An introduction to yoga

"Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are"-

Jason Crandell

I am deep in the world of yoga nowadays. I have practiced at home for 3 years using Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. She is my first teacher of this wonderful way of living. And I am forever grateful. So now I am training to become a teacher.
My why? Because it has changed my life in so many ways and I want to educate you about how it can change yours 💜

Social media has scared people away from yoga a bit. I am sure some of the below thoughts run through your mind because of all the crazy images online....

1. I am not flexible enough
2. I cant do a headstand
3. I don't like stretching
4. It's not exercise
5. I won't lose weight doing yoga
6. It's a religion
7. My mind is too busy
8. I wouldn't be able to relax during yoga
9. Yoga is only for women
10. Yoga is.........

Yes it's become widely popular but not for the day to day person popping to a yoga class after work or at the weekends. Its intimidating right??
There is a great short YouTube video (link below) to show how Yoga is adapted and changed around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUxmolUABVk

Some of the chosen methods may seem odd to you but ask yourself why?
Why can't everyone find their own flow in yoga, no matter whether its rave yoga, wrestler yoga, christian yoga or more traditional forms..... Yoga is for everybody and the yogis of india never excluded anyone, why should we?

(Rave Yoga)

(Christian Yoga)

(Yoga for wrestlers/athletes created by Diamond Dallas Page)

I want to spread the yummy yoga love myself through my own way.... Maybe I'll have pop music in a class, take it back to the 90's who knows 😍 Once people are enjoying it, moving their bodies, breathing deeper than ever before, that's what the end goal is. Not postures and fancy moves.

At the end of the day yoga is about you. Not the person on the mat next to you. Not the teacher. It's spending time with yourself, finding yourself through moving meditation (postures) , maybe one day through meditation if that takes your fancy. Through learning more about Pranayama (breathing which is our everything, our life force and we take it so much for granted)
Yoga is a way of life. We were taught this weekend in YTT that something as simple as washing your own feet is yoga. We overlook ourselves so much. Our feet hold us up. Our feet help us walk through life. Our feet take so much crap. Why not treat them with more love?
This is the lifestyle component and sister to yoga, Ayurveda.
Self care is yoga. Who doesn't want more of that! 😊YES PLEASE!!

Yoga has had a profound impact on me, including the relationships within my life and how I see the world. I will delve into deeper discussions about yoga in easy to understand ways for my readers in the future but for today, this is a gentle introduction .

Yoga is a 5,000 year old system created in India. Did you know asanas (the postures you see and perform in class) weren't brought into the yoga world until much later. Yoga was a system of tapping into your breath, controlling your thoughts and enriching your life. We may know it today as meditation. Their style of meditation went far more deeper than today's style of meditation. It was but still is a science of the mind.
Yoga was not crazy postures and fancy poses on the beach. It was knowing yourself and being able to control your thoughts. Its fascinating.

I am still only learning of course. I am still understanding yoga philosophy myself. I have lot to learn and a lot to share with you 😃 I could easily mimic what is on the internet about yoga but I would rather keep it real and speak in my own way.

But please know this, yoga is for everyone. It is for you, it is for me. Don't shy away from this topic as I post about it. Broaden your mind. Don't be judgemental. Have an open heart to other ways. You might even enjoy it!

Be brave. Book a yoga class today. If you have never tried yoga before then roll out your mat and stick on some Adriene. I promise you will love her!!!

I will end on a quote from my yoga sutras book (the yoga sutras is a whole other post haha):

"To all who seek understanding and mastery over their minds through the glorious science of yoga" -
Sri Swami Satchidananda

Yoga is a science of the mind, body & spirit.

Comment below & let me know your thoughts/experiences of what you thought/used to think yoga was....

Love & Light

Elisa.