How Yoga Changed My Life I Can Definitely Say

How Yoga Changed My Life

I can definitely say that Yoga has changed my life. It may sound like a cliché, but that is how I can best describe the impact that Yoga has had on my life.

Just like most people, I was firstly drawn to Yoga because of its physical benefits. I have always been into sports and exercise, and I started doing a very simple home practice using a Yoga book when I was 18.

When I went to University, I naturally gravitated more and more towards the practice of Yoga and meditation, as I was searching for ways to cope with the stress of exams, living in a different country and adapting to a different culture.

Later on, after graduating, deeper ghosts I had kept hidden started surfacing. The pressure of a new life and my first job triggered symptoms of anxiety and depression. At the time, I didn’t even know what was happening to me. I was completely disconnected from my body and my emotions. I refused to believe that I could suffer from depression. I was over-exercising, working, not eating properly, constantly pushing myself to the limit. I was completely burning out. My body, my mind and my soul were exhausted. I started experiencing some persistent pain which would keep me awake at night. My mental health slowly declined.

So, I turned to Yoga again. The word Yoga means “union”, but I prefer to use the term “connection”. I started to connect with myself

again. I began to listen. I gained clarity on what was happening. I decided to leave my job, and train as a Yoga teacher.

I spent a month in Thailand to qualify as a teacher. It was a tough month, but growth never happens without a little effort. I went through a physical and mental transformation, and I started to heal. The practice of Yoga has taught me a lot about myself. It’s an ongoing journey of self-discovery that I am lucky to share with the people who come to class every week.

So how can Yoga help you?

Through movement and breath, Yoga helps to access the deepest layers of yourself and your mind.

My physical practice is very strong and dynamic. Many studies show that movement that gets you sweating and increases heart rate can help with depression, chronic pain and anxiety. Yoga promotes body awareness through mindful movements.

Movement is always connected to breath in a Yoga practice. Deep breaths encourage the exchange of Oxygen and Co2, increasing lung function, and activating the rest and relaxation part of the nervous system. Practising yoga brings your focus to the here and now. When we concentrate on the body, movement and breath, our mind can truly be still and present. “Emptying the mind” is simply not possible - but we can learn how to direct our thoughts to the sensations and experiences of the present moment. Being mindful means letting go of thoughts of the past, and not worry about the future.

Yoga helps us to find balance. Balance between movement and stillness, effort and ease, strength and flexibility.

Yoga teaches us to embrace the light and the darkness, joy as well as suffering. The highs cannot exist without the lows, and Yoga allows us to feel all the emotions, learning to observe them as they are.

So, Yoga is not about touching your toes or achieving the perfect body. Yoga is for everyone and every-body.

If you have a body and you can breathe, you can practise Yoga.

With all the online offerings available at the moment, why not start your journey now?

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

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