Why Yoga & Meditation?
I am often asked why I love yoga and meditation so much. People tend to assume that my natural disposition is calm and peaceful which would then lend itself to a natural affinity for both practices. I have also noticed it’s quite common for people to feel yoga is only for those who are flexible and meditation can only be performed by those to whom being quiet comes easy. My reasons are all quite the contrary and they pretty much debunk many of the stereotypes.
My natural disposition is high-strung, worried, and easily stressed.
As a result, I spent the better part of my adolescence and young-adulthood overcome by a lack of confidence in myself which manifested in a lot of not so great ways. It’s funny, I didn’t go looking for yoga and meditation; they kind of found me. And I’m so glad they did.
YOGA
My answer to “why yoga?” comes first. I took yoga pretty regularly during college ‘to get a good stretch in” but once I graduated, yoga kind of got put on hold as I started grad school and teaching fitness classes. It wasn’t until I had been working in the fitness industry for a few years after grad school that I finally decided I wanted to delve into a different part of the field. So I began taking yoga classes here and there and ultimately completed my first yoga certification. I continued practicing but wasn’t getting much out of it - my experience totally wasn’t what all the hype was about. I never finished yoga feeling refreshed, calm, or less stressed.
So I did some more shopping around and ultimately found my home in the yoga world at Smart Asana Yoga studio (check out my teacher and friend Tarra’s website if you’re in the Central New Jersey area! www.smartasanayoga.com). It was here that I found the grounding practice I was subconsciously searching for. This alignment-based method of yoga that utilizes attention to detail, heart-centered focus, and muscular energy for grounding, stretching and strengthening was EXACTLY what I needed to calm my flighty ways.
So MY answer to “why yoga?” is simply this: it grounds me.
It allows me to function in peace.
Through this practice, I have learned acceptance (of myself and others), patience, how to navigate challenges with grace, and most importantly, how to remain calm and unwavering in the face of challenge.
Yoga invites me to be ME - not who others or society say I should be in accordance with some arbitrary or antiquated standard - and gives me the confidence to live authentically.
Yes, I am physically more flexible and stronger and healthier because of yoga. But the greatest gifts yoga has given me are in the forms of emotional stability and mental clarity. Which leads to my answer for “why meditation?”.
MEDITATION
My friends, in case you don’t know me very well, I am the OPPOSITE of quiet, focused and meditative. I’m loud, firey, and always on the move. Meditation does NOT come easy for me, which is EXACTLY why I need it.
When I began meditating, I did it all wrong. I sat in uncomfortable positions for waaaay too long at the wrong times of day, so I stopped doing it. And then I learned better, easier ways through my 200 hour yoga teacher training at SAY that, coupled with a little grace and understanding, worked much better for me. And the rest is history.
Meditation gives me a chance to quiet the loud voices in my head that are filled with worry and doubt telling me I’m not good enough.
It pauses my frantic mind during my busy day for some quiet and stillness.
It creates a space for me to gain clarity and focus so I can be mindful in the present moment.
Meditation allows me to see life as it realistically is without assumptions or reacting based on past hurts or worries about the future. Meditation gives me the support I need to be the best version of myself.
My advice to you: if you are struggling with feeling overwhelmed or stuck, explore yoga and meditation. See what you connect with. The grounding practice of yoga and the gratitude focused meditations I enjoy may not be for you, so try different styles of class. Neither practices are one-size-fits-all or most. And I’ll be honest, there will be days you love it while others.. wellll, not so much. Such is life and the journey of humans :) Here are a couple of videos you might like to help you get started.
Breath Awareness: a great technique to bring your focus inward, to the breath allowing distractions to fall away.
Sun Salutation: a sequence of 8 basic yoga postures (asanas) that you’ll find in most multi-level yoga classes.
