CONSCIOUS CLASSROOM®

Breathing is involuntary.  We don’t need to think about it, so most of the time we don’t.  In yoga when we use specific exercises to control breathing, it’s called breathwork, or in Sanskrit, pranayama.  Prana translates to life force and Ayama translates to our co-participation.  The way it works is simple.

About 1,800 years ago in ancient India, a sage by the name of Pata jali wrote the Yoga Sutras, the essential text on yoga philosophy. Pata jali outlined the Eight Limbs of Yoga as guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life, a path out of pain and suffering, and a tool for mastering the mind.

As you are reading this, minding your own business, innumerable chemical reactions are occurring inside your brain.  These reactions transport very important messages!  The nerve cells inside your brain called neurons are responsible for sending these messages.  Your growth, development, sleep, and even love are dependant on the messages.

Can you remember an important moment in your life in crystal clear detail? Our brains hold onto sensory data — this is how we remember things.  Our sensory connection to the world — be it aural, visual, textural, and so on — can be a powerful tool to bring us into the present moment, building upon our conscious awareness and keeping us mindful.

Where did we come from? At some point in history human beings asked themselves this question.  When our ancestors transitioned from living as nomaic hunter-gatherers to settling down in villages, they began making major advances such as farming, irrigation, and what would later become writing.

Our minds love to think.  They take the job very seriously sometimes.  Overthinking is human nature, but it can be problematic, especially when we’re trying to concetrate or be present. Since we’ve evolved to evaluate everything in our environment in order to stay safe, it’s normal to follow our thoughts as our minds wander.

Just like the world around us, our body contains many systems.  Yoga is one of the ways we can support the health and function of our systems.  Focusing on our breath helps to support not only our respiratory system, but our nervous system too.  Having stronger lungs brings an endurance and overall vitality, building on prana or “life-force” in the body.

In yoga, we learn to manage our energy at the same time as we learn to discipline our minds and bodies.  Practicing a pose brings an experience of mindfulness every time it is done.  Even if the pose is only held for just a few moments, the full range of balance and strength, concentration and breathwork is felt in the body and experienced in the mind.

Yoga is a series of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that originated in ancient India, aimed at quieting the mind.  The poses and postures denoted by the word “yoga” were originally developed to stretch one’s muscles in order to sit in meditation longer.

The ancient practice of yoga was devloped to encourage the health of the mind as a way to connect to inner wisdom and access the power of the brain.  It encourages us to utilize our brains in healthy ways.  Because our brain is ther machine responsible for creating what we perceive as our mind, we should  learn more about it.

Your energy is precious.  It’s a valuable commodity.  Especially when you’re sick or over-tired —it’s the thing you want more than anything — so you can get back to doing the things you love to do.  The study of yoga is the study of energy in your body.  Your yoga practice can bring more awareness to your energy centers, help you harness your energy, and strengthen it.

Through the previous modules, you are gaining a stronger understanding of yourself, your potential, and your worth.  Our desire is that you can settle into yourself, reflect on your life, and begin asking deeper questions.  Writing down your thoughts —  journaling — helps us stop and take time to assess, support our needs, and find our true selves.