I do yoga there is something that moves through me that is completely light & full of grace. When this presence meets me it's as if it's doing the moves, not me. 

The longer & deeper I practice I run into all sorts of seemingly contradictions that are confounding to my intellect. The first one is that to go deeper into a pose & to become more flexible you relax into the moment. You don't force your body, but rather you keep breathing & relax. Through this relaxation & even breathing you are able to go deep into a pose. Recently, I've realized my body is able to be very flexible when I completely surrender. 

And yoga isn't just a physical practice, but a practical one. I've noticed that yoga teaches you about life, about your mind, about your reactions. How? When I'm in a pose that feels physically uncomfortable I can fight that discomfort, but when I do fight it I notice I lose balance or my body starts to tighten up. When I choose to accept where my body is and the position it's in there's a sort of peace that appears. And once I’m able to practice this peace in yoga I’m able to do this in life as well. It’s not as if I never experience anger, irritation, frustration & sadness, but rather than fight these feelings I can acknowledge them & just be with them. When I am able to be with these feelings I notice a space appears around them.

The most profound thing yoga has taught me, or rather I should say revealed to me, is that I’m always connected to something larger than myself. Yoga has shown me I’m not separate from source, from the divine. I am inextricably intertwined with this divine presence. And this knowing provides a sense of safety & comfort & this begins to move outward. I used to think the world happened to me or that the external decided what was internal. But, really what is within us affects what is external.

Yoga, like so much in life, is really a leap of faith. I didn’t know where my yoga practice would lead me, but knew I had to begin & each step of the way I have been so well taken care of & blessed. Ah, yoga.