Hello and welcome to Yoga with Jaina where I teach you how to practice yoga on and off the yoga mat.
Today I want to wish you all a Happy International Day of Yoga. Yes today is the International Day of Yoga and it is in fact in its second year.
I can already see the impact that the day has had on my local community. I think that more people are embracing yoga, more people are practicing and more people are teaching yoga which is really great to see.
So today I wanted to talk to you about how yoga came into my life and the benefits that I have experienced. At the age of 13 I was told that I had scoliosis which is curvature of the spine. My spine curves slightly towards the right which impacts the alignment of my body. The doctors said that in order to manage the scoliosis and to ensure it doesn’t get worse I would have to have surgery. The surgery for scoliosis is not small its major surgery which works very close to the spine.
I really did not want to go down this route and luckily neither did my parents. So we started to look into alternative therapies. I went to see physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, homeopathic doctors and eventually I found an old book on yoga in the back of my mums cupboard.
I started practicing the stretches at home in my bedroom and found that the stretches helped me to manage the pain and discomfort within my back.
I also found that yoga gave me a sense of independence and I didn’t have to rely on a physio or an osteopath to manipulate my spine. I could in fact take care of myself by practicing yoga at home. So very early on I developed a home yoga practice.
I also explored many different yoga class and I was attending one class where the teacher asked if I wanted to join the teacher training course. I said sure why not but I had no intention of teaching yoga I simply wanted to know more about the subject.
It was during this time that I started to meditate. Meditation had the greatest impact on my life and it was like a door of awareness had opened. I became more aware; firstly of the power of my mind and I became aware of negative thought patterns and habits that I had created which were causing me to suffer.
I realized that using the power of my mind I could create positive thought patterns to create a better life for myself. And through mental positive practices of gratitude, compassion and developing a sense of self-worth I could step into a place of happiness.
By pursuing the things that made me happy it allowed me to become more open to experiencing love, especially in relationships which led me to find my life partner and to get married. I also became open to tapping into my creativity and it was at this time that I set up my own business. I learnt to become financially independent and stable whilst doing something I enjoyed doing. I no longer had to do a 9 to 5 job which didn’t make me happy. I don’t think I would have achieved it all had I not been practicing yoga and meditation.
Yoga is so much more than physical exercise. It can help you to pursue your dreams and desires. When you practice yoga not only do you experience the benefits but the people around you, your community and the world as a whole benefits too.
So today on the second international day of yoga it is in my interest to share, to share my experience of yoga with you. How you interpret this or act on this is down to you.
But remember that if you want to pursue yoga I’m here to guide you. And not only am I here for you but there are hundreds and thousands of incredible yoga teachers out there waiting to share the beauty of yoga with you too.
So go, explore the wonderful world of yoga and let me know how you get on.
Sending you all my love on this very special day.
Namaste
