What Yoga Is and Is Not.

What Yoga Is and Is Not.

Know What you are getting into, it might not be an “exercise class”!

YOGA IS NOT:

    ·      A physical exercise class

·      A religion

·      Simple

·      Being a contortionist

·      A sport

·      A quick fix to anything

·      Something you master completely on any given day, there is no finish line.

 YOGA IS:

·      Moving Meditation. 

·      Focused Concentration and keen awareness of mind and body.

·      Control of the breath, with movement synchronized to the breath: awareness always with the breath.

·      Vinyasa- a flow through a series of movements - One breath to one movement.  An example is sun salutations.  Vinyasa warms the body from inside and increases meditative focus, awareness of the breath.

·      Asanas- (“poses” and the movement into, with-in and out of them) which build to more difficult Asanas, creating greater freedom of mind and body.

·      A process. Each movement towards, with-in and transition out of an asana is a journey towards mind-body integration, flexibility and strength with-in that asana.

·      Yoga is complex. This is why it is a process! Usually a rather slow process in the beginning.

·      Always a whole being (body-mind-emotions) experience. Expect to change more than your body!

·      Vinyasa and asana are only one of the eight limbs of yoga Philosophy.

·      The goal of yoga is no less than Enlightenment, (knowledge/understanding/insight which brings freedom).

·      The rewards are mastery over the mind and a strong, flexible, yet supple, body.

·       Yoga was originally created so that a person could remain in seated, still in meditation without being distracted by discomfort in the body.

·      It is a philosophy. One branch of Yoga, Devotion, can be devotion in the religious sense, but this is a personal choice.

·      Yoga has been attributed as great tools for religion, or spiritual growth, no matter what faith or philosophy a person believes. The practice of yoga as lifestyle is expanded understanding, compassion, inner peace and peaceful conduct, eventually all of life becomes a moving meditation

Namaste, Christina