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What Yoga Is Not



Yoga is a practice we can all benefit from. 
No matter who you are, what circumstances you are in, or where you are from, the yogic journey shows you how to integrate mind/body and spirit. 

As social media is more and more prevalent these days, yoga has become a mainstream exercise that people practice gaining muscle, flexibility, and strength. But is that all it has to offer? 

The answer is no! 
Today I am describing what yoga is not and how you can get the full yogic experience next time you get on your mat and carry it -off the mat-.  

I think we can all agree that the asana part of yoga is a great way to get in shape, but it’s the deeper side of it that truly changes your life. 

Yoga is, most of all, a spiritual practice. 

It offers the power and beauty to work through your emotional stress and psychological challenges; it encourages you to reach for a deeper spiritual connection with your higher Self and to live in a deeper state of consciousness. This level of spiritual awareness is what keeps you alive and well to grab life by the hands and take control of your life's journey. 

When committing to a yoga practice every day, you seek to experience and become aware of the spiritual energy within yourself. 
A driving force, a motivation, a profound sense of inner peace, a deeper reason behind everything you think and everything you do is what happens when mastering the yogic mindset. 
Once you feel it, being aware of this energy becomes second nature and suddenly your life turns into this magical experience of joy. 

When you practice yoga with an awareness of yourself you come to learn about the different ways you act, how you react, and what you are like. 

This self-awareness transforms all aspects of your mind, which then affect how you live your life and how you interact and react to others around you. Spirituality is who we are, and yoga/meditation are the ultimate gateway to achieving spiritual awareness, that will inherently transform the way you look at the world. 

The holistic effect that is attained through the yogic experience enables you to not only improve physical strength and flexibility, but also your emotions, mentality, and concentration: these are all vital to your mental, physical, and spiritual health. 
A consistent practice of the yogic teachings helps practitioners develop integration of body/mind/spirit, as well as oneness with all that is - whatever that means to you. 
And it all starts with the body and the mind. 
 
So, the ultimate question is, what is the true definition of yoga? 
Formally, it is a ‘spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.’ 

In other words, Yoga is everything.
It is the ultimate practice of spirituality, meditation, breathwork, mental health, and physical fitness all integrated into a powerful practice of movement and love. 





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