One of the many cool things that London has brought into my life is, definitely, yoga.
I walked into my first yoga class in May 2011 in Primrose Hill. What I didn't know then, but I do know now, is that I had no clue whatsoever on what yoga was all about...
I'm not saying that I'm a yoga guru now, I really am not! ha! But I feel like when I talk about yoga with people that have never practiced it, they have the very same impression that I had back then... A very limited version (Ohms, tree poses and sun salutations...) of what yoga really is... But they hardly know its benefits.
Did you know, for instance, that you're massaging your internal organs every time you do a forward bend? Or that twists help you improving digestions? And that inversions relieve headaches?
I don't really know what yoga is for other practitioners, but I kind of have an accurate idea of what it means to me...
Here are 4 blessings that Yoga has brought into my life:
1- Yoga has been "My One", the one and only form of exercise that has gotten me. I've tried many other things before. As curious as I am, I've given a go and quite enjoyed many other forms of exercise... But I always ended up getting bored of them. I have been practicing yoga now for over 4 years and I can't really imagine quitting it.
2-Yoga has taught me to practice patience. Patience is probably a virtue that pretty much I lack of. I'm possibly one of the most impatient persons I know... However, yoga has taught me that things come, and they come on due time. Not before, not after, just at the very moment they're meant to come to you. Call it an asana, call it a new job, call it love.
3- Yoga has taught me to be a lot more aware of the fact that your body is your most precious gift, and as such you owe it respect and you need to look after it. And I'm not talking about having a lovely figure or being in good shape -which as well can be the case! I'm talking about nourishing it, feeding it and loving it, inside out, as it is.
4- Yoga has taught me to use my breathing to calm down, to relax and to stop myself when my mind is going a little too far or too fast. I can't start explaining, how powerful a good self-aware breath is...
I could carry on, but I'm going to leave it here for this post. And what I'd like to do instead is to invite you, the reader, to share your own definition of what yoga means to you.
For those of you that have never tried it, I genuinely encourage you to do so. But you need to give it a good go, not just one or two classes. Mainly because it takes a little while to start feeling the benefits of it and also because there are many different styles, and you need to find the one that you like the most and that suits better your needs.
I genuinely mean it, yoga is bliss for your body, your mind and your soul.
I really hope you enjoyed this post and I look forward to reading you soon!
Namaste x
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