Philosophy of Yoga

Yoga is a way of life. It is a way of more deeply connecting to ourselves. A way of understanding the mind and body more intimitately, in so doing, enhancing our lives. Yoga means that which we are tied to and a physical asana practice is a way of discovering that which we are bound by. By discovering what binds us we avail ourselves to what liberates us. A yoga practice when done effectively provides nourishment to the mind and body. Asana (postures) should provide therapeutic and performance enhancing benefits and should not injure. By incresing the range of motion, strength, and stability of the hips and shoulders, we greatly enable ourselves to feel our best. We focus on the spine and core extending out to the extremities.

Ultimately what we are doing is attempting to align to the highest possible self we can be. Some philosophies believe that the body is some problem that needs to be overcome - that we need to be released from our body to experience some form of nirvana, however, the teachings show that the body is a gift of life. We are given a roadmap to whole living and intend to use it for a longterm life. The gift of embodiment is something that we get to navigate through life and have wonderous experiences. The universe is an enfolding and an expanding thing. Life emulates this expansive quality.

In aligning ourselves to that which is most optimal in the universe we are doing something wonderful. We are giving ourselves the ability to awaken to our most divine nature. As we become aware that our lives as the individual self is one and the same as the pulsation of the universal, something truly transformative happens. As we become aware of this truth, there is no need to sit on a mountain top and meditate on this, rather we get to venture in to our lives and co-create in the world around us. We get to make our lives an expression of our hearts.

A gator on ancient sicilian ruins in astavakrasana - 8 angle pose

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