healingways


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The Blessing of a Committed Yoga Practice


by Swaran Kaur Khalsa T


here is the question of why do we practice yoga? This can range from a doctor’s recommenda-


tion to wanting a more toned body, to simply being drawn to it for no appar- ent reason. The reasons are vast and particular to each person. Then there is the question of why


do we keep practicing yoga? It is common for many people


to have a honeymoon time in their practice. It is easy for us to come to class, as budding yogis, and immerse ourselves in what appears to be some- thing truly miraculous. Aches and pains may begin to vanish. We may feel on top of the world. However,


what do we do when the honeymoon begins to fade, and we are faced head on with our emotional and mental patterns? What do we do when we feel that we have plateaued? What do we do when our teacher, who once could do no wrong, begins to annoy us? What do we do when suddenly the last thing that we want to do is get on the mat? This is where the real healing


begins. When we stay steady with our practice, we learn about neutrality. We may become so sick of our pat- terns that we are able to surrender and give some of them up. Through time our highs may not be as high, and our


lows may not be as low. Something begins to happen to us. We become more aware of the simple jewels of life. We are touched more by the beauty that surrounds us. We begin to become more sensitized. We feel and we heal. We are not as dependent on extreme emotions or self-perpetuated drama to feel alive, or to just feel something. Through this process of healing there is also much clearing and releas- ing that takes place. As we sensitize, we feel energies that once caused us to shut down. Through time our prac- tice gives us the strength to be pres- ent with these feelings. Our nervous systems become stronger, and we are able to handle more sensation without numbing ourselves. Our physical bodies are a mani- festation of our thoughts, breath and previous karmas. Asana and breath work have the potential to chip away at patterns that might have otherwise seemed too ingrained to do anything about.


It takes courage. It takes commit- ment. It takes faith. The sweet honeymoon time that


often embraces people in the early throes of their practice can help to create faith. The memory of a power- ful healing experience can give us faith that it may happen again. And when the going gets tough, we may be blessed to remember that we are blessed to know about yoga, to be able to do it. When we can practice, even when we can’t think of one rea- son to, we grow deeply. Then we are truly stretching beyond our patterns. We are opening our lives. We are moving towards mining the joy that is our birthright. Namaste! a


Swaran has lived yoga for 14 years and has extensively practiced hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Kundalini Yoga. She teaches “Ashtanga with Healing Gong” at BODY in Santa Fe. For more information visit BodyOf- SantaFe.com.


natural awakenings June 2012 21


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