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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