“Once yoga is on! Yoga is never off” R.

Why do we say this? How is this possible?

You hear people say this often “I was doing yoga for 4 years than new job come so no more yoga for 2 years, and now I m back!”… “I am on and off, depends how much time I have…”…”I have periods, sometimes I practice 3-4 times a week, sometimes I take a break for 1 month.”

This is like saying sometimes i take a shower every day, sometimes i take a break from it. Probably you don’t feel it, being so busy, but those around you definitely will start feeling it.

The smell doesn’t come from the body, but from your behavior. It is harder to concentrate, getting stressed to quickly, frustrated and the way you deal with frustration. Paying too much attention to one aspect of your life. Neglecting the others.

You need not only to feed your job or career, even if you love it. Take time to nourish your human needs, social needs, take time for nature, physical activity, meditation.

Most  people see yoga as an asana practice, physical exercises, for them yoga is happening 1-1.5 h per class. After this when the practice is over, yoga is over.

Many times i hear “Back to reality!”. SO what was before? where you dreaming? Wasn’t that as necessary as any other needs of the body-mind?

It is like going for a walk in nature, or seeing some friends, or eating food, after “Back to reality?” which one? If it is reality what you call work, or dealing with people which don’t have the means yet to handle their anger, or personality or frustration, probably it is your way of being that will make them move question their habits.

But it is a big difference, even if only during that particular day. The one you where before and after physically, mentally, even your face is changing.

You reached a certain state of mind, where there is more space, calm and ability to handle situations.

Asana, or the more physical, gross part of yoga practice is just 12.5% of all the practices yoga sums, just one of the 8 limbs of yoga.

Not only this, it is called practice, because after you finish your practice, you go and do the real yoga, and that is life.

Everything you are learning in the practice you bring it in your life and create new habits reprogramming, re-patterning your life.

Yoga is a 24h process. Changes are happening even if you are unconscious of those things. It is something that works, even after you finished the practice.

You may not practice asanas for 1 week, does that mean your yoga is off?

Probably the more Gross effects you feel are reducing, but some things are still on.

Many events of your life becomes a moment of practice. The way you sit, the way you eat, the way you walk. You are trying to see what is working best for the body and how still to indulge some of the pleasures of the body and mind. Balance.

How do I sit? How do I walk? Why do I have pain in the lower back?

Where is the blissfulness in this? It looks like a stressful practice, no break, always doing something.

Use this whenever you feel your mind goes rogue, when you re not having a good time, when you feel bored, when you want to take control over the circumstances that affects your body, only then….. the rest of the time enjoy.

Is it stressful, to feel most of the time good? Is there a possibility, I can feel good,a sense of contentment, all the time?

Yes in the beginning until a habit is formed, it is going to be challenging. But then it becomes who you are… The outcome of your practice…

You will experience moments in your life of bliss, satisfaction. When the mind goes like “Ohh I feel so good. My range of motion is incredible. That food was amazing for my body. I chose to end this relationship, I am aware I chose it for the wrong reasons. I am strong, I feel I can breathe and I have space in my body… ”

And sometimes the mind just go “……………………”

Silence, you don t think, you are just aware that you are happy, content, blissful, in love of yourself and you either close your eyes to feel it to the maximum, or continue what you are doing.

When the state passes, go back to practice: how is my back? what do I have to plan? what to do? how am I breathing, should I rest? Am i postponing something out of laziness?

Yoga is a life style, it doesn’t have to be the best one, but at least you start making conscious choices. You are the master of this machine, called human body, you are the one in charge.

Yoga has brought some of my life back into my hands, i become less of a victim of the circumstances outside my control, less affected by the things that would normally bring my energy down. I create some of the circumstances now, i create my own life. 

Before, life was out of my control, now, even if I can control only 3%, at least I know there is a possibility to go further, I know how to get there, the discipline implied.

Be mindful about your life, be conscious about your choices.Enjoyment and bliss are just a result of your practice.