KayaYogini

Presence is a crucial part of yoga. Without being present in your yoga practice, can you even call it a yoga practice? Bringing the attention back towards the now, one single point in time, is where the mind starts to slow down and open up. Without being present, the yoga practice would be more like a regular exercise session. Anyways practicing the physical positions, asana, is where most people start, and then we add layer upon layer in our yoga practice, getting more and more aware of the finer details. The subtle body. The mind, the heart. The first layer we add on our practice is the breath. Being mindful of how we breath is so important, not only for our stress levels, but also for our digestion and posture (!!). The breath is so important it’s often the first thing that is being taught. However it takes a long time to master the synchronization of breath and movement, keeping the breath slow no matter what advanced yoga position you are practicing. 

The attention is one other thing that we start to practice after we have practiced asana with breath for a while. Bringing the attention (gaze) to one point is called drishti. Keeping your gaze stable at one point increases concentration and calms the mind. When your gaze scatters your mind gets more scattered as well. 

As you get more advanced in your practice, not meaning you can do more advanced asana, but have a better quality of your breath and concentration in your practice, is when you will start to get more sensitive, more attuned to yourself and your surroundings (this was the point in my practice when I became a vegetarian and later an almost complete vegan). Being more sensitive can be uncomfortable because you feel things more, also your own negative emotions. However, what is nicer than comforting yourself, being present and accepting of yourself no matter how you feel? Turning inwards to listen to your inner voice, your mind, body and heart to see what part of you needs attention and what you can do for yourself. Practicing yoga in this way has so many benefits. 

There is a misconception that happiness is the ultimate goal and if you aren’t happy you have done something wrong. I would argue that if you are happy all the time, you are not paying attention. I think a better goal is to be present with whatever comes up in your emotions and your life, and make the best you can of every situation. That might in the end cause you to be happy, but you can’t just live for the happy moments. If you are only gonna be happy, you have to ignore your inner self a lot… There are gifts in every emotion. Being present with yourself and other people creates intimacy and belonging. Trying to change how you feel or how someone else feel without being present to what is, is only gonna create a sense of separation. Your feelings change automatically when you allow yourself to feel, when you take the time to listen to your inner self and find out what it is that you actually need. Happiness is a byproduct of being kind to yourself.

Being present and accepting is one step. Diving in to see the whole truth is the great work of any spiritual practice. This is where true healing lies. It is not comfortable. It will often be unpleasant while you are in the midst of it. And sometimes the truths revealed can be hard to deal with. But this is where you can truly become liberated and be who you truly are. I’ve been practicing this deep soul searching for years, I don’t teach it, but maybe I will in the future. Anyways, I highly recommend it because deep within is where you find the keys to your own inner power, integrity and authenticity. The reason why I’m writing this is really that I want to inspire people to live their life as fully as they can, having a good relationship with themselves and other people. Many blessings ❤