"Have patience with everything unresolved
in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked
rooms or books written in a foreign language. Do not search for the answers,
which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live with
them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then
someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live
your way into the answer." --- Rainer Maria Rilke
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Why Yoga Heals
Us
The practice of yoga changes us. When we
focus on our breath, we become aware of our breathing patterns and tensions held
in the body. As we move and stretch our bodies, tensions release and we feel
better. We begin to notice things that we were unaware of before. Little by
little that awareness seeps into other areas of our lives. We notice how we feel
when we communicate with others. Perhaps we let go of old patterns of
communication because we don’t need them anymore. Or perhaps we let go of old
relationships because we finally recognize how damaging they are to our health
and well-being. This is how the world changes, one person at a time.
When we change the way we think, we change
the way we act. When we believe that the world is one family, we must act that
way or be in conflict with our beliefs. When we believe that the world is one
family, we take responsibility for our actions - thought, word and deed. And
this is how the world changes, one person at a time.
Yoga is not about the pose. It’s not about
the body, mind and spirit. It’s so much more than that. Yoga is about
remembering our true nature. It’s about acknowledging what is true in this
moment - letting go of how we think things should be, how we want things to be.
When we acknowledge our human nature with all of our flaws and imperfections, we
are open to witnessing the same in others - without judgment. When we change the
way we think, we change the way we act. This can transform our lives - our
health, our relationships, our workplaces, our world.
Swami Kripalu said, "Self-observation
without judgment is the highest spiritual practice."
So, you may think that you came to Yoga to
get into shape, lose weight, reduce stress, feel better - and you may just do
that. You may get even more. Yoga can change your life!
My primary training has been with Kripalu and Integrative Yoga Therapy. I
continue to study with a variety of therapeutically oriented yoga teachers.
Read more about me at "About Karen."
Kripalu Center
for Yoga & Health
Yoga Alliance
Integrative Yoga Therapy
IAYT
