Why I chose to become a Yoga Instructor.
A continuation from my blog post, Why Yoga?
Reason 1: The purpose and healing art of the BREATH!
I first realized the deeper meaning and benefits of yoga once I started to put into practice the new knowledge I had gained through breath awareness. My ability to fall back to sleep in the early hours of the morning ………. (even through non-stop, sleep deprive, restless, fear-filled, overwhelming, baby-crying-for-attention, single- mother-in-another-country, nights)………started not long after I discovered the real gift of yoga classes, nearly ten years ago.
Yoga brings about healing from deep within, by use of the breath. In my deepest struggles, darkest hours I used to tell myself, “Where there is breath, there is hope for my life.” The life is in the breath, in the blood coursing through your veins. If your breath becomes tight, restricted, unaware, in the chest, short, shallow, nearly non-existent……then issues of anxiety, stress, horrible sleep patterns, hyperventilation, inability to think clearly, to reason, all become magnified and confused. Adding to that, PTSD, and you have yourself praying non-stop for God to change something, anything in your life to come back to that sacred place of deep breathing, healing sleep, and relaxation.
The practice and focus of the breath is a vital element, a key to yoga success. It is possible to bring your complete awareness to the breath. Yoga teaches us to practice the art of closing out all thoughts and fears of past events, triggers from present circumstances, anxious thoughts of the future, burdens, needs, goals, plans for later in the day. It teaches us the vital element of life, of returning to the gift of the breath, this breath that sustains our very existence, held carefully with a higher purpose in the loving hands of our Creator.
The breath brings the sole focus of life to the very present moment you are living in. In this still, perfect, unharmed moment you find the road ahead to be one of love, calm, peace, compassion, and joy. A road to enlightenment, a furthering of education, of deeper awareness that brings about positive change. The simple act of a deep inhalation through the nostrils, to the very core of your soul; and a long slow purposeful exhalation out through the nostrils, through the crown of your head, is all it takes. Learning the art of the breath, even for a few brief moments, a few minutes in time, will increase awareness of the beauty of life all around you.
The breath will take you outside of all that is shoved so deeply inside, and give you new vision, new insight, new eyes to see the bigger picture of life. You will begin to long for, crave, and desire this time for the breath each day, for longer periods of time, saturated in the rejuvenation. In this time, you will see the world around you through the eyes of the Creator. If you have ceased the flow of all other thoughts flying through the mind, then you have achieved one of the most vital steps to discovering who you truly are. You have achieved the first vital step in yoga, discovering the perfection of the breath that you were gifted with the moment your lungs filled with their first full breath of life, with the mind free from the cares of the world.
“The breath is the driving force, the sustainer of life, the first gasp at birth, the last gasp at death. The breath is the sound of the ocean tide, the rhythm of the heart, the beat to our step, and the light in our eyes. The breath creates the emotions of the mind, the love in our soul, and the balance in every day.” Ruth Graupner
God breathed His own magnificent breath of life into the nostrils of Adam, His creation formed from the very dust of the earth, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7