How Yoga Works: Part II

Life is a mirror that reflects what’s in your heart. You see in others what is really within yourself. If you want to change your world, you have to start with yourself. If you want to live in a happy peaceful place, you have to create that in your own space first. The life you want won’t come knocking at your door if you’re inside complaining about everything. Both your happiness and emotional well-being are your responsibility. It’s that simple, and that excruciating.

There is always a story behind how things appear. Often, you’ll find that there is a subtext and even a hidden plot. You don’t always immediately see what the truth is in any given situation. Some people are masters of illusion – they hide themselves from themselves and live in a world where they play the hero and everyone else is either an antagonist or in need of salvation

Navigating the foggy atmosphere of interpersonal relations isn’t easy. The only way to make it through is to stick to your center, to keep yourself rooted and grounded within yourself. You have to know yourself deeply and fully. You have to experience completion, stay focused, and keep your eyes on the path forward.  You are not responsible for other people’s actions or emotions. You are only responsible for your own, and that, in and of itself, is a full-time job.

There is probably no greater tool to help you reclaim your emotional center than a backbend. Things get triggered and you learn how to breathe through them. You cry and learn how to feel the granularity of emotions, how to process them and also how to heal. Finally, you understand that what you feel does not define you – it’s just experience, and you are no longer a slave to your emotions. Don’t expect backbends to be easy. Expect an adventure and a challenge.

This is how yoga works. You start by taking an honest look at who you are. You rip away the pleasantries, take off the masks and drop all pretense. Standing at the center of your universe, laid bare, soul exposed, you come home to the truth of who you are. Finally, the mirror is clean and your beautiful, whole, pure self is staring back at you. You’re Free. And like magic, all the things that seemed blocked fall into place. Blessings that you never imagined rain down from the sky. And the best one is that feeling of joy that vibrates from every breath.

By Kino Macgregor

Leave a Reply