Part 2 Click here for part 1.
Read about yoga and resilience in this post that Yogashala guest teacher Marcella Dean contributed to our blog. You can find her regularly on Sunday mornings at Yogashala, teaching from her deeply rooted love for yoga.
Yoga comes into the picture
I am talking about the science of yoga, the entire philosophy including the spiritual and meditative aspects. I first got exposed to yoga asana practice (the physical aspect of yoga) shortly after the birth of my daughter. It was love at first ‘practice’. Never particularly into sports or my body in general, this first asana practice literally awakened me to my own body. I distinctly remember how wonderful it felt when all the parts of my physical, emotional and mental being were for once in harmony.
This experience made me realize that for much of my life I had been living ‘next’ to my body, barely feeling what was really going on inside me. The first years I attended yoga classes twice a week, which at the time felt very helpful. I was going through a stressful time raising two small children while finishing a PhD.
Asana and Meditation for resilience
The body is only the beginning. After years of asana practice, my awareness began to grow beyond my limited physical experience. My senses sharpened and I became more keenly aware of what was going on around me. I started to let go of judgment and increasingly felt more connected with myself and all living things surrounding me. After many years of yoga asana, including a teacher training and workshops all over the world, meditation – another aspect of yoga – became increasingly important. I was fortunate to find the right guidance from a number of very experienced yoga masters. They helped me establish a dedicated daily practice.