from nell's grad present
as we nudge our physical boundaries with yoga postures, we become fully focused on the body, breath and mind. we become absorbed in being in the present moment. it's like a break from our usual mind status. like a holiday, it refreshes us. yoga practice helps us move from distress to de-stress from dis-ease to ease, from passion to compassion.
yoga is a state of mind. the state of yoga is when the mind is still. the turnings of the thoughts have ceased and there are no distractions. this state of mind was primarily sought through the practice of meditation. over the last two thousand years other practicies were developed that helped the body and mind become more receptive to the experience of stillness.
stillness fosters awareness. when we know we have forgotten something we often freeze momentarily while we remember. hatha yoga includes physical exercises that seek to relax and still the body, breath work to focus the mind, chanting to arouse and then calm the emotions, and meditation to center the spirit.
keeping a healthy discipline makes life feel better. ou feel better after you've finished a yoga practice than when you started it. sometimes you begin your practice feeling unfocused, anxious or tight in the body. sometimes you feel lazy and lethargic. yet after absorbing yourself in your practice, you feel warm, loose, relaxed, calm and perhaps more connected to a force greater than you. because it feels so good the practice itself is your reward as well as the journey along the path.
it's difficult to relate to others in a relaxed authentic way if you feel that the environment you have created might not survive a few storm clouds. fear fades and tranquility arrives when you relax back into a sense of wholeness. it's like lying back in a warm bath. it's when you re-remember who you really are when, caught up in the whilwind of life you'd forgotten yourself for a while
yoga is a state of mind. the state of yoga is when the mind is still. the turnings of the thoughts have ceased and there are no distractions. this state of mind was primarily sought through the practice of meditation. over the last two thousand years other practicies were developed that helped the body and mind become more receptive to the experience of stillness.
stillness fosters awareness. when we know we have forgotten something we often freeze momentarily while we remember. hatha yoga includes physical exercises that seek to relax and still the body, breath work to focus the mind, chanting to arouse and then calm the emotions, and meditation to center the spirit.
keeping a healthy discipline makes life feel better. ou feel better after you've finished a yoga practice than when you started it. sometimes you begin your practice feeling unfocused, anxious or tight in the body. sometimes you feel lazy and lethargic. yet after absorbing yourself in your practice, you feel warm, loose, relaxed, calm and perhaps more connected to a force greater than you. because it feels so good the practice itself is your reward as well as the journey along the path.
it's difficult to relate to others in a relaxed authentic way if you feel that the environment you have created might not survive a few storm clouds. fear fades and tranquility arrives when you relax back into a sense of wholeness. it's like lying back in a warm bath. it's when you re-remember who you really are when, caught up in the whilwind of life you'd forgotten yourself for a while