Welcome back to another run of "Yoga: What is it good for?"  We're happy to start this week off with a post from Aditi, talking about the orienting force of a yoga practice, and all the benefits of a yoga community based on mutual support. 

Many thanks to Aditi for this wonderful piece!

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My Mat is My True North

I have done yoga throughout my entire life, and enjoyed it so much. However, not too long ago, I had a slipped disc in my back and was not able to practice yoga as advised by my chiropractor. He was worried I would twist the wrong way and the disc would slide out again.

Finally, this past year, after losing 50lbs and (almost) feeling back to normal with my back, I wanted to figure out a way to slowly, and steadily get back into yoga. I had looked up all of the different yoga studios in South Bend, but none of them really stood out to me as much as Dhanwantari did. I had heard nothing but wonderful \things about them, and almost as if the lovely people at Dhan had read my mind, a 30 day yoga challenge came up for the beginning of this year. I immediately bought my month and began coming to the classes. 

I have never felt so centered, peaceful and happy. I feel as though I am doing yoga at a best friend’s house. It’s so relaxed and at ease, an open space for everyone to get what they need from their own practice. No judgment. No comparisons to others, just healing yoga from the inside out. 

What keeps me coming back to my mat is the support I receive from Dhanwantari. I feel that support through the instructor as well as through the other students who I meet and take classes with. You feel the collective energy of everyone wanting to do and feel better through yoga. I feel like I can truly breathe and relax when I do yoga at Dhan. It gives me the confidence to know that everyone in their yoga practice has to start somewhere, and I am restarting, but I am doing a great job. I have already felt progression in my practice so much in the past month. Another thing that keeps me coming back to yoga, time and time again, day by day, is that the peace I feel from yoga spills over into all other aspects of my life, and makes them infinitely better. I am so thankful to have this community space at Dhan!

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Congratulations to Aditi on losing so much weight, healing her back and listening to her body.  We're so happy to have you back on the mat, and happier still that you did it in a healthy way. 

How has the commuity at Dhan - and your yoga practice as it's grown - been a source of strength for you?  Share with us, either here or on our facebook page.  Many thanks again to Aditi for sharing her experiences with us, and have an awesome week. 

Namaste.