The word YOGA derives from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, which means to JOIN or to YOKE or to UNITE 👭
Yoga is an evolving technology of powerful practices including asana (or postures), meditation, breathing exercises, mantras (affirmations), mudras (hands gestures) which are available to you anytime, anywhere!
It’s like your body is a musical instrument and all these practices are the sounds you can play. By practicing yoga you play all these sounds together to form a beautiful melody.
The ultimate goal of yoga is the union of the individual consciousness with the Universal Consciousness.
When I heard this concept a few years ago I couldn’t really grasp it. I would rephrase it like:
Yoga brings harmony between the body & mind and between humans & nature.
And how much we need this nowadays! 🌳 🌎
Usually the entry point in yoga is Vinyasa (yoga flow), or yoga as a kind of fitness practice. This makes total sense because the physical body is the most tangible part of your being. You can see your body, you can touch it, it’s familiar.
But what if there’s more than toned abs & good posture?
This month I want to invite you to the magical land of MEDITATION.
Meditation is about observing the fluctuations of your mind and bringing your attention back to the present moment, over and over and over again.
The mind is supposed to think so it’ll always wander to what’s for dinner tonight, to the housework or that big delivery or sales target at work.
It takes dedication and practice to build a consistent meditation practice.
Is it worth it? Totally YES!
Let me share with you some of the benefits of Meditation.
MEDITATION BENEFIT #1 - It makes you calm under pressure
The example that comes to mind is when one of my daughters is having a tantrum and she screams like there is no tomorrow. If you’re a parent you know very well that it can be quite a stressful situation especially if it is in the middle of the street or in a shop.
By meditating consistently you can train your mind to respond with grace to difficult situations rather than reacting. In the example of the tantrum, I learned to repeat in my mind the mantra “I’m calm and relaxed” until the storm passes.
MEDITATION BENEFIT #2 - It makes your mind focussed
When you meditate you train your mind to come back to the present moment over and over again. In other words you notice all the stories that your mind is constructing and you choose not to pay attention to them. It’s like you have the superpower to see the distractions all around you but don’t buy into them, so you can focus on what’s important instead.
MEDITATION BENEFIT #3 - It makes you sharp
Meditation changes key areas of your brain. A study at Harvard revealed that 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation led to an increase in thickness in the part of the brain that governs learning and memory.
Another study shows that people who have been practicing meditation for 20 years or more have more grey matter than people who don’t meditate. As we age, our grey matter shrinks… but for those who meditate, the effect is less profound. This is true of the whole brain, not just certain areas!
These are only a few of the many benefits of meditation… there are tons more.
And the good news is that you don’t need to carve out 1hr a day to reap the benefits of this practice. A few minutes a day can work wonders for your emotional and mental wellbeing!
As we're wrapping up, I want to invite you to my upcoming online 21-days Meditation Challenge which starts on JAN 10th, 2022. I'll show you a step-by-step process to incorporate a daily meditation practice (as short as 3mins!) into your life.
Feel CALM, mentally RELAXED and HELD. I’ll be there to make it enjoyable & fun!
Thanks for reading until the end!
See you soon and until then…
Be WILD, be YOU!
With gratitude,
Consuelo