For the love of yoga

I love yoga. Period.

Every time I finish practicing yoga, I feel amazing! Whether it is a 20 minute, gentle morning routine or a more intense and lengthy power yoga DVD, the results are the same--strength, flexibility, focus, and peace. I wanted to post today about yoga because there has rarely been a physical activity for me that I can adamantly say every time, "I am so glad I did that today. I feel fantastic!" Now listen up, I love my running. Oh how I love to lace up my shoes and go! But there are definitely days when I return after several miles and think, "Ooh I think I pushed it a little to hard" or "Well, now my knee is bothering me."

But yoga demands that you focus and stay present. Yesterday was a very full day for us. From the moment we woke up, we were going. We closed on our new house (yay!!!) and then had what felt like a million other things going on as well. Even prior to yesterday, I was beginning to feel a little stressed and run down. When we finally got home last night and got CJ to go to sleep, my body and mind were practically begging me to do yoga. I popped in my Rodney Yee "Power Yoga: Total Body" DVD and proceeded through the routine. I began by setting the intention of just staying present and giving strength and confidence to my practice. As I went through each sequence of poses, I was forced to focus on exactly what I was doing in that moment. There were no thoughts of closing papers, whining three year-olds, or contractor appointments. It was simply "jump back to push-up position... upward dog... downward dog... step through to a lunge... warrior 2... and breath." Each step calls you here and keeps you here.

Yoga encompasses all aspects of your being: physical, mental, spiritual, and (dare I say) moral. When you give yourself the gift of yoga, you are showing compassion for yourself and in turn you are able to show compassion toward others. The great thing about it is that you don't even need to twist yourself into crazy postures to experience the benefits. Lying in relaxation pose for even five minutes can be so beneficial and yet it is hard for many of us to do! Simple stretches feel wonderful on your muscles and joints. Yoga means union: the union of your physical, mental and spiritual self, but also the union of you with all of creation.