Yoga Philosophy

This was the second lesson and the instructor did not only go more indepth to the different postures, he also applied the philosophy of yoga to that of life. Attending yoga lessons was not only a cleansing of the body but also that of the soul and mind.

Breathing and Stress Management
A simple breathing exercise could help us focus our minds and release pent-up emotions so that we could maintain our calm and be more effective. How often do we allow our emotions to override our rationality and make a wrong decision? How often do we allow our emotions to disrupt our days? If we can manage our emotions better, we will be able to minimise the damages that we do unto others and ourselves.

Getting the Postures Right
In our focus on getting the postures, we often compromise our breathing or our muscles stretches. While deceiving others, we are also deceiving ourselves. If we cannot attain a certain posture this week, it does not mean that we will not be able to attain it next week or the week after. The most important lesson was to maintain our inner wellness through our controlled breathing. The purpose of yoga will be defeated if we do not take care of our breathing in an attempt to perform a certain posture. This can be extended to our daily lives. Sometimes, we attempt to show others how capable or successful we are but we forget that our personal development and happiness are more important.

According to the instructor, if we practise yoga on a prolonged basis, we would be able to apply the principles of yoga to our daily lives.