Member-only story
what yoga really does to your mind and body
how can a series of poses, done over and over again, possibly change your life?
“When you are too busy for yoga, that is when you need it the most.”
When life got busy, yoga used to be the first thing I cut out. There were so many excuses I could give:
It’s too far.
It’s too cold.
I don’t have the time.
I didn’t bring my mat.
I want to do some cardio.
I need to do XYZ other workout for XYZ other reason.
It’s so easy to push it aside. Because as Sigmund Freud said:
“There is resistance at every step.”
It’s easy to tell yourself you need yoga when you forget what it’s like without yoga as a constant presence in your life.
For myself and many others, yoga starts as a physical practice. We start because it makes us feel physically good. We’re told it’ll strengthen our core. We’re told it will help us stretch, will loosen our muscles, will make us more flexible.
For myself and many others, we also turn to yoga as a way to heal.
“There is just enough suffering to get you through the door.” — Michael Stone
“I started yoga when my family member died.”
“I started yoga as a way to heal from a breakup.”
“I started yoga as way of remembering my loved one.”
“I started yoga to heal from an injury.”
“I started yoga as a way of teaching myself to love myself again.”
Yoga, if you translate it, is derived from the verb yuj, which means “to unite.” It can be seen as a union of mind and body, a union of movement and breath… a union of peace and suffering.
We can speak of “the path to enlightenment,” but I can tell you I was (am) very skeptical of that. What is enlightenment? Are you telling me that through a series of poses practiced over and over again, that I can find my true purpose in life?
