Yoga Is Not About the Pose by Dr. Monya Cohen, Psy. D, MSW, RYT-200, Certified PRYT Yoga Therapist

Yoga Is Not About the Pose

     Yoga is not about the pose. Yoga is not about the warrior, plank, or down dog.

Yoga is not about how flexible you are.

Yoga is not how the pose looks.

Yoga is about how it helps you look at life.

Yoga is about how you feel inside.

I began practicing yoga over 20 years ago and yoga continues to change my life. I started practicing yoga once a week; then twice a week; then three times a week. The more I practiced, the better I felt. One of the first things I learned was that yoga is a practice – it is not perfection and it is not a competition. The more I practiced yoga the less depressed I felt. The more I practiced yoga the less back pain I experienced. 

Yoga is breath and movement.  I discovered that the breathing practice is just as important as the movement.  When I was practicing vinyasa flow yoga, I experienced my breath getting stuck in my throat. I recognized that my breath was shallow; I was breathing from the top of my lungs.   Learning to breath in yoga was my biggest challenge and made the most significant impact. When I was able to breathe, I was more present in the moment, more connected to my body and I felt calmer and more relaxed. 

Yoga is about community. Yoga is not only about breath and movement.  Yoga is about a community of yoga teachers and students.  It’s about surrounding yourself with likeminded people. Your yoga community may be at the yoga studio or virtually online. During the isolation of the pandemic, we continued to practice yoga virtually and developed an online community. The silver lining of the pandemic is that you can show up wherever you are. 

Yoga builds resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back whatever comes our way. Ways to improve resilience include being socially connected to strong and positive relationships, including a supportive and welcoming yoga community. Resilience comes from remaining hopeful and engaging in self-care.  

Yoga is about connecting to your mind and your body. Yoga is about rediscovering your true self – your very best self.

For a free consultation, contact Monya at drmonya.com. Learn how private or group yoga can change your life.