Why I practice Yoga
I did not start practicing Yoga because I am balanced, grounded, centred, disciplined, flexible, tee-total, enjoy meditation and drink green juice in the morning.
Quite the contrary, I practice Yoga because I have a wealth of experience in feeling ungrounded, undisciplined, compulsive, and caught up in unhealthy patterns of thinking and behaviour. Having lived half my life this way, I was amazed to discover Yoga, and to find that the practices and teachings of Yoga have helped me find more stability within myself and to learn to live more comfortably in my own skin.
As my practice has progressed it has made me want to delve deeper into the spiritual practice of yoga, and to share its benefits with others.
In terms of my own mental health, I have had to make significant life changes in order to become more present and able to cope with challenges of day to day life. Along the journey, Yoga has played an important role. It was only when I started practicing Yoga daily that I found the inner strength to go sober - something I had been wanting to achieve, but failing at, for over twenty years.
Yoga is a way of tuning out of my monkey mind. A way to ignore the constant chatter which jumps from past to future at an alarming speed, causing me tension and anxiety. Slowly I am learning to not be driven by my thoughts and emotions and come back to my centre, through connection to body and breath. I no longer push feelings down or try to block them out by using food, alcohol or some other kind of addictive and avoidant behaviour. I don’t want these random thoughts and feelings to be the driving force behind my behaviour and actions.
I still get pulled out of my centre more often than I’d like but I guess that’s just part of the human condition. Practicing an/ or teaching Yoga does not make me unshakeably balanced and grounded. It just means I trust that I can come back to that calm, balanced place, maybe not as quickly as I’d like but it will come. Yoga helps me to navigate the bumpy road without the need to shut down.
For me, Yoga is about being open, honest and vulnerable. Having an open heart, living an honest and open life, embracing all the twists and turns and ups and downs that come our way. For me, Yoga is an essential part of my self-care tool kit. One that helps me to prioritise my own mental health so that I am better able to function in the world.
Why do you practice Yoga?
