You may ask, what exactly is the Yogic Journey? The goal of yoga is happiness and transformation but what are we trying to change exactly? What are we hoping to transform into? Well, my friends, all that we are doing through our practice is stripping away what is NOT our authentic selves. Yoga calls this atman. So the question is, what happened to our authentic selves? This is what our yoga practice helps us to do. It is essentially the quest for the True Self. The action is in the practice itself as outlined below
Practicing to Live Better
I first came to the mat with no expectations as a young teen seeking to try a new exercise. I had some idea of it being a "mystical" thing but no intention on changing anything about myself. Once I grew older and found myself in college...having gone through several relationships good and bad and many challenges with school and life in general, i found yoga to be a supportive tool to help me get through tough times. This was the start of my yoga journey. Now I know that I need to practice yoga on a daily basis in order to live a conscious life and see myself grow and fully live as ME.
Life is Practice
One of the key elements in "Living Your Yoga" is viewing life as practice. Just like practicing triangle pose, you may need to practice patience....so do you with your "annoying" mother-in-law. Every single situation that presents itself in daily life is an opportunity to practice.
Finding Authenticity
Your atman or authentic self is waiting to be found. Through your yoga off and on the mat practices you will be able to uncover who is really there. This is an important, sometimes scary journey for those of us who have never looked within but awareness is the first step. Practice watching yourself, your thoughts, as an observer for the next week without trying to judge or change yourself....just notice where your mind goes.
Inquiries
1.) Please take a moment to reflect and share with the group why you started practicing yoga or why you want to practice yoga?
2.) What are some situations you find yourself in where you have been "practicing" your yoga already?
Are there situations that you need to find a new practice in?
3.)Where do you need help? What areas are not "balanced" in your life. What is "draining" you? Start to keep a journal or simply answer these questions in the blog. What do you want to work on in your life "off the mat"?
4.) What part of your life is governed by your authentic self? What part of life is structured around roles, ego, and the false self?
Next weeks Topic: Letting Go
Inquiries: "What Does Letting Go mean to you?
2 comments:
Hi Everybody,
I blogged earlier, but I was at work & that computer would not let me write a blog - booooo; so, I've encountered my 1st challenge!!!
Now that I'm home. I thought I'd give it another try. I like the idea of having a blog b/c we don't get much of a chance before & after class to chat. Sometimes that's preferable though for me, and I realize it may be that others want a quiet space also. The shy part of me doesn't want to blog about yoga b/c I'm not sure words can describe what I feel. So, I will trust that you all will know that this is not a "finished product", but an ongoing thought process - maybe that's the definition of a blog - I don't know.
I do yoga to give myself myself. It's been a long-time challenge to realize that I deserve as much as everyone else. That barrier has lifted, and the most wonderful gift I have opened up is making time to practice yoga. Yoga has enabled me to feel good about my body - in the past few months especially, I have felt strong & able to do many poses differently than before. I love that. Many strands of spirituality have come together for me by practicing yoga - I feel this in how I go about my life now with more honesty, less anger, & less defensiveness.
What I notice most in my daily interactions with myself & others is that I am not as judgemental as I used to be - I feel a burden lifting as more of my critical self peels away.
I look forward to our Thursdays together.
Kate
Kate,
Thanks for writing! I love how you say you do yoga to give yourself yourself!
It's great that your practice has made you realize that you have just as much right to be here as anyone else and you deserve just as much as everyone else!!!!
It's also amazing that you've been able to notice a "critical self peeling away." what a great image.
peace,
natalie
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