The Purpose of Yoga
I’m not sure happiness, at least in the way many of us define it, is possible. I’m also not sure it’s something we should aim for in life (one of my favorite quotes is by John Stuart Mill. He says, “Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.”)
What yoga can do is help you end the war with yourself and feel good IN and ABOUT your life, regardless of the external circumstances. When I’m done working with a client, they tell me they feel freer, at greater peace with themselves, and can enjoy more moments of ease - experiences that were rare for them before. Some of them never even practiced yoga poses or sat down to meditate during our time working together.
Read on to hear more about what yoga is and how I use it in 1:1 coaching sessions to transform the way people relate to themselves.
Do you remember my post from last week? I spoke about why, oftentimes, we don’t feel happy EVEN THOUGH there is nothing outwardly wrong with our lives. Read that reflection here. To sum it up:
REASON 1: Everything in life is IMPERMANENT. And our minds don’t like this. We are wired to cling to the good stuff, and push away the bad stuff. This makes it hard to feel satisfied and content.
REASON 2: We are NOT DESIGNED FOR HAPPINESS. In fact, we are the descendants of anxious and depressed people - these traits were selected for; they kept us alive (Allen & Badcock, 2006). I’m going to take a wild guess and say that the “chill” and laid-back cavemen probably died much quicker.
REASON 3: Having a sense of self is important for being a functioning member of society, but it creates DELUSION: a false sense of separateness from others and a body and mind that is constantly searching for threats to the ego when there aren’t any.
Embedded in all religions and spiritual practices are ways to understand and/or deal with this pain and suffering.
Yoga is one such tradition, and it has deeply impacted my life and well-being. Although the yoga we practice today BARELY resembles its original form, *some of* its evolved forms are still applicable and helpful for the modern day angsty adult (when practiced in intentional ways with an informed teacher, I’m not talking about hot-power-goat-yoga where you can BYOB, as fun and Instagram-worthy as that sounds).
One of my goals in my work (whether I’m teaching a virtual yoga class or coaching someone one-on-one) is to teach what I have found to be transformative from the yoga tradition, which, to many people’s shock, doesn’t necessarily mean teaching people how to downward dog. It means…
...helping people create the optimal conditions in their mind for a more lasting contentment that doesn’t depend on their achievements, the shape of their body, or things always going their way.
…teaching people how to tune into their mind and body so they can hear its important messages.
...helping people to access “flow” in their day-to-day lives, a state characterized by a sense of timelessness, focus, and elimination of self-consciousness.
And most importantly,
...supporting my clients in freeing up space previously taken up by concerns, worries, and the “inner critic” to pursue meaningful goals and live out their values.
If you DO feel like practicing the poses, depending on the type of yoga (restorative, yin, vinyasa, Kripalu, etc.), yoga can be helpful for…
strengthening discipline, which translates off the mat
stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us to feel relaxed and regulate digestion, immune function, inflammation, and more.
strengthening the muscles of the body
improving balance, proprioception, and interoception (Farb et al, 2015)
improving flexibility
improved lung function (Abel et. al 2013)
Wanna see for yourself? Join me for my live virtual classes I teach every week: Thursday at 5:45pm ET: https://annelowell.com/virtual-offerings
Yoga isn’t the only tradition or practice that teaches us how to control the contents of our mind for greater enjoyment of life. But it’s the one I know and love, and want to share.