Yoga Bear

I have always tried to keep fit. I'm not fanatical about it by any stretch of the imagination, but I do my best... Yoga seemed like a perfect fit, because I'm fairly flexible, so stretching comes naturally to me. I like feeling limber...it is energizing.

Through the years I acquired a couple yoga videotapes and tuned in to some yoga shows. These helped me to learn some basics and experience a taste of how enjoyable yoga can be. I often yearned to take a class to venture deeper into the practice of yoga, but the only ones I ever found were taught during the day, on weekdays. Hey, I work then...! Four years ago, I found a private yoga teacher who taught me at our home! It was wonderful! We met every Monday evening at 6:15 for two years. I learned so much from her!

Certainly, I learned a plethora of poses, and their proper implementation. But there was so much more than that! I learned that yoga is not all quiet and meditative. At times it can be downright aerobic! It is through the dynamic actions that your mind becomes focused, and released from everything except the concentration on the physical movements. That plateau is a very good place for "Gina the Ruminator" to go!

It's the mind-body connection of yoga movement that is beneficial for me. By focusing my energies on the demands of a certain pose, I am brought into balance. So instead of living all in my head, disconnected from my physicality, my mind and body learn to communicate with each other. The more this way of being is repeated, the two elements learn to work and feel in unison. At the end of a yoga session, you do a meditation where you relax your body and mind, attempting to quietly feel that inner connection.

Most importantly, I learned that yoga is a journey. You don't achieve the full pose the first time you try. But achieving isn't the point. Again, it is the stretching toward, the releasing into the pose that is the point. Each time you practice the pose, your body gives into it more freely. There is no goal to yoga, ultimately. You don't win it, or even master it. It is the means to make connections within yourself.

The benefits I attain from yoga are both physical and mental. For some, yoga contains a spiritual component as well. As for me, yoga helps me to nurture the vessel in which I experience life. I don't know if that is spiritual, but it feels right for me.

I am thankful for the practice of yoga in my life.