Monday 19 August 2013

Yoga Asana - A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Practice


Yoga Asana A Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Practice…. potentially! Lauren Lillie

I can clearly remember the feeling of gratitude embracing me as I lay in Savasana after my first class of Yoga. That day I grasped the handle to a door, opened it and walked through to a new phase of my life, where I would explore my body and my health with more connection and love.

Yoga is described as union - my experience of this is that Yoga harmonizes polarities. It embodies strength and softness, trying and surrendering, introspection and outside awareness, movement and stillness, acceptance and change. 

On a physical level Yoga requires our muscles to work in synergy. Dormant areas of the body are awakened, restoring co-ordination, balance and mobility. Using our own body weight the postures subtly shape and define, and the low impact nature allows joints to open and muscles to simultaneously strengthen and lengthen.

On an emotional level Yoga creates a space for inner reflection and smooths the fluctuation of emotions and mental turbulence brought about by our lives. By narrowing our focus to the quality of each breath and movement, tension begins to dissolve and a quiet clarity settles in. I honor the time spent on my mat as I have found that the consistency of my state of mind is relative to the consistency of my practice.  

On a spiritual level practicing Yoga impels us to listen more closely to the messages of our bodies and cultivate a deep and nurturing relationship with ourselves. Within the dimensions of our mat we encounter an awareness the noise of living often overshadows, and this attunement to our body is a gateway to our deepest sources of wisdom, compassion and in essence, spirituality. 

L x

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