Why start with yoga, I already do quite a lot of sports..? First of all I would like to emphasize that you can practice yoga in many different ways, for example you choose the aerobic variant or the softer forms. It is a personal choice that you make based on what you like and experience as good for yourself.
In a Yoga class you can work on all levels of consciousness; why is that so important?
Practicing yoga:
- Teaches you how to deal with stress;
- Lowers your blood pressure;
- Activates your immune system;
- Train yourself in deep relaxation.
All levels of consciousness work closely together and there is a continuous exchange of energy. In the ideal situation, you feel vital and energetic. If there is a disruption, you can experience physical complaints and/or your energy level decreases and you can feel listless, tired or very stressed. We all know it: vague headaches, shoulder pain, digestive problems, or those days when nothing comes out of your hands, when you are not very assertive.
The five layers of consciousness:
- The physical body: which we maintain by eating and engaging in physical activity.
- The energetic layer: breathing that provides oxygen intake, new energy that feeds all your body cells, all physiological processes in our body.
- The emotional layer: the ‘drive’ with which you do things.
- The Thoughts Layer: Your thoughts are a means to develop your consciousness.
- The deep connection with your soul, your being, the pure connection with who you essentially are. Where emotions and thoughts have no influence.
Disturbances in one of the layers affect all the others, for example during intense emotional events your breathing stops, you feel pressure on your chest, it is more difficult to breathe deeply into your stomach… or you start eating or drinking excessively… maybe you recognize this..?!
In a yoga class you can feel all the layers and bring them into balance. For me the repetition is important, first you are busy with the physical movement, then you focus on your breathing, then the emotions come, how does it feel… the thoughts follow and the deep connection with the Self. Everything from the softness of the heart….
That is why we have a monthly theme in our online classes of The Elements and focus on this theme every week in the yoga class, so that you have the time to integrate all experiences into your daily life. Life goes step by step, hours, days, weeks, months, years………we never stop learning, let yourself be surprised!