About two-and-a-half years ago, I got deeper into yoga; nowadays, it is one of my daily rituals.
On my journey, yoga has taught me valuable lessons and has brought me closer to myself.
I believe that yoga is a gift for everyone, everything that you practice on the mat you can apply to life.
In the beginning, my main attraction to yoga was primarily for the physical benefits; this shifted with time and practice.
When people think of yoga, they will usually have the physical aspect in mind, but it’s just one aspect of it, yoga is a way of life - it is a state of being.
Yoga “happens” anytime you do something with intention and feeling. Any time you are present in your actions. Any time your heart and mind are united.
I found in a yoga a way to reconnect to myself and heal my body, mind and heart.
Here are five lessons yoga has taught me:
Patience
Everything has its own time.
Your body needs time to adjust to different postures and movements. It’s a process to build stamina, strength and flexibility.
When you try to force and push yourself into a position, when you are not ready, you increase the risk of injuring yourself.
So in life I learned, like in yoga, that if I want something and try to force it (rather than taking mindful steps), it will often backfire.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t push yourself to the limit, but there is a difference between giving your best and forcing yourself.
Listen to yourself, you will know how far you can go and what is best for you.
Consistency
If you put in the daily work, you will be surprised about your improvement.
It is not what you are doing once in a while, it is what you are doing every day.
It helps me to show up on my mat every day! My practice isn’t always the same, on some days it is a mellow flow and on other days it is a strong practice… and that’s okay, each day is different.
The most important is to show up, to step out of your comfort zone and to create a habit that is supporting you and the life direction you want to take.
Discipline
Consistency and discipline go hand in hand!
I know how it feels when you want to stay on your couch, but if you want to improve in yoga as well as in life, you need to put in the work to move forward.
Kundalini Yoga has taught me the most discipline. I have been practicing a certain kriya for over 220 days straight! A kirya is a series of postures, breath, and sound that work toward a specific outcome and that is done daily, if you skip one day you go back to day one.
There are days when I don’t feel like doing my kriya, but the fact that I’ve created a habit out of doing it, that’s what keeps me going.
We often underestimated what we are capable of. Discipline teaches us that everything is possible if we put our mind and heart to it.
Sunset Yoga in Istanbul
Acceptance
This was a big lesson for me to accept where I am on my path and to accept my body.
Sometimes I have thoughts in my head like “I want to do a handstand, I want to do this… and that…“
We are always trying to get somewhere rather than enjoying and embracing where we are RIGHT NOW.
It is important to celebrate small successes because it keeps us motivated.
I had to be honest with myself to see where I am standing in my practice as well as in my life and then go from there.
I am guided by questions like: “What is the next right move? Or How can I embrace where I am right now?“
Instead of always wanting to change something, let’s accept where and who we are and ask ourselves how to make the best out of it all.
Mind-Body-Heart Connection
In my past I was struggling with an eating disorder, through yoga I reconnected to my body.
The movement and breathing are very therapeutic, it has helped to rebuild my connection to my body.
Our bodies, minds and hearts are one united! There is no part of us that is separate or less.
When my mind was fighting against my body, it also closed my heart. I wasn’t giving my body enough nutrition, pushing myself hard in the gym and had negative self-talk.
When I got deeper into yoga, it helped me to be more kind to myself, appreciate my body and give it what it needs.
Be Present
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.“ - Eckhart Tolle
The constantly thinking mind: “What am I eating today? Why did this happen to me? What am I going to do next week?“
We often forget to be in the present, because our mind is full of thoughts and memories that are in the past or the future.
Yoga and Meditation have helped me to become more present and focused in my mind.
I am more relaxed, happy and content in daily life when I focus on the now rather than worrying about what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow.
In my practice I use the breath as my anchor point, it helps me to stay present, maintain my balance and prevent my mind from wandering. Especially, if I am in a challenging asana (posture), coming back to my breath is what keeps me up. Side note, it also helps in stressful life situations.
I see life as my biggest teacher and I am glad that yoga became a part of it; it connected me more deeply to myself and changed my life for the better.
I encourage everyone to see yoga as something that serves you on many different levels. Each practice provides you with the opportunity to get exactly what you need that day.