Yoga is home.
I am not the most disciplined person by nature. My thoughts and emotions can change as quickly as the wind. Ideas happen and fade away. New projects begin and then other projects take priority. I’m sure many of you can relate.
However people around me often remark that they wish they were so disciplined. They wonder how, after working all day at a desk and exhausting my mind, am I able to devote so much time to “exercising” — to my yoga practice.
There are many reasons why I dedicate my time and energy to yoga. I love it. It makes me feel good. It’s important to me to have a strong, capable body. It quiets my mind. But the simplest answer is: yoga is home to me. We all have a place we call home that we go to at the end of the day. My house is my favorite place in the world. But home, to me, is something more.
Home is the feeling of belonging when a loved one embraces you. It is that moment of assurance when you accomplish something meaningful. It is a sensation of pure love when you recognize yourself in someone else.
Home is listening to the quiet solitude of your body. It is that feeling of expansion when you stretch into a yoga pose. It is the energetic buzz you feel when you move your muscles and bones. It is the silent space in between thoughts, when there are no thoughts.
Home is realizing the missing piece of your self. It is where you go when you’ve moved beyond the external world and have found a sense of peace and space in your own body — the physical body and the energetic body.
Yoga is home.
Trust me. It isn’t easy to get there. It takes practice. The body and mind do not always cooperate. Time is limited and gets away from you, and I know you have other priorities. But I believe if you give yourself just a small amount of time to tune in to your body, your thoughts, and your state of being, then you can experience that sensation of coming home to your self.
Practice
Try this 10-minute practice to create a sense of space in your self.
Come to a comfortable seated position, cross-legged if that works for your body.
Sit up nice and tall and feel your sit bones grounding into the earth. Allow your spine to lengthen, creating a tall vertical column. Tuck the chin slightly, so the back of the neck is long. Gently roll the shoulders back, and then let them be heavy.
Tune in for a moment here, and get a sense of your current energy. How does your body feel now? What’s happening in the mind? You may have racing thoughts or tension, and that’s normal. Just acknowledge what’s there, and accept it.
Take a few deep breaths in through the nose, and then sigh the breath out through the mouth. Allow your exhale to be loud and forceful if you are carrying extra stress today.
Place your hands on your knees or thighs and start to move the torso in circles. Inhale as you come forward and exhale as you circle back. Start in one direction and then switch directions.
Pause. Notice any sensations in your body.
Keeping your hands in place, inhale and arch the spine so the heart presses forward. Try keeping the chin parallel to the ground. As you exhale, round the spine back. Repeat as many times as you’d like.
Pause again. Notice.
Sitting up tall, roll the shoulders back. Inhale, bring the shoulder forward and up. Exhale, roll the shoulders back and down. Repeat for several cycles and then switch directions. Inhale back and up, exhale forward and down.
Inhale and lift the shoulders up towards your ears and tense the muscles of your face. Exhale, drop the shoulders and release. Again, you can allow your exhales to be loud and forceful if you want to release tension. Repeat a few more times.
Pause. Notice.
Drop your chin to your chest and roll the head in circles. If you have any neck issues or a history of injuries with the neck, just gently move the head from side to side. Move a few times in one direction, and then reverse direction.
When you’re finished, sit in stillness for a moment. Tune in to your body again. You may notice a slight shift. A feeling of lightness or a sense of more space. Let your mind become aware of your physical body. Notice your fingers and toes, hands and feet, arms and legs, hips and shoulders, head and neck.
Sit quietly and listen to the hum of your body. Acknowledge that whatever you’re feeling, is a sensation completely unique to your self. Sit as long as you’d like, just listening and feeling. You may also lie down for shavasana.
~ Mandi