“Yoga for the Mind”

Yoga is more than just exercise. It is a wholistic health modality that can do as much good for your mental state as well as your health.

While working our body through the physical practices of yoga we can simultaneously harness our mental energies. We learn to observe the mind and notice how it wavers from concentration. This develops what is known in yoga as “witness consciousness”.

The “witness consciousness” is the prized tool of the yogis. It allows us to develop self inquiry and insight so that we can know what we need to do for ourselves in any given situation, and even if we don't always get things right, how we can learn from that experience to do better next time. Ultimately, we become more ‘mindful', developing more appropriate behaviors and decreasing stress in our lives.

Atma Saraswati says “How you do yoga is how you do life!” She encourages her students to explore their mental responses during the yoga practices. For example, how does your mind wander while you are focusing on your practice; does it get restless, bored, judgmental or reactionary; do you give up too easily or are you trying too hard, trying to be perfect or comparing yourself to others, giving yourself a hard time or taking the path of least resistance, can you hear your inner dialogue? Could these mental patterns be present in other areas of your life? If so - are they working for you? Once we acknowledge these patterns we can then be aware of how they operate in the “the big yoga classroom” - the outside world – at work and in our relationships. This means yoga is a moving meditation!

A good yoga class is nurturing and enriching. It is an environment in which we can let go of the outer world and be at one with ourselves. It leaves us feeling tuned up physically, and tuned in mentally. “Yoga”, from the ancient Sanskrit language, means Union or Communion - between mind and body, the inner world and the outer world.