Authentic Yoga or Yoga for a beach body? - What keeps a tree strong?

What keeps a tree strong and healthy? What is most important?

"The most important part of a tree is not the trunk, but the roots. One has to nurture the root more than any other part, because once the root becomes weak, what kind of life will the tree have? You may prop it up but with one small storm it will fall, because it lacks the strength to stand upright." (Sw. Niranjananda)

Yoga does the same for us: it nurtures the core of us. We don't only strengthen our core physically, but more so through training our awareness we strengthen our connection to our  inner being - our essence, which let's us stand upright and walk tall yet relaxed through life.

Different practises for a) our head - centring the mind and relaxing the mind, b) our heart - becoming aware of our emotions and directing them rather than having them direct us and c) our hands - becoming aware of our physical body and our physical interactions as well as inviting physical strength and vitality into our life through practising asanas ("yoga postures") should all be part of a yoga session and can be experienced in depth on a yoga retreat.

If we practice yoga to get our “beach body”, to look great in our outfit, or to look good for someone, then it is like looking after the leaves and flowers of a tree and the trunk that has to look strong and healthy instead of feeding the roots to nourish the whole tree.

Fortunately today, despite of a lot of superficial practices and superficial understanding of yoga is surrounding us, asanas are acknowledged to be techniques which place the physical body in positions that cultivate awareness, relaxation, concentration and meditation. An important part of this process is the development of good physical health by stretching, massaging and stimulating the pranic channels and internal organs. - And that means nurturing the core within us like the roots of a tree.

Below is a link to the first 30 minutes of a park yoga class I offer on Saturday mornings in Brisbane when I am there. Enjoy the session join your home or in your garden or on your deck and please subscribe to my channel and let me know what you would like to see more of. Thanks - Shaktiprem