Many of us love to do yoga – and we are aware of the benefits that yoga can have on the way we feel, says author and psychologist Margaret Lambert in this edition of her column Health Focus, but did you know that actually doing the workout of yoga is only the beginning?
This week on Blab I interviewed Bronwyn Clee of Bronwyn Clee & Associates (visit their website here for more information) where we discussed the topic of yoga off the mat.
Yoga on the mat is certainly beneficial to us.
Stretching our bodies is a wonderful thing to do, and after we may move through the pain parts, our bodies enjoy the sheer freedom of movement whilst toning up at the same time.
However, yoga is intended to be more than just the movement of the body.
It is designed to be a practice – a physical, mental and spiritual practice where we stretch ourselves in all sorts of ways, with the ultimate goal of liberation.
Yoga then becomes our life practice, not just the practice we do on the mat.
And as for any particular skill that we may want to achieve, it takes practice!
We cannot expect to become a star golfer, tennis player or pianist without practice.
In the same way, we cannot expect to become liberated in ourselves without the undertaking of practice.
Yoga on the mat is great and is the very start of liberating our bodies and even our minds.
If we wish to move beyond this point however, we must become mindful of the following: how we are moving our bodies throughout the rest of the day; the thoughts that we allow to penetrate our thinking; our level of self-care; and our compassion for others. Beyond this, in keeping with the yoga goal of becoming liberated, we must develop a willingness to let go of control and instead adopt an acceptance of what is.
Whether or not you are inclined towards yoga, the principles of yoga are applicable to all who wish to attain a sense of personal liberation.
You may find other avenues and activities to help you attain this.
The philosophy by which I abide is that we are here on earth to become the best people we can possibly become, and I believe that we each try to find the best way to get through our struggles.
I believe that our personal practice is crucial to us in helping us in these endeavours.
Don’t forget to keep up the practice of your path to liberation, whether it be yoga, prayer, chi gung, meditation or something else.
If you’d like to hear the conversation with Bronwyn, you can tune into the replay here.
Until next time,
Margaret Lambert
