Yoga

I know it sounds cliche, but Yoga changed my entire life. I walked into my first class in 2005 and it was love at first down dog. I knew immediately that this was something different from anything else I had ever experienced and I threw myself into learning everything I could from every resource available. It was through Yoga that I learned how to quiet my own mind, how to recognize patterns in myself, and how to move with intention. It also gave me the tools to connect deeply with my Spirituality and the courage to follow my own heart.

Yoga is so much more than stretching and pretty poses on Instagram. It is a 5,000-(ish)-year-old complete system for living well and achieving self-actualization. The benefits of Yoga include increased mobility and flexibility, increased muscle mass and bone density, reduced anxiety and stress, lower heart rate, greater respiratory return, increased focus and mental clarity, better sleep, increased self awareness, and a deeper connection with the world around you; however, the real power of Yoga lies in deep levels of meditation which lead to a union with the Divine. Through ethical principles, personal observances, movement, breathwork, and multiple levels of meditation, Yoga brings you closer to your God, no matter your belief system.

The eight-limbed path of Yoga is a complete system for living mindfully in a way that nurtures you and your community, however large or small, and leads to your self-actualization. The journey is not a linear one and will certainly be difficult, but it worth every moment.

Yamas

The yamas are guidelines to morality and teach us how best to interact with the world around us and include:

Ahimsa (non-violence)
Satya (truthfulness)
Asteya (non-stealing)
Brahmacharya (moderation)
Aparigraha (non-attachment)

Niyamas

The niyamas are personal observances and practices that support spiritual growth, including:

Saucha (cleanliness)
Santosha (contentment)
Tapas (discipline)
Svadhyaya (self study)
Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to a higher power)

Asana

Asanas are the physical postures most commonly associated with Yoga in the West. Asana builds strength, flexibility, and mobility, but more importantly, it prepares the mind and body for deeper spiritual practices.

Pranayama

Pranayama is breathwork; taking conscious control of the breath to elicit an energetic shift. By learning to control the breath, we learn to direct our own life force energy (prana).

Pratyahara

Pratyahara is the practice of withdrawing from the senses and turning our attention inward. Learning to control our senses leads to the ability to control our mind.

Dharana

Dharana is deep concentration. It is learning to focus on one specific thing for a certain period of time without wavering.

Dhyana

Dhyana is a deep level of meditation, where we become absorbed in the object of our concentration.

Samadhi

The ultimate goal of Yoga, samadhi is union with the Divine; moving into who we truly are. This is often referred to as self-actualization.

Many Paths

Like us, Yoga has grown and evolved over its lifetime. Every single day is an opportunity to discover something new about yourself and another aspect of the practice. The beauty of Yoga lies in its ability to meet us exactly where we are at any given moment. Some days it’s a 30-second meditation and others it’s a two-hour sweat fest…and everything in between. It can be soft and flowing or rigid and demanding, just for fun or as a prescription to heal what ails you. There is no end to the possibilities of our practice. We only have to show up.