Don’t Know Your Chakras from Your Chaka Khans?

Don’t know your Chakras from your Chaka Khans? Don’t worry about it.

More and more people are turning to Yoga and Meditation as a way of connecting  and calming the mind.  It’s popular and pervasive.  But what is it and how does it work? 

Yoga is an ancient art and science.  It is one of the oldest documented systems of personal development.  The practice of Yoga uses the body itself to create angles and triangles.  Holding a physical posture applies pressure to internal organs and glands in order to strengthen the nervous system. 

Think of the nervous system like the Don Valley Parkway.  If there is traffic, like old limiting beliefs or habits that no longer serve, the journey is slow and you spend more time waiting than moving.  Without traffic, you get to your destination quickly, efficiently and right on time.  Yoga helps to clear the way.  As the nervous system heals, your ability to handle your emotions and thoughts expands.  You begin to honour and act from a place of inner knowingness.  In that sense there are no limits to our human potential. 

The human body works best with repetition and routine.  And while some Yoga is better than none, a regular practice offers the best opportunity for personal transformation.  So how do you develop a regular practice especially in the face of a demanding schedule and the myriad of choice when it comes to yoga?  Let’s explore some common concerns:

I don’t have time

Yoga is more than the postures.  A simple, single conscious breath can alter your mood, change thought patterns and allow a more expansive option to present itself.  If you are breathing, you are doing Yoga.  Try this when a craving hits – take 26 long deep breaths before heading to the fridge.  Notice the shift. 

I’m not flexible

You don’t have to be!  Every single body has a different range of motion, level of natural strength and flexibility.  Be where you are, and work from that place.  Rather than deny yourself the opportunity to participate because you feel stiff, use it as a reason to stretch and expand.  A good teacher will offer modifications in class to help you adjust and adapt to the posture. As you move differently, introducing change in your physical experience, you also build flexibility in your mind.  

 I tried it once and didn’t like it

There are literally hundreds of styles of yoga, each with a different emphasis.  Hatha Yoga tends to be more physical, Laughter Yoga is an emotive practice and Kundalini Yoga combines elements of sound, physical practice, and meditation.  For  each you will discover a teacher with his or her own method of passing on the teachings.   Ask around, explore the different options. Try a practice that you intuitively are drawn to and then try something that you think you won’t like.  The experience will lead you exactly to where you need to be. 

Give yourself options.  An opportunity to relax, connect with your essence, open your heart and have a greater impact on the world is your birth right.  Doing this from a place of consciousness is the mastery that yoga offers to all of us.