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Yoga is NOT about the pose

By Viki Distin

Yoga is not about putting your leg behind your head. Contrary to popular belief, yoga is more about loosening all of the physical, emotional, and intellectual knots that bind us. One of the most satisfying aspects of teaching yoga is witnessing the many ways our students transform. While the benefits of a consistent yoga practice are too may to mention, I thought it would be interesting to share some quotes from Cascade Yoga Studio students.

The most obvious transformations are what can happen with the body. If I could estimate how many combined pounds have been lost by our students, the total would be staggering. Many students report an increase in strength, endurance, and tone in their bodies that they have never before experienced. A number of students practice to cross train and maintain balance in their muscular-skeletal systems. One yogi claimed to have taken ten strokes off his golf game. Extreme sports are now available to several students who may have had physical limitations or simply fear. One student happily shared that she can now "out ski" her husband.

Of all the physical benefits reported, I am most pleased with the numerous students who feel healthier. Prior to doing yoga I personally was a work-out-aholic, yet I had multiple health issues. As my husband will verify, the increase in my immunity since yoga is of miraculous proportions.

While these subjective observations are note worthy, there are many forms of exercise that can increase physicality. What makes yoga so unique are not just the superficial aspects but the effects it has on the subtle emotional and mental layers of the body. Some of the quotes from our students include:

Yoga has helped me be nicer to my kids, and to teach with more patience and love.

I have healthier relationships.

I yell less.

Yoga helped me release decades of built-up tensions. Now I breath in new life.

I smile more.

Yoga has helped me be more understanding of others feelings.

A common result of practicing yoga is an increase in self-confidence. We had two students who claimed that yoga enabled them to wear shorts in public for the first time.

Then there are the random comments that could be classified under miscellaneous benefits. One student impressed her surgeon when she had bone surgery without any pain medication. Another student lost her fear of the dentist, and another sang a solo at church and attributed this accomplishment to her yoga practice. A few businesses were started and marathons finished, and at least one less person is smoking.

As we study yogic philosophy we find that the benefits reported and skills cultivated by Cascade Yoga students are not surprising. The yogi Patanjali said over 2500 years ago in the Yoga Sutras that each individual has limitless potential and intrinsic goodness. Patanjali said as humans we need to learn how to slow down the activity of the mind so that we can see and feel our true nature. So maybe someday our leg will wrap around our head. In the meantime we will loosen the knots and reveal the beauty and the light that is in all of us.