How can yoga transform your everyday life
Today, on Winter solstice, we celebrate International Yoga Day. It is a great time of the year to reflect on how much yoga can transform the way we live our lives beyond the physical aspect of the practice.
To be honest, most of us first start yoga for the physical benefits it has on our bodies and there’s nothing wrong with that! Yoga is a great way to build strength and flexibility at the same time. But there is so much more to the practice than just being able to touch our toes when folding forward. The yoga practice also has the power to calm our racing minds, to be more present and aware, and eventually to get to know ourselves on a much deeper level.
To give you more insights into the benefits of yoga and how it has the power to transform our lives in different ways, we have asked some of our Yoga teachers to share their own experiences of the practice, and hopefully, it inspires you to start yoga or to start observing in what ways the practice ripples in your everyday life.
What made you fall in love with yoga?
Bree: “The feeling of freedom and ease you felt after every savasana. No matter how hard the class was, you came out of that room feeling accomplished and lighter. It was addictive that’s for sure!”
Camille: “I fell in love with yoga after my very first hot yoga class. Like many people, I was biased thinking Yoga is “just stretching” and a bit boring. This first yoga class was nothing like that – it was strong, challenging and very inspiring at the same time. As I left the class dripping in sweat, I knew this was just the beginning of a new journey for me.”
Diana: “It's like a matryoshka doll, whenever you think you've uncovered something cool about the body, the Universe, or the Yogic philosophy, there's so much more. It's an endless spiral of self-discovery and exploration.”
How has yoga changed how you live your everyday life?
Bree: “It’s taught me to be more patient and understanding. I find I look at most things with an overall point of view these days instead of in a box and it’s given me a lot of peace in how everyday life pans out.”
Camille: “As someone who loves to be in control or who used to be quite anxious about what could potentially happen in the future, yoga has allowed me to be much more present and grounded and to trust that even the challenging times are positive – they are here to teach us something and to allow us to grow! Yoga has also transformed how I feel in my own body – much stronger and flexible at the same time, and overall this allows me to feel more confident.”
Diana: “I started appreciating all the little things, I developed a love for slowing down and doing nothing. And of course, asana daily.”
Favourite quote or mantra?
Bree: “When one door closes, two others open. Trust the process.”
Camille: “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you.” P. Coelho
Diana: “My favourite mantra is the invocation to Lord Ganesha, it's very powerful.”