Yoga and Bearing It!

One week without doing Yoga really was a bad idea! I was wondering why I was so "out of it" last week. I think people began to notice too. By the end of the week I was pretty out of control. Thank God for friends who care enough to set me straight and not let me act like a total jerk.

However, I realized that without taking Yoga I was really out of focus.

What is Yoga really? Well there are several definitions:

1) Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility that is achieved through the three paths of actions and knowledge and devotion. 

2) Yoga is a healing system of theory and practice. It is a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years.

3) is a physical practice of stretching the body in different ways, focusing one's attention, and becoming one with the universe. It uses body, breath and senses to reconnect the practitioner with the universe and move emotions and thoughts into stillness

Alright so I already know what many of my readers are thinking. Why is a Born Again Christian practicing Yoga? Well, I'm no Bible Scholar but I bet you that I can list several Bible verses were the art of "Yoga" was practiced....

Gen. 24:63: "Isaac went out into the field to meditate" 

Psalms 4:5: "Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still"

Mark 1:35: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed"

Okay, so there are a lot more verses, but I think you get the point. A person needs to get to a quiet place and refocus themselves. Some can do it on their own very naturally, such as going into their room and being quiet in the Lord. Others fall prostrate on the floor and pray. Me.....I do Yoga.

I'm not Hindu, I don't support the tenants of that religion. I am Born Again Christian who believes in the salvation through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is what I believe. However, if something like Yoga is going to keep me focused and going to draw my heart and mind closer to God, then I'm going to do it.

I find Yoga to be an extension of my physical ability. I watch my body in the mirrors of the yoga room and pay very close attention to how my body is aligned, how my breathing is doing, and where I am putting the pressure into what muscles.

When I have achieved a particularly difficult position, like say Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limb Staff Pose) I feel that I have achieved a small victory. When I have been able to support the Tree Pose (Vrksasana) and be in complete balance then I have achieved another victory.

Yoga is about self. It is what your body can do and what your body is capable of and about ignoring the mental thoughts that tell you " YOU CAN'T DO THIS"

If you are a person like me who is the living embodiment of stress and anxiety, I strongly suggest taking Yoga. Go to a class, I would suggest starting at with Hatha Yoga. which really is the basic yoga techniques. Make sure you take a level one class if you never done Yoga before. You are going to be asked to put your body into some crazy positions but they are simple in a level one class (don't worry no inversions!)

Another great form of Yoga is Hot Yoga (Bikram Yoga) in this type of Yoga the temperature of the room is put up to about 100 degrees, and you are guided through a series of 26 poses with a special style of breathing which is different from the normal yoga breathing. This is a very rewarding form of Yoga and one of my favorites! You get very hot and very sweaty. Your heart rate is pumped because of the heat and you experience some "beneficial pain" (yeah, in this case pain is gain!) My Hot Yoga instructor always says "If it doesn't hurt you are not doing it right!"

Vinyasa or "Flow" Yoga is really intense, it is "breath synchronized movements" basically what that means is you have to breath through each pose in a certain way and each movement is either an exhale or an inhale. The "Sun Salutation" is a popular Vinyasa sequence. It is actually very easy to do and a great way to start the day.

So, if you have always been wondering about Yoga. If you have thought "Well I'm a Christian should I be doing Yoga?" or "I don't think I'm fit enough for Yoga" you are not alone. But trust me, you are not committing some unforgivable sin by doing Yoga and anyone can do Yoga no matter what your fitness level is.

I would strongly suggest taking a class. However Yoga is one of those things were you either Love It or Hate It, there really is no in-between, and that make perfect sense because Yoga requires your total self: your mind, your body and your spirit...and if you are not willing to make yourself vulnerable by doing Yoga then it is not for you.