When the body moves into a posture that may pose an interesting challenge or hold one’s focus for a while it gives you time to reflect on who you are and what your true self actually wants. Yoga has been sought out as a way to enhance one’s awareness and experience of their physical body in ways that would not otherwise be possible without such intense concentration, says Georges Chahwan. By practicing your yoga postures and routines you are able to notice what it is that your body needs, and thus you can get a more accurate picture of who you are on a deeper level.
The practice of yoga has been referred to by many yogis as a moving meditation where instead of thinking about the past or future one is completely focused on being in their current moment while going through the motions. One of the most important things while performing yoga is to be mindful of each position and how it relates to your inner self. If one does not have this mindfulness then they will not gain nearly as much from the session. Thus yoga helps you find who you are by allowing you the time to listen to your body’s needs instead of putting attention toward any thoughts in your head.
Yoga is unable to help anyone else unless one is able to love themselves first, says Georges Chahwan. The process of learning about oneself through yoga is not always an easy one but it definitely makes one more aware of what they want their life to be like rather than living out other people’s dreams for them. Through her book Moving Meditations: 60 Days of Yoga With Beth Shaw, yoga instructor and life coach, Beth Shaw writes about how she was able to connect with her inner self through the practice of yoga. Her story is one that many can relate to as it is not uncommon for people living in Western countries to lose touch with their bodies. In a society where most aspects of one’s life are planned out for them from a young age, giving oneself space to think and respond instead of reacting all the time is often hard but necessary.Georges Chahwan