You hear it all the time. Maybe it’s from a friend, a family member, or a coworker; or maybe it’s from your spouse. They proclaim that their lives have been changed for the better due to their yoga practice. And you admit to yourself that you have seen a change in them. Their step seems lighter and their smile seems brighter.
They talk about how comfortable their yoga clothes are and how easily they can bend over and touch their toes. They talk about their wonderful yoga teacher. Your friend or family member is constantly trying to recruit you, but so far you have resisted. You secretly wonder what is behind these changes and how a yoga practice might help you in your life.
You can begin to experience a clearer self-awareness, and feel better and more in balance.
Yoga may start with physical flexibility and more comfortable clothes, but upon closer inspection you can begin to understand how yoga can affect someone on a deeper level. Here are 5 compelling reasons to start a yoga practice now.
Establish a place of strength
Without proper grounding in an asana practice, you falter. Yoga teaches us how to be grounded, by focusing on the foundation and working our way up from there. Once you can connect and become more grounded in your body and in your life, you can establish a place of strength that allows for expansion.
Cultivate deeper insight
With yoga you can begin to slow down, become present, and listen – not to the surface noise, but to a deeper place of knowing. Some call it intuition, or a gut feeling.
Remove obstacles that prevent the Mind-Body from working together
Once you begin to connect and become aware of the energetic imprints residing in the mind and body, you can begin to let go and come to a more natural and relaxed state of being. From this place you can begin to clear away the old patterns of thinking and doing, and make way for the new ones.
Create a harmonious internal space
When you start a yoga practice, you begin to connect with the physical body. All of its many activities come into greater balance and the mind and body come into harmony. You can begin to experience a clearer self-awareness, and feel better and more in balance.
Re-establish wholeness
The practice of yoga helps to connect us to ourselves at a deeper level by centering the body, releasing blockages and creating the opportunity for new pathways of awareness. It is a good opportunity to re-establish wholeness and remove obstacles that prevent the mind and the body from working together in a unified way.
As your yoga practice progresses and unfolds, there are many opportunities for growth. As you become more grounded and centered, the mind slows down and you can begin to listen to a deeper place inside, creating a more harmonious internal space. From this place you can branch out into the world feeling more connected to all that is, with a deepening level of compassion for yourself and for others.
So the next time someone asks you to go to a yoga class, why not take them up on it? Keep going until you find the right class and teacher for you. Who knows? Maybe one day your friends and family members will be wondering where your brighter smile and lighter step came from. They may even ask you about it.
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