by Janie Kol
Yoga. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear it?
Probably stretching and the visualization of a gravity-defying pose (thinking you’ll never be able to do it, but it might be more attainable than you think). Those are just a few of the perks. The practice of yoga is so much more.
Gaining Time
Time is so valuable. If we had more time we’d feel less stressed and we’d be able to do the things we enjoy. Creating a balance of the things we must do and the things we want to do. It’s so hard in today's world to find time for yourself because we are constantly bombarded with emails, texts, calls, etc.
Noticing Self
Along with the physical practice of yoga - you gain time. Sounds crazy right? How do I gain time when I’m using my time to take this class? Yoga class starts with checking in with yourself - mind and body. As simple and easy as that sounds we don’t do it enough. When we check in with ourselves we notice minute things that have a huge impact on us.
- We notice if our mind is running and where it’s running to.
- We notice where we are holding on to stress.
- We notice the changes in our bodies from practice to practice.
Learning Self
As we notice, these minute things funnel into larger aspects of ourselves; confidence, self-worth, and compassion just to name a few.
- We learn to slow down physically.
- We learn how to slow our mental chatter down.
- We learn what things we need to pay attention to
- We learn how to allow ourselves a break.
- We learn to be present in the moment.
- We learn to let go of the things that no longer serve a useful purpose for us, thus creating more space for new experiences.
We are constantly growing and we should take the time to get to know who we are today and let go of the things that no longer resonate with us. We gain so much on top of stretching out our physical bodies and you might just find yourself in a gravity-defying pose while checking in with yourself one day.
