September is National Yoga Awareness Month
Today starts National Yoga Awareness Month. Which I think is awesome!
This month be ready to learn more about yoga. During this month some new information will be provided. Perhaps some new insight will be provided that was not currently thought of.
When the word Yoga is mentioned, many people come to think of a physical practice for reducing stress and stretching the body. While this is a part of Yoga it is only a small part of yoga.
The physical yoga was mainly designed to provide the understanding and complete mastery over the mind. Therefore, the actual meaning of Yoga is the science of the mind.
Certainly, many questions come about when thinking about minds. How do they work and how do we work them. What exactly is the mind? Is it the mind that determines ones behavior and experiences or do we create it’s activity? Is it possible to control our mind by turning and studying within ourselves? Something to consider right.
That us to say, these are questions yogi’s pondered for thousands of years. Some of these questions are still being looked at and wondered upon.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The primary text of the Raja Yoga is called the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Sutra means “thread”. That is, this is the yogic text that we study and continue to learn from. There are almost 200 Sutras. These Sutras are divided into four sections.
The first is the Portion of Contemplation. secondly, the Portion of Practice, Thirdly The Portion of Accomplishments and the finally is Portion of Absolution.
This month will be about exploring the deeper meaning of each of these.
The Portion Of Contemplation
The Portion of Contemplation gives the theory of Yoga and describes in detail how to practice samadhi or contemplation. This is where we look at ourselves. Taking the time to love what we see. Practice looking inward as this is a powerful tool of self-inquiry. Also utilizing this when around others. It can be very challenging and patience is definitely needed as this is not something that happens quickly and is always something to be worked on. For example, meditation is a great way to help one on this journey as the mind begins to quiet allowing one to tap into themselves.
Do you ever feel like things just fall into place. Everything comes easily and is fully aligned? When this happens how incredible do you feel? It’s amazing. Then there are other times that one may feel like they are fighting against everything. The flow is off and just feel out of touch. By cultivating your concentration and placing the energy where you feel it is best utilized you can change situations. How powerful is that?
This is a very tiny glimpse into yoga. This exploration will continue moving forward.
Perhaps take a few minutes to look inward and see how you are feeling, what can you work on to create a change?
Until the next time.
Health and happiness,
Pingback: Stress Reduction Tips - Katherine Bowen