Thank you to OM YOGA Magazine for publishing this article in the September 2022 issue 🙂
Being a yoga teacher might seem to others that we are always perfectly calm, peaceful and balanced. But it doesn’t mean that we have everything sorted! As everyone else, we also have to juggle the daily appointments and schedules, organise our family lives, pay the rent and yes, we get stressed too. But through practising yoga and meditation, studying and following yogic principles we gained some of that magical knowledge that helps us navigate our days and live our lives as best as we can.
We all can for sure gain lots of knowledge and wisdom from the ancient yogic scriptures and modern books on yoga and all things related, these are invaluable, especially Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Upanishads, to name just a few. It is however our own life experiences, that will make us relate to these deep yogic texts, whatever happens in our lives and how we respond to it. Life is a forever evolving journey; it is not always easy and straight forward. Yoga teaches us that every experience has something to offer to us, everyone we meet has a message for us and we too have messages for those around us. Trust that you are on the right path, that you are exactly where you are meant to be right now.
Eva shares: In my yoga classes I often draw on my personal experiences, obstacles that I have overcome, hardships I experienced and also the joys and highs that are making my heart full to the brim. I try to make my classes relevant to my student’s everyday lives and what is happening in the world around us, so everyone can find comfort and inspiration there and take whatever they need away with them. Sometimes a little quote, breathing technique, certain yoga posture or simply time to relax can provide that a-ha moment that will change the story of the day.. I love working with different themes that will provide just that and here I will share a couple that are close to my heart.
- Heart
Close your eyes and place your hand on your heart. Slow down your breath and settle your mind.. Now listen, listen to the whispers of your beautiful heart. Most of the time we use our logical, analytical mind and ignore the calls of our heart, even though the electromagnetic field of the heart is so much stronger than that of our brain. When we don’t listen to the messages of our heart we will experience increased tension, pressure and stress. So today I invite you to really connect with your precious heart and listen to what it needs to say. Ask yourself: ‘What does bring my heart joy?’, ‘What does my heart need me to know?’, ‘I follow my heart’.
‘The best and the most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched. They must be felt in our hearts.’
To clear tension from your heart centre I invite you to chant this mantra associated with the Anahata Chakra (Heart Chakra) – YAM
- Overcoming of Obstacles
On our life journey we are all met with series of obstacles, sometimes we feel that we are stuck, we can’t move from a certain place, everything is blocking us and we can’t see the way out. Yoga teaches us that everything is temporary, everything changes, no situation stays the same. We can change our lives, make different decisions, put ourselves first and be in charge of our destiny. What are your dreams, aspirations and goals? Find yourself a quiet place to reflect on your life and ask yourself ‘Where do I want to go in my life?’ and ‘What is in my way?’. Often we find that the person that is in our way is in fact us. Through fears, worries, conditioning and feelings of being small, not enough, not important, we forget that we are in fact more powerful that we think, we forget that the only person in charge of our destiny is us. And that it is up to us to create a life that we want. Every decision that we make shapes our future and invites in new opportunities and possibilities. Let’s visualise our dreams and aspirations and imagine that we are already doing it. Speak to a friend about it and start to change your life today.
Use these affirmations: ‘I am in charge of my life’, ‘Where focus goes, energy flows’.
- Speak your Truth
Have you ever experienced that you can’t get your words out, your throat is tight and you are unable to express yourself and communicate clearly? Often our hearts know what we need to say but somewhere between our hearts and throats and throats and the lips the words get lost. We feel we are unable to say what we need to say, we worry that our words might be misunderstood, that we might hurt someone with our truth or that we get hurt in return. However it is really important to be able to speak our truth and speak from our heart. This can be all done with kindness and good intention. When we suppress our truth we become small and lose our true self. So lets practice expressing ourselves more clearly, speaking our truth with love and kindness.
Some useful affirmations here are: ‘I am free to speak from my heart’, ‘I am free to speak my truth’,
Postures to practice are: Cobra, Fish, Camel, Shoulder Stand, Lion Breath
To clear tension from your throat centre I invite you to chant this mantra associated with the Vishuddha Chakra (Throat Chakra) – HAM
- Lotus Flower
The lotus flower grows in muddy waters and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. Rooted in the mud it rises towards the sun. Many of us live in that ‘murky water’ but like a lotus, we too have ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness, open our petals and radiate into the world.
I love this theme as it shows that we all sometimes go through challenging times, we all need to have certain experiences. As we move through these life challenges we find our strength, and determination and eventually come to the surface and shine. In short – no mud no lotus!
Some affirmations to use here: ‘Keep shining your light’, ‘The world needs your light’, ‘Be like a lotus, let the beauty of your heart speak’.
