|
By K. Kindermann
Can yoga be powerful? Absolutely! Yoga can build your physical,
mental and spiritual power.
Power Yoga, also known as Ashtanga Yoga is a very empowering form
of yoga. It is one of the traditional styles taken from the ancient
text, the Yoga Karunta.
The word yoga means unity. In broad terms this refers to the unity
of all forces in the universe. In more personal terms, the union
between our body, mind and soul becomes more harmonious with regular
yoga practice. We find our own inner strength and peace as opposed
to searching for it outside ourselves. Since we were young, we were
taught to look outside ourselves for answers; to parents, teachers,
experts, even gurus. A true guru will show you that you have all
the answers within you already, it is only a matter of finding them
and believing in own personal power.
Power Yoga is energetic and invigorating, leaving you feeling strong
and relaxed. It is a sophisticated form of physical therapy and
a challenging complete workout that sculpts strong, healthy bodies.
By combining flowing movements and a special breathing technique
called Ujjayi ("Victorious Breath" in Sanskrit), the body
is detoxified and the mind becomes focused and calm.
The results are dramatic because it is a whole body system; because
every single muscle is used in strength and balance, it ignites
the metabolic fire, burning excess fat. It also helps decrease the
urge to stuff down anxieties by overeating. It is a pathway to reveal
our true self in our natural, unique form. Michelangelo used to
say that God put a statue in every slab of marble and his job was
to remove all that was not part of the statue. He claimed he merely
freed the statue from the stone. You can free yourself through the
tool of Power Yoga.
Our body has the tremendous ability to constantly renew itself.
With a little food, water and breath our bodies do just fine. It's
only when the psychology of the mind gets involved that either ease
or disease is created in the body. The mind leads the emotions and
the emotions manifest in the body. What happens when we get upset?
Our breathing becomes shallow and tight, our mind races into a panic
of doubts and limiting beliefs, we react and either fight or flight.
Many of us turn to vices to distract us from what we are feeling;
food, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sex, we all choose our form of
escape.
|
|
 |
We soak up life like a sponge, holding tensions, fears, anxieties
in our system. They reveal themselves as back pain, ulcers, headaches,
asthma, cancer, mental illness; the list goes on. In yoga practice
we reach down into all the nooks and crannies and hidden pockets
of tissue, excavating all this clogging unwanted stuff. Yoga alleviates
and heals many of these ailments by allowing us to feel. To heal
we must feel. When physical tension is released so are emotions,
freeing our body and mind of old baggage.
In Power Yoga we face challenges and break through them and then
we realize just how strong and powerful we actually are. By moving
beyond our "comfort zone" we learn to push our edge, to
face and break through our fears and current limitations. Initially
yoga generates a heightened awareness of our bodies and thoughts
and how our thoughts directly affect the state of our bodies and
life.
Yoga is an holistic exercise, improving the physical body as well
as the mental/emotional body. It helps us to feel and let go. Each
breath is fresh and new, each moment is new. Yoga teaches us to
be in the moment for all that we really have is right now. We spend
so much time rethinking the past or worrying about the future. What
does worry do? The past is gone and the future, with its limitless
possibilities doesn't exist yet. Power Yoga helps us be in our body
and to notice where our mind is, freeing our true spirit. Now that's
powerful!
|
