Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Yoga at its core is the art of transformation. The practice of yoga is accompanied by incredible postures (asanas) that can reach superhuman levels, and look beautiful on Instagram. As a practicing yogi, I appreciate these postures as a work of art, and as a doorway to transformation. Getting into poses that require a lot of strength and dedication can sometimes take years to accomplish, but that’s not what yoga is really about.
Yoga requires your co-participation with your inner awareness to become congruent with your natural state, and realizing your divine nature through the temple of your body. This is important to remember, especially when we find ourselves listening to our “inner critic” because our pose doesn’t look like the one we saw on our device, or as pretty as the one performed by the student next to us. Yoga has been “celebified” by yogis who present beautiful poses with grace and ease in magazines and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like. These poses are absolutely incredible, beautiful, and worthy of admiration; however, I think we’ve blurred the line between what we see and what we are supposed to do, learn, and teach. We’ve placed way too much importance on what our practice looks like on the outside, and not enough on the inside.
Savasana is a perfect example. After a yoga class or practice, we indulge in a restful Savasana, which is the culmination of our efforts. So much can happen in our bodies when we intentionally rest. So why are we only allowing ourselves one-minute Savasanas? Or skipping it all together when we need it most?
I think the biggest question is, how do we begin to gain a higher understanding of who and what we really are? Of course, wanting to achieve a beautiful practice can definitely propel us into exploring these deeper dimensions of yoga–dimensions that include a Savasana at the end of a well-balanced practice.
Asana is an integral part of a yoga practice, but not all of it. Most important is our approach and our ability to reap the benefits of our efforts in our resting pose, Savasana. The physical form is only the gateway to enter a vast landscape of inner exploration.
Thank You, YogaWorks
When I heard that YogaWorks was going to be a sponsor for the 2017 Live Be Yoga Tour, I was beyond excited! YogaWorks is where I first began practicing yoga back in 2002, and it’s where I got my yoga teacher certification and became a yoga teacher trainer.
YogaWorks prides itself on creating classes and programs for everybody. They have a high standard of keeping the yogic tradition in every single one of their classes. YogaWorks, congratulations on your 30-year anniversary, and thank you for being a sponsor for the Live Be Yoga Tour.