Fitness trends come and go; Yoga however is here to stay. Why Yoga? Because Yoga brings us closer to our true Self. Yoga confronts our inner dialogue, changing our perception and way of thinking. Yoga brings us to our psycho-emotional body asking us to move through our emotions, to process our trauma and to stand in our truth. Whether we are practicing asana (postures), pranayama (breath) or meditation we shift stagnate energy, release blocks and allow our emotions to rise to the surface, allowing them to process and clear. 

And for this experience we must look at how we are practicing. The modern evolution of Yoga has become like a game of broken telephone. So much is lost when we treat and practice Yoga like another exercise program, or when it gets lumped in with “mind/body” when it is so much more than that. With so many styles of Yoga out there today, Yoga should be practiced in tandem to the rest of your exercise/recovery regime not instead of it. If you are already doing a heavy weight workout and Pilates for your core, your Yoga should be about ease, mobility and developing your meditative mind, rather than something else you need to recover from. 

Yoga teaches us to be fully present. To acknowledge all aspects of self, whether in light or darkness. This is not to say that all of us need an emotional purge, nor is this about toxic positivity under the guise of optimism, but this is why so many look to Yoga as a source of healing during difficult times. When we take that time for ourselves consistently, to be present, to be aware of how we feel through all layers of self we will also start to experience more clarity of mind, our thoughts feel more organized, we are less reactive, and more thoughtful in our response. This connects us to our wisdom-intellect body, and as all these layers self-align, we naturally connect to our bliss body, where everything feels right. Where we are most connected to ourselves and to all those around us. 

The experience of unity consciousness or connecting to bliss body is the golden nugget of Yoga. To get here we need more than just a series of postures, or a good workout. We need all of what Yoga offers – we need the work-in.

This is one of the reasons why I love sharing the Yin+Restore class. It is a gentle, flowing practice focused on breath and recovery that can be practiced by anyone, no matter their age or fitness level. It helps us release the inner line of tension trapped within our fascia, to ease physical and psycho-emotional pain. Within this class we practice vagal toning and turning on the parasympathetic nervous system, helping us process our emotions and improving overall stress resiliency. 

So, I invite you, as my guest, to Yin+Restore. This class is offered as a live/virtual class every Thursday at 7pm EST. Use code: optimyz and get your first class FREE. Register here: https://sanghayogacollective.com/product/yin-restore/

Adding this class, or one similar can be the missing link to truly experiencing all the benefits of Yoga.