Yoga: More Than Movement.
Here in the US, we often think of yoga in the way it’s portrayed in the media. Young, thin, mostly women, with perfect ponytails and full faces of makeup; twisting their bodies into seemingly impossible poses. While we fully believe that’s yoga too (all yoga is yoga!), there is much more to the ancient practice than you might know.
There are 8 limbs of yoga and only one is the physical practice. That’s right… only 1/8 of yoga has anything to do with the poses you see on Instagram. The other tenants of yoga have everything to do with how you live your life OFF the mat, and they give us opportunities to practice our yoga all the time.
Here are some brief descriptions of the 8 limbs of yoga to give you an idea of the vast spectrum that is yoga. We dive much deeper into this topic in our Yoga 101 class, which is held 4 times per year both in the studio and online!
Yamas The Yamas are social ethics by which yogis seek to live daily life. They are: Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, and generosity.
Niyamas The Niyamas are personal practices that help refine a yogi’s self discipline. They are: purity, contentment, austerity, self-study, and surrender.
Asana Here’s what we think of as yoga. Physical postures ranging from simple and attainable for anyone, to difficult movements that are achieved after years of practice. The purpose of the movement is to connect the mind to the body and get all the wiggles out so that the mind and nervous system are calm enough to focus, meditate, and exist peacefully.
Pranayama Mindful, intentional breath. This is practiced during asana but also on its own. You ALWAYS have your breath. You can always come back to it.
Prathyahara The practice of turning attention and awareness inward… learning to not be distracted by outside events.
Dharana Once we learn to turn attention inward… we can find Dharana, or complete concentration and focus.
Dhyana is the ability to let go. This is where we truly begin to detach from the ego and effort associated with it.
Samadhi is the last limb a yogi works toward. It’s pure bliss, constant and complete harmony with the self and the universe. MORE OF THAT, PLEASE.
As you can see…. Yoga has very little to do with physical practice. It’s our intention at Jax to provide a beautiful calming space and excellent instruction for your physical practice, and also to teach you about the true yoga life and spur you as you seek it out.
Yoga is for EVERY BODY!
