#yogajess

There's something that has been rubbing me the wrong way lately.. It makes me so sad when I compliment someone on their yoga practice and they say, " well i'm really not flexible/strong at all" or "I'll never be as "good" as you" .. that one really gets me and I really want to get this out.

I do not believe in any such thing as being "good" at yoga. It is not a sport. Your yoga practice is NOT about achieving a certain level in a posture. Your yoga practice is not about the length of practice, the heat in the room, the flexibility, the strength.. Stop feeding your mind with negative thoughts. You're completely missing the beauty of practicing yoga. Your yoga practice is your time to close your eyes, connect with your breath, feel.. It's your time to push your edge and learn lessons along the way.. It's about your personal journey of healing and blossoming. It's your time to connect with YOURSELF. It's not about who is going the "furthest" into a posture. I think that is so ridiculous anyway because the posture is the same posture in ANY form. Every single body is different and needs something different from the posture! The postures absolutely SHOULD look different in every person practicing them. What takes you "further" , is your ability to let go of everyone around you and be completely focused on what's going on inside. When I am finally able to stop worrying about what I look like, when I'm able to feel at peace in my life, when I grow spiritually, that is when my postures start to take on a new form. Sure you can force yourself into them, but you're completely missing the point.

Stop focusing on what you look like. Try closing your eyes during your practice. What do you feel?? Move in ways that feel good to the body. Yes, you want to challenge yourself, breathe through those challenges, take every lesson into the heart and grow.. But  (I'll repeat myself) yoga is not about achieving postures at any certain level. Yoga is about self discovery. It's about a connection with yourself and your community. It's about SO much more than just asana!! Asana is just one part of EIGHT limbs of yoga.. Please research if you're not familiar..

I love every single one of my followers and appreciate so much the support and love I receive on a daily basis. I just want so badly for you all to understand yoga at it's purest form. And sometimes that gets lost when you're just following what others do on social media. 

I love you, I love you, I love you.

Close your eyes and breathe.

Have you ever noticed that yogis of all ages have a certain youthful glow about them? It has been proven for centuries that inversions, commonly seen in most yoga classes, are a natural and powerful anti-aging tool. From something as simple as raising the legs, to the most extreme arm balances, they all have powerful results.

Benefits of Inversions:

Reverse the flow of blood and lymph

Help pull organs back up to their original places after being pulled down by the force of gravity

Remove stagnation from the feet and legs

Supply fresh oxygen to the brain 

Can help with depression, SDD and anxiety

Rejuvenating

Can reduce muscle tension

Many, many, many more.

So, before you head to the DR for Botox or skim the aisles looking for the best creams and pills, try getting upside down first. I promise you will see results.