I love yoga.

Yoga is essential to my life. It is simple really: yoga brings me peace and happiness.

I often speak of the "magic of yoga," because to me, yoga is magic. There is nothing else that I know of that is so powerful. Yoga has the power to shift my mindset, my thoughts, my feelings, my physical body, my soul. Yes, my soul. Yoga heals me in every single way imaginable. And the magic part is that I really don´t have to do much: yoga does it for me. Not that I am lazy, but yoga is so amazing it takes care of me and lets me just relax and enjoy. Of course I have to show up on the mat, I have to show up to the moment, I need to connect with my breath, hear the silence and let the incessant flow of thoughts flow on by…but once I am here…now…the magic of yoga appears. Everything else fades away, and all that exists is the moment, the peace, quiet, and endless gratitude for everything and everyone. 

Yoga is so much more than the practice of asana  (physical postures), however the practice of physical postures is a great way for many of us to enter into the magic realm of yoga.

Using our physical body while focusing on the breath, making sure to practice in a therapeutic way and practicing non-violence or ahimsa in our mind (inner dialogue) and body (not forcing your body into postures that don´t feel right for you in that moment), is a great way to start discovering the deeper effects of yoga. When we use our bodies in asana and become acutely aware of our breath (pranayama) and the details of the moment in our breath, bodies and mind, we move toward a meditative state and it is here the magic begins...

Maybe you want to give it a try? While I recommend going to a yoga class to make sure you get proper guidance and learn yoga in a safe and therapeutic way, you might want to play around with this sequence called Surya Namaskara A, which is a great way to begin linking your breath and movement and generating heat in the body.