Yoga is a practice where the balance between the mind-body-soul is integral to all that is undertaken. When these three elements are in harmony with each other the experience is a feeling of ease, attentiveness to the present moment and an overall sense of wellness and calm. We know that the mind-body connection is real and although they can be thought of as separate they are actually never divided.
When we are anxious about something, public speaking for example, we simply have to think about what is about to happen and our body has a physical reaction. We get cotton-mouthed, butterflies in the stomach, our faces turn red, we perspire and hold tension in our shoulders and face. We haven't even stepped one foot onto the podium and we're a physical mess before anything has actually happened. It works in the opposite direction as well. If we've are recovering from a surgery or illness, it seems nearly impossible to have creative or focused thoughts. It seems like the worst time to be problem solving or creating a new project. We simply don't have the mental capacity to sit down and get productive, so, instead, we veg out in front of the TV, sleep or listen to music. Our minds know that the body is unable to support us in a demanding way, so it chills out until the healing happens.
When the physical or emotional part of ourselves is compromised, it's as though the brakes get thrown onto our spiritual growth. When life is out of balance, the connection to the deeper sense of self is put on hold. It's as though it's been put just out of reach and the idea of finding stillness on the meditation cushion seems nearly impossible. How can we center ourselves when the tasks of daily living are challenging and painful?
In a yoga practice we often begin by going through the channel of the physical body. That's not always the case with such practices as Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion) or Jnana yoga (the yoga of knowledge) where meditation, study and chanting mantra are a mainstay. Yet in our culture, we're more likely to step onto a yoga mat for some exercise and a side effect is that we begin to notice the inter-relatedness of the body with the thoughts. It's been said, "you can't step onto a yoga mat and not undergo some form of transformation...that's just part of the process".
I've seen it happen time and time again. Someone comes to a class wanting a good workout. They see it as one of the many movement options in their day...yoga, pilates, zumba, spinning...what's on the menu to get my heart-rate elevated, my lungs moving and to burn off some calories? If they're fortunate to have a positive first time experience, they're likely to return to the mat and, over time, it seems as though their motivation for being there has changed. They realize that they feel more relaxed, they're less reactive and begin to honor the need of self-care. The longer they practice, the more their curiosity grows, the more they seek to learn and explore. This to me is a beautiful unfolding of the unexpected benefits of all that yoga has to offer and bearing witness to that process is one of the things that keeps me hooked into sharing the practice with others.
This process is also the recognition of the complete inter-connectedness of the mind and the body. As we practice, they become a complete reflection of each other and this leads us to dive deeper into understanding our own soulful selves. As we get to know our physical, mental and emotional selves, we realize that we carry and hold beliefs and thoughts that don't actually serve us. We recognize the held beliefs and patterns that have embedded themselves over time and that we can actually change them. As we practice, we begin to recognize the multiple layers of who we are and who we aren't. It becomes a practice of seeing who we truly are and that is a reflection of Universal spirit that permeates all living beings.
Although we express as individual souls, we are each projecting our unique interpretation of Divine energy that is everywhere. My thought for this week is to dig deeper into how our mind-body-soul are intertwined...get to know yourself on a whole different level and let your light shine!
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