WHY PRACTICE YOGA?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We are a week into 2020 and by now your list of resolutions has likely already been pared down some.  If you are like me, a new year (or week, or month, or season) means a new dive into how I can improve my life.  I make lists.  Some of the things I want to do keep falling to the bottom (clean the attic) and some stay near the top (watch more TV....but only PBS, of course!  LOL)  There is a natural culling process because it's really hard to make everything an equal priority.  Time, energy, ditching the "shoulds" all play into what we do in real life as opposed to what we might write on that sheet of notebook paper.

By the looks of the class sizes at Yoga Circle this past week, I'd say many put "take a yoga class" on their lists.  Will it stay near the top?  Will you commit to your yoga practice?

Let me warn you, it's not always easy.  Starting any new thing (or returning to it after a long hiatus) can be challenging.  For me, I often feel clumsy, confused, overwhelmed, embarrassed.  I look around and tell myself stories about everyone else being "better" than I am at whatever we are doing.  That may or may not be true.

But here's the thing....being "better" is in the eye of the practitioner.  Sure, another yogi/yogini may execute a perfect Downward Facing Dog, but his/her brain may be simultaneously thinking about their grocery list.  This is NOT yoga!  You may be feeling off balance, unsure of the pose, yet totally focused with mind and body on being in the moment.  Guess what?  That IS yoga!  So, who's practice is "better"?

Yoga is letting go of judgement and just showing up. Yoga is finding compassion for yourself and others.  Yoga is focused attention on the present moment.  The postures are there for us to focus on while we rest our busy minds.  The postures are there to help lubricate and heal our physically stuck places so we can rid ourselves of physical discomfort distractions as we sit in meditation.

The Yoga Sutra tells us:  Yoga is the process of stilling the fluctuations of the mind.  That's it.  But wow, right?

Our asana (posture) classes focus on the body for sure, and it's important to execute a pose correctly to avoid injury.  But every pose can be modified to "fit" each individual body.  What's important is to find the shape of the pose that is right for you, not the person next to you.

But if you listen closely you will realize that an asana class isn't just about poses. Your teacher will also guide you in breathing techniques to calm the nervous system, will impart wisdom about compassion and self-acceptance, will share Yoga philosophy about living in harmony with the earth and other people.  All of this is yoga.  If you only come to class and sit in silence or lie in savasana for the whole 90 minutes, turning your attention to breathing deeply and to calming the mind, you are practicing yoga.

Why practice yoga?  It is an ancient practice with proven results.  It calms the busy mind, strengthens, flexes, and balances our bodies, gives us a guide to living an ethical life of love, service, and compassion, and ultimately allows us to rest in the true seat of our soul where worldly concerns drift away, even if only for a little while at first and then more and more often allowing us to see that those worldly concerns are temporary.  We gain perspective on life's dramas and find a more peaceful way of being.

That's why I keep yoga at the top of any list of intentions and resolutions, every day.©

Namaste, donnajurene

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