Stretching

Here’s what a friend asked me, “Lora, what’s the different between stretching and yoga?”

Me: “Uh, hmm… can I get back to you on that?”

So, I’ve been thinking and reflecting on her question, “What IS the difference between stretching and yoga?”

When I was a child I was actively involved with gymnastics, which I now find curious given my interest in yoga. Gymnastics was great for me because I loved all the tricks we learned. It was a great feeling to accomplish a new move and also learn to execute moves with grace. I practiced gymnastics for most of my childhood and through high school and yet I don’t feel like it provided the benefits I’ve experienced with yoga. Both yoga and gymnastics do a lot of stretching though and at the beginning of each gymnastics session we’d spend a good 20 – 30 doing stretching alone to warm our bodies up.

So, what makes yoga different? Yoga too is about stretching, but in a way that’s completely different. I think the biggest difference I see is that in yoga the stretches are about slowing down, listening to your body, honoring your body, and simply being aware that you are in a physical body! There is something about this process, as quiet as it seems, that begins to quiet down some of the incessant mind chatter. Also, in these stretches and poses (asanas) you are breathing. This sounds obvious, but often times what is obvious isn’t so obvious. Simply put, breath is a gift. When you breathe consciously in a pose you begin to anchor yourself and a result you begin to get a semblance of balance: physical and mental. Now at first it’s really work to notice your breath and you begin to notice how often you hold your breath in a pose and in life. And you begin to see how holding your breath causes stress and undue tension in your body and mind. When you know this you start to use your breath as your friend and a guide. When you combine this conscious, diaphragmatic breathing in a pose you begin to marry body, mind and spirit. Yoga means union, to yoke. The asanas are just one component of the yoga path, but they begin to reveal to you how you are already whole: mind, body, and spirit. You begin to stretch into whom you really are, which is divine and wonderful!  

Deepening my yoga practice

I recently embarked on my yoga teacher training certification (that's a mouthful). I've been trying to pretend that this training is no big deal and really haven't talked much about it. Today though I realized I haven't been practicing one of the basic philosophies of a yoga path, which is truthfulness. So, if I am being truthful I have to say I am both excited and uncertain as I continue on this path. Becoming a yoga teacher is such a natural and obvious progression for me, but one I still have managed to fight and resist. Why, because this is a path of transformation and I long for it and yet it scares me as well.

Yoga feels like a calling and this whole process I have embarked on feels like an initiation. I am walking into this not knowing where I will end up, but moving ahead step by step.

The physical part of yoga (practicing the asanas) is the least physical part of my routine. Yoga isn’t about a body doing moves, but rather something larger and infinite moving through your physical body. And truthfully yoga is about nothing less than surrender. : ) So here I go! Letting go & surrendering a little more as I write and share this.  

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. 

Yoga. What is it good for?

Technically I came to yoga a few years ago, but really I feel like I've always been practicing it. The other day I got into a conversation online about what you would say to someone who is worried they're "not flexible enough" to begin a yoga practice. And I thought about this for a while. Why do you practice yoga? I know lately it's become a sort of trend, but honestly I began yoga for no other reason than I just knew it was a way to honor myself completely & wholly. I appreciate the physicality of it & enjoy the benefits of having a more fit & toned body, yes! But, beyond the physical component I surrendered myself to yoga because I knew it was my way of opening up unabashedly to the divine. And some deeper & wiser part of myself knew that this path was the right one for me.

There is something compelling about these photos of people doing yoga poses & yet yoga is not about how flexible you can get. When I'm on the mat I understand how futile it is to compare myself to others in the room. You know why? Because when I start to focus more on others I lose my center & lose my balance. I've understood that when I arrive on the mat I have to let go of what others are doing in the room & not compare. Because in the most difficult of poses looking at your neighbor will not help you go deeper. Really, what helps you when you are in a challenging pose is complete surrender & in that sweet moment is when you go deeper into the pose because you are doing it for yourself & doing it in union with the divine. And when you are in union you are more flexible than you ever could have imagined. Flexibility doesn't come by force or by pushing your body into something, but rather by an open-ness & surrender.

And really, if that's all I gain from yoga - it's more than enough & I am grateful.