YOGA
Yoga means union, in Sanskrit. It is the union of the breath and body, the philosophy of uniting us all through spirit, as we understand ours more fully. Asana, or the pose part of yoga is the part most of us think of as yoga. However, asana is only 1 of 8 parts of Yoga. There are 7 other segments just as important, and arguably, even more important. When I first began my yoga journey, I took classes for fitness and it has greatly evolved, as I have. This is my journey.
My Yoga Journey
Yoga has been a passion of mine for a very long time. I found yoga in 1997 through a dear friend of mine who is gorgeous, graceful, and ageless. She was super into yoga. So naturally, I was excited to join her when she invited me to my first class ever. It was an Iyengar class. I really had no idea what to expect, but I can say it was a very calming and curious experience for me, and nothing like the yoga I practice now! There were a lot of straps, slow paced stretching, and no flow at all. We sat in a circle with some very wise souls, and we definitely brought the median age down a couple decades. This intro to yoga sparked my interest in learning more about it. I had always loved expressive movement like dance, acrobatics and sports. A couple years later I saw a local Bikram studio and decided to take a class. After the first class, I was hooked. This was my style - fast, challenging, and hot! I loved it. My body toned up so much, my skin was clear, and I felt totally energized. I did Bikram for a year or two, and then branched out to explore other styles of yoga. Since then, I have tried almost every style of (Physical Asana) yoga there is - ashtanga, jivamukti, yin, restorative, iyengar, vinyasa, anusara, hot, power, viniyoga, sivananda, kundalini, hatha (what most of these styles are based on/are) - but I mostly gravitate to the Vinyasa and Ashtanga-based styles. I also feel we need different styles for different times in our lives, depending on what's going on.
Since my first yoga experience, I have had some incredible teachers, from West Palm Beach to Miami to New York City, and I am so, so grateful. I continue to learn every day from my teachers, my students, and my peers. My focus has shifted much from the physical, to the mental and emotional benefits of yoga. I am now teaching and rigorously studying meditation and the other 7 limbs of yoga more deeply. There is so much more to yoga than meets the eye. I absolutely love to combine Yoga with Sound & Energy Healing, Meditation, & Essential Oils for a true holistic healing experience!
Here are some of the many benefits of this 5,000+ year old healing art:
More energy
More focus
Less pain, stress, tension
More strength
More power
Heals physical injury
Heals mental pain
Connects you spiritually
Assists emotional releases
Balances emotions
Brings peace, ease, flow
Brings freedom
Gives you space to stop and breathe
Gives you back your well-being
Can help rewire & reprogram the brain