Suffering often arises when life doesn’t go the way we’d hoped or planned.
Looking back, I can see that my response to difficult situations was often to resist what was happening. I’d keep busy, push against change or become frustrated when things weren’t going as I wanted.
I wasn’t necessarily aware of doing this. It was simply how I’d learned to cope with things I found uncomfortable.
Finding yoga gradually changed my relationship with these experiences.
As I became more aware of my body, my breathing and my reactions, I began to recognise how much energy I was putting into resisting things I couldn’t always change.
I also started noticing how my body responded to what was happening in my life. Tension, discomfort and familiar patterns of holding were often telling me something that I hadn’t yet recognised.
My yoga practice became an opportunity to explore these experiences, to become curious about what was happening rather than immediately trying to change it.
And sometimes, simply becoming aware of something was enough for a shift to begin.
Over the years, my exploration has taken me beyond physical yoga into healing, sound, energy work and other approaches that have helped me understand myself more deeply.
It’s been a gradual journey, and one that continues to unfold.
For many people, yoga begins with movement. We come to a class hoping to improve our flexibility, ease an aching back, feel stronger or find some relief from stress.
These are all worthwhile reasons to practise.
But yoga has a much broader tradition, offering ways to explore our relationship with ourselves, other people and the world around us.
Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga describe different aspects of this journey:
- Yama: How we relate to others and the world around us
- Niyama: Our relationship with ourselves and how we live
- Asana: Physical postures and movement
- Pranayama: Working with the breath and vital energy
- Pratyahara: Turning our attention inwards
- Dharana: Developing concentration
- Dhyana: Meditation
- Samadhi: A state of deep absorption or unity
Although they’re described as eight limbs, I don’t see them as a set of achievements to work through.
They are different aspects of yoga that can support and inform one another.
We might begin by noticing how we move and breathe, then gradually become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, habits and the way we respond to life.
And what we discover through our practice can begin to influence how we live beyond the yoga mat.
When yoga becomes a healing practice
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate is how much our bodies can reveal when we take the time to listen.
We may have spent years adapting to stress, difficult experiences, injuries or the demands of everyday life. Some of those adaptations have helped us cope, while others may now be contributing to discomfort or limiting how freely we move.
Through movement, breath, awareness and stillness, we can begin to recognise these patterns.
Sometimes that means noticing how we hold tension. At other times, we may become aware of an emotion, a memory or a familiar response that arises during practice.
We don’t always need to understand everything immediately.
For me, yoga has become a way of developing a deeper relationship with my body and learning to trust what I experience.
The healing work I now offer has grown from this understanding, bringing together yoga, sound, breath, energy work and other body-based approaches.
Each offers a different way of exploring what we carry and what may be ready to change.
Learning to meet life differently
Life will always bring change, uncertainty and experiences we wouldn’t necessarily choose.
I still find myself resisting things at times!
But yoga has helped me recognise those moments sooner and become more aware of how I’m responding.
There are times when I need to take action, make a decision or change something in my circumstances. And there are times when I need to accept what I cannot change.
Learning to recognise the difference is an ongoing practice.
I think that’s one of yoga’s greatest gifts. What we discover through movement, breath and stillness gradually becomes part of how we meet everyday life.
And perhaps that’s where some of the deepest healing begins.
If you’re navigating change, living with ongoing challenges or simply feeling drawn to explore yourself more deeply, you’re welcome to find out about my one-to-one Healing Pathway or join one of my online yoga classes.
