I have to be honest — I love the physical side of yoga.
Dynamic Vinyasa, headstands, handstands, pincha, arm balances, the transitions of Rocket yoga. There's enough challenge in there to keep anyone busy for a very long time.
I don't even see the problem with sharing an occasional photo of progress on Instagram. So much effort goes into it — why not share it with the people in our circle? We deserve to celebrate our accomplishments.
But in our modern world, this is often the only part we take from yoga — missing out on other important aspects. Yoga didn't originate as a workout. It originated as a tool to work with the mind.
I came to yoga through the physical practice myself. I was always extremely active — my background is competitive kickboxing and marathon running. At the beginning, yoga didn't appeal to me, because in my mind, it wasn't challenging enough. That changed the moment I took a class with my first yoga teacher, Rosie. I was hooked. At that time, my life was about achievement and pushing hard.
Looking back now, I probably always used exercise to challenge my own ego — a tool to deal with an unhealthy body image, and a way to quiet, at least a little, a restless mind. Having said that, deep inside I always knew there was more to health than regular exercise and a good diet. When I talk about health, I see it as a multi-layered system — an equilibrium of physical, emotional, mental, and nervous system well-being.
It was quite a few years after I first tried yoga — years of emotional turmoil, and looking for answers to big life questions — that I started to see yoga in a very different light.
Now I see yoga as a holistic framework with specific techniques and comprehensive tools — a path toward health, as I understand it — working toward what's often called "peace of mind."
Yoga, the way I see it, offers a path toward balance between body and mind, which I believe is essential to overall well-being.
In my own practice, I've seen huge benefits in how yoga helps me work with my mind and my thoughts. I now know, for certain, that I am not my thoughts — yoga gives me the tools to become the Observer, to create space before reacting to a situation. I feel far more in charge of my thoughts, which in turn helps me stay in charge of my emotions.
Our greatest battle isn't with the world around us — it's with the thoughts inside our own mind. Thinking is natural. Being controlled by our thoughts is not.
The battle against overthinking is not won by forcing the mind into silence. It is won by learning to guide it with wisdom. Every anxious thought is an invitation. Not to think more. But to understand yourself more deeply.
And perhaps that is where real peace begins.
So, I am asking you to ask yourself a question: Who is in control — you or your mind?
Comments