LESSONS FROM THE MAT
My “Yoga Journey” began just over 12 months ago. I remember being invited by a friend (who ironically no longer attends yoga classes!) and feeling very apprehensive and nervous. I had heard so much “stuff” about yoga and the practice of it that I’m not even sure why I really went. It may have been my curiosity or stubbornness that made me go. I had been told many negative things about the practise of yoga and been warned against it. However, I wanted to find out for myself. Often during times throughout my life I get a gentle nudge or a whisper.
Experience has taught me not to ignore that whisper, but to cultivate and nurture it, even though on many occasions it has taken me out of my comfort zone.
That visit, on a Friday morning at stunning Moffat’s Beach was the beginning of a beautiful journey of self-inquiry and discovery. A journey that has helped me deal with anxiety and fear and which has affected all my relationships in a positive way.
I’m not even sure if I enjoyed my first class. I was so self-conscious of my body and my poses. However, I left feeling a sense of inner calm and that I wanted to dig a little bit deeper. I had a sense that there was more to this practise than just the hour I had spent on my mat. So I went back again and again and again.I once read a line which said yoga is like being pregnant for the first time. I didn’t read the rest of the article, but will use this analogy in relation to my journey. When you first become pregnant, there is an excitement coupled with apprehension and fear. In the first trimester, I felt nauseous and struggled with the changes in my body. I felt like this during some of my first classes. I would feel anxious and sick in the belly. I would struggle with some of the ways my body was moving in the poses. As time went on I felt much better and loved my little belly and the life inside of me. I learnt to love and accept the changes that were occurring. This was the same in my yoga classes. I began to look forward to each class and the nourishment it brought to my being that I was then able to pass onto others. I relaxed and accepted that this was part of the journey. It was part of my growth and development. Some days I felt tired and emotional and other days I felt radiant and full of life, energy. This too, occurred on my mat. Each experience was different and I began to embrace each one. As I began to progress and near the end of my pregnancy, even though I felt some fear, I felt strong and excited at the thought of meeting a new life. I had been told so many stories about childbirth and I knew each experience was different and individual. I knew I had to just “let go” and accept what would be. To try and relax and know I was being supported by beautiful, caring health professionals.
As I have practised yoga over a period of time, this has also been my experience. I have felt fear and pain, but also felt a great strength and courage. There have been times when I have felt helpless, but have been supported by the loving arms of the yoga community. Whilst giving birth, I felt completely open and vulnerable. Yoga has allowed me to be more vulnerable and be okay with this. To sometimes be amongst strangers and be sweating profusely and then feel the loving hands of a friend give me a massage during Savasana.
As with the birthing of a child, yoga is a beautiful thing. It brings people together and creates bonds that are so strong and unbreakable, just like the bond between a mother and child. And as with childbirth and yoga, the journey does not stop once the birthing has occurred. The journey continues as we parent and we are exposed to different experiences and challenges in life. Sometimes we question, do we measure up? Can I do this? Will I fail? Then at other moments, we become this fierce warrior standing strong and protective as we nurture and love unconditionally.
Just as in childbirth, my journey with Yoga has not been easy. I have had to confront uncomfortable issues and personality traits which had become habits and had not served me well over the years.
So when I teach and practise I KNOW it is so much more than getting the poses right. I would like to invite my students to harness their mind in such a kind and loving way that it gives them a peace and freedom to live their life fully.
And as with giving birth to a child, the emotion of love is so overwhelming, that we forget the pain and go back for more…
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Rashi January 2016 (Rashi is currently completing Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training with Yoga NRG on the Sunshine Coast)* Check out our Yoga NRG Timetable for our Mums + Bubs classes and Pre-Natal Yoga Programs
* Contact us on 0439 418 571 to find out more about Yoga Teacher Training