Yoga Transformation - Easy As 1, 2, 3

Many people practice yoga for fitness or for therapeutic reasons, but not so many are in touch with the deeper dimension of yoga-spirituality-in the West. This is no surprise when spirituality is a life-long commitment to ethics and values, continuous improvement and reflection on life.

In the West, we are constantly bombarded with messages promoting instant gratification: six pack abs in less than 8 min., eat whatever you want all day to lose weight, never exercise again and so on.

I quickly learned that yoga is not easy. It takes consistency, dedication and ultimately it makes you examine your inner being on and off the yoga mat. It can be challenging to come to terms with a lie you may have told, or how you hurt someone or defaulted on your own personal value system. It's always easier to skip the practice, only focus on the physical, or deny the opportunity for reflection at all.

Embedded in the yogic system is an eightfold path of transformation that teaches us reflection, letting go of negative thoughts and emotions, and unbroken concentration or meditation. The key to yoga transformation is the process of ending pain and suffering characterized by ignorance, attachment to the impermanent and not being content in the present moment because of ego maintenance and our own perception of the world.

Yoga transformation teaches us that happiness lies within us. It is always there and present. Our own thoughts and behaviors lead us down pathways to places of fear, anger, pain and even physical manifestations such as tension, headaches and chronic conditions.

Practicing yoga and meditation is a path or way of life. It is not a religion, nor does it require to you to stop thinking. It actually requires you to think. What you learn allows you to be more compassionate, more in touch and more content with everyday life.

While yoga and meditation may involve lots of sitting and breathing, it is not an activity that leads to detached states of reality. In fact, yoga challenges you to face the realities of life head on. For these reasons you may laugh, cry, tremble, sweat and be filled with joy all from one practice.

In the spiritual tradition, I challenge you to begin a 40-day practice of mindful breathing, yoga postures and meditation.

For more information or to help others in their transformation, visit our yoga teacher training and meditation teacher certification programs at kcfitnesslink.com/yoga_teacher_training.html kcfitnesslink.com/yoga_teacher_training.html KCFitnessLink is a registered school with the Yoga Alliance offering yoga instructor programs in yoga, yoga therapy, Thai massage yoga therapy, meditation and holistic health.

Darryl Olive, MBA, MHA, CSCS, E-RYT 500 is a 500 hour certified and registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance. He leads yoga teacher training workshops and is the director of programs for KCFitnessLink. For more information, visit kcfitnesslink.com/yoga_teacher_training.html kcfitnesslink.com/yoga_teacher_training.html,
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