Yoga is a ritual that I joyfully welcomed into my day to day life. An activity that you may find me doing in the middle of the living room early in the morning or perhaps at a class surrounded by others who share a common goal. This ritual or act is practiced daily by many all around the globe. As a matter of fact the act of yoga originated on the opposite side of the globe in India. People will express their differing opinions on the purpose or meaning of yoga. One that I find fitting is written by Dr. Basavaraddi, the director of the Marji Desai National Institute of Yoga, explains that, “Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body” ( Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, 2015). Yoga truly is an act that requires your mind and body to peacefully work together. As well In my personal experience the mind is just as important during the act of yoga as the body is. What makes this definition even more beautiful is the origin of the word also explained in Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi’s article says, “The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’ ”( Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, 2015). Yoga teaches one to take into consideration all areas and parts of oneself. I believe that this action is practiced not only by myself, but by so many others as well because it is purely focused on the self and creating space as well as awareness. Space in our minds, body, and our daily lives.
On a mild afternoon in Northern California during the summer of 2015 my older sister Tracy, someone who I have always greatly looked up to, invited me to tag along with her as well as her best friend to a yoga class. However I had never done yoga before. Let alone attend a class at a yoga studio, but Tracy talked about it with excitement and In all honesty to be invited by her was a complete honor in my eyes. Regardless of the discomfort that the idea of bending over backwards in front of other people was bringing me, Tracy’s invitation was something I was not willing to pass up. I can still remember taking off my shoes and rolling out a purple yoga mat i had borrowed from my mom. As I looked around at the other people in the small room I felt less nervous. The energy was good and the people seemed to have a kindness about them. There were skylights in the ceiling that brought a dim natural light in. The light brought in a sweet summer's warmth. The instructor turned on some slow music and the class began.
Suddenly we are all lying on our backs staring at the ceiling and the class is coming to an end. The instructor asks everyone in the class to rest their eyes and let go of any tension we find in our jaws or facial muscles. She asks us to become aware. Aware of our necks, spines, and backs. Aware of our fingers. To create space between our arms and side bodies. This follows through to our toes and suddenly I feel my body truly relaxing. After she has reminded us of nearly all the places we may have built up tension, the instructor then tugs at our minds. She asks us to let go of any problems or stress that we have let build up throughout the day, week, or month. Suddenly I think of many things that I have been allowing to trouble me and how i want to let them go. She explains that they have no purpose here on the mat or in our lives outside of this room. She us asks to create space in our minds and bodies for new positive thoughts and emotions. I accepted the insturctors challenge.
After that class I decided I wanted to make yoga a recurring event in my life. As I have continued this practice, I have noticed more and more the benefits of this act. Benefits such as creating space. An incentive for many who practice in hopes of growing through their yoga journey. While sitting hunched over on the couch watching television or curled up in bed under the covers reading a book I know notice I am hardly creating any space. Yoga gives one the opportunity to create space in their body. While breathing through postures one learns to lengthen. Giving them the opportunity to create length through their chest, spine, neck, Side body, limbs, fingers, and toes. One will learn to stretch through each posture, creating space on the mat. Space for potential growth and strengthening in a posture or position. room for the body to evolve. As well, I have been taught how yoga can create space in your mind. Yoga is a form of meditation. While on the mat I often choose create a space for myself, a space of understanding and acceptance. A time where I like to reflect on my day and decide if there are things I should be letting go of. Thoughts and feelings that may arise that do more harm than good. This meditation creates space for potential healing and evolving as a person.
The second benefit that goes hand in hand with space is awareness. Many people center their yoga practice around awareness. Yoga is all about creating a greater understanding of one's body through their breath. Learning to breathe through the body and becoming more aware of where we are breathing into each posture. One takes time to notice how their body is feeling that day. What feels good and right. Learning to press into and away from the earth. What feels tight and needs loosening up. Letting go of all outside distractions and stepping onto the mat and becoming fully present. Consequently there is even greater virtue in learning to step off of the mat and understand the importance of living and doing all things with awareness. Walk, talk, and breath with awareness. As a person who practices i still hold a life outside of yoga. A sometimes busy and hectic life, but yet I choose to make time for yoga in my life. A YouTube video posted by the account Yoga With AdrieneYoga is titled “5-Minute Morning Yoga”. This link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C-gxOE0j7s&t=198s will take you to the “5-Minute Morning Yoga” which happens to be a short practices that I often follow along with on my busiest days. This video often gives myself a greater awareness of the importance of what I make time for in my daily life.
The wonderful part of this daily self ritual is that it means something different for each person partaking in the act. Anyone and everyone partaking in yoga will find that they will have a different experience than the next person. Every mind and body is different and unique. I know people who practice as a strengthening exercise, for flexibility, meditation, or simply for enjoyment. However I have personally decided to continue to do yoga as a daily ritual after realizing it was something I could make my own. Something where I never had to worry about the next person. An activity to grow and nurture each individual's body and mind. Although somehow it was still an act that brought people together. People from many different backgrounds and lifestyles. I am thankful to partake in a act where people are coming together to better themselves by creating space and awareness within.
