Yoga in the traditional sense is a very broad term and includes many aspects of living well that go beyond the modern day understanding of the practice many people hold today.
If, for example, you were to think of an image in your mind that represents yoga you most likely would picture a person on a beach somewhere in a super bendy position or holding some kind of upside down pose. This isn’t entirely yoga.
In actuality, yoga is a traditional way of living that encompasses doing what is right (in accordance with the cosmic order): being non-harmful to oneself and others, physical postures, breath, mindfulness, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation and absorption – all of which lead to a state of pure bliss. We understand that for many of you this isn’t really the goal and we totally get it. But it’s important to understand that here, at Nourished Union, yoga is more than a bendy pose or a 60 minute sweaty, movement class. Our approach to personal or private yoga lessons: We teach yoga as a physical practice but also one that can help you live more presently, purposefully and with calm and ease.
Let us illustrate with a story…
Every morning you wake abruptly to an alarm, roll over, grab your phone and stare at it until your eyes focus. When you do finally get out of bed, you need to have a coffee before you can even form a sentence. Your day then unfolds like “normal” – from meeting to meeting and meal to meal; you squeeze in some time with family or friends if you’re lucky and then back to bed. Sound familiar?
Often, after months and years of repeating the same actions every single day, we begin to start living in a rut. We are just going through the motions, without really experiencing any of it. Think back on your day yesterday, did anything eventful happen? Do you remember any significant feelings or senses? Most people today would answer no to both of those questions because they are not present in the day or its events. Many people don’t even care about a seemingly normal workday – but you should care. You should care because every day is a piece in the overall puzzle of your life and can have meaning and purpose; however, it can all go unnoticed when we feel like we are living in a rut.
Now contrast this to a time in your life that you travelled. You can probably picture things that you saw, recall sounds that you heard and even remember flavours that you tasted on your trip. When you travel your senses are awakened, you are fully present and you absorb your surroundings through your senses because the experience is new and exciting. You are more likely to remember moments from you trip (versus details of your day yesterday) because it was new, and so your senses heightened. By being present in those travel moments you placed significance on the experiences. But it’s important to realize that these moments are also available in your day-to-day, you just need to become aware of them.
What if we told you that you could be fully awake and present in your daily experiences just like in those memorable travel moments? There are so many beautiful moments in your life everyday whether you notice them or not, so why not start noticing them? At Nourished Union, our private yoga teachers can help you to calm the overwhelm, relieve the stress and gain greater perspective in order to find purpose and meaning in your daily life with regular private yoga lessons and a mindfulness practice. Our personal yoga trainers can guide you to learn how to extract yourself from the daily rut by arriving and living presently in the moments of your life. When you pay attention to the things you are doing, when you pay attention to your body, mind and energy, you can truly connect to the moment and arrive in the experience. Your days are the puzzle pieces of your life and we want to help you live every one of them with meaning and intention.
So, when you think about the kind of life you want to lead do you want to remember the beautiful moments of your days or do you want them to just blend together in one long blur? To learn how to live your life with meaning and connection, join our private yoga instructors and sign-up to one of our Online Wellness Programs.