Attitude is Key

What has yoga to do with attitude? “Good old fashioned yoga” is incorporating the yoga philosophy in your yoga practice as in the yoga classes I deliver. Yoga without the yoga philosophy is exercise which has a different purpose than yoga.

Often I say to my yoga students in my weekly classes and of course in the yoga retreats, that Yoga starts when you become aware of what your mind is doing while you are “doing yoga” (which most of see as practising the asanas/postures, or practising pranayama/breathing practices or sit down for meditation). Once we become aware of that inner voice that tells us “oh, I can do that, that’s easy” or “my body is just useless, I will never be able to do this” or “ I look soooo forward to dinner” etc … once we have an open and active listening attitude towards that inner voice with the intention to let it pass and not hold onto it or analyse it, we really begin the practice of Yoga.

We can find out what our attitude is while practising yoga, also while doing parts of the practice we might not enjoy as much, and then step out and watch this attitude - and possibly we will find out that this is our attitude a lot of the time during the day.

Becoming the outside observer, the witness in what we do brings a more relaxed open attitude to everything and let’s us act from a place of calm and centredness rather than from a reactive place.

Unnecessary to say that this change in attitude will show in a change of how we interact with family and friends AND at work. Regular practice of Yoga at the workplace can install a kind and positive workplace culture, where everyone feels uplifted with less tension in body and mind.

Practising Yoga with your family brings in a new connecting element of consciousness and awareness for one another. Try it ;-)