What’s in it for me?
If you’re new to Yoga, you may be thinking what has it got to offer me. Why should I invest my time, energy and money into showing up on my mat, week after week?
What leads us to Yoga often starts as something personal, such as to gain more flexibility, to relieve stress and worry or a certain ache or pain. That’s how it began for me anyway, as I searched for something to help with anxiety, but over the years it has transformed into something bigger, where it is no longer just about achieving something for myself. When I show up on my mat I see that it’s not just me that my practice is impacting on but actually everyone I meet. It changes the way I show up in the World and the energy I share and this then ripples out to the people around me.
One of the jewels of Yoga is helping us to rediscover our body awareness. I deeply believe that this holds the answer to many of the problems we see today. Being body aware is when we listen, really listen, to the messages from our body. We are taught, by society, to look outside of ourselves for answers. To distrust and disconnect from ourselves and thus handing over our personal power to something or someone else. We too often numb out the messages or choose to ignore them, never knowing what is true and what isn’t.
For me, Yoga has been the path that has led me back to trusting my body and the messages it has to share. It has taught me that I don’t need to push myself when I’m tired and that rest is as important as ‘doing.’ Now when we think about it, this is a pretty radical concept in the modern World where there is so much pressure on success and action and to rest may lead us to being labelled as ‘lazy,’ ‘inadequate,’ and even a ‘waste of space.’
Body awareness allows me to notice the minute changes as well as the big changes within me, which has helped me on countless occasions to nip issues in the bud, rather than ignoring them and letting them grow into major problems. It supports me in making decisions from what to eat, to saying yes or no to opportunities, as I ask the question ‘is this going to be nourishing for me?’ My body pretty much gives me an instant answer when I ask this. It is the bridge between the head and the heart and is the guiding light to wellness and feeling fulfilment. If we take a moment to imagine a World that encourages body awareness, how different would that be to what we see today? People placing importance on this over what looks good on paper. Leaders listening to their intuition when making decisions rather than being led by material gains and power. Companies caring and respecting the bodies of their employees and consumers rather than using chemicals to make quick fixes. Becoming body aware and caring for the planet goes hand in hand, as it keeps our senses, feelings and instincts finely tuned, allowing us to stay awake to the World and be sensitive to all of life.
Yoga teaches me that I don’t need to look outside of myself to find peace and a place of calm. It has helped me to realise that I am actually way more powerful than I ever thought and this is a game changer, especially when anxiety sends you spinning out of control. At the core of all different types of Yoga (and there are a lot!) sits the breath. It shows us how the breath, the physical body and the emotional body all affect each other. Yoga has empowered me to take back control and be responsible for how I choose to feel and react. It gives me the space to put things into perspective and to see through the chaos of life. This empowerment has allowed me to sit with my shadow side, rather than resisting it, pushing it away and denying it. Breaking down the layers so I can know myself on a deeper level and break free from some of the resistance that is ingrained within me.
Yoga has helped me to see that to be whole, we must honour our shadow side as well as our light. Knowing that everything is constantly changing. The rise and fall of the breath, the aging of the body, the seasons and cycles. Change is constant. Appreciate the good times and know the difficult times won’t last forever. Being able to sit with the breath on our mat, drops us into the present moment. When we experience stress it is often because our minds are stuck in the past or obsessing about the future – both areas of time we have no control over and this lack of control is what causes stress to rise. Yoga has helped me to honour and learn from the past, to be hopeful about the future but to ultimately live in the present.
The word ‘Yoga’, translates as to ‘yoke,’ to ‘unite.’ It has helped me to remember that we are all connected. We all have love at our core, we all breathe the same air and are made from the same elements. We all have an impact and can make a difference in the World we live. It gives us hope.
So after 20 years of taking my first Yoga class, this is why I’m still showing up on my mat. For hope. For hope that by sharing the practice of Yoga it may inspire and give someone the confidence to rebuild their relationship with their body and to remember their connection to nature. To regain their innate power and take the control back. To let them know that they are perfect exactly as they are. To give them the confidence to be themselves, to let their body move how it wants to, to trust in themselves and not to follow the crowd. To spark their creativity. To remember that however difficult things may be, that love is the most powerful energy.
Every Yoga teacher is different and offers in a different way.
I see Yoga as more than just a way to keep fit. It is conscious movement that engages us in the present. It’s a deep calling to try and make the World a better place. So when you show up on your mat you are doing more than you think. It may start out as something personal but then you will soon come to see that the benefits run deeper and you start to make a positive difference to all of life that you meet and that is why it’s an investment worth making time and time again.
If you would like to read more about how I offer Yoga, take a look at my ‘What to expect’ page on my website or please feel free to add in the comments what keeps you returning back to your mat. I would love to hear.
Love & Light,
Natalie.