By Shibani Sahni
Life – Ah! What an exciting journey this is! To think of it, life actually comes in so many different shapes, forms, and sizes; and varies not only from person to person but also from moment to moment. Even though we’re all experiencing this one beautiful existence, called life, on planet Earth – every single life – yes, each and every one of us, across the globe is so absolutely unique and irreplaceable in our own extraordinary way! We are all “little worlds” floating around in this big beautiful world - making us UNIQUE and EXCEPTIONAL, and constantly transforming, in so many distinctive ways!
Our thoughts, words, actions, emotions, and energies are continuously molding us into becoming who we are today, and in the future. Being completely aware of these aspects of our life – make living a whole new experience. It gives us meaning and purpose. How we understand and experience life starts changing. It becomes a starting point towards self-transformation; and when this attitude and mindset is coupled with our practice of Yoga, the whole experience involves not just the mind, but steps into the body too, making it so much more real.
When we are on a journey of exploration we become open and receptive to everything around us – we do away with judgment and preconceived notions of the self. As we peel off layer after layer making our way to our true self we realize, our strengths, talents and gifts, and also our weaknesses, shortcomings, challenges, and our fears. We give ourselves a kind-hearted genuine chance to truly accept our positives and our shortcomings – Accepting ourselves for ‘who we are’. That is the actual start of this beautiful adventure!
Being on this journey made me realized, that one of the prime purposes of my life is to “discover and gradually strengthen my relationship with myself.” As, this is fundamentally the only truly ‘forever’ relationship that we all will ever have; from birth till death! So, I brought in my daily practice of Yoga to expand this discovery of the self, working at a deep subliminal level towards transformation.
Yoga is an Indian spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which includes breath control, meditation, concentration, focus, and the adoption of specific bodily asanas or postures. In the ancient times, yoga in India was widely practiced primarily to awaken to the true self and transcend ones lower nature to attain a state of enlightenment. You can say – ones personal yoga practice was a journey to explore an authentic sense of absolute truth, unconditional happiness and universal awareness, within the self. A state that is not dependent on any external factor or form, but only reliant on the self. So, how does this happen? As we get into any one of the 300,000 available yoga postures, and hold or maintain our balance in that posture, we create a subconscious union of our body and mind. By particularly focusing all our attention and awareness on balancing, we try and find our body’s natural center point in that posture, to steadily hold the posture. In doing so, the mind and the body become fully engaged in balancing the posture. Through this practice of balancing we are at a very deep, subconscious level training the mind to be completely present, mindful and still, and also completely centered and connected to the body. Making it a true meditation – where the body and the mind come together in an all-embracing union, of balance, peace, and harmony.
Yoga puts us in touch with ourselves, at a physical, mental, and spiritual level; expanding our sense of personal and universal awareness with a feeling of sheer stillness within. As we engage in this process we are instinctively coming closer to our true-nature, day after day. The clarity, which comes with the practice of yoga, helps us observe our character and behavior at a fundamental level, without any emotional attachment to it.
In addition, the practice of yoga also fundamentally destroys our negative tendencies like – desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy, and sloth. Thus creating space for our enlightened nature to surface – a sense of true happiness, kindness, generosity, bliss, and unconditional love for all. A newfound respect gradually develops for our body, mind, and energy. Physical balance slowly starts transferring to a state of mental peace and inner well-being. Discipline, dedication, commitment, and responsibility – four extremely essential life constructs, brought about by our yoga practice, start taking prominence in all areas of our daily life.
In conclusion, as a yoga practitioner and teacher, I can say with strong conviction, yoga is a profound journey of self-discovery and a deeply rooted personal experience that has a resilient base in science – working directly on our nervous system, and all bodily organs. Through this practice we mindfully transform our entire being, by altering our movements, breath, concentration, vibrational frequency, raising our energy levels, and becoming one with the divine, universal energies within and around us. The power of Yoga does truly show us the way!
The subtle approach of YOGA works at a subliminal level, positively impacting our mind, body, and energy levels. Raising our inner life force or life energy, also known as Prana.