Blog-asana: Words on Yoga
"Coming Back to the Breath" ... Danielle
Welcome to the first community post in the series "Yoga: What is it good for?"
Danielle talks about how yoga is not only different from other forms of exercise, but how it encourages us to pursue an active relationship with our bodies - what they need, and how they grow and develop as we move through our practice.
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From Danielle: Returning to the Breath
I started yoga out of sheer curiosity. I was fit, enjoyed working out, and have friends who love it. Still, I really didn't know anything about yoga beyond what pop culture teaches. So without any kind of research, I signed up for Vinyasa 101 at Dhan and met Stephanie Chrisman. I was lucky to find Stephanie on my first try: a teacher who focuses on strength and athleticism while respecting the balance and spirituality of yoga. While I love taking classes with new teachers in South Bend and on my travels, I keep coming back to Dhan.
When I first began yoga, I wanted power yoga or I wasn't interested. Yoga was a fun workout and not much more. Now I think of it as a happy pill I take to counteract the stress of graduate school. I write this nearly half way through Dhan's 30 Day Challenge, and I'm practicing restorative nearly every other day. After all day sitting at a computer writing, I'm a mess, and yoga pulls me out of that. The breath brings me back to myself.
I love the challenge and the change I see in my body. Just today I found myself far deeper in a pose than I knew was possible. I love what the core strength has done for my balance. When I was younger, they elected me Class Clutz for a reason - I've had many a spill over the years. These days when I fall, I catch myself with minimal damage. I couldn't touch my toes when I started yoga, now I can fold all the way over to grab the bottoms of my feet. So what has yoga done that regular exercise didn't? It taught me about breathing loooong DEEP slooooooow breaths. Sure, I love Rockin' Flow, Warrior Poses, and standing on my head, but those big gulps of air add a dimension to yoga not found in other exercise.
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Many thanks to Danielle for sending this in. Look for more in this community series coming soon!