Tanja Alexandra Kern

Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.”

~ B. K. S. Iyengar

 

Yes, I am passionate about yoga and to me the power of yoga is undeniable. Therefore I decided to add on to my previous blog “The Healing Power of Yoga”.

Today you will discover what blessings I have been receiving from practicing yoga, get access to the articles “The Power of Yoga” and Yoga and the Brain: A Vision of Possibilitiesand at the end of the newsletter, after all the reading, a link to a fun yoga video.
Sit back, take a deep breath, relax and please enjoy today’s blog/newsletter.

Having been on my yoga journey for about ten years now, I can certainly vouch for the power and magic of yoga and everything that ancient practice has done for me. Yoga has given me guidance, insight and grounding. Oh, how good it feels to stretch back into a childspose, melt forehead and heart down, soften the shoulders and just surrender. Feeling the rhythm of my breath, like waves flowing through my body, and returning to the precious present moment.

Coming on to my mat is a divine ritual and blessing for me.  It has granted me awareness to detect when (self-) criticism, judgement or negative thoughts/emotions come up, to acknowledge what’s there and let go. Yoga encourages me to practice acceptance, patience, kindness, love, and compassion (toward myself and others) both on and off the mat.
Yoga has been grounding, soothing, energizing, uplifting, and balancing me. For certain yoga has taught me to be authentic both while practicing and teaching.
Yoga has been a light on my path, and I hope it will be on yours.

Now, I would like to hear from YOU! Have you tried yoga before? Are you interested in yoga? Do you have any questions about yoga? How has yoga touched your life? Please email me, leave a message for this post on my website or Facebook.

“Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.”

~ B.K.S Iyengar

I am very delighted to share with you that another one of my articles (“The Power of Yoga”) was recently published on Teach.Yoga. Yay! It is addressed to my fellow yoga teachers, expressing my gratitude for being a yoga instructor, and the blessing to guide my lovely students on their yoga journey. If you are interested you can access the article HERE.

Thank you for being part of the community by either being one of my cherished yoga students or a friend subscribing to my newsletter!

In addition I came across a very interesting article on the Huffington Post by Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, Smitra Malhotra, MD., P. and Murali Doraiswamy, M.D.  “Yoga and the Brain: A Vision of Possibilities” that I like to share with you. It describes how the traditional practice of Hatha Yoga offers great benefits for the brain functions. It also mentions the “eight limbs” of yoga, which we have been covering in the recent blogs/newsletters.

Below are a couple of quotes from the article. If you are interested to read the full article please click HERE.

“Across its 5,000-year history, the purpose of yoga–a Sanskrit word whose literal meaning is to unite, or yoke together–is to join body and mind. Physical aspects of yoga, properly called Hatha Yoga, comprise only one of the traditional “eight limbs” of Yoga. Although the other limbs are more directly spiritual, the positions prescribed in Hatha Yoga are also meditative–each pose exemplifies a state of consciousness.”

~ Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, Smitra Malhotra, MD., P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., “Yoga and the Brain: A Vision of Possibilities”

“In a word, yoga is a new way of looking at life that translates into a way of interacting with life. The twisting and balancing poses that appear difficult from the outside foster composure and self-awareness–they draw the person back into the inner world.”

~ Deepak Chopra, MD, FACP, Smitra Malhotra, MD., P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., “Yoga and the Brain: A Vision of Possibilities”

“It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.”

    ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

If you are one of my cherished yoginis you know that I am stressing a strong foundation in every pose to         keep us safe, steady, comfortable and grounded in joy, just like Patañali’s Yoga Sutra 2.46 is suggesting. “The posture should be steady, comfortable and grounded in joy.”

So I found this fun video that I thought you might enjoy. It is described as follows:
All About That Base is a musical love letter to yoga, filmed at Otter Creek Yoga, in Middlebury, Vermont. Teachers and students of all levels do some of their favorite postures while giving thanks for the practice that helps us feel stable and spacious.”

Click HERE to watch the video. Enjoy! 🙂 I hope it brings a smile on your face and brightens your day!

I would love to hear from you. Have you tried yoga before? How has yoga touched your life?

 

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