The benefits of yoga

How do we understand the word 'Yoga' and how can we turn yoga into our spiritual practice?

This article is done with the assistance of a qualified yoga teacher who studied yoga in India and has been teaching and practicing various forms of yoga over the past years.

In general, we may see yoga purely as physical activity, doing weird poses, stretching, and twisting our bodies into uncomfortable positions. However, the practice of yoga is so much more than mere physical movement. When we practice yoga mindfully, it can turn out to be a beneficial spiritual practice. 

The word Yoga comes from the ancient Sanskrit language, and means Union. "Union of what?" we may ask. Union of the mind and the body. Union between the so-called 'doer' and the action happening. Oneness.

Yoga is said to be thousands of years old, originating from what we now know as Northern India. With time, different traditions or branches of yoga have developed. If these ancient practices are still being performed today, there must be something beneficial about them.

Exploring different methods

There are different styles of yoga, each unique in the way they are performed. Some yoga practices are performed faster, some slower. Some with more physical movements, and some with less physical movements. The different postures performed, are said to help us deal with specific emotions. For example, the camel pose is directly linked to our heart chakras. Certain movements also open our energy channels, which may be blocked by emotional traumas of the past. Thus, helping us deal with unhealed emotional wounds.

Besides the physical benefits yoga offers us, yoga can also be seen as a spiritual practice. 

Having a healthy balance between mind and body is very important. Having only a strong and fit physical body, may be of little benefit when we do not have positive, clear minds. Nor can we use our clear minds completely to benefit others, if we do not look after our physical bodies. Thus, a balance between a healthy mind and a healthy body. Yoga offers us this.

Yoga also grants us the opportunity to practice mindfulness. While we connect our breathing patterns to specific body movements, we become more mindful of how we use our bodies. If we can be mindful of the way we breathe and the way we move our bodies, we can also use this mindfulness to be more disciplined in the ways we eat, speak, and think.

The practice of yoga also allows us to calm our minds. We can use yoga as a tool to help us deal with overthinking and to be more present. In the peaceful present moment, we have no stress about the future or unhappiness about the past.

Lastly, the practice of yoga has the potential to bring us to the experience of union. A profound moment where we experience a union between the mind and body, but also a profound oneness with our whole Universe. The knowing that the world is 'not two'. This powerful experience opens our hearts to compassion. It allows us to open our hearts to all living beings, and to live more in harmony with our Universe.

Enjoying the benefits of yoga

Reflecting on some of these benefits of practicing yoga, we can encourage ourselves to give it a try. We should not expect immediate results of bliss, harmony, and heart-opening. We should be patient with ourselves, and allow ourselves to get comfortable with the movements and postures, concentrate while we practice yoga, and be mindful.

With time, as we get more familiar with the sequences, we may feel a natural flow happening, a feeling of more mindfulness developing, and we may open internal doors to treasures we were never aware of!

Yoga, much more than mere physical movement!