Work Cited Page
Basavaraddi, Ishwar v. “Yoga: Its Origin, History and Development.” Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, 6 Oct. 2014, www.mea.gov.in/search-result.htm?25096%2FYoga%3A_su_origen%2C_historia_y_desarrollo.
Yoga is a ritual that I joyfully welcomed into my day to day life. An activity that you may find me doing in the middle of the living room early in the morning or perhaps at a class surrounded by others who share a common goal. This ritual or act is practiced daily by many all around the globe. In fact the act of yoga originated on the opposite side of the globe in India. People will express their differing opinions on the purpose or meaning of yoga. One that I find fitting is written by Dr. Basavaraddi, the director of the Marji Desai National Institute of Yoga explains, “Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body” ( Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, 2015). I feel that definition does the act justice. Yoga truly is an act that requires your mind and body to peacefully work together. In my experience the mind is just as important during the act of yoga as the body is. What makes this definition even more beautiful is the origin of the word, “The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’ ”( Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, 2015). When doing yoga one practices, creating a connection between the mind as well as the body. Yoga teaches one to take into consideration all areas and parts of oneself. I believe that this action is practiced not only by myself, but so many others as well because it is purely focused on the self and creating space as well as awareness. Space in our minds, body, and our daily lives.
On a mild afternoon in Northern California during the summer of 2015 my older sister Tracy, someone who I have always greatly looked up to, invited me to tag along with her and her best friend to a yoga class. I had never done yoga before. Let alone attend a class at a yoga studio, but Tracy talked about it with excitement and In all honesty to be invited by her was a complete honor in my eyes. Regardless of the discomfort that the idea of bending over backwards in front of other people was bringing me, Tracy’s invitation was something I was not willing to pass up. I remember taking off my shoes and rolling out my mat. As I looked around at the other people in the small room I felt less nervous. The energy was good and the people had a kindness about them. There were skylights in the ceiling that brought a dim natural light in. The light brought in a sweet summer's warmth. The instructor turned on some slow music and the class began.
Suddenly we are all lying on our backs staring at the ceiling and the class Is coming to an end. The instructor asks everyone in the class to rest their eyes and let go of any tension we find in our jaws or facial muscles. She asks us to become aware. Aware of our necks, spines, and backs. Aware of our fingers and to create space between our arms and side bodies. This follows through to our toes and suddenly i feel my body truly relaxing. After she has reminded of us of nearly all the places we may have built up tension, the instructor then tugs at our minds. She asks us to let go of any problems or stress that we have built up in our minds throughout the day, week, or month. I think of things that I have been letting trouble me and i want to let them go. She explains that they have no purpose here on the mat or in our lives outside of this room. She us asks to let them go and create space in our minds and bodies. I accepted this challenge.
After that class i decided I wanted to make yoga a recurring event in my life. As I have continued this practice, I have noticed more and more the benefits of this act. Benefits such as creating space. An incentive for many who practice in hopes of growing through their yoga journey. While sitting hunched over on the couch watching television or curled up in bed under the covers reading a book I am hardly creating any space. Yoga gives one the opportunity to create space in their body. While breathing through postures one learns to lengthen. Giving them the opportunity to create length through their chest, spine, neck, Side body, limbs, fingers, and toes. One will learn to stretch through each posture, creating space on the mat. Space for potential growth and strengthening in a posture or position. Space for the body to evolve. As well, I have been taught how yoga can create space in your mind. Yoga is a form of meditation. While on the mat I create a space for myself, a space of understanding and acceptance. Where I may reflect on my day and decide if there are things I should be letting go of. Thoughts and feelings that may arise that do more harm than good. This meditation creates space for potential healing and evolving as a person. A person with a life outside of yoga. A sometimes busy and hectic life, but yet I choose to make space in my life for yoga. This gives one a greater understanding of the importance of what they might make time for. Yoga teaches you to create space for the healthy and nurturing aspects of life.
The second benefit that goes hand in hand with space is the awareness. Many people center their yoga practice around awareness. Yoga is all about creating awareness of one's body through their breath. Learning to breathe through the body and becoming more aware of where we are breathing into each posture. One takes time to become aware of how their body is feeling that day. What feels good and right. Learning to press into and away from the earth. What feels tight and needs loosening up. Letting go of all outside distractions and stepping onto the mat and becoming fully present. Then there is even greater virtue in learning to step off of the mat and understand the importance of living and doing all things with awareness. Walk, talk, and breath with awareness. The wonderful part of this daily self ritual is that it means something different for each person partaking in the act. Anyone and everyone partaking in yoga will find that they will have a different experience than the next person. Every mind and body is different and unique. No persons journey is expected to be the same. I decided to continue to do yoga after realizing it was something I could make my own. Something where I never had to worry about the next person. An activity to grow and nurture each individual's body and mind. Although somehow it was still an act that brought people together. People from many different backgrounds and lifestyles. Something I am able to do alongside my sister. I am thankful to partake in a act where people are coming together to better themselves by creating space and awareness within.