My Yoga Journey

In my class this week we learned how to breathe and control it. The instructor went step by step and walked us through it which I liked because I had no idea what I was doing. She started out having us either sit crossed legged or lay down flat. Next, she had us put one hand on our rib cage and the other on or stomach. We then were told to focus on our breathe and really listen to it. How when we took a deep breathe in our stomach hugged our rib cage. The we brought our hand to our collar bone and felt our chest life with every breathe. We repeated this several times and with each time we tried to take less breathes and hold it in for longer. At first this was a struggle for me because I was running late and couldn't catch my breathe as is. But, after a while I saw the point in it. I felt totally in control of my body. I realized that through my yoga journey the classes where we focused on our breathing were the ones I took the most from.

As more and more doctors are recommending yoga for a variety of health conditions, the physically therapeutic benefits have become indisputable. However, Yoga Therapy can also be approached from a spiritual rather than physical standpoint, addressing holistic needs in mind and soul as well as body. Through the spiritual approach, the entire science of yoga as written about in the Yoga Sutras is employed, not just the physically restorative postures.  If we have an injury or suffer from chronic pain, the body must be addressed. Similar to physical therapy, yoga movements can significantly decrease pain and suffering, and help regain vital energy. According to the Yoga Sutras, the final aspect of Yoga Therapy is the true point of it all - The exploration of our spiritual nature. Classical sacred texts from many traditions acknowledge that human beings have a Divine energy within. The Yoga Sutras declare it is because of our ignorance of this truth that most of our problems in life occur

So here we are again doing the thing I love to do, meditate! I posted a few weeks ago how this really helped me stay calm in a crazy time in my life. Meditation is definitely a huge part of my yoga practice. Once I got over my perceptions of it and realized how helpful and life saving it was, I try to practice it as much as I can. In class today we had someone come in a help us do a meditation practice. I fell asleep. BUT before that I felt so calm. I really enjoyed what he spoke about before the meditation also and use it in my everyday life. He said something along the lines of the more you avoid suffering, the more prominent it becomes and instead you need to face it head on. That really stuck with me. My life has been a crazy one and Ive been through a lot for someone my age. A few years ago I was diagnosed with skin cancer, Melanoma. My life since then has been different because I have to be so careful everyday the sun touches my body. I am covered in not the prettiest of scars an